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T5 replacement schedule and disposal

Hi everyone,

I have my 50 gallon system up and running with much thanks to the wisdom I found on this forum! I am curious about the T5 lights. I currently have one of the hydrofarm single tube 4' T5 lights. I have been reading that the bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months. Is this a must? Are they still usable after 6 months without optimal performance?

It seems like a major waste to throw out and replace lights every 6 months. Also isn't there mercury in these? Do they need to be disposed of in some special manner? How long are the other bulb types good for in comparison? I need more lighting and may just switch to another lighting source.

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Permalink Reply by Vlad Jovanovic on March 14, 2012 at 7:10am

Well you can then use them in other NON-plant growing fixtures in the house, since it is the PAR Photo-synthetically Active Radiation) that degrades...Your human eyes wont notice this though, so they can still serve a purpose.

Performance will degrade depending on use, and after a while they are all but useless for growing plants, even though they look (to your human eyes) as bright as the day you bought them...

HID's on the other hand (Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium etc...) need to be replaced about every two years, and come with a host of other benefits).

As far as disposal goes ALL fluorescent lighting (CFL's T-12, T-8, T-5, PL-L's etc...) contain mercury and need to be disposed of properly. I don't know if your particular government has a protocol/and or mechanisms in place for this type of recycling (they probably do) yet.