T5 will not disappear!

[Superlightman]

I really couldn't be bothered to change out bulbs every 6 months anymore.
Also, while LEDs are more expensive short term, after 3 years the cost is equal and from then your investment gets cheaper and cheaper.

Changing them take just a few seconds, are you so lazy? the brs tv test also showed you not need to replace them so often.No need every 6 months
You will probably also need twice as much as what you are thinking to have a good coverage a no shadowing once your corals growth. That is what happened to me .Count also the corals which die because they are less healthy under led or people using wrong settings.
For most of the fixture you need more than three years for saving money and a lot of LEDs have issue after some time, they not all last as long they tell us...and most user change their LED every two years ,so no saving at all for most people .
Personally, I should probably not have let my halides and t5 for leds as I will probably need 10 or 15 years for safe money with all I spend for them with mitigate results..

 

[firechild]

Legislation in Europe and in US they are also not forbidden

That's a pretty broad statement that is almost certainly untrue in its entirety. A quick google search shows that the following states all have additional restrictions:

California
Colorado
Hawaii
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Nevada
New Jersey
Oregon
Vermont
Washington
Washington DC

Keep in mind that while the EU and US Federal government can put a blanket ban on fluorescent lighting, they cannot force the individual countries or states respectively to allow the sale or manufacture of them. For example, the EU may make allowance for the sale of T5s until 2028 but Germany may decide to ban them in 2024.

California currently has a bill in the legislature that would ban linear fluorescent lamps by 2025.

 

[Joe81]

Good to know! Thanks!

 

[Superlightman]

That's a pretty broad statement that is almost certainly untrue in its entirety. A quick google search shows that the following states all have additional restrictions:

California
Colorado
Hawaii
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Nevada
New Jersey
Oregon
Vermont
Washington
Washington DC

Keep in mind that while the EU and US Federal government can put a blanket ban on fluorescent lighting, they cannot force the individual countries or states respectively to allow the sale or manufacture of them. For example, the EU may make allowance for the sale of T5s until 2028 but Germany may decide to ban them in 2024.

California currently has a bill in the legislature that would ban linear fluorescent lamps by 2025.

Germany allowed them for our hobby as the spectrum is different, it is not touched by any restriction in Europe.

 

[nereefpat]

I really couldn't be bothered to change out bulbs every 6 months anymore.

Why in the world would you change them that often. I go about 18 months.

 

[firechild]

Germany allowed them for our hobby as the spectrum is different, it is not touched by any restriction in Europe.

I used Germany as a hypothetical example, I wasn't suggesting there was any such legislation in Germany. However, it certainly looks like there is a push to remove all fluorescent lighting. General purpose fluorescent lighting is going in 2023 and special purpose fluorescent lighting might not be too far behind.

EU Bans Toxic Fluorescent Bulbs Domestically but Continues Exporting - CLASP

The European Commission published a law that will phase-out general purpose fluorescent lighting, citing mercury toxicity, across Europe in 2023. Since 2019, CLASP has contributed research and evidence to support this decision in Europe and is now working to phase-out fluorescents globally under...

www.clasp.ngo

I don't think there is any risk for T5 users over the next few years but I suspect the end is moving closer and it won't be up to the industry to decide whether they continue to use T5s forever.

 

[BZOFIQ]

So people telling you ...

This right there - people say a lot of things. You have to use your head to filter out the noise and marketing.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I really couldn't be bothered to change out bulbs every 6 months anymore.
Also, while LEDs are more expensive short term, after 3 years the cost is equal and from then your investment gets cheaper and cheaper.

If you are in/near New York I will gladly pickup your "used" bulbs provided they are 60"/80W type.

 

[BZOFIQ]

What specific legislation are you referring to? Different countries will approach the issue in different ways and even if Germany continues to produce aquarium t5 lighting, other countries may ban the import of them. In Australia, reptile incandescent lights were banned along with all speciality incandescents even though they are highly efficient as heat lamps (certainly more so than halogen, which replaced them).

T5s will not be outlawed because of the wide usage in commercial buildings. Whoever says otherwise haven't seen how widely these and T8s are used in commercial office spaces.

Yes, ConEd programs in NY pushed some to retrofit few fixtures but that was less than a drop in the bucket.

 

[Big Smelly fish]

Did I miss the link mentioned by OP?
I love my T5 and MH. I hope they are available for years to come. LEDs are ok and work well as far as growth, but visually not as pleasing when it comes to viewing.