t-5 vs mh which too choose>?

mach03infront

mach03infront

Member
Hi everyone i need some information on Nova Extreme T5HO 24-Hour Lighting System what i don't understand the whole Actinic thing?
I'm an soon to start an 55 gallon 48 L 13 W 20 H i want the lighting not to be a problem down the road far as starting with soft corals and maybe sps only after everything is set up... i'm asking how many watts should i have i'm either going to get :
Nova Extreme T5HO 24-Hour Lighting System 48" 8X54W total watts 432
or
SunPod 14,000K HQI 24-Hour Lighting System 48" 2x150W HQI 300 watts total
i can get the t5 really cheap right now i just don't know the pro and cons of both of these fixtures
on my current tank i have i really like my aqua light 50/50straight pin compact fluorescent that seems to be doing very welll and strong... i love the color!
 
mach03infront

mach03infront

Member
well Nova Extreme T5HO X2 - 10,000K Daylight / 460nm Actinic - Saltwater Light System
with an sunpod hqi??!! sound good?
there goes 900 bucks
 
J

jrthomas40

Guest
i have the sun pod on my frag tank...well what used to be a frag tank for about 2 weeks..now everything is just sitting ther...but i really like the fixture...how much can you get the sunpod hqi for?
 
mach03infront

mach03infront

Member
Originally Posted by fanker
get a tek 4x54w t-5 set up, iys more light than the sun-pod and cheaper

please explain ... i thought everything came down to how many total watts you have... please keep in mind i do want to keep sps corals in this tank which will be a 55 gallon as i stated above..
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
watts don't mean that much in of itself. If you want T5's the Tek will work but the Aquactinics Tx5 would be way better.
For halides 150 watt lamps make me a little nervous unless you are using good equipment like Aquamedics. You need good ballasts and reflectors to get the punch out of the 150's/
 
cgj

cgj

Member
Originally Posted by Mach03InFront
well Nova Extreme T5HO X2 - 10,000K Daylight / 460nm Actinic - Saltwater Light System
with an sunpod hqi??!! sound good?
there goes 900 bucks


Just get the sunpod. I have one and the LEDs are powerful enough to use as nightlights easily. You dont need an extra with actinics and such.
 
fanker

fanker

Active Member
its not watts its par. and t-5 and mh are the best. but as tested on reef central. a 4x54w t-5 set up with reflectors is more par than 2x150w mh.
 
gatorwpb

gatorwpb

Active Member
I cant speak to the t-5s, but I have the 36" 2x150W Sunpod on my 65. You posted a comment on my Fish Photo thread, so you can see what my tank looks like. I considered the Tek t-5s, and am glad I went with the MHs.
First, I love the shimmer effect of the MHs.
Even with the stock bulbs, I saw amazing growth with my SPS. My tank is 24" deep but the light still is strong on the bottom. I plan on getting a clam if any of my LFS ever get a good one.
After having the fixture for a year, I needed to get new bulbs, and went with Aqualine AB 10K. They are supposedly a 13K spectrum for a 10K bulb, with 10K PAR. The bulbs are slightly bluer than the 14K stock bulbs that came with the Sunpod. I also have supplemented them with 2 of the 36" 21w t-5 actinic Slimpaqs, just to get a little bit more blue to the tank but keep the 10K bulbs. There are plenty of options for 150w DE MH bulbs if you want to vary color and intensity of the light.
Tek t-5 or Sunpod, both are a great option.
 
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