Dang it! Another question about (T5) light.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by justjill3

The bottom line is I have 4 48 ft. T5s with a reflector. I have phals., oncidiums, a den. big.; and catts. How close does everyone have to be to the light?

Jill, the t5's are close enough in output to the metal halide/sodium bunch you can use the HID scale. As has be stated here, you may be surprised by the readings. 4 - 48" High Output t5 tubes in combination should put out 20,000 lumens. Divide that by 12.57 (close enough) to get foot candles - AT THE BULB! as stated above light drops off quickly as you move further away. Your lights probably emit approx 1600 (a bit less) at the bulbs or really close to them. Use that to find the scale that works best for you and stick with that. Hope this helps.