T5 Lighting and LED Aquarium Lights

!±8± T5 Lighting and LED Aquarium Lights

T5 aquarium lighting is usually the best solution for most saltwater aquariums that are less than twenty four inches deep. This is because it is the most affordable and best bang for the buck lighting solution if you plan to keep corals. Don't get me wrong, metal halide lighting is a great solution, but T5 can even be more intense than metal halide. When comparing T5 to power compact, there is no comparison. T5 is better hands down. Power compact is older technology and far less efficient. There are many styles of T5 fixtures available. Some can be hung, while others rest on the rim of your aquarium. The typical fixture lengths are twenty four, thirty six, forty eight, and seventy two inches long. You will also see that fixtures are available containing two to twelve bulbs. Most aquarists will need one bulb for every three inches wide your aquarium is. So a fifty five gallon aquarium is twelve inches wide and should have about four bulbs. Most T5 fixtures containing more than two bulbs will have separate plugs so you can create a dawn and dusk effect.

Thankfully there are many T5 bulb options available. You will be able to find just the right spectrum that pleases your eyes. You will find purple, blue, red, white and yellow bulbs readily available in most of the common sizes. Use a combination of these bulbs to get just the right color. Also be sure to select a fixture that has built in fans to keep the bulbs cool and one that has high quality reflectors. Look for a light that mentions polished aluminum or parabolic reflectors with ninety five percent or better reflectivity.

In the future, aquarium LED light bulbs will replace power compact, T5 and metal halide. It makes sense because LED bulbs produce the same shimmering effect as metal halide and also match the intensity. Yet, they do not produce the heat, so a chiller is no longer a concern. You will also be able to dim and adjust the color of the bulbs like some T5 and VHO lighting systems. The bulbs will also last up to ten years! In the end, LED lights make the most sense, but they are still too expensive for most aquarists. Look for prices of these LED fixtures to start coming down in the near future.