My review of the T5 HO aquarium lights

A very overlooked piece of equipment that amateur aquariumists often forget is the lighting fixture. Many aquariums with fake plastic plants and decorations do not need these special lights. The T5 HO (high output) lights can provide the proper light and conditions needed to mimic the real outdoor environments for either a planted tank, or a marine reef tank. In this review, I will be talking about two T5 lighting fixtures.

The first one will be about the T5 30 inch lighting fixture. This is the one I use for my planted tank.

The second will be about the NOVA Extreme 18 inch lighting fixture. This is the one I use for my nano-reef tank.

Both of these fixtures are dual output, meaning you can load two different light bulbs into the fixture at once. But you can not leave one on while the other is off, which is a bummer since that feature would have been nice...

Before I begin, I will explain the necessities of these light fixtures. Before I purchased these lights, I purchased T8 fluorescent bulbs to put into my aquarium hoods. DO NOT GET T8 AND T5 LIGHTING CONFUSED. The T8 light bulb i had bought for my nano-reef was about 15watts, not even close enough to keep my corals thriving, or hardly alive for that matter. There is a general rule of thumb, though I have seen it be manipulated and changed on the internet. I have read from 4-7 watts per gallon of water while researching about lights. With my 15watt T8 bulb, that is 1.5 watts per gallon. Pathetic.

The T5 bulbs are generally around 18 or 30 watts per bulb, depending on what type you buy. They are definitely stronger and can provide the light you need. Granted the cost of the lights and the light fixtures can vary by the $100's, it is a good investment to make. Also, T5's are light bulbs, not the fixtures. You can buy various different fixtures to use the T5 light bulbs.

Planted Tank

I have a heavily planted 20 gallon long with 15 fish in it. It isn't the biggest or best aquarium ever but it suffices to my satisfaction. I use the 30 inch AquaticLife lighting fixture. It came with a 6000K light bulb and a Roseate bulb. So when I bought the fixture, it had the proper lights for a planted tank already included.

This lighting fixture is amazing. I have not had any problems with it. I bought it from a LFS for 100$. So I did save some money buying this =D. Anyways, the light fixture is very stable. It is connected to an automatic aquarium timer which turns the lights on and off at preset times for me so I do not have to do it.

I do not have the model with the lunar lights because I did not see a point in having lunar lights for my planted tank. It might have been a really nice eye-candy, but it was more of a fashion over function type of thing and I was not willing to shell out the extra clams to have that feature. (haha an unintended pun. shell... clam... i could be a comedian...) Overall, I am very content with the light.

Nano-Reef Tank

I use an Extreme Nova 18 inch aquarium lighting which uses T5 light bulbs as well. A word of caution, when I purchased this fixture on Amazon.com, I thought the 18 inch meant the length of the tank. I have a 10 gallon tank which is 20 inches across. The 18 inch meant that was the length of the light fixture itself with the legs extended. Now I was lucky enough to have a glass pane over the tank so I can just set the light on top and it works, but if you don't have a glass cover, then get one. Even if you are not going to buy this light. In a nano-reef tank, the water evaporates quickly and makes the specific gravity and other water parameters fluctuate quickly, and that could be lethal to your fish/coral.

Anyways, as with the previous light fixture, I was very pleased with this light. Again, I have attached this light to a timer so there is no difference with when the lights will turn on and off. One thing I have noticed is that sometimes it takes a little while for the lights to actually turn on. It may be because of the timer, or maybe I got a defective one, but sometimes it ranges from like 2seconds to 10 seconds to turn on. It isn't a problem but just something else I thought I should mention.

Final Thoughts

These light fixtures are extremely important for anyone wanting to upgrade from a fake plastic tank, to a serious planted or marine tank. They provide the necessary ingredients for life under the water in the tank. Without them, a planted or reef tank would surely just be a graveyard for any sort of plants or corals. 

The two fixtures I mentioned both work flawlessly in the end. I would not have traded them for anything else at this point. Along the road I may upgrade, but so far I am completely satisfied.