Time to change bulbs??

Hi i changed my bulbs (twin 55w t5 power compacts) in my tank 6 months ago.

The previous bulbs were in for 12 months and i had major algae problems, that were efficiently taken care of after changing the bulbs.

My question is how long do t5's last??

should i just go on instinct and change them??

I have (slightly) more algae than usual in tank at the moment and im wondering if its time to replace the bulbs????

Advice welcome!

 

Bulbs should not be the problem with algea if you have algea your phosphates and nitrates are probably high if your bulbs are bad that should actually help because algea need light to grow t5 bulbs last 10 months

 

I change mine every 8-10 months. Are the bulbs taht you have the original stock bulbs?

 

I was under the impression that as bulbs age the light that is produced is of a more "yellow" colour and algae can bloom under this?

The p04 and nitrates are showing 0 mg/l

 

The replacement bulbs were bought from a red sea retailer and were the same as the originals i removed

 

incorrect. as bulbs age, they tend to put off more light at the red end of the spectrum which stimulates algae growth. While your NO3 and PO4 may be high as well, old lighting DEFINITELY contributes to algae growth. It is best to replace your T5s every 6-10 months.

 

They do yellow as they age but the light par weakens in otherwords les light gets to the rocks, this next time you buy bulbs try the giesman powerchrome bulbs. How long you running your lights

 

That was what i thought, i said yellow but i wasnt sure what end of the spectrum was correct! i just needed to know a timescale for replacement! 6-10 sounds good to me.

Thanks