# T5 or T8



## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

Seeings as I have never done live plants, but really want to and trying to do as much research, I figured I would ask you guys 

What is the difference between T5 lighting and T8 lighting? Is either one better than the other?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

T5 is better. I believe it is the diameter of the bulb. The T5 is much more narrow so I believe it is able to concentrate more light than the T8 bulbs. This makes it brighter.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Consider it the "next generation" in fluorescent bulbs from the T8. More light but uses more Watts and therefor produces more heat. To further confuse things
they now have a T6 which is half way in between those two. It uses less Watts than the T5 and fits the T8 fixtures. The T5 bulbs have a different length and
so do not fit the T8 fixture. At present the T6 only come in 15" and 48" in aquarium bulbs(full spectrum) but I haven't researched it in any other form such as
the "Soft White" which is a house light fluorescent bulb name.
When you hear people talk about "WPG" Watts Per Gallon, it is the T8 bulbs they are talking about primarily as that term began/w them and the light from a T5
is better than just the small amount more of Watts they use so you begin to drift away from a true % increase. But the same concept is still there.
The T8 Zoo Med Ultra Sun Super Daylight 48" is 32W..and $18...The T5 Zoo Med Ultra Sun Super Daylight is actually 46" and 54W at a cheaper rate of $15
both of which are Petco sales prices.
Remember you will have more heat/w the T5. T5's come in two bulb fixtures though there are single bulb fixtures which have no reflector on them.
I use two T8's Which requires two fixtures but then I can use two timers...but I have low tanks and when I go to a 55 I will likely use the T5's.
T8's are of course available in "shop light" fixtures which use two bulbs.
Now we also have fairly good LED aquarium lighting. Cost more to begin/w but uses much less Watts. Look in the"Plants" section for articles/post on them.
You can literally spend hundreds of bucks on either the T5's or the LED's so research it first.
Actually the lights are just part of the parade/w the plants depending on what is referred to as "High tech" or "Low tech"...lots of plants are "low tech"
friendly. Don't want to overload you with info so read some on the "Freshwater Plants, Freshwater planted tanks" section and whatever other title strikes
you.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

*H2So I know I am asking a lot now lol, but I am trying my best!! I have been searching lowes and home depots website (and I know people have posted links and of course I can't find them now). I can't find (or I dont know that I found) a strip light that would work with a 20L tank. My tank is 30" long...but everything I am finding is about 4 foot...can anybody assist?? *H2


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

jamnigh said:


> Seeings as I have never done live plants, but really want to and trying to do as much research, I figured I would ask you guys
> 
> What is the difference between T5 lighting and T8 lighting? Is either one better than the other?


Hello jam...

If you're referring to florescent lighting, the T just means the lamp or bulb is shaped like a tube. The number after is the measurement at the end of the lamp in 10ths of an inch. The smaller lamp, the T5, gives out stronger light, but that light will cover a narrower area than the T8. The T8 has a dimmer light, but puts that light out over a wider area.

This is my understanding of your lighting question.

B


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Need to know...two bulbs or one...T5 or T8...which length is preferred ?
There are very few bulbs for the 30"........24"T8/22"T5 or 36"T8/34"T5 has many bulbs. Except for the T8 fluorescent aquarium light strip(1 bulb)
there are few fixtures for 30". Someone on here who is familiar/w the fixture can point you at it but the bulbs are very limited.
Aqueon® T5 Fluorescent 6.7K Lamp - Lighting & Hoods - Fish - PetSmart
Not the only one I'm sure but notice that the 30" fixture has a 24" bulb in this one.
Aqueon® Single Tube Fluorescent Strip-Light - Lighting & Hoods - Fish - PetSmart


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

Raymond S. said:


> Need to know...two bulbs or one...T5 or T8...which length is preferred ?
> There are very few bulbs for the 30"........24"T8/22"T5 or 36"T8/34"T5 has many bulbs. Except for the T8 fluorescent aquarium light strip(1 bulb)
> there are few fixtures for 30". Someone on here who is familiar/w the fixture can point you at it but the bulbs are very limited.
> Aqueon® T5 Fluorescent 6.7K Lamp - Lighting & Hoods - Fish - PetSmart
> ...


