Lighting: T5 vs Metal Halide???

moppy · #1 03-30-2009, 02:23 AM

I have been trying to figure out which type of lighting to go with???

Any ideas which is better?

Does depth of tank matter?

Cost? T5 is cheaper but...

Anyways, opinions would be appreciated...

Thanks

mark · #2 03-30-2009, 02:45 AM

been a few others threads on T5 vs MH (here's one) but basically what you can do with MH you can do with T5 with pros and cons on each. There's also T5/MH combo units.

e46er · #3 03-30-2009, 02:47 AM

Im fairly new to salt but from my reading on here people swear by both
both bulbs seem to last a year or so and replacements generally run the same cost.
6-$30 T5
or 2 -$80 MH (in my case)
t5 have more control over color and variation

i went with MH as i got a good deal on the fixture and i just love the shimmer

also depends on what you want to keep a fish only tank lights are for viewing purposes only and sps dominated tank your gonna need a good t5 fixture with good bulbs and a bunch of them
depth is a big part of the equation as light penetration is much better with MH as far as my understanding goes
anyone feel free to correct me if im wrong

StirCrazy · #4 03-30-2009, 03:11 AM

ok, first, T5s are not a replacement for MH.

T5s are a upgrade for VHO, or PC, but thats where it ends.

can you grow SPS with T5s...yes. can you grow SPS with NO shop lights....Yes.(a guy on the board did it for quite a while)

so lest stop trying to say T5s are better than MH (one of my pet peeves)

now the real question is what are you going to do, as in what kinda coral are you going to have? How deep is the tank and how wide and long is it. are you going to have a sand bed and if so how thick? are you going to have a chiller? are you happy with normal growth or do you want accelerated growth?

lights should be one of your last decisions as they depend on everything else, or your first, if you are going to build a tank around your lights.

Steve

moppy · #5 03-30-2009, 03:36 AM

So I should really figure out what I am going to do first?

Ok, I will do that, although I don't want to have to buy a chiller and I already have an overheating problem in my tank room.

Thanks for the advice and opinions. I will read that other thread and take it from there.

Myka · #6 03-30-2009, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moppy

So I should really figure out what I am going to do first?

Ok, I will do that, although I don't want to have to buy a chiller and I already have an overheating problem in my tank room.

Thanks for the advice and opinions. I will read that other thread and take it from there.

I agree with StirCrazy. T5s are not equal to halides, they just aren't.

Ya, you should at least figure out the size of the tank, and what types of corals. clams, anemones you may want to keep as they will determine how intense the lighting must be. Maybe an a/c unit will help your fish room temp?

moppy · #7 03-30-2009, 04:00 AM

Already have to use AC in the room (which is not cheap to run as I'm sure a lot of you know)

Right now I have 150W MH on my 90 corner tank and I'm not sure it is enough.

I want to move the 150 W to my 40 breeder and get a 250W for my 90 corner. Hoping that that will be enough but I've just heard a lot of talk about T5 and wasn't sure whether to upgrade to 250W or a combination of T5. I don't have sps right now but would like to try...