t5 vs mh's setups

fishguyxd · #1 08-31-2007, 12:33 AM

I recently seen a fellow reefers lighting setup and he had I think it was 8 t5's
bulbs and i was surprised of what corals he had in his tank doing very well. and how little heat there was coming off these types of lites. I was thinking of getting mh's or something like the coralife pro setup with the mh 150 or 250 watts or should I just go with a T5 setup or mh mix now. I know the saying get the best lighting a person can get when buying. Would I be limited to what corals I can have with the t5 vs mh? and the cost and maint to upkeep them. Just looking for some imput.

mr_alberta · #2 08-31-2007, 12:48 AM

Lighting choice depends on a lot of things. Type of corals you want to keep and depth of tank are a couple of them. I like my T5's as they run cool and quiet (no ballast buzz from them), but I don't think they have as much punch as MH lights do for deeper tanks.

albert_dao · #3 08-31-2007, 12:48 AM

Wait til after MACNA, going to be a lot of nice lighting options in Canada after then.

Der_Iron_Chef · #4 08-31-2007, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Wait til after MACNA, going to be a lot of nice lighting options in Canada after then.

Such as? Units or bulb selection? Or both?

bv_reefer · #5 08-31-2007, 01:45 AM

i prefer metal halides because they open alot of options for corals, good penetration, and can't beat that shimmering effect

mseepman · #6 08-31-2007, 01:47 AM

I agree that MH seems to be the right way to go. Luckily there are some options out there with a mix of MH and T5HO so you can have the best of both worlds. I would look in that direction. I think OA carries some like this that still look sharp like the Coralife.

Der_Iron_Chef · #7 08-31-2007, 01:50 AM

I think HO T5's are good enough for just about anything, given that they're under a good reflector, etc. Haven't we all seen photos of stunning SPS-dominant tanks in Europe that use T5's exclusively? And check out this TOTM in March 2005 on reefkeeping.com.

Or maybe I'm just wrong

albert_dao · #8 08-31-2007, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Der_Iron_Chef

Such as? Units or bulb selection? Or both?

Both.

Speaking of which, KZ bulbs arriving sometime early next week.

Der_Iron_Chef · #9 08-31-2007, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Both.

Speaking of which, KZ bulbs arriving sometime early next week.

Lovely