poll: T5 or Mh
- Thread starter reef noob
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shinobi9119
Active Member
I voted T5 kevin is rite... they run more energy effiecient, not as hot n u can keep anything under them with enough. MH arent bad though.. just a lil to hot
am00re34
Member
Originally Posted by Kevin34
T5s are also less expensive. MH bulbs need to be changed every 8-12 months while T5s need to be changed once every 2 years.
this isnt excatly true. they might burn out every 2 years or so, but they start to lose efficiency after about 6-8 months. almost impossible for the human eye to detect, but if you are in a tank where you need absolutly every ounce of light from your T-5's every 6 months is best.
T5s are also less expensive. MH bulbs need to be changed every 8-12 months while T5s need to be changed once every 2 years.
this isnt excatly true. they might burn out every 2 years or so, but they start to lose efficiency after about 6-8 months. almost impossible for the human eye to detect, but if you are in a tank where you need absolutly every ounce of light from your T-5's every 6 months is best.
tx reef
Active Member
I voted MH. You will get the best growth and color with metal halides IME.
I will add that if you do not run AC then you might want to go with a T5 setup. Most of the people who have heat issues with MH live in areas that don't have or use AC.
I keep my house at 70 - 72 degrees and have 2-175 watt MH and 2-110 watt VHOs in a canopy with no fans (canopy is open back) and my heater still has to kick on to keep the temp at 84. Without the heater the tank only gets to 80.
I will add that if you do not run AC then you might want to go with a T5 setup. Most of the people who have heat issues with MH live in areas that don't have or use AC.
I keep my house at 70 - 72 degrees and have 2-175 watt MH and 2-110 watt VHOs in a canopy with no fans (canopy is open back) and my heater still has to kick on to keep the temp at 84. Without the heater the tank only gets to 80.
stanlalee
Active Member
it is impossible to compare performance between T5 and MH. there are a zillion ballast,reflector and bulb combinations of MH and quite a few different T5 set ups. some will perform better, some will perform worse. They both work but the swayer for me was quite simple. What do we do with our tanks, look at them. A tank under MH looks like the sun rays shining down on the reef. It is by far the most natural looking replica of a shallow reef. I really dont give a crab (no I dont suffer from dislexia sp?) if this T5 set up produces 3mm more growth over a 3wk period than that MH set and vise versa as long as I'm happy with the growth I'm getting. Before I had MH I was jelous of the look of those who had it but I have never once jelous of the look of a T5 set up.
Now thats just me. some people find glitter lines and the detail of every particle in the water MH shows utterly annoying.
Now thats just me. some people find glitter lines and the detail of every particle in the water MH shows utterly annoying.
ogredawg
Member
I voted mh because of one single reason...SHIMMER EFFECT! 
Seriously, I was soo close on buying a t5 setup until I went to my lfs and they had two show tanks, one having a t5 and the other with halide. The livestock in both tanks looked great but the only thing that made the MH tank stand out was the shimmer effect. I mean don't get me wrong, T5 does look good also, and I think looks brighter. But MH just makes it look more underwater I guess.
Now about the temperature, I'm not really sure if it's always true that MH will overheat your tank. I mean they do give out a lot of heat, well the mogul type bulb that is. I have the hqi bulb and my tank goes from 78.3 light off to 79.9 (digital thermometer) the most. It goes back down to low 79 at night. If there's heat wave, well any lighting will cook your tank. I was running Power Compacts last summer during the heat wave and my tank went up to almost 90 degrees.
So yeah I do agree that T5 are more efficient and cooler to run, but if you're going for the look of your tank (which most people go for anyway) then I would have to say MH. CANNOT BEAT THE SHIMMER EFFECT!
Seriously, I was soo close on buying a t5 setup until I went to my lfs and they had two show tanks, one having a t5 and the other with halide. The livestock in both tanks looked great but the only thing that made the MH tank stand out was the shimmer effect. I mean don't get me wrong, T5 does look good also, and I think looks brighter. But MH just makes it look more underwater I guess.
Now about the temperature, I'm not really sure if it's always true that MH will overheat your tank. I mean they do give out a lot of heat, well the mogul type bulb that is. I have the hqi bulb and my tank goes from 78.3 light off to 79.9 (digital thermometer) the most. It goes back down to low 79 at night. If there's heat wave, well any lighting will cook your tank. I was running Power Compacts last summer during the heat wave and my tank went up to almost 90 degrees.
