MH vs t5ho

andestang · #1 04-01-2010, 12:06 AM

Then I think the 400's would be to much for what you need. Not happy with T5's ? I'm going to switch from MH's to T5's when I up-grade

freezetyle · #2 04-01-2010, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andestang

Then I think the 400's would be to much for what you need. Not happy with T5's ? I'm going to switch from MH's to T5's when I up-grade

best choice i ever made!

Alleycat_99 · #3 04-01-2010, 01:07 AM

what switching to MH???? and i guess i could just run 1 for now till i upgrade

ABreefkpr · #4 04-01-2010, 01:28 AM

I ran 2 400W MH over the corner tank I used to have set up. I loved them. At that time I ran 20K radiums. I'm using one now with a 10,000K over a 65 Gal tank I have set up. Other bulb will be 250W but everthing is temporary till I get my corner tank set up again. A chiller is pretty handy when you use 400"s.

freezetyle · #5 04-01-2010, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alleycat_99

what switching to MH???? and i guess i could just run 1 for now till i upgrade

No switching from MH to T-5. Granted i do have a nano tank. the temperature fluctuations and the evaporation was getting tricky to deal with. I like thae fact that you can fine tune the colour of the lighting with t-5. IMO one isn't really better than the other, its more personal preference.

Alleycat_99 · #6 04-01-2010, 01:52 AM

the ballasts are vue technology

BlueAbyss · #7 04-01-2010, 03:09 AM

Hmm, I'm not sure what the question is here... do you have a really good deal on a 2x 400W halide set-up, and you're asking if you should buy it or not? If it's a steal and you have some disposable funds, buy it. You never know when you're going to find a good deal on a 36" deep tank, ya know?

On the other hand, I wouldn't consider anything over 250W for a tank 18" deep... halide has really good penetration at depth and you may find there's too much light for a mixed reef.

Do you have issues with your current T5 set-up over the 80 gallon? Not enough light, or... ? T5s may not penetrate as well, but if you're still aiming for a mixed reef in the 24" deep tank you may want to consider going that route, since chillers are expensive and add significantly to your energy bill... MH is great, but projects a lot of heat. You'll still be able to keep the high light stuff in the top 1/2 of the tank, and have lots of medium light places for things like zoas and palys (low light stuff like mushrooms can be tucked in under ledges and such).

If you want clams on the sandbed in the 24" deep tank, go for the halides. And get a chiller