T5 vs Metal Halide

[Max2000]

Hello guys its me again, just recently i was snooping arround looking for the best lighting to keep the corals I have chosen to put in my tank. Since the corals require Medium to High Lighting most of them are high lighting i thought metal halide and chiller. When i went to my local fish store i found out they cost a hell of allot 1 grand for a 48" so i said there must be a better way. I did some more snooping around and i found this
2) 250 watt Metal Halides
you burn 590 watts to get 33000 Lumens with Metal Halides

(6) 54 watt T5s
you burn 372 watts to get 30000 lumens with T5s :neutral:

I have found a 48 inch Current USA Nova Extreme 8x54W T5HO with 4 Lunar Lights for a smashing 500.00 delivery included. im just asking does anyone have those light demanding corals and is using something similar.:bigsmile:

 

[Hypertek99]

A lot of people are using T5's nowadays. They are cooler, and you don't need to change out the bulb as often as halides. But i like the shimmer too much so i stay with the halides. I may add T5's in as supplement.

 

[MikeB]

I built a custom canopy with 2 250W MH retro fit kits and 2 110 VHOs. I have seen many tanks with T5's and the coral in our tank color up much better IMO. My kits costs a total of about $400

My VHO's and running off a Icecap ballast and each of my MH kits ahve it's own ballast.

 

[Poseidon]

I would stay away from the current brand, but a 6 bulb TEK light would be great! I use 6 T5's on my SPS box, and will NEVER go back to halides again! I get BETTER color, and a much more diverse choice of colors for the bulbs then I ever had with halides. I like T5 so much, I built my own T5 fixture using sheet Aluminum from www.mcmaster.com and supplies from a reef2reef sponsor, www.diyreef.com here is a link to that build:

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14410&highlight=DIY+Project

In my opinion, T5 is only a temporary stop to LED though, as the cost of LED comes down it will replace BOTH halides and T5's.

 

[mrgreenthumb]

mh's!!!! not even a question haha

 

[Max2000]

lol thx guys for the response ^^

 

[jimmybling31]

I like the look of metal halide more. just my opinion though. I was running 6t5 bulbs over my 29 gallon til I lost a ballast to creep. definitely pay attention to it when your lights are hanging right over the tank. it does get to it. my corals already aren't looking as good.

 

[reefsandrotts]

I run an 8x54 on a 120 (48x24x24) and have sps on the bottom that are just as nice looking as the ones closer to the light.As far as shimmer a cheap white LED strip light from ebay and you have your shimmer affect.

 

[jerl77]

mh for life lol

 

[ss7]

I think the combination of the 2 is your best bet. If you like hands on, you may want to retro a canopy or your own hanging fixture that you can upgrade as budget and time allow. That is what I would do if I was in a situation where only 1 type was attainable.

Having said that, I would start this build with t5s and add the halide in later, if that is an option. I like t5 because the many bulb combo choices and you can run them longer with less intensity than halides. I wouldn't feel comfortable running my halides more than 8 hours, and I tend to run them only 5 - that just isn't enough time to enjoy my corals with a busy schedule.

SS

 

[acronautical]

I wouldn't even want an sps tank without halides. The shimmer effect brings the tank to life like T5s could never do. Sure, T5s can produce good coloration and are certainly bright, but they don't produce the authentic reef effect, IMHO.

 

[Poseidon]

Ya, T5 sux!

I think you will find those who have not tried them to be resistant to them...

 

[mltascp]

Poseidon, We just added T5's to our new 70 RR and I hope that it will Look as good as your Tank when we get coral gowing in it. Nice Tank!

Monica

 

[Max2000]

nice pix poseidon

 

[Poseidon]

Thanks Monica, if you give your tank TIME it will fill in I'm sure.

Max2000, thanks. Don't let the HALIDE only crowd make you think that halides are the ONLY option, they're not. Halides do work, no question. It is just a pet peeve of mine when people post that halides are the only way to keep a reef tank, clearly that is not the case. I happen to prefer T5 over halides, and yes, I have had both, and I have had PC, and VHO too... You might say I have been around the lighting block, with the exception of LED, but that will happen too eventually I am sure.

 

[pjr]

Poseidon, from what I hear from the R&D world, we may move right past LED and go right to plasma. Stay tuned!

Max2000: Both T5 and halide work. In your original post, there were some watt usage specs listed. I would like to see that comparison again, but including data for electronic MH ballasts. I think you'll find the data to be a lot closer.

I also wonder about the cost... I paid nowhere near $1000 for my dual halides with actinics retro, and I didn't get the cheapest option out there.

What do you plan on keeping in the tank? That drives the number of bulbs and the required intensity.

Having said all that, I think it's hard to consider anything but T5 for a tank of 4 foot width or less. T5 is cooler and more cost effective for those applications.

T5 systems do put out heat! You do need fans to keep the air moving, else the output will diminish, and bulb life will shorten as well. I have used setups that came without fans, and it ran hotter than my halides.

Hopefully your tank is not the 72 inch length. With T5, most people use the 3 or 4 foot bulbs over tanks; for the common reef sizes of 36" or 48" wide it works fine. Even a 60" tank can get by with 4 foot bulbs.

A 72" tank won't be able to use that size.... and even though there are 5 foot T5 bulbs available, their output isn't as strong.

That means you'll need to use a system that has 3 foot bulbs, with a bank of 4 to 7 per side (based upon your needs). That is a LOT of bulbs, and can get expensive at changing time. It's also a bit complex and a space hog as well.... and gets harder to cool.

Remember that reflectors are key to T5 output. Get a system with individual reflectors for each bulb. Essential!

Also note that there's a lot of CHEAP T5 systems out there... and that means cheap in terms of quality. Try to stick with name brand products with good ballasts....else you won't get the performance or reliability that you'd likely expect.

 

[Preston]

I'm running 8 T5 here.

 

[Dace]

very impressive

I'm running 8 T5 here.

 

[acronautical]

Poseidon, I didn't say T5's suck. I run 4 54 watt bulbs along with my hqi's. I said that I personally prefer the shimmer effect. Again, the growth and coloration of your and many other reefer's tanks is fantastic. Your tank looks great.

 

[tcwayne]

Preston please share your choice in bulbs, looks great.