# T8 Bulbs...options? (Shop Light Lowes)



## bur01014 (Sep 24, 2009)

So on my 55, I got the idea of upgrading the lights. As of yesterday, I was just using the stock 2 separate 18 inch bulbs under the 24 inch black plastic hoods. I decided to try the cheaper route and go for shop lights. I have no plants at all, but just was looking for better lights for viewing purposes. I ended up finding a 48 inch shop light already painted shiny black and fits perfectly and actually looks quite good on my existing lid covers. It was 12 bucks  and the box says it takes 2 32 watt T8 bulbs. So I bought a couple bulbs there too measured at 6500 K. The tank appears to be far better, but my fish look washed out....I compared the bulbs to my other bulbs and they are more purplish/blue. I found they were measured about 8000-9000 K...does this explain the color change? For african peacocks, should I lower the K or raise it to a more bluish purple color? I could not find any T8 32 watt bulbs at Lowes above the 6500 K I chose.....do they not make them? Where can I find them? Home Depot? How much are they? I really want some good colored bulbs to bring out the color of my fish. I love the increase in watts, but my fish look much more washed out. BTW, what is a 50/50 light? Any help appreciated!
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## Geddonight (Aug 7, 2009)

Lowes doesn't carry anything higher than 6500K.

What may work is if you find an actinic blue light to help contrast the light of the 6500K

I'm currently looking for similar solutions for ours.

Mods--Is posting links to website light vendors okay?


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

the 6500 K lights have a relatively poor CRI which gives an inaccurate colour rendering. Lights in the 5000K range usually have higher CRIs. So, it depends whether you want natural colour, or not.


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## Yajna (Oct 20, 2009)

I recently purchased the same fixture. The fact that it is black and budget friendly made it a pretty simple choice for me. And like you, I couldn't be more pleased with the way it fits on the old hoods and I think it looks great too. Think I may have purchased the same bulbs as you also, GE Daylight 6500K. I'm not disliking the bulbs and the fish don't seem that washed out to me, but the fixture was on the tank before the fish went in so I don't have a comparison point. Even so, I have wondered what other bulbs might be out there. Am curious to see what suggestions people have.


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## Geddonight (Aug 7, 2009)

*BillD*

CRI = Color Rating Index?

What should we be looking for here?


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

The higher the CRI (Colour Rendition Index) the more true the colour rendering. Sunlight is 100, so the closer to 100, the more true the colours. As an example, the 6500K Philips Ultra Daylight I have, have a CRI around 84. The Philips Natural Sunshine have a CRI of 92 or 94.
Having said all that, if you frequent fish forums, it is quite obvious that most people would rather make the fish look a certain way rather than what they naturally are. They want the colours to "pop", so they try to find a light that makes their preferred colour look better. Personally, I'm quite happy to have the fish show their natural colours.
You will also see some tubes that have poor K numbers but reasonable CRI numbers. With these tubes, the manufacturer has added something to improve the CRI. I like both the 6500K Daylight, and the 5000k Natural Sunshine., but I was given some Philips Alto Hi-Vision, that also look good on a tanks and also grow plants very well. This tube is usually used for lighting work places. Not sure of the colour temp or CRI, but they work well.


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

Did you guys buy the 12$ black shop light fixture at Lowes? I bought a $10 T12 fixture at Home Depot, but its a T12 fixture, and its white. I would much prefer a black T8 fixture.


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## scales77oi (Apr 17, 2009)

yah where did yah buy the t8 fixture from? i want 1


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## Yajna (Oct 20, 2009)

They sell them at Lowes. Black T8. 48" dual bulb. It was $12.99. They had so many white shop lights I practically tripped over them, but there were only 3 of the black ones.


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## K20Z3 (Jul 18, 2008)

This sounds great, but I can't seem to find them here in TX. Can you please post a pic of what it looks like?

Thanks so much!
Brian


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## bfg112 (Feb 13, 2009)

If you go on the Lowe's website you can probably find whatever you want, and it will tell you if your local Lowe's carries that product. If your local store does not have it you can call the 800 number for customer service and they will arrange for your local store to get it for you. That's how I got my 4 bulb 48 inch T8 fixture I found on the Lowe's website.


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## Yajna (Oct 20, 2009)

Maybe the OP can help with a pic, unfortunately I can't right now (long story). It's made by Utili Tech, same as alot of their other light fixtures. Item # on receipt is 313520, but searching for that at Lowes online showed no results. Odd. Wish I could have helped more.


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## K20Z3 (Jul 18, 2008)

Is this what it looks like?

http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans- ... ogId=10053

This is on Home Depots website, and it is listed for $39


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## mnguyen (Aug 13, 2009)

A couple months back I was told that Lowes and Home Depot not long carry the T8 light strips anymore. The standard is T5 now but that just will wall mount strip, not sure about the hanging ones.


