which lighting system is better.

rdhanley

Member
72" Solar T5 Hood. Comes with eight 80 watt bulbs, four 10000K and four Blue Actinic. Has two independent light switches. Fans can be ordered extra. Comes with individual German mirror polished aluminum reflectors. The bulbs are 59in long, so they are staggered for more uniform light distribution.
Power: 640 Watt
Color: Black
Dimensions: 60in x 8¼in x 2 5/8in
WHICH LIGHTING SYSTEM IS BETTER. I HAVE LIMITED IT BETWEEN THESE TWO. MY SPECIFICATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

125 GALLON TANK 72X18X18 NO CANOPY.
LIKE TO GET POSSIBLY CORALS, CLAMS. ETCS.
IF POSSIBLE , PLEASE GIVE REASON FOR THE DECISION. I WANT TO MAKE A DECISION SOON, SO I CAN ORDER IT DURING INCOME TIME. THANKS.[/SIZE
Total output 1134W.
Approx Fixture Size: 72"L x 15"W x 3"H
System Support: 3x250W HQI, 4x96W CF, and 8xBluemoon LED
Odyssea Metal Halide System (Electronic Version) features:
non-corrosive powder coated housing
built-in cooling fans
3x external electronic HQI ballasts
4x internal electronic CF ballast
individual power cords
tempered glass splash guard
mounting brackets
FREE item* listed below:
3x double ended 250W HQI bulb
4x compact fluorescent 96W bulb actinic blue
8x plug in bluemoon LED
 

codylowe

Member
I prefer Metal Halides; however, that is all i have used - so my decision may be bias.
If you decide to go with the Odyssea brand MH's you will need to upgrade the ballast and likely need to change bulbs, which would cost you an extra $470 on top with the 3x250 version.
So my decision may be on the price difference of the T-5's and MH's after the upgrades.
If you decide to go with the MH's read this thread and you will see why you need to upgrade.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/288207/for-anyone-buying-cheap-mhs
 

codylowe

Member
Originally Posted by Isistius
look into aquactinics constellation 72" 14x39w fixture. ANYTHING YOUR LITTLE HEART DESIRES
I don't know how much that system runs, but i would hate to change out that many bulbs every 6 months to a year.
 

rdhanley

Member
Originally Posted by codylowe
I don't know how much that system runs, but i would hate to change out that many bulbs every 6 months to a year.

between the 2 fixtures mentioned above. price wise only a few dollarts different. i just want the best lighting system to raise anything. i just don'
t want to have to upgrade in the future. if i spend this kind of money out, i want it to last for a while.
 

rdhanley

Member
Originally Posted by Isistius
look into aquactinics constellation 72" 14x39w fixture. ANYTHING YOUR LITTLE HEART DESIRES
wattage wise . the t5 i have listed actually has more watts . 74 more watts for the same type of system and about 400 cheaper. should i be concerned about the price difference.
 

codylowe

Member
Originally Posted by rdhanley
wattage wise . the t5 i have listed actually has more watts . 74 more watts for the same type of system and about 400 cheaper. should i be concerned about the price difference.
It really depends on what you want to keep and how much light they need.
 

ameno

Active Member
Originally Posted by rdhanley
wattage wise . the t5 i have listed actually has more watts . 74 more watts for the same type of system and about 400 cheaper. should i be concerned about the price difference.
On t-5's the wattage is not as important as the reflectors, so far the aquactinics has a far higher par rating then other t-5 fixtures, t-5 tex was the next in line but still about 25% less par rating. I'm not sure were the solar t-5's rate haven't looked at them, I just received a 72" aquactincs that I'm using on my tank. one good advantage with t-5 over MH is you can go with less wattage and not the heat that MH produces, plus with more bulbs you can get a wider range of color varations to chose from. the down side is you don't get the shimmer effect on the water and when you go to replace bulbs there's a lot more bulbs to buy, but they are suppose to last 18 months. Aquactinics is having a major price increase though, the fixture without bulbs is going to be around $950. but I think until the first of dec. they are running a special to include bulbs at that price. so if anybody is looking at buying these you better get them now are they will soon be way overpriced IMO.
 

m0nk

Active Member
Originally Posted by rdhanley
my plans is to get some clams and possible corals over time.
Then I'd recommend going for the MH right off the bat. Just my 2 cents.... Most people say clams should have MH.
 
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