[jared.bailey]

Hey Im new to the hobby and already have a dual 30 inch coralife T-5 setup on my 20 gallon long tank. I know that most marine compact bulbs operate in the 10000K range. My question was what the actinic bulb on my tank does and if a 6500K self ballasted bulb from say walmart would be an ok add on to get some more watts per gallon? Is that operating temperature too low?

[RyanG]

Originally Posted by jared.bailey

Hey Im new to the hobby and already have a dual 30 inch coralife T-5 setup on my 20 gallon long tank. I know that most marine compact bulbs operate in the 10000K range. My question was what the actinic bulb on my tank does and if a 6500K self ballasted bulb from say walmart would be an ok add on to get some more watts per gallon? Is that operating temperature too low?

I wasn't aware of Walmart selling T5 lighting...is this new?

[steve0xr]

Most places do sell t5 lighting but you have to compare wattage. It seems to me that the stuff sold for aquarium use is rated for higher wattage. Just an observation i could be wrong.

[steve0xr]

If I am wrong let me know because the local homedepot had 48" t5 fixtures for $20 !

[RyanG]

Originally Posted by steve0xr

If I am wrong let me know because the local homedepot had 48" t5 fixtures for $20 !

I am going to go to my home depot today to check to see if they have them....
I'll let you know if the ones at my local HD will be good enough for us reef keepers.

[mtfabel]

Man wouldnt that just be super awesome. T5's for 20 bucks. Woohoo Im gonna have 15 watts per gallon LOL. J/K or maybe not, we'll see

[RyanG]

Originally Posted by mtfabel

Man wouldnt that just be super awesome. T5's for 20 bucks. Woohoo Im gonna have 15 watts per gallon LOL. J/K or maybe not, we'll see

No joke! That gives me an excuse to get that 315 gallon I have been eyeing!
I mean with all the money I will save on the lighting...

[darkwolf29a]

I'm hoping it's true. I mean, even if we have to buy bulbs from a LFS, that still saves A LOT of money.

[jared.bailey]

Sorry for the confusion. I was talking about a compact fluorescent sprial bulb that that I found at walmart that was 6500K.

[RyanG]

Originally Posted by jared.bailey

Sorry for the confusion. I was talking about a compact fluorescent sprial bulb that that I found at walmart that was 6500K.

oh, PC lighting.

[steve0xr]

Well what would you be looking for in them? The ones I saw were with the flourscent shop lights. What stoppedme from buying them was that the wattage was lower than the ones sold for aquariums.

[jared.bailey]

TopBulb.com - 105W 6500K SUPER BRIGHT COMPACT FLUORESCENT

This is the general type of bulb I was speaking of. It is 105 watts and 6500K. Sorry I didn't think to put the link up earlier. I would not pay 40 bucks for this, but meijer and walmart each have a similar product for less money.