So yeah I do agree that T5 are more efficient and cooler to run, but if you're going for the look of your tank (which most people go for anyway) then I would have to say MH. CANNOT BEAT THE SHIMMER EFFECT!
joncat24
Active Member
thats why I voted MH---shimmer. Like stated earlier...we look at them , thats why we have them and they look 100x better with mh. And you only need two or three bulbs instead of 14 so I dont think the costs savings are really that drastic, and if they are alot cheaper ...who cares I like mh
scsinet
Active Member
Originally Posted by Stanlalee
it is impossible to compare performance between T5 and MH. there are a zillion ballast,reflector and bulb combinations of MH and quite a few different T5 set ups. some will perform better, some will perform worse. They both work but the swayer for me was quite simple. What do we do with our tanks, look at them. A tank under MH looks like the sun rays shining down on the reef. It is by far the most natural looking replica of a shallow reef. I really dont give a crab (no I dont suffer from dislexia sp?) if this T5 set up produces 3mm more growth over a 3wk period than that MH set and vise versa as long as I'm happy with the growth I'm getting. Before I had MH I was jelous of the look of those who had it but I have never once jelous of the look of a T5 set up.
Now thats just me. some people find glitter lines and the detail of every particle in the water MH shows utterly annoying.
YES! I agree with you completely.
This subject is too often put this way, as if one of them is the "right way" and one is the "wrong way." There are certain factors that makes one advantageous over the other, such as depth, heating, etc, but when looking it at from a standpoint of generality, there are pros and cons to each. It comes down to your setup, your tastes, your animals, your eyes, and your budget. If you really want to research this, rather than asking here, go to an LFS that uses both or get involved with your local reef club and go to some member homes and check out tanks.
Me, I run BOTH halide and T5 on my reef.
it is impossible to compare performance between T5 and MH. there are a zillion ballast,reflector and bulb combinations of MH and quite a few different T5 set ups. some will perform better, some will perform worse. They both work but the swayer for me was quite simple. What do we do with our tanks, look at them. A tank under MH looks like the sun rays shining down on the reef. It is by far the most natural looking replica of a shallow reef. I really dont give a crab (no I dont suffer from dislexia sp?) if this T5 set up produces 3mm more growth over a 3wk period than that MH set and vise versa as long as I'm happy with the growth I'm getting. Before I had MH I was jelous of the look of those who had it but I have never once jelous of the look of a T5 set up.
Now thats just me. some people find glitter lines and the detail of every particle in the water MH shows utterly annoying.
YES! I agree with you completely.
This subject is too often put this way, as if one of them is the "right way" and one is the "wrong way." There are certain factors that makes one advantageous over the other, such as depth, heating, etc, but when looking it at from a standpoint of generality, there are pros and cons to each. It comes down to your setup, your tastes, your animals, your eyes, and your budget. If you really want to research this, rather than asking here, go to an LFS that uses both or get involved with your local reef club and go to some member homes and check out tanks.
Me, I run BOTH halide and T5 on my reef.
lilchris
Member
ScSInet
Can you explain your setup. I am trying to go that route w/ mine. I want to run 2 54w Tek 5's retro w/ 6500k bulbs w/ my 2 175w (i think) metal halides. Not sure of the bulb spectrum. I am planning on upgrading the halides at a later date, due to lack of funds for them. My halides that I have now are working fine, just want to do something new.
Can you explain your setup. I am trying to go that route w/ mine. I want to run 2 54w Tek 5's retro w/ 6500k bulbs w/ my 2 175w (i think) metal halides. Not sure of the bulb spectrum. I am planning on upgrading the halides at a later date, due to lack of funds for them. My halides that I have now are working fine, just want to do something new.
scsinet
Active Member
Originally Posted by LILCHRIS
ScSInet
Can you explain your setup. I am trying to go that route w/ mine. I want to run 2 54w Tek 5's retro w/ 6500k bulbs w/ my 2 175w (i think) metal halides. Not sure of the bulb spectrum. I am planning on upgrading the halides at a later date, due to lack of funds for them. My halides that I have now are working fine, just want to do something new.
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.
ScSInet
Can you explain your setup. I am trying to go that route w/ mine. I want to run 2 54w Tek 5's retro w/ 6500k bulbs w/ my 2 175w (i think) metal halides. Not sure of the bulb spectrum. I am planning on upgrading the halides at a later date, due to lack of funds for them. My halides that I have now are working fine, just want to do something new.
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.
neptunes ghost
Member
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.
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.