Daylight-balanced T5 — the workhorse of the range. Neutral colour rendition with the extra output that T5 gives over T8 in the same footprint. If you are replacing tubes in a twin T5 fitting and are not sure what to run, two of these is the safe answer; swap one for a pink or actinic tube later if you want to push the look one way.
Sizes
- 212mm — 6w
- 288mm — 8w
- 397mm — 16w
- 550mm — 24w
- 850mm — 39w
- 1150mm — 54w
Match the wattage, not only the length. The tube has to suit the ballast or transformer already in the fitting, and length alone will not tell you that — read the wattage printed on the tube you are taking out.
Replace them about once a year. Fluorescent output and colour shift long before a tube actually fails. One that still lights can be doing well under half the work it did when new, and plants notice before you do.
Run the light on a timer. Six to eight hours a day is a sensible starting point, and consistency matters more than duration.