Inter-mixing New T5H0 Bulbs with old ones??

[NemJones]

My Nepenthes chamber has a 2 foot - 4 bulb t5HO light fixture.
It looks like 2 of the tubes have blown out, leaving me with a single
Blue,(6500K) and a red(3000K).

Would It be OK for me to replace the dead ones with brand new bulbs
while leaving the old (but working) tubes in? Will it blow a circuit or pop a bulb??
(I dont like replacing all bulbs at once, plants burn easy that way so I avoid it as much as possible.)

 

[SubRosa]

No problem. It's standard procedure in reef tanks to replace tubes gradually over a period of weeks to avoid light shocking corals. Tubes gradually lose intensity over their life, and replacing all your year old tubes with new ones all at once is guaranteed to piss off your corals.

Edit: assuming that there isn't a problem with the fixture which caused the tubes to burn out.

 

[skoogenheimer]

No problem. It's standard procedure in reef tanks to replace tubes gradually over a period of weeks to avoid light shocking corals. Tubes gradually lose intensity over their life, and replacing all your year old tubes with new ones all at once is guaranteed to piss off your corals.

Edit: assuming that there isn't a problem with the fixture which caused the tubes to burn out.

Do you know if LED's lose intensity? I've been debating replacing my CFL setup with LED but I want to make sure my plants stay happy.

 

[Axelrod12]

LEDs lose intensity but the difference in time is huge between LEDs and CFLs. Most fluorescent tubes should be replaced about every year. LEDs can last much longer, think more around 10 years, more or less in some cases depending on the fixture.

 

[skoogenheimer]

Oh ok that's good to know. My window doesn't get much light so I like to use supplemental lighting. If I keep one of those LED UFO lights about a food from my plants will that work?