Does anyone regret going MH over T5?

jw1977

jw1977

Member
I'm still trying to decide on a lighting system and am wondering if it makes sense to step up to MH over T5. You can get a Nova Extreme Pro fixture for pretty cheap but I have no experience with MG. My tank is 26 inches tall. LED's look to be too expensive since i'm not handy enought to build my own. Opinions?
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
I will say that I have some issues with MH lighting, but I do not regret changing from T5's.
 
Pro's:
Besides LED, no lighting shimmers the way MH lighting does, it is by far the most natural look.
Really doesn't stop you from having any corals.
With the right set up, you can really make colors pop.
 
Cons:
Heat!
If you don't run 14K or higher Kelvin bulbs or supplement with T5's, your tank can loose color.
 
I run 10K bulbs, but supplement with a purple T5 light and a royal blue actinic as well as a blue LED strip.
 
geoj

geoj

Active Member
I like the 250w MH if you have a small space like 24" x 16" you get more light than a T5 in this same small space.
 
Heat would be some issue if I ran it for a long time but I only go 5-6 hours, then switch to supplemental for actinic lighting.
 
Ether way I think that having a fixture was a comfortable thing and made running the power cords clean and neat. If I had a canopy I would go with a plug and play retro kit.
 
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