T5 Lighting Fixture Information

Many variations of T5 fluorescent light fixtures exist on the market, from easy to use plug and play models to do-it-yourself lighting retrofit kits. Choose a fixture that matches the needs of your aquarium's specific ecosystem and your ability to put things together.

  1. Tube Arrangement and Amount of Light

    • When selecting a fixture, first know how much light you need. Saltwater coral reefs may need light that mimics full equatorial tropical sun at several feet below sea level, while a freshwater plant tank may need lighting that mimics a jungle stream under a thick tree canopy. The goal when selecting tube arrangement and wattage is to evenly distribute the light around the entire tank with as little overlap of the tubes as possible. The brightest part of a tube tends to be toward the center. Multiple U-shaped tubes set end to end distribute the light more evenly than traditional straight tubes mounted parallel to each other.

    Complete Fixtures

    • An off the shelf manufactured fixture is the easiest way to set up T5 lighting above your tank. It is designed to work with most major manufacturers' tank size standards right out of the box. Some include the tubes already installed in the fixture. On many manufactured fixtures the tube is U-shaped and can be either square pin or straight pin. Both types work equally well, but care should be taken to make sure the pins in the tube and the fixture match up if buying them separately.

    Retrofit Kits

    • Many manufacturers offer retrofit kits that are designed to be installed inside the existing wooden canopy of your aquarium. Retrofits can be a cheaper alternative to manufactured fixtures and are easily modified to fit the specific needs of an aquarium's ecosystem. Some skill is usually required to install them including basic electrical wiring. They mostly consist of the same basic pieces, a reflector to reflect and evenly distribute the light across the surface of the water, end caps or sockets to plug in the tubes, mounting hardware or brackets to keep the tubes in place, a ballast rated to run the number of tubes being used, electrical wire and a power cord.