# Home Depot has T5 strip lights?!? DIY help please!



## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

You will need to look at the fixture, to be certain but I think it is most likely NO. The reflector most likely is white and not formed in a half moon around the bulb. I would definitely look at them again and see what you might be getting.


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## junko (Sep 9, 2011)

There is no reflector at all- but seeing as how I want to limit the light, I'm thinking this might work for my needs? I'll go back and check if it's NO or HO.


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## Higher Thinking (Mar 16, 2011)

My experience is that the bulbs sold at HD are NO. I have a suspended light that sits about two feet from the edge of the couch and it hangs a couple feet above where your head ends up. The light being in the eyes doesn't even play a factor. This is a 4 bulb 48" HO lighting fixture too. Although if you don't wanna hang one, you don't wanna hang one. You could also use poles attached to the tank to hang it so that you aren't attaching anything to the building itself. 

The 24" depth is what is really going to get you. You are going to need some HO lighting in order to reach the substrate with any par. I feel like a good reflector on a HO bulb will be able to bounce the light to the front as well as the back fairly well. According to Hoppy's chart a single HO bulbs will give you low-medium light towards the substrate and better lighting closer to the surface.


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## Riiz (Apr 30, 2008)

They are NO fixtures. My local Home Depots have been carrying them for awhile, and since then I have purchased a few of the 24" single strips for under cabinet lighting in my kitchen and one under an aquarium stand.


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## 5BodyBlade (Feb 8, 2011)

I went this route. I put the double strip t5 in the shell of my old t8. In hindsight, after a HO ballast & 2 HO bulbs I paid the same as buying a light straight out. It was a learning experience, but if you are thinking you'll save a lot, you wont.


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## mach_six (Sep 12, 2005)

I've never seen any 36" bulbs at HD, must have started carrying them. However I've never seen any T5HO bulbs yet in any HD.


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## junko (Sep 9, 2011)

Yup, they were NO  Soooo, I'm back to trying to figure out how to light all the way down to 24" and get all corners of my 20x18 footprint while staying in the low-med light range.

Does it HAVE to be T5HO? I'm not averse to using them- just that they are too powerful if I have to use two of them. What about a diffuser? What about using spiral fluorescents?

Going back to look at Hoppy's chart for the millionth time and see if anything pops out at me! Thanks for the input, guys!


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## Jeffww (Aug 6, 2010)

My Home depot has 96" long T5HO fixtures that consist of two 48" bulbs...they also have 72" fixtures as well T5HO...


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## junko (Sep 9, 2011)

They're HO? Really? Now darn it, why couldn't they have them shorter?

Well, I think I'm going to order 2 sun blazes, stagger them 6" apart, and *sigh* hang a box maybe 6" above the tank. I'll build the sides a little long to hopefully shield our eyes from the bright lights.

Thanks everyone for your help! I just love this community!


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## 1987 (Jan 27, 2007)

Just go to a hydroponic store and pick up some sun blaze lights. They are 32.95 each for one T5HO with bulb at my local shop.


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## Jim Miller (Dec 24, 2002)

junko said:


> Yup, they were NO  Soooo, I'm back to trying to figure out how to light all the way down to 24" and get all corners of my 20x18 footprint while staying in the low-med light range.
> 
> Does it HAVE to be T5HO? I'm not averse to using them- just that they are too powerful if I have to use two of them. What about a diffuser? What about using spiral fluorescents?
> 
> Going back to look at Hoppy's chart for the millionth time and see if anything pops out at me! Thanks for the input, guys!


 
I use 2 T5NO with good reflectors (Catalina) and grow pretty much anything. Look at my blog pix. My 90g is 24" high.

jim


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## AUAV8R (Jul 7, 2010)

Take a look at these Sunblaze lights. I have two 4' t5ho lights with reflectors over my 75gallon and have been happy so far.

http://www.specialty-lights.com/960345.html


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## junko (Sep 9, 2011)

Yup, that's what I decided to do!


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