# My review of the Hagen T5HO light unit!



## mattyc (11 Sep 2009)

I have been looking for a lighting unit for a long time because of my tight budget I have recently purchased a light unit (after my Mrs going mad at the arcadia T5 unit that was a little too big for the tank). 
I have decided to write down a sort of review of this lighting unit. 

THIS IS MY OPINION AND DOSENT NESACERELY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THIS FORUM. (just incase some one dosent like it   )

The Light unit is a â€˜â€™Hagen Glow T5HO Linear Light Unitâ€™â€™

The unit turned up today and I opened up all the rapping and had a look at the box, the packaging looks good and shows the product inside very well there is a reasonable amount of information on the box also. 






Opening up the box the light units packing is quite minimal but it has arrived safely so it must have done its job. 




I like the use of minimal packing or products I think it helps the environment and natural habitats of the fish we know and love. 
Removing the light from the box the main thing I noticed was its simplicity, there was only the light unit and its wire in the box!! The instructions are simple and clear and easy to follow making this simple light unit easy to use. 





The next thing I noticed was there were no bulbs in this system, the advertising for this unit doesnâ€™t say it doesn't come with tubes it also doesnâ€™t say it does. I think this should be a bit clearer to save the customer time and money. I donâ€™t see why manufactures donâ€™t include tubes as standard with their light units for the cost of a few pounds. The reflector looks to be of a high quality but not one for the individual tubes. I also noticed there is no power switch on the light.





I then set about fitting the light to the tank and seeing how it illuminates the tank. To fit this light unit you need a screw driver to remove the covers to reveal the clamps. This was a bit of a pain when you have a tank fitted into quite a small space like I and most others have. 








The light unit is nice and compact its self it is only the brackets that mount it onto the tank that are excessively bulky and complicated. The light unit is held very stable and securely on the tank by these brackets eliminating any chance of the light falling into the tank. 








I found it very hard to refit the covers back onto the light units mounting brackets because of the positioning of the screws. 





The light unit fitted to the tank looks modern and stylish the bulkiness of the mounting brackets again stands out this also leaves a gap either side of the tank needed for the brackets to fit.





The light produced by this unit and its reflector, I plugged the light in after fitting two light tubes and found this to be very good the reflector directs the light into the tank very well. All the plants are pearling and producing lots of oxygen bubbles, the tank looks like it is snowing in reverse!! The tank looks much nicer in this light showing off the greens of the plants very well. 



 




The units size allows quite a lot of space around the tank for pruning and maintance which is quite good because it cant be easily removed from the tank. 





To sum up,
Good points. 
â€¢	Good reflector
â€¢	Cheap price
â€¢	Modern and compact light
â€¢	Simple and easy to use
â€¢	Fits a range of sized tanks
â€¢	Slim to allow access for tank maintance
â€¢	the light can be rotated for access to the bulbs and the tank
â€¢	The bulbs are sealed with rubber compression fittings

Bad points. 
â€¢	Bulky mounting brackets
â€¢	Tools are needed to fit the unit
â€¢	Large overhang on the side of the tank
â€¢	Space is needed on both sided of the tank to allow for brackets

Thannks for looking,


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## squiggley (11 Sep 2009)

I slackened the clamps off a little so that I can remove it easily and place it at the rear of the tank so that I still have light when doing maintenance.

It can also be pivoted so that you can angle the light back into the tank


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## George Farmer (11 Sep 2009)

Thanks for providing such a comprehensive review, Matt!


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## mattyc (11 Sep 2009)

Thanks for your coments, I will be doing more of this when i go start at uni next week just wanted to get a bit of practice!! 8)


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## Themuleous (13 Sep 2009)

Nice one Matt 

Sam


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## seawolf (21 Sep 2009)

I bought the 36inch  2 tube version of this last year, i think it is a great unit for the price with only a few bad points.




			
				mattyc said:
			
		

> Bad points.
> â€¢	Bulky mounting brackets
> â€¢	Tools are needed to fit the unit
> â€¢	Large overhang on the side of the tank
> â€¢	Space is needed on both sided of the tank to allow for brackets


I think points 1,3 and 4 above are all really the same point, The brackets are a bit bulky and overhang outside the tank by 2 inches each side. i have left my brackets loose enough that i can lift the unit off the tank if needed

another bad point to add 

The lack of an on/off switch

on the good side
i got alot of light for ALOT less than an Arcadia unit


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## wordy (30 Sep 2009)

Great thread.

I hope to be getting two of these to go on my 110L tank in the near future, so it's great to have a review of the product.

Thanks


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## wordy (6 Oct 2009)

One question, duid you guys order your of the internet? If so where did you order yours from?

Thanks


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## mattyc (8 Oct 2009)

i got my light from http://www.ukpetsupplies.com


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## AdAndrews (9 Oct 2009)

Thanks for the review mate, just checked that website, they seem so cheap for what you are getting!


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## Krishs Bettas (11 Nov 2009)

What size light tubes did you use?


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## Jack middleton (11 Nov 2009)

what is the maximum glass thickness that the brackets can support?

excellent article btw

Cheers, Jack


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## mattyc (29 Nov 2009)

The tubes are 600mm tubes. 

There is quite a lot of adjustment in the clamps i would say it will fit 10mm glass with no problems. the glass on a tank this size is normaly around 8mm so there shouldnt be a problem. 

I have decided to reduce the light output a little and have disconnected one of the tubes. the unit still works with no problems with only 1 tube working.


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## amy4342 (29 Nov 2009)

I managed to get the 24w model from eBay for Â£25 delivered, which is a good price IMO. The same seller has the 39W for Â£27 and the 54W for Â£29 delivered, which is pretty good. The seller was good aswell, with quick delivery etc. Just search Hagen Glo on eBay if you're interested.


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## Hokum (11 Dec 2009)

I picked up a 39W from the same seller, it arrived pretty quick. 

I also hate the screws on the sides for the end caps as i can't screw them back on as the wall is in the way!

Btw you can remove the side mounts and hang the unit as it has hooks in the top for wire.


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## TBRO (22 Dec 2009)

Thanks for the review Matt, I was also considering one of these to boost the light in my tank. I also would like to know if it`s possible to suspend it, cheers Tom


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## mattyc (10 Jan 2010)

it has some small loops on the top which allow it to be suspended.


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## TBRO (16 Jan 2010)

Well, I got one of the 2 bulb 39 W version of these. That is added to my original Osaka luminaire (pretty much identical) over my 260 L tank. My plants seem to appreciate the extra light, getting more reds and tighter stems. Here's a selection of some of the bulbs.

1. 2 x Life-Glo




2. 3 x Life-Glo and one Power-Glo




3. 4 x Life-Glo




I think the combo is best, can even see the reds on the blyxa at the bottom left corner, the ludwigia looks much brighter with the power-Glo. Any Thoughts, Tom


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## malbros (19 Jan 2010)

Hi  Tbro,
  The  lighting  does  look  better  as you  step  it  up  - also   like  the  cardinals    

Malbros


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