Dymax T5

[Navyblue]

I got myself a 2' model. As I only have used it for a month, I can only post what I knew with the product. Below is just my personal experience and my comment.

Many find it is a good deal. $45 for a double tube 2' T5 with tube? Sounds too good to be true. In fact, it really is, one cent money one cent good (you get what you pay for). However, depending what you are looking for, it might suit your need.

It is a 2x20W, one is stated as 12000K (white in appearance), another is stated as 17000K (blue in appearance). They run in electronic ballast cleverly hid inside the relector, they are 2 strips of circuitboard wrapped in a heat shrink tube, (yes I dismantled it and cut open the heat shrink tube ). The tubes is placed at quite near to the side of the frame and very close to the reflector, making the reflector not very efficient in reflecting the light as light is relected not out of the light but towards the tube.

Overall when lighted, it is blueish and the brightness is roughly the same with that of a PL tube.

T5 is a standard, not only it means 5/8" in diameter, but it also uses certain satndard voltage and current to drive the light. Thus all tube with the same length somes in the same wattage (i.e. for 2' 14W for normal output, 24 W for high output). As this Dymax T5 is 20W. I doubt it is driven by standard T5 voltage and current. Some say it is normal output T5, but I do not think so. It is neither NO or HO IMO. So what is this actually? I don't know, but the length and wattage coincide with T4, 2' rated at 20W. Is it just a fat T4 being having a diameter of 5/8" having the internal of a T4 and running the voltage and current of T4? I can't comment here.

T5 supposedly able to last for 20000 hours of operating time. As this is fairly new in the market, no one has really used this long before. However, I enquired a seller about the lifespan of the tube, the feed back I got is about 3 months with 8 hours a day. I do not know the reliability of this piece of information, but it again coincide with the lifespan of a T4 tube.

One advantage that I have to say is it runs cool, cooler than PL and T4-PL I had. The blue tubes makes my green mushroom look real green, whick look totally brown from my white T4-PL.

[nim75sg]

Dymax is certainly value for money if you are on a cost cutting measures. The setback is that they are using T5 NO tubes which offer lower power rating compared to the european manufacturers eg similar 2ft rating is 24W as compared to 20W

[bubble_gum]

but will the intensity compared to a single t4pl tube brighter then the 2 dymax t5s give out?

[nim75sg]

Better let other bros who had experienced with PL lighting to answer you as I never walk down the PL route.

[Navyblue]

I have used a T4 PL.

I would say it is hard to compare with eyes as they have different colour. To my eyes they don't make a lot of difference if there is any, but of course we can't really tell visually.

As mentioned above T5 NO for 2' is rated at 14W, not 20 W. Thus Dymax "T5" is not using the conventional standard of NO or HO.

[tineng]

I use PL, IMHO, PL is brighter but produce more heat. I find a single 36W PLL light pentrate deeper into the water then a 2x20 W T5....Also you are not forgetting that a T5 is slight longer that a 55w PL....which means that T5 would not be brighter then a PL if you are using it for a 2 footer.....

one interesting thing...dunno if it me or not, but i find my 36w PLL brighter then the 55w t4-PL...but then given that a 36w PLL tube cost $25 while a 55w t4 PL cost S$13 - i suspect that the quality of the tube means a lot!

[aStRoBo|]

dymax T5 is good.

[giantbicycle]

yar...DYmax T5 is good but,... THe tubes they provide are..cheapo.. i do compare it with a slightly same price TAWIn brand PL light set..It comes with 1 *36watt PL and 1 24watt PL...and i can say, its much much more brighter...and so now, i am still confussed with T5.so use it as my antinic,,

[giantbicycle]

But , would be glad to get the new white T5 tubes form Glare As they are much more better and hope it will be brightter>>

[Navyblue]

I doubt Dymax tube is a "standard tube", I'd suggest not to use other T5 tubes in it, or Dymax tube on other fixtures, they have different wattage.

[lightningstrike]

yar...DYmax T5 is good but,... THe tubes they provide are..cheapo.. i do compare it with a slightly same price TAWIn brand PL light set..It comes with 1 *36watt PL and 1 24watt PL...and i can say, its much much more brighter...and so now, i am still confussed with T5.so use it as my antinic,,

IMHO, i find dymax T5s actinic r not true actinic blue.

[tineng]

I doubt Dymax tube is a "standard tube", I'd suggest not to use other T5 tubes in it, or Dymax tube on other fixtures, they have different wattage.

I think T5 is used to denote the width of the tube and has nothing to do with wattage just like PL can have, PLL, PLC, T4-PL....

If you look around, you can spot t5 of various wattage being used all over the place (i spotted them being used in some of the corridor in SGH).....a more accurate description would properbly be that Dynamx T5 is a 20w NO (normal output) tubes and the ones that are used more commonly for aquarium are 24w HO (High Output) tubes....

[Hondace]

I have used CR's T4 PL 55w & Dymax T5 together b4. T4 is brighter but hotter, however, it doesn't have actinic blue effect.

Dymax T5 is not exactly actinic as I'm now using a DIY T5 with D&D T5 tubes & did a comparison. Dymax is juz blue lights IMO.

[Navyblue]

The "5" in "T5" indeed refers to the diameter of a tube of being 5/8". But T5 standard is not just about the diameter of the tube, It is not advisable to treat Dymax T5 as either NO or HO T5 is because although it looks like a T5, but we don't know what is in it for the reason stated above.

