poll: T5 or Mh

lilchris

lilchris

Member
Originally Posted by SCSInet
I use halide for my main lighting and T5 for my supplemental actinic fluorescent. My main halides are (2) 175w 14K Hamiltons, and my supplemental is (2) 54w Giesmann Actinic 03s.
So the T5 are only for dust, night and dawn operations? The 14k bulbs do they put out a yellowish tint or do they put out a bluish tint?
 
gregghia

gregghia

Member
Alright so I got this fixture which seems to be about a $700-$800 from the LFS for $499. I guess I have both T5 and MH?
1. I suppose I have a choice of lighting as they have independent controls? THe only thing the T5 bulbs are all actinic blue which cast too much blue by themselves. I could just change two of the bulbs to a whiter light and just run those, it looks like the T5 run 216W by themselves.
2. Is that enough for a 75gal?
Current USA 48 inch Outer Orbit with T5s & 150W HQI Bulbs
2X150W MH Lamp, 2x54w Actinic 460nm, 2x54w Actinic 420nm, 9 blue leds/9 white leds 48.25" X 15.25" X 4.25" without legs
529W/4.6 amps
516 watt output from the metal halide and T5s
 
am00re34

am00re34

Member
Originally Posted by Neptunes ghost
I will always say MH. My wife and I are divers. IMO, the MH produces a much more real effect. Sure a pristine, perfectly clear tank with no shimmer, and no particles visible look ok, but not life like. I love the shimmer lines, it brings a little bit of the ocean home when I can't dive. That's why I started the tank in the first place.
As far as temp, I keep my house 72-73F, My 48" MH keeps my tank between 79-81 which is where my anemone and my fish like it.
As a side note, I am curious why so many people heat their tanks to 84F+. I have dove on many reefs, and it is usually 80 or colder. Warmer ocean temps has been shown to cause coral bleaching. Just curious.
I currently have t-5's but i know excatly what your talking about. tanks w/ MH's look better IMO. The shimer makes a tank if you ask me. it does make it look more real. And i am also a diver and know what the wild looks like and mine does not look like that!
The reason i didnt go w/ Halides is i dont have the abilty or space to make my own and all the set ups were much more expensive than the T-5's. I also worry about the heat factor. My t-5's stay pretty cool but do still raise my tank temp 1-2 degrees when they turn on.
 
zeroc

zeroc

Member
Garf did some research and in coral only tanks, for some types of coral, the higher temp speeds up metabolism and growth.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Originally Posted by LILCHRIS
So the T5 are only for dust, night and dawn operations? The 14k bulbs do they put out a yellowish tint or do they put out a bluish tint?
They are more blue than yellow.
I don't do the dusk/dawn thing, everything switches on and off at once. The dusk/dawn thing may look neat, but it's positive effect on the corals is marginal if anything. I just don't choose to do it.
 
am00re34

am00re34

Member
Originally Posted by gregghia
Alright so I got this fixture which seems to be about a $700-$800 from the LFS for $499. I guess I have both T5 and MH?
1. I suppose I have a choice of lighting as they have independent controls? THe only thing the T5 bulbs are all actinic blue which cast too much blue by themselves. I could just change two of the bulbs to a whiter light and just run those, it looks like the T5 run 216W by themselves.
2. Is that enough for a 75gal?
Current USA 48 inch Outer Orbit with T5s & 150W HQI Bulbs
2X150W MH Lamp, 2x54w Actinic 460nm, 2x54w Actinic 420nm, 9 blue leds/9 white leds 48.25" X 15.25" X 4.25" without legs
529W/4.6 amps
516 watt output from the metal halide and T5s
that is plenty of light for your tank. there are about 6 different type of t-5 bulbs which range all over the color spectrum. from full blue atinic to full day light. what you want is up to you.
 
am00re34

am00re34

Member
Originally Posted by LILCHRIS
So the T5 are only for dust, night and dawn operations? The 14k bulbs do they put out a yellowish tint or do they put out a bluish tint?
no...t-5's can be used for anything, day to dusk. usually when people have halides w/ t-5's or power compacts they use the aticnic bulbs to supplement to halides.
for example i have a 6 bulb t-5 set up and i use 2 blue atinics and 4 daytime bulbs. its all personal preference.
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
im using the aquactinics tx5 fixture on my 55 and i love it. who ever posted about all the different possibilites with bulbs, ballasts etc is right on the money. there is no clear cut winner, each has its selling points and each has its downfalls. i am a big T5er. they're cheap, and you get a lot of flexibility with bulb combinations with a lot of power. a lot of europeans are using T5 more on their systems and are getting better growth and coloration (imo) than with some of our halide-lit tanks.
if you decide T5 id go with either 4 or 5 bulbs, but if you decide halides id go with 175s.
-Justin
 
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