T5 bulbs going bad

[PufferGuy]

is there any way to tell if your bulbs are going bad? Reason im asking is because my cyano keeps growing and ive done EVERYTHING to prevent it... i feed every 3 days now, lights have been off for 5 days and now just turned back on, lights are only on for like 7hrs a day and i have done one 25% water change a week for like 3 weeks in a row

the only other feasible problem would be if the lights were bad.. so any way to check besides changing them and seeing if it gets better??

id rather not use that chemical cleaner stuff but if i really need to i will try it...

 

[mcmusashi5]

if you have them for a year they need to be changed

 

[Bifferwine]

T5s should be changed out every 12 to 18 months. How long have you had your bulbs?

 

[mcmusashi5]

that what i said

 

[dcantucson]

No .... "that's what she said." Is how it goes. :mrgreen:

 

[cthegame]

+ 1 all of the above

1 - 1.5 years they need to be changed.

 

[PufferGuy]

it hasnt quite been a year but its near that...

 

[yote]

What brand bulbs?
I've found that the cheaper brands usually dont last as long as the higher end bulbs.

 

[PufferGuy]

the ones that came with the Odyssea fixture.. they are the same brand as the fixture

 

[yote]

I bet its the bulbs then.
Every fixture you buy that comes with bulbs,is gonna el cheapo bulbs.
I'd say give reefgeek.com a call and replace those bulbs.

 

[Rcpilot]

It's the bulbs. Consider yourself lucky you ain't got a tank full of hair algae. :bounce:

Cheap bulbs are good about about a year. The gas inside gets all used up and doesn't give off the same light spectrum after it's old. They keep changing spectrum as they get older and older. They can be WAY off the actual colors you WANT in your tank. Seams they always go to the spectrum that grows hair algae. :frustrat: You're lucky you've just got cyano. Thats easy.

Change your bulbs.