Even NO T5 follows a standard, not just because they are not "good enough" to be in the league of "HO", and in fact NO T5 have advantages over HO T5 too (NO being more efficient than HO).

There is only 2 standards in T5, HO or NO, no in between. If the specification matched the NO standard, it is NO. If the specification matched the HO T5, it is HO. If it doesn't match any of them, it is neither of them.

NO or HO T5 needs to be driven certain amount of current and voltage, and that is why we only have 1 wattage for one tube length of each NO or HO just as T8 and T12 and unlike compact fluorescent where there is no standard.

NO T5 lighting is used everywhere, they are suppose to replace T8 for its energy efficiency, but again their wattage is standard, you won't be able to find one that is in 20W (as in Dymax 2'), the closest is at 21W( but in the length of 3').

I bumped into the volatage and current thingie the other day, but can't find anymore, any electrician or engineer out there that share with us the technical specs. of T5?

[Navyblue]

I have used CR's T4 PL 55w & Dymax T5 together b4. T4 is brighter but hotter, however, it doesn't have actinic blue effect.

Dymax T5 is not exactly actinic as I'm now using a DIY T5 with D&D T5 tubes & did a comparison. Dymax is juz blue lights IMO.

Agree...

In fact it is stated as "17000K"(though may still be questionable), not actinic.

[Eric]

I have used CR's T4 PL 55w & Dymax T5 together b4. T4 is brighter but hotter, however, it doesn't have actinic blue effect.

Dymax T5 is not exactly actinic as I'm now using a DIY T5 with D&D T5 tubes & did a comparison. Dymax is juz blue lights IMO.

Hondace, side track a bit......how much does it cost for the T5 parts and actinic tubes to DIY a 3ft T5? Can share with me your DIY experiences?.......tot of cutting back 1 of my 2 x 250W 20K MH and suppliment it with 2 x 39W T5 actinic on a 12hrs and 1 x 250W 20K MH on a 6hrs photoperiod. That way, I can save some electricity bills.

Eric

[Hondace]

Hondace, side track a bit......how much does it cost for the T5 parts and actinic tubes to DIY a 3ft T5? Can share with me your DIY experiences?.......tot of cutting back 1 of my 2 x 250W 20K MH and suppliment it with 2 x 39W T5 actinic on a 12hrs and 1 x 250W 20K MH on a 6hrs photoperiod. That way, I can save some electricity bills.

Eric

DIY definitely cheaper

Eballast

I got my eballast from fellow reefers here after I when down to Sinter at Sim Lim Tower & found that they have no more Osram eballast. Brand new should be 60+. If u can find reefer selling, probably 1/2 price.

Casing

Bot mine at 30+. It is a normal PL casing.

Note : look for big casing as eballast is much longer than the ordinary ballast.

If u don't mind v simple design (without casing), juz get a reflector from Octxxxx Bxx & drill hole to fit in the T5 stuff.

End Caps & clip

Depends - waterproof caps r more expensive. Otherwise, a few bucks only from lighting shops.

Clips - v cheap but can remember the exact price. should be not more than 2-3bucks for 4.

Steps r pretty simple - take out the PL stuff & fit in the T5 stuff. Difficult part is connecting the wires but there's diagram on the eballast to show u. So take ur time & becareful.

[Hondace]

DIY definitely cheaper

Eballast

I got my eballast from fellow reefers here after I when down to Sinter at Sim Lim Tower & found that they have no more Osram eballast. Brand new should be 60+. If u can find reefer selling, probably 1/2 price.

Casing

Bot mine at 30+. It is a normal PL casing.

Note : look for big casing as eballast is much longer than the ordinary ballast.

If u don't mind v simple design (without casing), juz get a reflector from Octxxxx Bxx & drill hole to fit in the T5 stuff.

End Caps & clip

Depends - waterproof caps r more expensive. Otherwise, a few bucks only from lighting shops.

Clips - v cheap but can remember the exact price. should be not more than 2-3bucks for 4.

Steps r pretty simple - take out the PL stuff & fit in the T5 stuff. Difficult part is connecting the wires but there's diagram on the eballast to show u. So take ur time & becareful.

as for the tubes.....depends which brands -ATI, D&D, Glare & Zoo. Most reefers here seem to like ATI but think Glare is the cheapest (i don't know as I haven't bot any from Glare). ave price should be around 50 bucks.

[Eric]

as for the tubes.....depends which brands -ATI, D&D, Glare & Zoo. Most reefers here seem to like ATI but think Glare is the cheapest (i don't know as I haven't bot any from Glare). ave price should be around 50 bucks.

Thanks hondace for the information.......

[absolut_vodka]

anyone know if its possible for me to change the dymax t5 bulbs to the aquaz one?? 20w to 24w?? will there be any problems?

originally i was using 2x zoomed aquatic bulbs (ocean sun 10K & coral sun actinic 420) with the standard light casing - both 15w and just bought the dymax t5 (2 x 20w) today. can anyone tell me which output is better for my 2ft tank?

thanks in advance!

[woonming]

anyone know if its possible for me to change the dymax t5 bulbs to the aquaz one?? 20w to 24w?? will there be any problems?

originally i was using 2x zoomed aquatic bulbs (ocean sun 10K & coral sun actinic 420) with the standard light casing - both 15w and just bought the dymax t5 (2 x 20w) today. can anyone tell me which output is better for my 2ft tank?

thanks in advance!

U need to change the ballasts. Maybe you could PM Dr Evil for help or JoeP