T5 or T8????

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Tortoise

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Hi
I have been checking prices and availability of tube UVB bulbs and I was looking into T5 bulbs but i am finding that the fixtures and bulb lengths available don't always match up well with T5.

Wondered if T5 are any better than T8 as T8 seem to have more flexible options for lengths and using standard fixtures etc?

I was originally looking for 48 inch T5 with hardware/standard simple fixtures.
We were told too that under cabinet fixtures can be used?
The T5 bulb is not as common here as the T8 either so I may have to get T5 shipped from the US?
Any comments or suggestions appreciated please.

I want 5 x 4 feet uvb bulbs for 5 new pens measuring 8 feet long, I was going to add an MVB bulb to each enclosure too (aside from red foot and Bells as they may not want the brightness)

Thanks
 

Spn785

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I KNOW Home Depot has some 4' T5 Fixtures. There isn't a big variety of them though. I got a T* fixture, because that is the bulb I got, the Reptisun 10.0 UVB. The 5.0 is a T8 as well. What bulb do you plan on using?
 

Tortoise

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HI Thanks
I saw some on Home Depot too here for $38 each online.
I was planning on a 10.0 bulb but wasn't sure of brand yet-depended on availability.
I looked on Big Apple site for instance and their T5 is a 46 inch, not 48inch so the 48 inch fixture wouldn't be any good.
I need to know I can get bulbs the right size for that fixture-I could go smaller for fixture but wanted the biggest one I could put in as i was only planning on one per enclosure not two side by side.

Another option are those kits that just have end pieces that clip on to the bulbs and are flexible for size of tube but not sure if they are designed for a T5.
I already have a set up like this in my Red foot pen it is made by Glo mat.Glomat 2 double fluorescent lighting control unit.
I want to know too if I used this type can I just run one bulb if I wanted?
Same with a two bulb fixture-can I run just one tube or so they not work that way.

Thanks
 

Spn785

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I'm pretty sure there are some two bulb fixtures you only need one bulb for, most in fact. The one I bought I had to re-wire so I only had to use one bulb. At Home Depot (actually go into a store because I did not find these online) there were a couple T5 48" ballasts that were around $20-$25. The T8s were about the same price only with more variety. The only Flourescent tube UVB lights I found readily available were the Reptisun. It is logical to assume that a 10.0 UVB bulb will be a T8 since the Reptisun is, however logic and reality don't always seem to mix well. :)
 

Tortoise

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Spn785 said:
I'm pretty sure there are some two bulb fixtures you only need one bulb for, most in fact. The one I bought I had to re-wire so I only had to use one bulb. At Home Depot (actually go into a store because I did not find these online) there were a couple T5 48" ballasts that were around $20-$25. The T8s were about the same price only with more variety. The only Flourescent tube UVB lights I found readily available were the Reptisun. It is logical to assume that a 10.0 UVB bulb will be a T8 since the Reptisun is, however logic and reality don't always seem to mix well. :)

I just got a reply back from one of the US stores selling the T5 reptile bulbs.

The 46" bulb will work in the 48" light fixture. Usually the bulbs sizes that are listed go according to the size of the fixture not the size of the bulb. However, in this case it will work, as it is going by the size of the bulb not the fixture. The bulbs are usually 2" shorter than the size of the bulbs.

I guess that is good to know so I can get the fixtures here and look for
the 46inch bulbs.
You can get the same UV ratings 5.0, 10.0 etc in the T5.Not sure how they can be higher output when they have same ratings on box as the T8 though??
 

Spn785

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I have no idea. LOL Like I said, sometimes logic and reality react rather violently with each other. :D
 

Tortoise

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Thanks for your time.
Why do they make this all so confusing??
Another major reptile store is now telling me opposite info for the same light bulb-AAARRGHH!

Mmmm, I better get back to painting pens as it may be more productive than figuring out these light bulbs :)

Anyway thanks again for your time Spn785m, I appreciate your suggestions

Louise
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Hi Tortoise,

I use T5 HO tubes in fixtures from Sunblaster, a Canadian company. I mostly use two tubes per enclosure one a UV output tube, the other a BlueMax tube manufactured by another Canadian company.

