T5 vs MH lighting

krazykarel

krazykarel

Member
I have a 55g corner tank, approx 22" deep, w/ PC lights. I would like to upgrade. It would have to be some sort of retrofit kit...needs to go into custom canopy.
What would you suggest? I've looked at possibly T5 4x24 or 250 MH light. Please share your opinion one way or the other or something not considered.
Thanks!
 
krazykarel

krazykarel

Member
Im cool with softies....pretty much medium to easy to care for corals.
Bulldog...do you have the T5's in there to enhance the colors?
 
bulldog123

bulldog123

Member
Mh only leaves alot of shadows. So the t-5s fills in the shadows and gives me longer viewing time. If you dont want sps go with just t-5s.
 
loopy101

loopy101

Member
Originally Posted by Bulldog123
http:///forum/post/3127466
Mh only leaves alot of shadows. So the t-5s fills in the shadows and gives me longer viewing time. If you dont want sps go with just t-5s.
+1 bulbs are cheaper last longer and consume less electricity just cheaper in the long run. though t5ho dont have the shimmer like mh..i am still very happy with my set of t5's
 
nanoized

nanoized

New Member
Originally Posted by Bulldog123
http:///forum/post/3127466
Mh only leaves alot of shadows. So the t-5s fills in the shadows and gives me longer viewing time. If you dont want sps go with just t-5s.
I find the shadows is what makes MH so desirable. Its the way a reef is suppose to look. T5's however give the tank a sterile less lifelike appearance but because of the bulb selections better "pop" on the corals.
Its what you like and if you think heat will be an issue then T5's are the way to go.
 
bulldog123

bulldog123

Member
IMO mh give off the best light for the coral and for your viewing the color is just unmatched. But there are some issues with mh that you need to decide if you want to deal with that. T-5s are just alot easier and cheaper and do give off a good light.
 
J

jetskiking

Guest
All things considered they are about equivelent in costs so let your personal preference be the deciding factor. I find it to be myth that T-5 is cheaper to get equivelent output. It takes roughly the same amount of power consumption to have equivelent output plus you have to replace more bulbs. This makes bulb cost the same if not more on T-5's
 
nanoized

nanoized

New Member
Another point against T5's for me is how they sit so close over the water and prevent top viewing because of the size of the fixture.
A 24" tank needs a 24" fixture. The T5 fixtures are wide as well.
 
shookbrad

shookbrad

Member
On a tank that size you could look into a LED fixture. They are great options and still give the shimmering effect MH lighting does.
But jetskiking is right deside which look you like best and go with that. Consider this on cost.
a t5 bulb is about 22$ it is recommended to replace every 6 months since they drop in color kelvin over time. If you put 4 t5's that is about $100 just for bulbs. 1 MH bulb cost about $65 and last from 12 to 16 months. You can mix them also and run a 150MH and a single T5 for actenic to make the colors pop.
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
Originally Posted by shookbrad
http:///forum/post/3128546
On a tank that size you could look into a LED fixture. They are great options and still give the shimmering effect MH lighting does.
But jetskiking is right deside which look you like best and go with that. Consider this on cost.
a t5 bulb is about 22$ it is recommended to replace every 6 months since they drop in color kelvin over time. If you put 4 t5's that is about $100 just for bulbs. 1 MH bulb cost about $65 and last from 12 to 16 months. You can mix them also and run a 150MH and a single T5 for actenic to make the colors pop.
T5s last from 12-18 months, not 6 months.
 
J

jetskiking

Guest
Originally Posted by DragonZim
http:///forum/post/3128618
T5s last from 12-18 months, not 6 months.
This is true but the math still works out. Actually the more I do the math halides might even be a little cheaper when it comes to running costs considering output, bulb costs and power usage.
 
krazykarel

krazykarel

Member
Heat would be an issue with my tank as the lights will go on a closed canopy. The more I think of it, the canopy would put the lights pretty close to the water so MH is prob out of the question.
Im not looking to do easier to medium corals so sps is out (I always get confused w sps and lps).
So how many T5's do I really need for my tank? Can I get away w/2x24"?
 
J

jetskiking

Guest
2x24 might work for softies but I would go with 4 bulb on the LPS
 
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