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## austinramirez (Aug 15, 2009)

I ran into this same problem with the wash out effect on my fishes color, so i left one bulb white but placed a $3 color changing tube over the other.With one blue and one white, the colors stood out much more and at night i just leave the blue on.it's beautiful,and cheap too.I found the blue color changing tube at my local lighting store,it's really only a blue plastic tube.Good Luck!


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## bur01014 (Sep 24, 2009)

Sorry, been out of town. So I will post a pic of the t8 fixture tonight. It looks similar to the Home depot link, but the black paint is shiny and it is much skinner so it sits perfectly on my original hood setup for my 55 gallon. It was 12 bucks or so.....I had to go to two lowes to find them in stock, very nice looking! Currently I have a T8 acintic bulb and a 6500K daylight bulb.....the blues are looking amazing and so are the whites, but need my reds a yellows to pop more so I might up my 6500k bulb to a 10,000k or perhaps maybe lower it to a 5000k? Anyways, I will take pic of shop light on my tank tonight!


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## bur01014 (Sep 24, 2009)

here are some pics- not super fancy, but for 12 bucks a poor college student couldn't be happier!


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## K20Z3 (Jul 18, 2008)

Cool! Thanks for the pics. I'm going to have to hunt at all the Lowes here until I find one.

Thanks again


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## scales77oi (Apr 17, 2009)

awesome!! well after trying to find them online and failing i decided to make a trip to the local Lowes.....there it was hanging on display, there they wern't on the floor where they should be!! :x OUT OF STOCK!! 24 more are commin in next week, $12 bucks a piece :dancing: sure cant beat that!! thanks a lot for the source! :thumb:


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## bur01014 (Sep 24, 2009)

no prob, if you have another Lowes close by, they can check their system and see if they have any....had to do it myself as my lowes was out, but the next town had 6 left..good luck! Can't stress how economical this setup is!


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

bur01014 said:


> Sorry, been out of town. So I will post a pic of the t8 fixture tonight. It looks similar to the Home depot link, but the black paint is shiny and it is much skinner so it sits perfectly on my original hood setup for my 55 gallon. It was 12 bucks or so.....I had to go to two lowes to find them in stock, very nice looking! Currently I have a T8 acintic bulb and a 6500K daylight bulb.....the blues are looking amazing and so are the whites, but need my reds a yellows to pop more so I might up my 6500k bulb to a 10,000k or perhaps maybe lower it to a 5000k? Anyways, I will take pic of shop light on my tank tonight!


Did you purchase the acintic bulb at Lowes, too? How much was it?


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## bur01014 (Sep 24, 2009)

No, the bulb selection at both Lowes and Home Depot are quite limited. I purchased the acintic bulb at a LFS nearby. It is a Zoo Med Coral bulb or something like that. It wasn't too bad, maybe 12 bucks. My other bulb is just a 6500K bulb from lowes.....cheap, looks good, but looking for more pop so I might spend a little more on a better bulb.....still experimenting!


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## marshall (Nov 19, 2002)

I bought the Ge 6500 daylight and mixed it with blue actinic bulb. It looks ok but the orange and yellow fish seem washed out and pale. The other colors look good. Trying to save some cash like everyone else here. Anyone got any solutions.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

I've been doing some research and I think if you replaced the 6500K with a 5000K it might make your orange and yellow fish look better.

Based on what I know of physics, something that is red colored refelects the red wavelength of light and all the other wavelengths get absorbed. So, whatever color the fish is, that is the wavelength of light that they reflect and everything else gets absorbed. My theory is, blue fish will look best under lights with lots of blue wavelengths in it (like 10000K, actinic, and 50/50), and red and yellow fish will look better under warmer lighting with more red wavelengths like 5000K.

I'm not sure what bulbs are in my lights, but the yellow labs look just fine, and the mainganos and aceis look ghostly and not very blue at all. I think I need lights with more blue wavelengths to make them look better.


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## K20Z3 (Jul 18, 2008)

I got one today at the Lowes close to here. I had to go to a second one since the first one was out of them.

Nice little light for $12.99!

I put my existing All-Glass blue bulb in there along with a Kitchen and Bath GE bulb and the colors are pretty good. The A-G is 8000K and the GE is 3000K. Seems to be good red/orange and blue colors from this combo.

Thanks for the tip!
Brian


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## actionyak (Mar 16, 2004)

*bur01014* are the bulbs of your fixture resting on the glass of your tank top? I saw a fixture at lowes tonight that looked like it may be the right one, but it was designed to hang and it looks like the bulbs would have touched first if rested flat. Would that cause problems if the bulbs were resting on the glass and center brace?

The lowes near me stocks a ge bulb that says it is for aquariums. Says it is supposed to be good for growing plants and makes the colors of fish stand out. Doesn't have CRI of temp information, just that it has special properties that create more of the red and blue wave lengths. Anyone ever try that bulb? Sounds like it may be a good choice to bring out the blues in my dems and the yellow of my electric yellows.


