Can i use home depot T5 bulbs?

So i have this 30" 36W T5 (not high output) fixture sitting around. My tank is currently lit by a 150W 10,000k Metal Halide pendant, do you think I should use this fixture for actinic lighting during the time in which my halide is not on?

Also, if so, can i just pickup 30" T5 actinic bulbs from Home depot where bulbs are cheaper?

 

do Home Depot do actinic lamps?
or are they just blue glass T5 tubes?

Steve

 

not sure, I have seen that they carry different types of T5 so i figured they might have actinic.

Regardless, do you think I should bother with doing this? it would be a 30" ballast on a 36" tank. My metal halide sits about 20" at least above the tank so there definately is room for this ballast, I would just keep it on the top/back of the tank so that when the halide turns on it doesnt block the overhead light from shining down into the tank.

 

with a 10k halide, I would use some actinic supplement
so its a good idea IMO

Steve

 

If they have actinic yes but I have not seen any at any of my Home Depots.

 

I wouldn't use the fixture. It isn't really designed to be used around salt water, and will likely rust quickly. Also the connectors could corrode and potentially cause a fire.

Home depot does not carry actinic bulbs. At least the ones near me and the online store do not anyway.

I would get some wavepoint bulbs. They will probably be around $20 each and are good for a year.

Also the actinics should not be on the whole time the halides are off. The actinics should be on while the halides are on and maybe an hour before and an hour after.

 

he says (not high output) in his 1st post John

do home depot sell actinic lamps? do you know John?
just seems strange to me if they do, as they sell stuff for use in homes and not specifically for aquariums is what I thought?

Steve

Stepho has kindly answered my question

 

Why wouldnt i use this fixture for saltwater? It is nothing different from when I used it for a low light planted FW tank (except the bulbs).

 

You can if you want to but I wouldn't. Salt water is a lot more corrosive than fresh water. Any salt creep that accumulates on the steel parts of the lamp will cause it to rust quickly.

 

The only thing they sell are 1.5ish k to 6500k bulbs, and blacklights, as far as I'm aware.

Saltwater corrodes metal; freshwater doesn't. The Titanic would've been fine if it hit that iceberg and was only sailed on Lake Superior, just for an idea of how big an effect it can have.