FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hey I got these t5s, yesterday I bought my first replacement bulb, I finally noticed 1 getting dimmer. 5 dollars.

These hortilux t5s are like 20. Different spectrum, I get that much out of it.

My question is, would those be worth using?

Would my electric bill go up? Does anyone use these?

Pros and cons I suppose.

I do t know if my plain Jane led are preventing some colors on some plants, or they are just transitioning slow. Such as my ping cyclosecta and pirouette,

The brand of bulb does not dictate how much power is being drawn, that should be the ballast's job (as far as I know, someone correct me if this is wrong). You definitely need to get reflectors for those lights, I see a lot of light being wasted through the tops and sides.

Wait isn't the ballast just the sort of "roof" you put the lights in?

How would it dictate anything? Just curious hil

Bhart90 wrote:Wait isn't the ballast just the sort of "roof" you put the lights in?

How would it dictate anything? Just curious hil

It contains all the circuitry that would affect the amount of power it draws, the voltage and current your bulbs receive, etc.

The "roof" is just the fixture.

O boy..... so assuming this is all the lights all ever have, how would you go about getting a ballast?

Man, this is a big ass shock! Go figure it took me almostno years o find this info. I'm clueless regarding this now..

All I got is those 3 t5s

No, you already have a ballast in your fixtures, it is what allows your lights to run. What I am saying, is that all T5s should use relatively the same amount of power because you are using the same 54 watt ballast or whatever, so you shouldn't worry about switching bulbs as all the t5 bulbs that fit your fixture should run on the same wattage. I would be more worried about finding a way to reflect all that wasted light downwards, it will really improve your plants' health and coloration.

A light can be broken into three parts. The ballast, which is the electrical part. The fixture, which is the metal housing. The bulbs, which are well the light bulbs.

The reflectors that Benurmanii is talking about are part of the housing/fixture of the light. They are used to direct light to one area. You have no reflectors on your light, which means the majority of your light is going off and lighting the room. Instead of directing it towards the plants. That's why your plants are green, and not coloring up.

I can take a picture of a reflector I made when I get home, if you're still confused about it.



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There is varying quality among LEDs so without knowing what you have, it's hard to tell whether they would be good a helping your pings color up. Cheap LEDs are gonna have weaker light and might not be enough.

Sunblaze t5 24watt

coffeenflowers wrote:There is varying quality among LEDs so without knowing what you have, it's hard to tell whether they would be good a helping your pings color up. Cheap LEDs are gonna have weaker light and might not be enough.

These aren't LEDs, they are fluorescent. He's already got one of the strongest fluorescent bulbs, it's just a matter of directing more of that light towards his plants.

Benurmanii wrote:

coffeenflowers wrote:There is varying quality among LEDs so without knowing what you have, it's hard to tell whether they would be good a helping your pings color up. Cheap LEDs are gonna have weaker light and might not be enough.

These aren't LEDs, they are fluorescent. He's already got one of the strongest fluorescent bulbs, it's just a matter of directing more of that light towards his plants.

He said he has fluorescent but he also mentions having LEDs on his pings.

Crystal
grow list: http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=32983

All I have are the sunblaze t5s. Period. Those are leds righ? Or fluorescent?

Bhart90 wrote:All I have are the sunblaze t5s. Period. Those are leds righ? Or fluorescent?

T5s are not LEDs. They are fluorescent bulbs. Your original post gave the impression that you had T5s and some separate LED fixtures.

Crystal
grow list: http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=32983

coffeenflowers wrote:

Benurmanii wrote:

coffeenflowers wrote:There is varying quality among LEDs so without knowing what you have, it's hard to tell whether they would be good a helping your pings color up. Cheap LEDs are gonna have weaker light and might not be enough.

These aren't LEDs, they are fluorescent. He's already got one of the strongest fluorescent bulbs, it's just a matter of directing more of that light towards his plants.

He said he has fluorescent but he also mentions having LEDs on his pings.

Crystal
grow list: http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=32983

Ah I see that now.