Light fixtures for T5 bulbs

[SusieQ]

I have four 4-foot Sunblaster light fixtures attached to my light stand, two fixtures per shelf. Each fixture holds one light and has its own plug & cord. The 4 individual power cords are a nuisance and sometimes drop out of the ballasts. I would like to change over to one 4-light fixture per shelf. Can I buy a 4-light fixture made for ordinary T5's at Home Depot or do I need one made specifically for the T5's we use orchids? Is there any difference in the ballasts?

[Ray]

Neither my local Lowes nor Home Depot stocks any T5 fixtures, so I wish you luck on that.

Chances are you're dealing with "HO" - High Output - bulbs. As long as the fixtures are set up for 54W bulbs, you'll be OK.

[naoki]

There are supposed to be different quality of ballast, but there is no orchid specific ballast.

Our HomeDepot started to carry 2' and 4' T5HO very recently. Previous to it, they had only T5 normal output. Like Ray said, make sure the match between the ballast and bulbs. If you put 54W bulbs to the normal output ballast, it will operate at the normal output.

Most of T5HO from HomeDepot didn't have reflectors, and one fixture with 4 bulbs did have reflectors. I didn't check the quality of the reflectors, though. I wouldn't use the unit without reflectors. I use HydroFarm T5HO fixtures, and they seem to be decent.

[Exotix]

HTG Supply is a good website for T5 fixtures.

[Cym Ladye]

I found obtuse lighting fixtures and odd parts with a simple Google search.

CL