This is where I am unsure. I was thinking that I needed a light fixture that would span the whole 30" of my 20 long tank. But would I be able to get away with a 18" or 24" light fixture? I believe I really only need 1 bulb since the tank is only 12" wide. But correct me if I am wrong on any of this. And I dont really know as far as T5 or T8...I guess T5 since that seems to be the consensus on the better (and seems like it will be cheaper in the long run?)


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Fluorescend tube-type bulbs (T5, T8, T12) are, as BBradbury mentioned, referenced with respect to their diameter. T5 bulbs, due to their narrower profile, suffer less "strikeback", where light emitted from the bulb and reflected back by the reflector (if there is one) strikes the bulb and is absorbed as heat. So, in essence, with T5 bulbs more light is being directed down into the tank rather than being absorbed by the bulb as wasted heat energy.

T5HO is the next step up - HO = High Output. Most T5HO fixtures are fairly affordable and feature independent reflectors for the (usually 2) bulbs. My suggested brands of T5HO to look at would be Current USA (the Nova Extreme variety) the Marineland (Odyssea I believe), and Aquasun. Fixtures vary little in the grand scheme of things; some have better electronics that are less prone to failure, but the cost/benefit ratio of paying extra for better reliability isn't worth spending excessive amounts on a really high-end fixture.

Aqueon T5NO (Normal Output) fixtures are available via PetsMart, 30" fixture is $80
Current USA Nova Extreme T5HO 30" are available on Ebay & Amazon for around $150.

Check Craigslist and the For Sale section of this forum for some good deals on used equipment as well.


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

I would suggest t5ho you will need half the t8 wattage for the same light output. If you get t5no there is no real difference in lighting output to a t8. t5ho will save you money in the long run and penetrate deeper into the water. That being said the Fuge Ray LED fixture would be the best fixture.


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

hello are you using it on your 20 gallon? I used to use the coralife T8 17watt 24 inch.it is 10,000K and is very bright.i had 2 of them on my 20 gallon the hood that came with the ODell tank will work with the bulb.i bought a under the counter 24 inch fixture at walmart for the other bulb about $10 and with both was very good light for a 20 gallon.the 2 bulbs I bought from my lfs was $25 dollars each.i think a 24 inch is the right size for a 20 gallon tank it is 30 inches long if its a 20 gallon long tank


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

not saying i would get this one (its just the first one that came up lol) but a light fixture like this...obviously it can't just sit on top of the aquarium as the light hangs below the fixture...so how would it work then?

American Fluorescent ST117R8-CA 17-Watt 24-Inch Residential Strip Light: Decor : Walmart.com


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## WheeledGoat (Jan 29, 2013)

I, too, have a 30" wide (or long..?) tank and the lack of perfectly fitting lighting did give me pause.

Then I noticed what was on there before was a 24" T8 fixure (regular fluorescent tube), and I had never thought about it before - light was always fine to the sides.

So when I bought my new LED fixture, I went with the 24" version (since the next step up - 36" - obviously wouldn't fit) and lighting to the sides is still perfectly fine.

So don't get a sub-par light just because it's the only one that exactly matches your tank. Get the right kind of light for what you're doing and then worry about size.


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

the first one I bought the T8 fit my hood I had on the 20 gallon long tank and it put out a very good light and my plants did very good with one.i do have a campee on my 20 gallon tank so I used velco to stick it to the top of the campee.the fixture from walmart.i think you would be happy with just one.i think amazon has the bulb.just google the bulb.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

I am looking at shop lights on home depots website...and some have a "white diffuser". It says it snaps on and off....so would I just snap that off and leave it like that or does it make a difference?


