New set-up, need advice

[Aquattro]

"mess" is relative, it's whatever works for you. But the light will add heat. You might get away with using fans, you might not. If you use the chiller, it could add to the heat in the room, causing a vicious cyle. I run my chiller remotely to avoid this, you may not be able to..

[intarsiabox]

Have you considered a 6-8 bulb 24" T5 fixture? You will be able to grow anything you want with less heat than MH, plus you can vary your color depending on bulb selection. I don't know much about LED fixtures but some of the new cheaper models look like they may have some merit to them.

[ReefOcean]

will 144 watts of t5 be alright? I understand that 54 watts of T5 give off 5000 lumens so a 6 bulb fixture will give off roughly 12k lumens and about 30 more efficient. Sigh, as soon as I think I have it figured out..hehe

I do like the idea though, I have problems controlling my temp with just LED over the tank. I might be adding 20 gallons with my new system, but I am starting to worry more and more about the heat of metal halides. I really thought it was negligible.

What would you suggest for bulbs ina 6 bulb fixtures? 4 10k and 2 actinics?

[Aquattro]

T5s still get hot if inside a canopy, so if LEDs are giving you temp issues, so will T5 bulbs. But, compared to MH, the issue will be a lot less. MH will give you sunburn if you're playing in the tank too long

[asylumdown]

I had 2 250 W MH bulbs over my 90 when it was running. In the winter, the ground floor would hover around 18-19 degrees and the lights alone could keep the water at a steady 24-25 during the day. In the summer we let the house heat up to 24 in the day when we're not home and I'd usually have to turn the MH off when I got home from work around 5:30 (3.5 hours early) because the tank would be pushing towards 28 degrees.

The tank had no canopy and was free-standing, so MH can definitely make a big impact on the temp of your water.

[intarsiabox]

I have 4 bulb T5 fixture over a 20g nano and have never had any heat issues. I do run an open top and the fixture has fans to take the heat away. I think you may have a heater problem if you are have temp troubles using an LED fixture, or maybe you have a closed top?

I wouldn't be concerned about the watt output of a 6 or 8 bulb T5 fixture, if it is initially to bright for your corals you can elevate it and gradually lower it over time or put layers of plastic screen over the tank and remove them one by one as time goes on. I suggested this many bulbs as it will give complete coverage over a 24" wide tank, you can keep any type of coral you want and it gives more choice on bulb colors. There are many posts regarding T5 bulb selection and lots have pictures comparing the different set ups. A lot of them use various white and blue combos and then add a Fiji Pink bulb to bring some of the reds out better.