Heh. And the debate rages on. To each his own.

Lighting Setup
2 x ATI power module, 16 x 54 Watt ( 10 x KZ coral light and 6 x KZ fiji purple)

i believe that means 32 x 54w bulbs

^ I thought it meant 16 bulbs...?

Actually at quick glance I thought it was 10 ft. :lol: The way I figure it is this:

16 x 54w = 864w
Change 16 bulbs every 8 months = ($30 x 16) x 1.3 = $624 per year

Or

250w metal halide x 3 = 750w
4 x 54w = 216w (for actinics) = total of 966w
Change 4 bulbs every 8 months = ($30 x 4) x 1.3 = $156 per year
Change 3 bulbs every 12 months = $140 x 3 = $420 per year Total of $576 per year

Hmmm, more watts of power, higher PAR, and cheaper to run the MH.

Photoperiod
10 am to 12 pm

10 fingers and 4 toes = 14 hours

That is a long time to keep lights on.
Kevin

By the looks of it, buddy boy wasn't too concerned with pinching pennies. I'm sure he found what he liked most and said, "I'll take two."

Hmmmm...

Don't get me wrong, I like T5's ... but they are a tool to achieve an end, not a end in themselves. So why bother even debate about what's better? You might as well debate whether an apple is better or an orange is better. The bottom line is an apple is better to make apple juice and an orange is better to make orange juice.

I think Myka hit the nail right on the head. T5's are great, but they aren't "really madly truly" an economical alternative to halides. The lamps are cheaper but you have more of them and you need to replace them more often. I doubt that you really even get substantially less heat overall (it might be better directed though).

To me the choice for lighting should be about the size and shape of the area you wish to cover, and basically what floats your boat better.

I like both halides and T5's. I have tanks with both. :p I wouldn't say one really has an edge out over the other. I like the slimline low profile the T5 fixture I use has, but I don't like that in 3 months of use that I can perceive that the lights are already dimmer. I like how my halides last 12 to 18 months before I perceive a shift, but I don't like that I have to spend $80 to $120 to replace them when I DO have to replace them.

So in short, I think T5's both rule and suck, and I think halides both rule and suck.

:p

Oh and ... wow, what a wicked tank BTW. (Just noticed I forgot to mention that :redface:) DARRRROOOOOOOOOL. :)

I just can't figure out why the T5 fanatics see a amazing tank that has a million bucks worth of equipment and automatically assume it is the T5's that are responsible for everything on the tank :mrgreen:

Steve

Of course it's not just the T5's :p But for colour, I really think they have an edge of MH.

I've used 150MH , 250MH and now T5's myself and I must say I prefer the latter, but as mentioned it really is a matter of choice.

Bahahaha!!! Wow...excellent mathematical skills on my part! 12 pm is noon though. 12 am is midnight. I'm sure that the article means his lights are on from 10 am to midnight...which yes, would be 14 hours, not 12. :lol: