MH T5 combo, LED T5 combo, or T5

[jackson6745]

On 84x24x16 I would use 2x 36" 8 bulb Dimmable ATI T5 Fixtures. You can add a reefbite or 2 for more pop. IMO, that is a very inefficient dimension tank to run halide or LED. Long, relatively narrow tank, best lit by linear lighting.

 

[Anthony kolodziej]

with a floatin canopy heat won't be an issue . Halides will work great , simple , no computers to fail , cheaper by over a grand and great shimmer effect . I vote Halides and T5

 

[d2mini]

On 84x24x16 I would use 2x 36" 8 bulb Dimmable ATI T5 Fixtures. You can add a reefbite or 2 for more pop. IMO, that is a very inefficient dimension tank to run halide or LED. Long, relatively narrow tank, best lit by linear lighting.

Two 3' t5 fixtures vs one 6' t5/mh... i'm not seeing a major difference here.
The MH will offer great growth and contrast/shimmer, while the T5 will supplement and fill in some shadows. Add an led strip for a little extra color pop for dusk/dawn and you are set.
3 mh and 4 t5 bulbs to replace vs 16 t5 bulbs to replace.

I think it really just comes down to personal preference between a mh lit tank and a t5 lit tank.

 

[jackson6745]

Two 3' t5 fixtures vs one 6' t5/mh... i'm not seeing a major difference here.
The MH will offer great growth and contrast/shimmer, while the T5 will supplement and fill in some shadows. Add an led strip for a little extra color pop for dusk/dawn and you are set.
3 mh and 4 t5 bulbs to replace vs 16 t5 bulbs to replace.

I think it really just comes down to personal preference between a mh lit tank and a t5 lit tank.

ATI makes a 60" fixture (5 feet), hence the reason why I suggested 2x36" fixtures for this long 84" tank. Of course a 6' mh/t5 fixture would work, heck, I run a giesemann spectra myself . It's just that On a tank that is only 24" wide and 16" high I feel that it is slight over kill. It can be done obviously, and like you said it's about preference.

 

[Murica]

Bringing this one back... With the g4 pros out, do you all think a led t5 combo or just led is better? Six feet long, two feet tall and two deep. Mh I feel are becoming less popular

 

[JOKER]

I actually ended up going with MH T5 combo Hamilton. I will say I am most happy with my decision. I have used T5 alone, LED alone, LED T5 combo, and I am much happier with the MH T5 combo. I went with 20K radium bulbs. The T5 I am not even running at this time. I am just getting coral in the tank right now due to some set backs, but they are looking well after 3 weeks.

 

[Murica]

I actually ended up going with MH T5 combo Hamilton. I will say I am most happy with my decision. I have used T5 alone, LED alone, LED T5 combo, and I am much happier with the MH T5 combo. I went with 20K radium bulbs. The T5 I am not even running at this time. I am just getting coral in the tank right now due to some set backs, but they are looking well after 3 weeks.

Is the heat problems and the electrical usage as bad as people say they are? What's your experience? For mh..

Also I just looked at the Hamiltons, what wattage would you recommend? Mainly lps, zoa, shrooms, with maybe a lps or two. I noticed the cost isn't that much different between the three they offer for the combos


Anyone else to chime in would be greatly appreciated

 

[JOKER]

I will say that my bill went down a lot when I switched from a mag drive pump to a DC. Going from only 1 tank running LED T5 2' to a 6' MH added I didn't notice much difference in bill. The heat you definitely notice next to the tank, but a few feet away not really at all.

 

[Murica]

I will say that my bill went down a lot when I switched from a mag drive pump to a DC. Going from only 1 tank running LED T5 2' to a 6' MH added I didn't notice much difference in bill. The heat you definitely notice next to the tank, but a few feet away not really at all.

More so about the heat in your tank, was it hard to manage?

 

[JOKER]

Not in mine. I am running the light pretty high though. If you think about it the heater doesn't work near as much when lights are on so it is kinda a trade off. Now if you are running lights really close to water surface with a closed hood it may be a concern.

 

[Murica]

Not in mine. I am running the light pretty high though. If you think about it the heater doesn't work near as much when lights are on so it is kinda a trade off. Now if you are running lights really close to water surface with a closed hood it may be a concern.

Which wattage would you suggest?

 

[BoneXriffic]

Reef brites are the answer!

 

[Murica]

Reef brites are the answer!

How's the growth with those?

 

[nervousmonkey]

Reef brites are the answer!

Agreed!! The ReefBrite pendants with dimmable ballasts are almost heat free; I can put my hand on top of the pendant and not get burned. That said, I do have to use the ceiling fan as my office has bad circulation, but two 250w halides with hydra's provide so much light that I almost have to shade some corals.
Growth with them is fantastic; I can't imagine a better light. I'm running the 14K bulbs but may switch to the 20K in a few months just to see the change. Either way, those fixtures will be all you need; either get the halide hybrid from ReefBrite or add some XHO strips from them and your tank will be perfectly fine for light. Set and forget, only thing to worry about is light acclimation for new corals, but a shade cloth fixes that for me.

 

[Murica]

Anyone else use em? (Aka bump)

 

[Murica]

Agreed!! The ReefBrite pendants with dimmable ballasts are almost heat free; I can put my hand on top of the pendant and not get burned. That said, I do have to use the ceiling fan as my office has bad circulation, but two 250w halides with hydra's provide so much light that I almost have to shade some corals.
Growth with them is fantastic; I can't imagine a better light. I'm running the 14K bulbs but may switch to the 20K in a few months just to see the change. Either way, those fixtures will be all you need; either get the halide hybrid from ReefBrite or add some XHO strips from them and your tank will be perfectly fine for light. Set and forget, only thing to worry about is light acclimation for new corals, but a shade cloth fixes that for me.

Sweet thanks for the info. They're pretty cheap compared to some of the led out there