# Coralife t5 suprise!!!



## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I just recieved a 30" coralife t5 from a member. It is a nice sleek looking piece. When I was assured I would be getting it I decided to place an order for new bulbs since this one had the actinic in it. I ordered a 6700k and a 10000k. Now on my tank I have a 130w 24" coralife pc in the rear and this t5 in the front. 

I just cant believe how bright this t5 fixture is. its only 36w but I would say its as bright as the pc unit with only one bank on if not brighter.

If anyone is waffling about getting this unit, dont. Its great. :thumbsup:


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## zzyzx85 (Feb 13, 2008)

Aren't T5s great?


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## love_fish (Nov 25, 2008)

Was thinking about picking these up too, the price at bigals is very attractive


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## evercl92 (Aug 15, 2006)

I've always boasted that I thought my 2x54wt Hagen T5HO unit was much brighter than the Coralife 4x65wt CF fixture. 



zzyzx85 said:


> Aren't T5s great?


Couldn't agree more.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

PAR readings please!


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Yup. A lot of folks just can't believe that one of those little coralife T5's can match up with a PC with twice the wattage, but it's true. I wasn't a believe either until I saw it. More and more, folks are seeing the light (no pun intended).


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## pandapr (Nov 10, 2008)

epicfish said:


> PAR readings please!



AGREE !! 

I'm also thinking on getting on T5 for a 30 gallon but haven't found a comparison !!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

When you get a 30" over a 24" tank, you're just mounting the legs more towards the center right?

So if I had one side of my tank against a wall (tank in the corner) there would be about 6" of light hanging from the open side?

Got pics of the lighting with pc vs t5?


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Down_Shift said:


> Got pics of the lighting with pc vs t5?


Top tank - 30g - Coralife 96w PC fixture (bulb is 10 months old)

Bottom tank - 20g - Coralife 2x21 T5 fixture (with new, stock FW bulb set)

Photo is pretty close to actual brightness. I set the camera to auto / no-flash.


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

I agree with the horde...You just have to love turning on your new T5's after being used to PC lights. roud:


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Pretty crappy pics but....

130w (6700k & 10,000k) Coralife PC









36w (6700k & 10,000k) Coralife t5









Both


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## Walking_Target (Jul 16, 2008)

I think your discus may now be blind


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I've only had my coralife t5, 36 watt. Well and my 20 watt florescent that came with my tank. The difference between the two is night and day (almost literally). I'm very impressed, i can grow a lot of plants that i wouldn't think would do well going off wpg, nothing has struggled in my tank. I use both lights right now and every plant i buy looks so much better once it gets into my tank, except for a few LFS that really keep there plants nice. I have no other experience, but was advised by more than a few experienced members, couldn't be happier with the results for the money.


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

The brilliant white light in unirdna's photo really makes me want to switch to T5!


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## fish dork (Jan 13, 2008)

T5's are great! Another perk is the wide range of bulb variety for them.


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

Down_Shift said:


> When you get a 30" over a 24" tank, you're just mounting the legs more towards the center right?
> 
> So if I had one side of my tank against a wall (tank in the corner) there would be about 6" of light hanging from the open side?
> 
> Got pics of the lighting with pc vs t5?


 There are 24" bulbs and fixtures from Coralife. The Current Novas are nice too, that's what I use over the cubes. The bulbs are a bit wider apart which gives more coverage area, and the unit is a little beefier. I like them both. I use the 30" coralife fixtures over my 20 longs. You have to be careful, because _some_ 30" fixtures, still come with 24" bulbs, so you get dark corners in a 20 long. The Coralife is the only one I know of, that has 30" bulbs, in a 30" fixture.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

I've been flying the flag for these fixtures for a while now! Lotsa bang for the buck!


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## bbaker (Jan 18, 2008)

I'm going to be converting my father's bare-bottom 37H tank to a planted tank this Christmas. The goal is to get a low-maintenance tank but not unattractive setup. So, I'm going to try Tomm Barr's advice and go compressed CO2 / low light, use a very attenuated EI scheme, and grow (hopefully) low-light plants. 

Given that this tank is something like 22" deep, how likely is it that I can get one of these Coralife T5's (36W on the 30" model) to grow anubias, java ferns, java moss, and maybe some vals? The vals will already be grown out when they go in, so the low light at the bottom of the tank is perhaps less of a concern for them. Am I skating the bottom edge for WPG - even with T5's - because of the extra depth on the tank?


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

The tank I have them on is 30" deep. So you should be fine, especially with those undemanding sp.



bbaker said:


> I'm going to be converting my father's bare-bottom 37H tank to a planted tank this Christmas. The goal is to get a low-maintenance tank but not unattractive setup. So, I'm going to try Tomm Barr's advice and go compressed CO2 / low light, use a very attenuated EI scheme, and grow (hopefully) low-light plants.
> 
> Given that this tank is something like 22" deep, how likely is it that I can get one of these Coralife T5's (36W on the 30" model) to grow anubias, java ferns, java moss, and maybe some vals? The vals will already be grown out when they go in, so the low light at the bottom of the tank is perhaps less of a concern for them. Am I skating the bottom edge for WPG - even with T5's - because of the extra depth on the tank?


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## bigstick120 (May 23, 2005)

Is this the NO fixture? I assume?


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## strzelec4 (May 20, 2007)

keep in mind that discus don't like bright lights.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Yes. NO. I was wondering if there was anyway to make it HO.



bigstick120 said:


> Is this the NO fixture? I assume?


Well, They have bred in this set up. Remember ALL tank lighing is low light compared to the sun. :thumbsup:


strzelec4 said:


> keep in mind that discus don't like bright lights.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

bsmith782 said:


> Yes. NO. I was wondering if there was anyway to make it HO.


I just had to share my big LOL... say that sentence out loud a few times. :thumbsup:


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

Oh my... :icon_eek:


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## bbaker (Jan 18, 2008)

bsmith782 said:


> The tank I have them on is 30" deep. So you should be fine, especially with those undemanding sp.


Thanks, bsmith!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

lauraleellbp said:


> I just had to share my big LOL... say that sentence out loud a few times. :thumbsup:


No problem. :thumbsup:



bbaker said:


> Thanks, bsmith!


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## Left C (Nov 15, 2003)

bsmith782 said:


> The tank I have them on is 30" deep. So you should be fine, especially with those undemanding sp.


Isn''t your 37g 22" tall?


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

My blood sugar must have been low and I confused width and height. It's actually closer to 23".



Left C said:


> Isn''t your 37g 22" tall?


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## Left C (Nov 15, 2003)

I got some extra protein right before I read it. I ate a bag of JACK'S LINKS.


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## fishboy87 (Feb 19, 2008)

I have the coralife 30" T5 and they're great. i have 2 over a 29 gallon and the light is extremely bright!


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