T5s vs MH

[spsmike]

Hello everyone, I am wondering if anyone can tell me the differences between mh and T5s.I was reading an article on T5s and im about to set up a ten gallon with sps and clams, but want to use the right lighting.


Heres a link to what I was reading:

http://www.saltcreep.com/forums/faq....aq_lighting_t5

[gbeef]

Theres massive threads on reefcentral.com on this stuff. If you want to go sps and clams dont dick around and get MH. With t5's ive herd you can go sps near the top im not sure about clams.

The points on T5 is people say there cheaper, but i dont see the difference in price the only good side to T5 is there is less heat.

[mr_alberta]

If you seriously are considering T5 lighting, go with something of quality like the Sun Light Supply setup with the Tek Reflectors (which are actually designed for T5's). Do not go for the much cheaper Helio all in one setups.

Since your 10G nano isn't that deep, you could get away with a 70W MH, but that would require you to get a pendant of some sort with a glass shield.

[Rikko]

High output T5s with good parabolic aluminum reflectors will put off a stink load of light (stink load???). If you cover the whole tank with them (the reflectors themselves are about 3" wide, so you can only fit 3 or 4 anyways), you'll get quite a lot of light, and for something as shallow as a 10 gallon I could see even tridacnids faring well.

MH is the old glory horse but this is one instance where I wouldn't recommend them, simply because the heat produced will probably give you a nightmarish degree of evaporation in such a small tank. The light output would be great, but if you need to top up 2 gallons a day....

I bought my reflectors from Reefgeek (I think they are ATI reflectors) and couldn't be happier. They clip right onto the bulbs which makes them a breeze to clean. I'm running 4 bulbs off a Workhorse 7 ballast that I mounted behind the tank, though a lot of people report that the Icecap ballasts drive the bulbs hard enough to get AMAZING light output. I don't really want to worry about cooling them at all (I have a simple PC fan blowing down the length of them) so I stuck with the Workhorse.







(Ok, I lied. I didn't get an Icecap because I'm too cheap to shell out that kind of $$$)

[StirCrazy]

If you are going to compare T5's to something compare them to VHO or PC... there is no comparison between florescent and MH.. MH far surpasses the others for the same wattage.

If you are setting it up so the heat can be delt with then go MH if not go T5's or PC.

Steve

[Scavenger]

I personally would rethink a ten gallon with sps and clams unless you have a fair bit of experience with reef tanks. My opinion is it is not enough room or water volume for starters. You'd have a hard time keeping water perameters in check. Also mh lighting on such a small tank could cause heat issues. My personal opinion is 10 gallons would make a nice small softie or zoo tank with the odd small lps. Would look great with pc lighting.

Just my 2 cents.

[StirCrazy]

Good point Scavenger, I forgot we were talking that small. mind you one SPS would be ok with good PC's on it but I would skip a clam in a tank that small.

Steve

[trilinearmipmap]

The reasons I chose T5's over MH are:

1. Perceived safety, less risk of a fire.
2. Lots of MH ballasts are said to make a loud humming noise.
3. Not particularly interested in SPS.
4. I wanted an open-top tank with pendant lighting and the MH pendant units I researched were said to cause light spillage/glare into the room.

The things I don't like about my T5's are:

1. Cost, probably more than MH when you include bulb replacement.
2. Bulbs are hard to find in Canada.

If I had to do it again I would get MH because there is no real difference on price and MH leaves more options open in the future. Still I am happy enough with my T5's for now.

[JohnM99]

I just got a PAR meter, and measured the output from my T5 setup - the daylight bulbs put out 600-700 mE/m2s, and about 400-500 from the blues and actinics.

About 6" underwater I am getting 300-450, 12" about 240-360 and 24" under I am getting 120 - 200.

SPS and clams are doing well (even though Tridacnas should in theory have more light) but this is not as bright as 250 or 400 W MH setups. Some 175 MH setups are in this range.

Not sure how you would use a T5 setup on a 10 g tank anyway - the smallest setup from Sunlight is 24".

Anyone else have PAR readings to compare? I have seen this article below -
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...03/feature.htm

I bought T5s because I did not want heat, or fan noise in the room - and, a lot less electricity consumed. But, the bulb life I have had is a lot less than advertised, and they cost too much.

When I put in my dream tanks, I would go big with lights. But, for a quiet setup, T5s are nice.

[Rikko]

John,

Where did you get your PAR meter and how much did it run you?