WTB - 4ft Light

[bartek]

Im after a 4ft light.

Must be at least 2 T5 or T8 tubes.

Prefer a light that can either bbu hung from above the tank or has feet that allow it to sit above the lids.

Please let me know if you have one available.

[TW]

Maybe one of the sponsors might help, so try them. For T8's, I think any LFS might also help.

I don't have experience with T5's or T8's but I have several power compacts that came from Ben at Age of Aquarium.

There's this one. http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/catalogue_products.php?prodID=3571&catID=86 I asked for the option for it to have twin power cords, so I can have a separate timer for each row of lights, so I can mimic how a natural day is, with a stronger burst of lights in the middle of the lighting sequence. Or this one http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/catalogue_products.php?prodID=3654&catID=86 This one has twin cords, but 1 cord operates both rows of normal lights, the 2nd cord operates the moonlight. For that reason, I didn't like this one so much.

You buy the little plastic legs separately & then the light sits on top of your aquarium.

I have read a thread here, where owners of this light have had over heating & damage issues if lights are concealed in a hood & don't have adequate ventilation. If you want to read the thread , search the forum.

From my own personal experience (we have 3 x 3ft [one has been under a hood for 2yrs] 1 x 4ft & 1 x 6ft) and so far they have been working well without issue.

I know it's not the type you're looking for, but thought I'd mentioned these types of lights anyway. Hope it helps.

[bartek]

Thanks for the reply TW.

Nice light but I need to make sure my lighting is correct as the tank is planted.

Another issue I have is price and the 2 you suggest are just out of my price range and hecne I was wondering if anyone had any second hand lights for sale.

[TW]

If it's out of your price range, that is another matter.

But as for if they are suitable for plants, they sure are. Just pick the right tubes for plant growth. For a planted tank, it's good to have the split cord option & that's why i mention it. This allows you to mimic the sun, where there is a lower light intensity in the morning & late afternoon, with a more intense burst of light in the middle of the day. Twin switches allow you to do this manually, but twin power cords allow you to do this with a timer.

All 3 of my tanks are planted, with pressurised C02. My husband uses them for corals.

I hope that you find something 2nd hand. You can get lucky on ebay sometimes, just be careful you don't get caught with cheaper units. I've been caught & it didn't end up being so cheap after I later replaced it. Be aware that there are 2 types of T5 tubes (which I didn't know). One type is T5 High Engergy & one type is T5 High Output. Right now, I can't remember which is the right light fitting to get (but can look it up if you need to know). The light I bought was the wrong sought. Tubes are hard to find & the energy output is no better than T8's. I couldn't complain to seller, as he described them with the correct name - it was just that I didn't know there was a difference & I suspect seller was counting on buyer's ignorance. If you buy a light fitting that takes the wrong sort of T5 tubes, you can't interchange them for the right sort. I tried.

I'm sure there are lots of good lights on ebay though. All the best.

[bartek]

Yeah I agree.

I currently have a cheap light unit on my 4ft planted tank running 2 T8s but the tubes are only 3 ft so the edges of the tank are a little dark. Hence the new light.

Thanks for the info about the T8s, I wasn't aware of the difference but have only seen High Output ones around so far.

Hopefully lll be able to pickup some sort of used unit for a good price.

[TW]

Thanks for the info about the T8s Prob just a typo, but the info was re: T5.
I wasn't aware of the difference but have only seen High Output ones around so far I think you are ok then. Always check with the seller, if his add doesn't specify, if the ballast takes T5 HE (High Energy) or T5 (High Output) tubes, as they are completely different & not interchangable.

T5 HE tubes are no better than T8 tubes, yet I thought I bought a super duper T5 light fitting, as used by aquarist in hi-tech planted tanks.

Re the twin power cord thing. I think that options isn't easy to get here. In US light fittings, I think it's fairly common. Here, I found that not many have that option.

Hope this helps a little.

[ILLUSN]

t5 in standard output are worse than T8's , T5 HO are brilliant.

i'll be replacing my last 2 dual t8 units with T5's in late augest. both are equipt with growlux tubes these are the ducks guts if you want plant growth. if you can wait another few weeks your welcome to one of them.

they cant be hung and dont have feet, they are aquaone 40D fixtures.

[TW]

T5 in standard output are worse than T8's :oops: Sadly, I got caught out. Bought 3 of the darn things a little over 12 months ago, not knowing I bought duds. Replaced the lot now with power compact light fittings, which I love. I couldn't find T5 HE's with twin power cords, which is what I had my heart set on.

I think a lot of people, like me, could get caught out. I had no idea there were two types of T5's, until I made my costly error. I hope the guy isn't selling anymore, but also hope people read this & know not to get caught.

[TW]

I made a mistake in my above post, which could be confusing - but I can't edit it in the post.

I meant to say "I couldn't find T5 High Output with twin power cords". What I said above was a typo, saying I was looking for T5 HE, but stay away from T5 HE.

Like Illusn says, T5 HO are brillant (just not for me, as I wanted twin power cords)