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New light

Av8tor1

Av8tor1

My new T5 light fixture arrived today, I hope to use it as part of a new Heli über-chamber :)

she arrived with a little shipping damage resulting in the small dent that is visible on the right edge. I called the company... "no worries, we will send out a replacement tomorrow along with a prepaid return shipping voucher"... man, now that is the way to do business.... :hail:

What appears to be white strips in the middle of the reflectors... is actually just reflections of the outer lip of the housing :)

t5_reflectorside.jpg


t5_topside.jpg


:)
Av
 
Very nice. How long is it? 4 feet?

xvart.
 
yes, 4'/4 bulb... the next purchase will be this ($230USD):
90acrylicslidergranite-side

its 4' long with a volume of 90 gallons and sliding front doors. It will be easy to drill for plumbing and ventilation access. I'm hoping to end up with something suitable for my home office/den area :)

Then in the future maybe put a bulkhead in it so i can have two different climate zones, one for helis and one for cephs... but one step at a time LOL

Av
 
Wow. That will be incredible. Very professional looking. One step at a time?! Looks like you're running full speed already! I look forward to seeing pictures as plants get introduced.

xvart.
 
yeah but two brick walls by the name of property taxes and homeowners insurance both stick their greedy hands out at the end of this month, so no more goodies for Av for a bit

major owie :-(
 
awesome, this should be a great heli tank.

I've had good luck with lights mounted in a wooden hood, if you want it to be a show piece this might be the way to go.

what make of t5s did you purchase and what are the dimensions of your tank?
 
Nick,

That was my thinking as well, glasscages.com sells matching canopies and stands but they aren't cheap... but who knows, at least I live close enough to their factory where I don't have to have anything shipped.

I'm saving my pocket change everyday :)

The tank is 48 x 18 x 25, they have them in practically any size you can image... my office isn't very large (spare bedroom) so all things considered this size should do nicely.

The light is of Hi-Bay brand... good bang for the buck, it uses the 95% aluminum reflectors and universal brand ballast. Overall construction looks excellent... I am very pleased

I plan on plumbing cool, damp air in from my basement, that is where my plants are now and they love it... all I will need is PVC and some muffin fans... maybe include a humidistat controlled ultrasonic humidifier... I dunno, still considering the various options

Bulbs... well there is an issue, my bulb combo of choice doesn't come in the T5 configuration... so I'm thinking about a combo of Vitalume's bloom and Grow bulbs, they are reasonably priced. But I don't know anything of their spectral performance yet.

Oh well, bulb choice is a long ways off LOL, but I think this type of application is where the T5 configuration will really shine

Av
 
Wow, I was checking out those highbays on sale for 139 what a great deal. I've been growing with fluorescents for a while now and I'm excited enough about t5s to give them a try.

I'm thinking of using 6500k although I'm going to look into those bulbs you mentioned.

Here's a hood that I built out of cheap 1x4s and then stained. low cost and has served it's purpose well while looking presentable. I'll probably eventually put lacquer on it and make it nice and shiny.

100_4962.jpg


100_5030.jpg


now I just need to do something about the funky stand!
good luck with your set up, I'm interested in seeing how the pvc, fan set up works out, that definitely sounds feasible.
 
totally fantastic. :D

I can't wait to see the finished product sensei. ;) Get ready to see some burn on your plants. However...after that..you should get some supreme growth. ;)
 
  • #10
Very nice :D
I was gonna do a 55 heli/nepenthes setup but it sorta got filled with my cps while I'm gone so when I'm back it will be for drosera.. If the house sells and we move to hawaii I'll do a helibog or something but if I stay I will build a large grow tank with mh lighting :D My main problem is sourcing for helis since I have problems finding them other than from germany :)
 
  • #11
Nick,

very inspiring, thank you for the pic...



Varun,

Thanks mate... I figure that it will be a no-brainer for Helis, intense light energy with a cool and damp enviroment. Just going to take awhile, Peter and I talked about this almost a year ago.... His creation is built and well..... errr I have a light LOL



JM,

Germany has nice helis mate, many of which you arent going to find anywhere else and at prices much lower then "Ebay"... or at least IMHO

They arrive in very nice condition as well :)

wistubahelis.jpg




Cheers'
Av
 
  • #12
Nice. Didn't pick up any H. sarracenioides from your German order?
 
  • #13
noooooo, I do have another small order scheduled for april delivery, but it is one each of his hybrids...

kind of getting the less expensive/easiest/fastest to grow ones first, I'm hoping the cost of the rarer jewels drops in the meantime

Darth Varun is also trying hard to get me interested in some micro-neps (scarey how he mixes the Indian accent with the voice of james earl jones hehehehehehe)

:p
 
  • #14
Very nice Av. Hope everything turns out well, and hope to see more pics in the future once everything is set up.
 
  • #15
Well andreas has a great nursery when I get a setup or move I will group order to split up the $40 shipping... Well I hope to get some helis....
 
  • #16
Av8tor1 said:
Darth Varun is also trying hard to get me interested in some micro-neps (scarey how he mixes the Indian accent with the voice of james earl jones hehehehehehe)

:p
Click to expand...

You are doing well my young padawan. Come over to the dark side. After micro-neps. its time to tackle the giants of Mt. Kinabalu. ;)
 
  • #17
Replacement fixture arrived a few days ago (pristine condition) and my bulbs arrived today... finally decided on the GE starcoat 6500k and 3000k, seems like a good balance to me and they are getting good reviews in the planted aquarium world.

3000k spectra:
3000K_daylight.jpg


6500K spectra:
6500K_daylight.jpg


The light itself is very intense lumen wise and the reflectors are outstanding... just looking at the light its hard to tell that the bulbs are only 0.625" Diam.

t5_installed.jpg


On the downside, radiant heat is definitely a concern to me... somewhat worried about how the helis are going to react, I've moved them further away till I see how things progress

Cheers'
Av
 
  • #18
You might have mentioned it, but where did you get the light fixture and how much $?
 
  • #20
Did you buy your bulbs from a hardware store or order them? If so, where? I really like your setup!
 
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