24" depth, who runs t5, who runs MH?

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by gobytron

mods, you can close this thread, I have all the links and opinions I could ask for now to form an educated decision.

thanks very much for all the the strong opinions guys, all very helpful and definitely shows how much of a debate this issue is in this hobby.

I think I am just going to wait till I find a mid to higher end 6-8 bulb t5 fixture and try it out for myself....

My 250x phoenix don't leave much to be desired so no rush, but I'm looking forward to documenting my experiences when I do make the switch.

No way dont close it this is a great debate thread. Leave it open a lot of information to be had, once it starts getting out of hand then lock it down.

[Aquattro]

Ya, there is no reason to close this, even if the T5 people are wrong...you NEED MH

[banditpowdercoat]

You know, threads like this make me change my mind more than Michael Jackson changes plastic surgeons.......Ohh, that was a bad one HAHAHA


But really, I just bought a used MH for my tank, waiting on bulbs to come in, to replace my T5. But now, I'm thinking of just keeping the T5, adding a fan on the ends. the tank is like 18" water depth. I'm gona try the MH, but thing they will be reserved for the new, Taller tank I'm gettin.


But anyways, I love reading the reasons each have for liking thier choice of light. No one light is PERFECT. Each person want's, has different needs. It is nice to see that BOTH will work fine. Just depends on how picky a reefer is HEHEHE.

[Ron99]

LEDs are better than either MH or T5. Sorry couldn't resist

But seriously, they are the future for lighting in our hobby. Only problem is up front cost. I am looking at eventually building my own array for my new 65 gallon and it will probably cost me $1100 to $1200 in parts. But that will come down over time as the LEDs get cheaper. Long term benefits are lower energy consumption and no bulb changes as the LEDs should last from 8 to 11 years depending on photoperiod. I'll have PAR as good as a 250W MH with no heat transfer to the tank. With more LEDS and tighter optics you can easily hit 400W MH PAR levels but then the build costs go up too. Final benefit is you can adjust the colour temperature anywhere you want it and the Cree royal blue LEDs generate great Fluorescence in the corals and if you can build and program a controller you can dim them for dawn/dusk or moonlight effects.

[gobytron]

Originally Posted by Ron99

LEDs are better than either MH or T5. Sorry couldn't resist

But seriously, they are the future for lighting in our hobby. Only problem is up front cost. I am looking at eventually building my own array for my new 65 gallon and it will probably cost me $1100 to $1200 in parts. But that will come down over time as the LEDs get cheaper. Long term benefits are lower energy consumption and no bulb changes as the LEDs should last frmo 8 to 11 years depending on photoperiod. I'll have PAR as good as a 250W MH with no heat transfer to the tank. With more LEDS and tighter optics you can easily hit 400W MH PAR levels but then the build costs go up too. Final benefit is you can adjust the colour temperature anywhere you want it and the Cree royal blue LEDs generate great Fluorescence in the corals and if you can build and program a controller you can dim them for dawn/dusk or moonlight effects.

insert head spinning smiley here.

[mark]

LEDs are better than either MH or T5.

LED archaic, go plasma: http://news.cnet.com/1606-2_3-32509.html

[Aquattro]

Seriously, if you want light, move south and use solatubes! Or a SPS pond

[Ryan]

Setting up my own Coral reef pool would probably be one of the first things I would do if I liked on the Gulf of Mexico.

[gobytron]

speaking of solatubes, here's a link to one of my favorite systems....
uses almost all natural light and is 700 gallons in just the display, this guy actually built his house around his tank and even installed solar panels on his roof to make things a little more economical...
http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic70159-25-1.aspx

[Ron99]

Originally Posted by mark

LEDs are better than either MH or T5.

LED archaic, go plasma: http://news.cnet.com/1606-2_3-32509.html

I saw this some time ago. It is intriguing. But will probably be a while before anything is commercially available.