Do T5 LED lights need a ballast?

T5 lamps need special ballasts to operate. In most cases, the T5 ballasts will not work with T12 or T8 lamps, although at least one manufacturer offers electronic ballasts that can operate either T5 or T8 lamps with appropriate wiring. Ballasts for T5 lamps are available for 120-, 277-, 240-, and 347-volt operations.

Which is better LED or T5?

The main advantage of LED over T5 lights is that it is more efficient, which will save cost (bulbs & power) in the long run. LEDs also do not produce UV light by default (unless UV diodes are used), while florescent lighting does. It takes real depth of knowledge to know what to look out for in an LED fixture.

Do T5 LED bulbs need a ballast?

Essentially, LED bulbs do not require ballasts in them to work. Unlike fluorescent lights, it is not a ballast that controls the LED’s current and voltage regulation.

Will ballast compatible LED work without ballast?

If the LED tube is not compatible with your ballast, you would then need to replace your ballast in addition to the T8 LED tube. The T8 LED tube won’t work without the ballast, so you are forced to continue buying and replacing ballasts as long as you have an LED tube that is ONLY ballast dependent.

Will T5 lights grow coral?

The T5s will do the rest. This includes growing corals without fussing over unnecessary bells and whistles. And with T5 lighting, there are no hot spots to worry about. You simply place your coral at the correct tank depth and let them grow.Mar 5, 2020

What color light makes corals grow?

blue

Can a Type A LED tube be used without a ballast?

The short answer is you need to rewire your fixture. Hybrid LED tubes will work with or without a ballast. Hybrids are commonly installed in fixtures with ballasts, operating as plug and play LEDs until the ballast’s lifespan has ended.

Will plug and play LED bulbs work without a ballast?

1. Plug-and-play or direct fit linear LED (UL type A) A plug-and-play, or direct fit, linear LED is probably what you’re imagining a simple, one-for-one swap out of the original linear fluorescent lamp. This lamp works directly with the existing fluorescent ballast, so there is no rewiring or ballast change required.

How do you wire a single pin LED tube light?

Can I directly replace fluorescent tubes with LED?

Yes, you can replace fluorescent tubes with LED tubes or LED-integrated fixtures. If you just want to replace the bulbs, you can use plug-and-play, direct-wire, or hybrid LED tubes. Plug-and-play tubes are the easiest to install as they do not require any rewiring to the fixture.

Can you direct wire a plug and play LED tube?

You can start by using it like a plug-and-play lamp and then, when the ballast fails, you can direct wire it to line voltage. The lamp snaps into the existing fixture without any wiring modifications meaning installation can be done by virtually anyone.

Can you replace a fluorescent light fixture with an LED light fixture?

There is a wide variety of methods for converting to LED tubes. The simplest is to completely replace old fluorescent fixtures with brand-new LED fixtures. “We do recommend that if the ballast in the existing fixture is 5 to 7 years old that you replace the ballast when installing the new bulbs.”

Can LED lights grow coral?

Yes, LEDs do grow coral – just ask our experts at LiveAquaria.com! They have been using LED lighting for quite some time now over our coral tanks with amazing results. The specific spectrums provided by LED lighting can bring out colors in certain fish like you’ve never seen before.

Can you use LED bulbs without a ballast?

No LED bulbs require a ballast, although some are engineered to work with an existing ballast. You will find ballast-compatible or “plug-and-play” LEDs that are designed to replace linear fluorescents, compact fluorescentscompact fluorescentsEnergy efficiency The luminous efficacy of a typical CFL is 50–70 lumens per watt (lm/W) and that of a typical incandescent lamp is 10–17 lm/W. Compared to a theoretical 100%-efficient lamp (680 lm/W), CFL lamps have lighting efficiency ranges of 7–10%, versus 1.5–2.5% for incandescents.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Compact_fluorescent_lampCompact fluorescent lamp – Wikipedia, or HIDs.

What color light is best for fish tank?

As I have mentioned, aquarium plants absorb red, and blue lights within the visible light spectrum more than any other intensity, thus blue and red color bulbs make the best alternative for planted fish tanks.

Which is better LED bulb?

LEDs use much less energy than incandescent bulbs because diode light is much more efficient, power-wise, than filament light. LED bulbs use more than 75% less energy than incandescent lighting. Bright LED flood lamps use only 11 to 12 watts while creating a light output comparable to a 50-watt incandescent bulb.

Can you direct wire LED?

With double-ended direct wire LEDs, line is connected to the lampholders at one end of the fixture, neutral at the other end. Shunted or non-shunted lampholders can be used with these LED tubes. Always turn the power off to the light fixture when installing or replacing tubes in direct wired fixtures.

How many T5 bulbs do I need for a reef tank?

Well-Known Member. I think a good general rule of thumb is to plan on one T5 bulb for every 3″ width of tank. So if your tank is 24″ wide, I would plan on using 8 bulbs. For people that want to do an LED / T5 hybrid, I think one bulb for every 6″ width of tank is suitable.

Which LED bulb gives more brightness?

But even though an LED bulb uses less wattage, it’ll have more lumens than a standard bulb. For example, a 4W LED bulb is 220+ lumens, while the same amount of lumens can be found in a standard 25W bulb. A standard bulb uses more energy to produce the same amount of lumens as an LED bulb.

Can plug and play LED tubes be direct wired?

Direct-fit LED tubes are the easiest type of tube to install. This type of installation can also be referred to as “Plug-and-Play”. These LED tubes are a direct replacement for fluorescent tubes and work with the existing fixture, wiring, and most ballasts.

What light makes coral grow?

As water depth increases, the reds, oranges, and yellows are gradually filtered out, leaving more blue light. For optimal coral growth, you will generally want a full spectrum of light that includes some reds, oranges, and yellows, but that is heavier towards the blue range.

How do you wire a single end LED?

– Turn off the main power.
– Dispose of fluorescent lamps.
– Remove the ballast cover.
– Disconnect and cut live and neutral wiring from the ballast and set aside.
– Cut the wires leading to the lampholders from the ballast.
– Remove the ballast.

Can you use T5 grow lights for reef tank?

Can they grow aquatic plants? T5 HO bulbs work well in live planted aquariums. They also do extremely well in reef tanks.