3 Tube Fixture

[Klyde O'Scope]

After reading here that a dual fixture may not be enough light for some plants, and some of the bad experiences with 4 tube fixtures, does it make sense to use a 3 tube fixture with UVB in the center, flanked by 6500K FS tubes?

 

[JacksJill]

I use a 2 tube fixture and a plant bulb as my basking light. It helps a little but the lower plants don't do as well as I would like. Following.

 

[DocZ]

Early results with my LEDs have been good

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Early results with my LEDs have been good

In what kind of fixture?

 

[Beman]

Why not run individual T5's then you can place where you want them and have as many of them as you want. I am running two daylight bulbs and a uvb one on the atrium and it lights it up like crazy.

 

[DocZ]

I’m using the zoomed reptisun LEDs. I was concerned about the plants being happy, so I stuck with low light plants and added a lot of lights
I have a 24” LED/UVB combo that has 3 of the LED modules and a T5, a 19-26” that has 2 modules, and a 9-13” that has one module
Not economical up front, but unless they just fail, LEDs last a long time and don’t require replacement

The LED/UVB is in a box I built to raise the UVB bulb to safer levels

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Why not run individual T5's then you can place where you want them and have as many of them as you want. I am running two daylight bulbs and a uvb one on the atrium and it lights it up like crazy.

I'd like to say I'm a neat freak, but I'm not. I am, however, kind of an organized person, and what I described above seemed like a reasonable configuration (plus only having to sweat getting one fixture instead of 3) unless there are some valid reasons why a 3-tube fixture isn't a good idea (which is why I asked).

 

[Beman]

I'd like to say I'm a neat freak, but I'm not. I am, however, kind of an organized person, and what I described above seemed like a reasonable configuration (plus only having to sweat getting one fixture instead of 3) unless there are some valid reasons why a 3-tube fixture isn't a good idea (which is why I asked).

I have never seen a 3 tube one... One thing that is good about the individual is that if a ballast dies you don't lose your whole lighting set up. I understand the desire to have it all in one though. I was all about that prior to getting my new fixtures. lol

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I have a 24” LED/UVB combo that has 3 of the LED modules and a T5, a 19-26” that has 2 modules, and a 9-13” that has one module

I'm sorry, you lost me. Is that all one one enclosure? I know T5 tubes, but I'm still a bit technologically challenged on LEDs & modules. Seen pics, but I don't have a comfortable grasp yet. Guess I need to visit a hydroponics store when they re-open here.

 

[DocZ]

It’s on one enclosure with three different LED fixtures, and probably more than I needed.
I thought about the multitube fixtures, but couldn’t find one without reviews saying they lit on fire occasionally and I’ve used LEDs on fish tanks and live plants for several years

 

[DocZ]

Having to raise the UVB above the enclosure is another reason I didn’t want a single fixture. I didn’t want to raise all of my plant lights with the UVB light reducing available light intensity for the plants, so I bought multiples and only one of them is raised with the UVB lamp

 

[DocZ]

I did some rearranging, but after six weeks the plants are all growing pretty quickly