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## K20Z3 (Jul 18, 2008)

actionyak said:


> *bur01014* are the bulbs of your fixture resting on the glass of your tank top? I saw a fixture at lowes tonight that looked like it may be the right one, but it was designed to hang and it looks like the bulbs would have touched first if rested flat. Would that cause problems if the bulbs were resting on the glass and center brace?
> 
> The lowes near me stocks a ge bulb that says it is for aquariums. Says it is supposed to be good for growing plants and makes the colors of fish stand out. Doesn't have CRI of temp information, just that it has special properties that create more of the red and blue wave lengths. Anyone ever try that bulb? Sounds like it may be a good choice to bring out the blues in my dems and the yellow of my electric yellows.


I have mine on a 72 bowfront and it doesn't rest on the glass at all. It rests on the two end flaps that sit lower than the rest of the fixture and these sit on the plastic aquarium frame.


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

Hey guys, I have the exact same light fixture (black twin t8.), but I remember buying it for 8 dollars about 4 months ago, maybe the price increased. Anyways I started another thread you might find interesting if you want more light from these fixtures ::

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=203962

I did this simple mod and my tank is a lot brighter and I am a lot happier!


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## HiReZ (Jul 19, 2011)

Old thread awakened, sorry for that, but I found this thread and It helped me find new lights for my 55g aquarium. I got the black fixture from Lowes. It fits on top the tank perfectly. I put two Phillips 6500k Daylight bulbs in. It is MUCH brighter and the colors are nice


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

The 6500K T8 made by Philips has a high CRI, actually higher than the 500K T8 so should give good colour as well as brightness. You can also use one of each type.


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## cdavitt (Apr 4, 2011)

Since this thread is revived I have a few basic lighting questions.

I guess the first and most obvious one is what is the difference between the standard fluorescent tube, T8, and T5? I know the pricing differences can be large but I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t understand why. Does one type offer a better/larger selection of bulbs? Less power consumption? Something else?

The other question is which bulbs to choose? There doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t seem to be any rhyme or reason on any of the posts other than, "Use what looks good in your tank". I'd like to have an understanding of that before I spend the money on the fixtures/bulbs.

Would going from a single standard fluorescent tube to a dual light T8 or even nicer t5 light cause that much of a difference? for 12.99 + bulbs I am certainly tempted to try it on the tank in my living room.

What is a good point to start at for which bulbs? I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know what the 5000K, 1000K, 50/50, acintic, etc all stand for.

The tank this light would go on is white PFS, 3/4 full of lace rock, and then blues (white top hara), yellows (labs), and orange (rusty)

After checking again I'm having a tough time finding this 12.99 light even on their website?

Any input on the differences between light fixtures and bulbs would be greatly appreciated.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Ok, lets compare t5 and T8. T5s have more light output per watt than T8. They aldo cost more and aren't as readily available in different K temps at places like HD. That will change over time, but right now, T8 is the sweet spot in economical lighting. As for color temps, natural sunshine, at noon at the equator is around 5500K, so 5000K probably comes closest to this. So called Daylight, at 6500K is closer to morning or afternoon light. I like both color temps, and both will grow plants. If you aren't growing high light plants, A T8 fixture would probably suit you just fine. It is what I use because the fixtures are cheap and the tubes are cheap.
As for color rendition, the CRI number on the tube will tell you how well the light will render color. Sunlight has a CRI of 100, and the closer to that number the tube is the better and more accurately it will display correct color. This bears looking into because in T12 lights manufactured by philips, the CRI on the Natural Sunlight 500K tube is significantly better than the 6500K Daylight. In T8 tubes, the 6500K is better, with a higher CRI number.
If you read a lot of lighting posts on this forum you will soon se that many like their fishes colors to be unnaturally enhanced and will opt for expensive tubes for those results. It can lead to some garish results based on some of the pictures I have seen on here. However, to each their own, and I will reiterate that get lights you like. Personally, I prefer lights in the 5000K range as I find that at 6500K it is staring to look bluish, but I use both. hopefully that will help some. Also, keep in mind that I am frugal, and would never spend more money on lights or filters than it would cost for the tank they would be used on.


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## HiReZ (Jul 19, 2011)

For me, I went with the Phillips 6500k daylight becasue they had better color rendering and more light at 2800 lumens then the GEs i found. the GEs at lowes came in sunshine with 5000K and 86CRI. at home depot the phillips can in daylight 6500k and 86CRI, so i went with that. a lot of trouble but i am glad i did the research. i would call my light White but not blue, i didnt want a redish tint and plants like a little more blue.

btw, there is a little light that leaks out around the fixture (it has somewhat rounded edges), but it fits perfectly around the preexisting groove on my 55G hood.


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## rnrsq (Jun 27, 2011)

I have been looking at this light and just had a hunch that someone here had tried it out.


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