T5 vs MH for SPS tanks

[Wes]

T5s for sure. I run an IC660 which over drives even the HO T5s. a few things to keep in mind to get best efficiency. You've got to keep them cool--ambient temp around 90-100 IIRC to extend bulb life and bump up the output (I think it's upwards of 20%). Also, you NEED NEED NEED high quality reflectors. I use the icecap ones and love them. Crappy reflectors, sub-par ballasts and no active cooling and T5s are worse than PCs.

FWIW, on my 40br with 4 T5s I get well over 200 par at the bottom of the tank running bulbs that winds up being about the color temp of a phoenix 14k.

 

[OCReefMadness]

i was planning on switching to t5 but im a lil bit hesitant to do so. Im actually thinking about switching because of electricity. Im running about 1650w for my sys and if i go with the 60" ati powermodule 10 bulbs thats only 800w for me. or i might try the 48" 10 bulb one. it all depends. regardless i will be saving at least $60-$70 a month on my electricity bill if i end up doing the switch. Why do u wanna switch though? r your sps not doing good?..........also my air conditioner for my house fights with my tank. Major heat issue in my house..

How big is your tank and how many metal halide bulbs do you use?

 

[OCReefMadness]

T5's are GREAT!!! I was criticized for using T5's in my tank a few years back and now it is becoming more mainstream.

SPS under T5's...

Can you post full tank shot under your T5?

 

[Raskal311]

Metal Halide is the best....I have used T5 (Sunlight supply) but my SPS is not happy. I suggest if you use T5 you need to have at least 8 bulbs (54w) for your tank that lighting system having more power for you SPS. Try to get the ATI lighting fixture.

Tony, I havent seen your tank for awhile but I dont think you have ever had T5 under an establish tank. Only on un established frag tanks correct?

 

[Photobret]

Get a good T5 fixture like Ati and above... I have a Tek 36" 6 bulb on an 18" tall tank and grew the majority of my SPS from it. I love Using both MH and T5.. Ideal would be a T5 unit with shimmer LED's like the Fauna Marin Light... Mucho $$$$$$$$ tho! I say go T5 all the way.

 

[Aquafrags]

T-5 and Halides just give you a different look. used the ATI for a year over my SPS tank and
the growth was awesome. The ati fixture still runs hot, but it is a lot slimmer than a halide setup.

to me nothing gives you better coloring that a radium 20K

 

[jflip2002]

I love T5s, there are many gentlemen (sunnyx and mcliffy2 stand out) on the Zeovit forms who use T5s only. I really love the fact that T5s are not as concentrated as much as MH set ups. There are less shadows, meaning the growth of SPS tends to be more dense, and coloration is throughout.

With that said, a couple misconceptions that I dont agree with, about T5s:
1) They give off less heat: FALSE. Its all dependent upon their wattage. The heat is just more evenly dispersed, so it FEELS like less heat. Heat is just energy, and a watt is a measurement of energy

2) You use less energy: Not True (Not necessarily false). You will get pretty similar results from a 10x80w ATI Fixture as you will a good 3x250w ~14k MH set up. Its not really less electricity if you get a higher bulb fixture, which you will need to keep sps usually, especially on deeper tanks.

Im still going with a 10x80w ATI fixture over my tank

 

[Wes]

I love T5s, there are many gentlemen (sunnyx and mcliffy2 stand out) on the Zeovit forms who use T5s only. I really love the fact that T5s are not as concentrated as much as MH set ups. There are less shadows, meaning the growth of SPS tends to be more dense, and coloration is throughout.

With that said, a couple misconceptions that I dont agree with, about T5s:
1) They give off less heat: FALSE. Its all dependent upon their wattage. The heat is just more evenly dispersed, so it FEELS like less heat. Heat is just energy, and a watt is a measurement of energy

2) You use less energy: Not True (Not necessarily false). You will get pretty similar results from a 10x80w ATI Fixture as you will a good 3x250w ~14k MH set up. Its not really less electricity if you get a higher bulb fixture, which you will need to keep sps usually, especially on deeper tanks.

