T10's, Is there anything I can substitute my old t10's with?

[JDaugherty3]

Just curious if could use t8's or something, in place of my t10's?

[Ninong]

I didn't know T10s were common in the hobby? I haven't seen them advertised on any of the hobby vendors' websites before.

In any case, T10s are 1.25" in diameter and T8s are only 1" in diameter, so obviously the end caps won't work. I believe T10s were a replacement for T12s, which are still available in the hobby. T10s and T12s have the same wattage, so the ballasts would work between them but not the end caps.

I don't think you could use the same ballasts between T10s and T8s. And you obviously couldn't use the same end caps either.

Where did you get T10s?

[JDaugherty3]

HaHa I inherited my aquarium from my father. It has been 15 years since he took it all apart. It sat in my storage since then. So yeah, they are old to say the least. But I do not have any corals or inverts that need good light. I know I will soon have to upgrade the entire fixture. But I am just looking for a quick fix I guess. It looks like I will just have to buy some new t10's and that will make a big difference, considering how old the current bulbs are.

[Ninong]

Yes, you should definitely buy new fluorescent tubes to replace the old ones. What length are your present fluorescent tubes and how many do you have in your fixture?

What are the dimensions of your 45-gallon aquarium?

[JDaugherty3]

There are 2 24" tubes. Aquarium is 19" tall, 48" wide and 13" front to back.

[Ninong]

That's a difficult size to use as a reef aquarium because the 13" front-to-back dimension doesn't give you much space to arrange live rock.

In any case, your present lighting (two 24" T10 fluorescent lamps) is totally inadequate for a reef aquarium. You could operate your tank as a FOWLR (fish-only with live rock) aqarium until such time as you're ready to upgrade your entire system. Another point I should mention is that your undergravel filter is something that hasn't been used in reef aquariums in more than 20 years. You would be much better off removing it completely in spite of the hassle involved.

If you do want to change out your light fixture now, you should consider something that holds four 54w HO T5 tubes. That would be the absolute minimum if you want to keep any corals. Your present light fixture won't work at all for a reef tank.

Your live rock is not dependent on the lighting. It will continue to do quite well in spite of the lighting. The only thing the lighting does for the live rock is to provide necessary support for any algae or other lifeforms on its surface that require light for photosynthesis.

[JDaugherty3]

Thanks for the info. I am planning on upgrading the entire system, filter. How are the canister filters? I know they are like $150.00. And upgrade lighting, and adding a HOB refugium. I need to learn about refugiums all together. But I know this is the lighting forum. Once I get a house on a slab, I will upgrade the aquarium completely. That will be a couple of years and I need that much time just to learn this new found hobby of mine. I have only had my FOWLR setup for 6 months. I plan on keeping it a FOWLR until I upgrade. Thanks again, I will just replace the tubes fo the time being.

[Ninong]

How are the canister filters?

Not recommended for a reef aquarium. For a reef aquarium all you need are a good protein skimmer and decent live rock. A nice sand bed is also a very good thing to have for filtration.

[JDaugherty3]

Update:

I got a new fixture!! Its a T5 High Output. Its a small fixture though. 108w 2 bulb. 1 daylight bulb and one true actinic. That is 2.4w/gal. It will sufice for my FOWLR setup. It Looks great!!