T5 also come in HE. HO = High output, HE = High Efficiency. HO tubes are about twice the watts than the same size HE to tube, for four footers I think it is 48 watt for HO and 24 watt for HE.

The fixture are labeled generically and specifically, T5 four foot is actually 46.5 inches, not 48.

These two factors the wattage, and actual fixture size are bits of knowledge I have found Home Depot and Lowe's people to see for the first time when I have sought a purchase. Mail order or retail though I have found people who work in/for the indoor garden sector to be much more knowledgable about these things, and very keen to share information, not speak a sales pitch.

Will

Tortoise said:
Hi
I have been checking prices and availability of tube UVB bulbs and I was looking into T5 bulbs but i am finding that the fixtures and bulb lengths available don't always match up well with T5.

Wondered if T5 are any better than T8 as T8 seem to have more flexible options for lengths and using standard fixtures etc?

I was originally looking for 48 inch T5 with hardware/standard simple fixtures.
We were told too that under cabinet fixtures can be used?
The T5 bulb is not as common here as the T8 either so I may have to get T5 shipped from the US?
Any comments or suggestions appreciated please.

I want 5 x 4 feet uvb bulbs for 5 new pens measuring 8 feet long, I was going to add an MVB bulb to each enclosure too (aside from red foot and Bells as they may not want the brightness)

Thanks


http://sunblasterlighting.com/ is a link to the company website, they do not sell retail, so pick your knowledge and find a indoor garden store for actual purchase, on line or in person.

http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/E...7czoxOiIwIjtzOjg6IlNlYXJjaF95IjtzOjE6IjAiO30=

ZooMed T5 HO 10.0 UV tube

http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/E...7czoxOiIwIjtzOjg6IlNlYXJjaF95IjtzOjE6IjAiO30=

ZooMed T5 HO 5.0 UV tube

http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/full_spectrum_fluorescent_bulbs_33_ctg.htm for the BlueMax T5 HO tubes.

So Sunblaster has as best as I can find the best price on a single tube fixture, so much so that two single tube fixtures are less expensive than the double tube fixture from Home Depot. I also get the "Nano tech" reflector from SunBlaster.

The Blue Max tubes seem to develop some spectrum of light my Pancakes like preferentially over the ZooMed T5 HO 5.0 UV tubes. I have not gotten a uv spectrum evaluation device to see if any of the UVA or UVB is emitted by BlueMax tubes, but they are a few dollars each, and provide illumination the tortoises like, and so there for reduce some of the total lighting cost. Watts per square foot of enclosure is a species and set up dependent thing, so I have not specific to offer. The Nano reflector direct much more of the light down and acts as a diffuser. I can look directly at the same tube when using the nano refector, while without it, the tube in the same fixture, less the reflector is harsh to look at. I would also look at the watts per linear inch, and then you will see that you get very nearly the same result with "2" foot fixtures as four foot, but your 'risk' per tube or fixture is more spread out, as can be the light in the enclosure. Many of these fixture come so that you can plug one into the other, so don't need twice the outlets for twice the fixtures. By 'risk' I mean fixture or tube failure or keeper/tortoise damage.

I noticed the preference for the BlueMax over the ZooMed UV tube by having them wide apart from each other in one enclosure, then switching the tubes just to see if one 'basking' spot had a non-light feature drawing the pancakes to it. It seems it was the tube itself.

Will
 

Tortoise

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HI Will
Thanks so much that info is really useful and interesting about the blue bulbs too with the pancakes.
I will try to find a retail outlet that has the fixtures you mention as that is exactly what we are looking for and thus far had trouble finding.

So it still looks like we have to use the Zoo Med bulbs which means shipping into Canada(lots of extra costs to get them here) for us but maybe in the future the T5 HO bulbs will be sold here too.

I need extra lighting for the Russians too so may get the blue max bulbs for the pancakes and Russians, maybe the Hermanns.

Thanks again Will, we are grateful for the information
(on last stages of the tortoise room with 5 new enclosures so need to order the lights soon)

Louise
 
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