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hazedshaman

I have always thought t5s were for plants but then y does walmart state plant and aqua.rium bulbs are t12. Can anyone help with this perdicamate
 
Because WalMart is a junk store when it comes to lights. You need to go to a grow shop to get T5's or T5HO's made for plants. Places like the Mart don't carry the high end stuff we use.
 
Hahaha yeh I figured the but that could really mess someone up if they didn't have the experience knowledge or means to find the knowledge. It could destroy a budding hobbiest. Think tats false ad ertisement for sure.
 
Well, people do actually use them. They're just less efficient for the amount of light they put off. If you only had a few plants, sure, you could place them very close to the lights and it would be beneficial. But if you had more than just a few, you'd be much better off with high output T5s and a good reflector.
 
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I use these things called "Light bulbs". They're full of magic in that you take them and forcefully insert an end into a little hole in the wall, just like that, BAM, night turns into day. This witchcraft knows no bounds.

Why do people care what kind of demons they hire? Is it brand loyalty or something?
 
Hahahaha yeh. I don't think its a brand war but more of a war of basic needs and if those needs are thought to be met but falsly covered by the need to just sell something and fit in with the market then what's the point in the war 2 begin with? I know t5 fixtures come in strips but how many strips do you think are nessecary 2 provide suficent lighting for neps and other tropical species?
 
Well, I use double lamp 4' 54 wtt T5HO's above the neps.
All are growing profusely with a mixed spectrum of warm and cool bulbs. One of my Maxima's is actually vining around the fixture.
 
Will those work for any cp species... the ones that can grow outside obv aren't going to be using the lighting and they will be outside so they are going to be soaking up some good old sunshine but for subtropical dew vfts and pitchers is t5hos be sufficent?/
 
haz,

Youre asking for simple answers to a complex issue.... To begin with, Id rather have a t12 with a good reflector than a T5 with no reflector. Remember, 2/3rds of the bulb is pointed in the wrong direction.

As a rule of thumb, for lower intensity plants you need 15-20 watts per square foot; on the high end you need 20-25 watts per square foot.

This is an old reference, predates T5 but it is still by far the single best introduction into plant lighting I have ever read. Caveat, even it has it's limitations, and photosynthesis is only part of the puzzle.
http://bluegrasscarnivores.com/research1/comparison.mht
 
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