What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

lighting & lumens

musamusa1975

michael1975
Hi everyone,

I have yet another lighting question. (I used the search function and read up on previous comments...)
I recently purchased a 100 gallon aquarium that is roughly 49"x21"x27". I want to get artificial lighting for it--ideally without breaking the bank. I intend to put highland nepenthes in there. The aquarium store that sold me the tank has a fixture with four bulbs at 6500K, at $240. (They couldn't tell me the lumens.)
I went to Home Depot and saw a 4' long double fixture for about $120. I think the 2 bulbs cost around $60. As usual, there was nobody there that really knew what they are doing, and as you can see--I'm clueless too.

Today, I spoke with someone at a local plant store who suggested I buy a T-5 fluorescent bulb fixture. They have one at $135 which includes four 2 foot bulbs at 8000 Lumens (6500K). The salesman then suggested that, given the size of my tank, I upgrade to a fixture with 8 four foot bulbs at 40,000 Lumens for $400. --Apart from being out of my price range, wouldn't 40000 Lumens fry the plants?

So my question, is the $135 setup the best way to go?

Thanks for your time.

Michael

ps. From what I've seen, the price for the tank was pretty good--$100 for 100 gallons. If anyone lives in the SF Bay area, I'd be happy to pass along the store info. if you're interested.
 
Uhh...if youre not even putting fish in it, just leave the top open. Go get a normal 4' fixture or two form walmart for $8, then thow in some bulbs that are $8 for a two pack. Cut some plexiglass to fit and epoxy it to the lights if you want a "cover". That whole thing should cost about $50 and will be fine. Hell use three 4' fixtures if you can fit them. Then you won't need plexiglass and it would be good to allow cracks for heat to escape. Another alternative is doing the same, but putting a sheet of plexiglass over the top, then laying the fixtures on top of that.
 
for lighting that lil bit......2 or 3 T8 fixtures plus a bulk pack of bulbs.....your out? $44 via Home Depot if yah go with 3 fixtures..........few more $ for some silicone and plexi........
 
I bought 2 light sockets the type with 2 wires preattached,
I am putting them in dish reflecters ontop of a wood board top.
I will cut 2 holes for the reflecters and use mylar film onton of my heavly painted board. I am going ot wire the sockets to a cord ( I have everything i need) then I have spent $25 on a 10 gallon terrarium setup :D
Now what should I grow in it when I am done(I am like almost done)
After I setup my spare 10 galloner then I will do the same with a 55 gallon tank
 
to much work when a 2 bulb 4 foot fixture costs about $8 and bulk pack of bulbs is $20..........take me longer to build the dang thing than my time is worth........
 
I think you can get more output from compact flourscents,
If I do a tank I will do a 4 bulb 4 footer. But heck I have time so I would maybe do the socket type lighting.
 
when your using a 4 foot shelf.....CF's make no sence
 
If you want to save money, getting the most lumens out of the lowest wattage is what you want. The price of the equipment is negligible. It's the usage that will cost you.

I would look for something that uses HO (high-output) T5's and good reflectors, like this: http://www.specialty-lights.com/250525.html ($170 with standard tubes)

This is 10,000 lumens, 108W, and extremely well-reflected. I can't imagine this not being enough to make plants grow like mad. I have the same thing but with only one tube, and it's blinding.

If the $135 fixture you mentioned uses HO T5's, I go for it. If not, I'd bet the wattage is pretty high and will cost you later on.

Shop lights seem cheap, but you'd need 3-4x the wattage to produce what this fixture produces.
 
Petsmart is selling t5 HO fixtures in two lengths (4 and 3 feet) but they only hold two lamps. I don't know how great they are. I think it's called GLO and might be made by Hagen or something. I dunno anything else about it.
 
  • #10
what i have the thermostat set to has more bearing on my electricity bill than what lights im using........short of using a bunch of 1000 watt metal halide type lights you shouldnt notice a difference in your electric bill. i have about 20 T8 fixtures for my plants and critter tanks and it doesnt affect my bill very much. for growing everything but Heli's and tall neps i dont see the need for more......im planning on getting a 400watt light one of these days to help out with the vining neps but other than that have seen no reason to switch from my T8's
 
  • #11
Rattler, you're right, I was under the impression electricity was more expensive. I guess I never did the math on my electric bill.

A 100W appliance run for 12 hours a day costs around 10 cents a day.

So, every 100W you add to your lighting setup is roughly another $37 per year. So it adds up, but slower than I realized.

If that $135 fixture is over 200W, after a year it costs the same as the one I listed. It still seems worthwhile.
 
  • #12
true but you also have to look at cost of the bulbs.........costs me roughly $50 to replace all my bulbs every year.......im also growing plant and have tanks on roughly 24-30 linear feet of shelf space(most of the shelves are 18 inches deep) cheap HO T5's appear to be around $15 each on the cheap end.............when you figure my cheaper replacement costs i think it either is a wash or im slightly ahead in the cost factor....unless the HO T5's last significantly longer than the T8's.........not saying they arent good lights, just saying im doing it cheap and am having no real problems that i can see other than with the plants would benefit from something much stronger than the T8's at which point a large metal halide bulb makes the most sense cost wise to me..........
 
  • #13
Good point. I don't remember how long they recommend you use a T5. It's in the area of 18-24 months.
 
  • #14
IIRC the HO T5's come from the aquarium hobby where ppl are trying to push ALOT of light through 12 inches or so of water which is prolly impossible to do with T8's......they are also trying to get away from the heat produced by metal halide type lights.......they are producing a hell of alot of light and i would think they might be extreamly useful for growing Heli's on a rack system where you have a hard time getting a MH bulb far enough away so it doesnt burn them........however for growing most Drosera, pings, small neps ect.........i cant see where the price increase is worth it over the T8's....
 
  • #16
Good point. I don't remember how long they recommend you use a T5. It's in the area of 18-24 months.

I forgot where I read the information at, but it was from a legit source. Anywho, they said the bulbs (T5 HO's) put out about 95%+ up until they burn out. Basically, the advice that you should replace your bulbs every such and such amount of months is an attempt to get you to shell out more cash for bulbs. Sure, for some people growing certain types of plants (read illegal) this may be worth it, but they are fine for all CPs (for the life of the bulb). I personally love my T5 HO's but I also like the low heat factor from the T8's. Contrary to popular opinion, T5's are monster heat generators, and can be troublesome. This could be a deal breaker in choosing which type of fluorescent to buy, especially when the heat is being radiated into a glass tank. There are some T5 manufacturers that wisely place the ballast above the reflector hood and lamps, thereby creating an airspace between the two. I forget what the name of the manufacturer is, but i'll dig up the light and check it if anyone is interested. The reflector is somewhat convex, allowing for coverage of a wider area, albeit with reduced output. It should be noted however, that this does not completely eliminate the high heat issue.
 
Back
Top