Im still going with a 10x80w ATI fixture over my tank

I disagree on the heat issue just a bit. a watt does measure energy, but it doesn't tell you what's being done with that energy. If a lighting method is more efficient, less of the energy is being used to create heat and more to make light. T5s, when done right, are more efficient per watt, meaning less heat, but this difference is very often overstated. In fact, if T5s are done WRONG, they could be much less efficient and put off more heat than a halide.

 

[jflip2002]

I understand that. If you are running lets say a 6x54w fixture as opposed to 2x250w MH, you are saving electricity and heat. If you bump that up to a 10x54w fixture, you are using more. It just depends on how you use em, like you said.

 

[halvc909]

hey guys..this is a little off subject but for those who can't afford either of that, do you guys recommend running powercompact fixture over sps or lps tank?

 

[sandman450f]

IMO stay away from the power compacts. They are inefficent in terms of power consumption vs output. In general pc lighting is not sufficient for sps tanks unless very shallow.

The ATI is a very nice fixture, however you can purchase or put together a t5 retrofit setup (wont be as slick looking, and depending on reflectors used may not be as efficient) but will give you much better performance than power compacts and at a comparable price. If cost is your deciding factor start with what you can afford and add more tubes as you go along, but dont waste the money, or any more money on CF lighting.

 

[Wes]

If you can't afford good lighting, you should stick to lower light corals. Few SPS will do well under PCs. pm me if you want a frag--I have a couple colonies of my very first SPS that grew very well under PCs in my first reef tank.

 

[Wes]

also, keep your eyes out for used fixtures (not many at this point and people are starting to move to T5s, so they go quick). Retro fit kits are absolutely the best bang for your buck with T5s.

 

[True Blue]

So, do you think a combo of Metal Halides and T5 is better than Just one or the other?
I'm looking for a fixture for my 80 Gallon, and I'm split between a 2X250 Outer Orbit W/ 4X54 t5's,
or the Aquatinics Solar Flare, which overdrives 6X54 bulbs to 85w.

 

[Wes]

IMO it's not worth doing the combos if you're going for PAR from your T5s. They need to be cool to be efficient(and to extend bulb life), and that is much harder to achieve with a halide burning in close proximity. Maybe some fixtures deal with the heat well, but I haven't examined them to know for myself. If you just want some dawn/dusk and a little supplementation, I wouldn't worry about it all that much.

 

[tangreefkeeper]

hey sharpermike lets see your 8' tank

 

[ian anderson]

should of stayed with t-5s bought mh now i am selling and going back to t-5s

 

[CaboKent]

Ian Anderson- could you please list the reasons you are going back to T5. I'm thinking about doing the same thing.

 

[b_shady]

Im with MH to be as efficient as a 500w Mh system you Need about 800w T5's which does cost more to run power wise. When buying the setup it will be more expensive than the MH. MH give the shimmering effect in your tank thanks to water ripples T5's dont. Mh are the closet light bulb to the sun in brightness and is used all over the world for plant growth and coral.

 

[Wes]

Im with MH to be as efficient as a 500w Mh system you Need about 800w T5's which does cost more to run power wise. When buying the setup it will be more expensive than the MH. MH give the shimmering effect in your tank thanks to water ripples T5's dont. Mh are the closet light bulb to the sun in brightness and is used all over the world for plant growth and coral.

I disagree. There's no way you need 800w to outcompete 500w of MH, and a good metal halide system can easily cost as much as a good T5 system. The shimmer is nice, but really irrelevant. In fact, since halides are point sources(don't rise and set like the sun), you wind up with dead spots and colonies that are unevenly colored. I'm a fan of both lighting systems and use them both for different applications, but I won't agree without really solid evidence that MH out-compete T5s. In fact, I would bet on it in the other direction...