Lighting requirements

Good day All

I believe I need to upgrade the lighting system in my 2 ft tank. I currently have 1 x 15W T8 tube on a 15w electronic ballast. Do I get a T5 High Output ballast or keep the existing one and just get a tube that's 6500k or higher? Any advice would be appreciated and of course I'm on a tight budget as usual.

 

If you are growing plants, I would go the t5 way. Good globes and a lot thinner then t8.

 

@ dash
Thanks, would you be able to help me source a ballast. I know we discussed this over the phone the other day but would you be able to help me source a ballast. Those things are ridiculously priced at the lfs.

 

Will work on it tomorrow. We can get good globes from the lamp house.

 

Hi There, the Lamp House is way over priced on T5 tubes. A T5 StarV F21W/840 tube at my local electrical shop only costs R7-98. This same tube will cost far more at the LFS. Just my take on this ...........

 

I don't know about the electrical shops - most I asked here dnt stock T5 tubes, wardkiss advised they can outsource for me , the lfs is charging me R400 for 1 tube where as The Lamphouse is charging me R350 for 3 4ft tubes

 

I also have a 2 ft tank and i have a T8 15w light in there I recently drilled into the canopy and added an extra T8 15w light.

I think I'm getting good results and was also on a tight budget couldn't afford to spend the extra R1000 for a odyssey unit or equivalent

 

Lamphouse I get T5's for around R120 each. Electronic ballasts just order from RS Components - easy.