MH vs T5

[Boomboy]

whats the point, its a never ending argument, one likes the shimmer and the range of colour, some say its cheaper for the bulb then t5 other says it cheaper with t5s, t5s have more of a range in bulbs, some say it less electricity, some say its more. i think it really has to do with what you want for your tank. you want the MH because you can get more light because you have a smaller tank dimensions or you want more control over the kind of light that your corals get. there are so many points that can be brought up. just do some research into both. maybe MH would be better for some tank setups and t5 for others.

[Ryan_Lap]

Just use both...

[Trigs]

Originally Posted by Ryan_Lap

Just use both...

Lol very good call, i agree with both comments said already i think if you want to pay less t5 is the best way to go, not necissarily less but you know what i mean, when you get into mh you get into chillers and other sources of cooling and that ends up in spending more money but you have your shimmer affect and with t5 you have a great spectrum of bulb combos, very tough debate

[Kronk]

Good points for all... I researched for a long time before decideing on MH though I could happily have gone with T5 if the price was right. Realistically there will never be a definate answer on which is better. I went with MH for the following reasons

- cost is cheaper (initial cost and maintenance I swear MH bulbs can go a lot longer than most rate them for and MH kits are easy to setup)
- easier to work around when playing in the tank (never realized how important this would be)
- shimmer
- T5's are only as good as the reflectors you get for them
- Phoenix 14k bulb
- The electronic ballast (never would have considered MH if i had to use the coil/cap)
- a small computer fan and an auto topoff beat most heat issues

[Trigs]

do you find that your hydro bill goes up or is it quite relevant

[mark]

T5 poll

[sphelps]

I got the best results from both. I tried all halide and all T5 on my tank in many different configurations. The end result was a pretty even combination of both.