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

I dont know about a shop light but I guess if you don't like it you can take it back.is your hood you have now have a 24 inch bulb?


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

I thank the 24 inch bulb is the right size for a 20 gallon tank


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

do you not have the orginal hood for the tank?


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

When I had a 36" 30L tank I used a "shop light" that held 36" bulbs and hung it from the ceiling. I now have a couple of tens and use the Walmart
"under-the-counter" Lights of America 18 fixtures (2) on each tank as I have a glass cut to fit the top of each tank...I remove the diffuser. The glass
is cut at 14" which I find a little short so 15 or 16 would be better. I allow 1" open on the end where my air line goes in and the heater wire.
The other end I purposely allowed some open space on to access the tank/w tweezers. You(and likely everyone else on the forum)will love these.
Angled 15 inch Stainless Steel Aquarium Tweezer Forceps Shipped from USA | eBay
The same seller has them in straight also for the same price.
The type of fixture you show would need to be suspended from the ceiling and the lack of a reflector would annoy you. I had a piece of mirror
glass cut to 17" to go on top of the two fixtures to cover the gap between them. Directs more light down and greatly reduces light emitted into
the room.
If you go/w only one bulb, I would suggest a Hagen Power Glo. Petsmountain has the best prices on bulbs.
A cheaper but/w less visible light bulb would be the Aqueon Full Spectrum at Petsmart. Both good for plants.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

rtmaston said:


> do you not have the orginal hood for the tank?


I do its just a incandescent hood and I wasn't really able to find lights that would work with plants. But I think I just found a cheap one from walmart...Lights Of America 10 Watt Mini Fluorescent Aquarium Bulbs - Walmart.com


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

and by an incandescent hood i mean it has the old school screw in bulbs lol. the hood is probably a good 8-10 years old.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

It says 6500K so it will probly be fine for you.


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

so you have a screw in bulb? you can get the bulb from petsmart that was in the post before and petsmart mite even carry a hood to fit your tank you can get.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Check how many Watts the hood can handle (it might have it printed somewhere on the fixture), and buy CFL bulbs like these below, I grew plants with them just fine, put 20 Watts of CFL in a 30 Watt fixture.

Marineland Compact Flourescent Bulb - 10 Watt - (Fits Eclipse Hex 5, Hex 7 and Corner 5) Aquarium Compact Fluorescent Bulbs


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

check this one out.you could get this led light with moonlight.it will adjust to your tank 24 to 36..i like to use the moonlight at night. its really cool. i have this one and really like it.i upgraded to the one that has the timer for the led and the moonlight. Amazon.com: Marineland ML Double Bright LED Light, 24-Inch to 36-Inch: Pet Supplies


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## Avraptorhal (Jan 24, 2013)

Raymond S. said:


> Need to know...two bulbs or one...T5 or T8...which length is preferred ?
> There are very few bulbs for the 30"........24"T8/22"T5 or 36"T8/34"T5 has many bulbs. Except for the T8 fluorescent aquarium light strip(1 bulb)
> there are few fixtures for 30". Someone on here who is familiar/w the fixture can point you at it but the bulbs are very limited.
> Aqueon® T5 Fluorescent 6.7K Lamp - Lighting & Hoods - Fish - PetSmart
> ...


Look up CURRENT lighting. That is the name of the company. I have their 30" T5HO Freshwater Light. It comes with one 22"10000K bulb and one Rosseate (spelling) plant bulb. When I installed the fixture the light covered the entire 29 Gallon tank with no visible drop off at the ends. The plants seemed to like it, the fish are indifferent as long as I feed them they are happy. I have had the fixture for about six months so I have bought 2 6700K replacement bulbs which will go in the fixture when I getn off my butt to do it soon. I did find that I had to reduce the light on time to reduce algae.

I'm researching LED lights for my new Betta tank with no success.


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