T5 vs. MH

[Animal Mother]

I am now keeping a clam underneath T-5's. I haven't heard anything bad about T-5's. As far as I know they are both cheaper to buy initially, and overall when it comes electric bill time. Someone else on this board mentioned keeping SPS corals under T-5's with good results.

My experience with MH's on the contrary are that they do run very hot (hot enough to shatter glass tops) and they are very expensive to both run and replace (Bulbs being $40 and up vs. T5 bulbs being $15 and cheaper)

Makes sense to me to go with T-5's. All a matter of preference I suppose.

 

[Wes]

an 8 x 54 watt unit should be good, then you would be able to keep anything

Marine Depot carries the tekk units which are really nice.

dont expect them to actually help anything but heat, and heat can always be overcome with fans but you will lose something, and that is the shimmer the MH's provide

lights will cost about the same because you are replacing more bulbs which is more of a pain.

the unit costs about the same, this unit is $500 and a 2 x 250 watt MH which would be what is needed on a 90 can be had for about that...

running costs are the same...you have 500 watts of T5 and 500 watts of MH it is STILL 500 watts...

i have seen them both over a tank, and either looks ok and will do a great job, but it all comes down to your personal preference...change more bulbs and save a little hea thtat can be made up with using a fan, or change fewer bulbs and enjoy the fantastic shimmer...either or...

 

[Firewolf4]

I think it would be great to run your lower K bulbs as T5's but keep a pair of Actinic VHO's to give you that extra color POP. this will give you intensity with the hint of brilliant fluorescence for your corals. that's just my take on it.

 

[lceman225]

I've heard really good things about T5's and you can do as much as halides. If you can keep the heat down I would go with halides. The shimmering effect is well worth the money. It has a more natural look.

2 metal halide 175 bulb (350watts) = 2 X $65 = $130/anually

8 T5 54 watt bulbs (432 watts) = 8 X $15 = $120/14 months

There is relatively not that much difference in cost. again, it just comes down to prerefernce. You need to see a both setups in person get the one you really like. I personally like MH.

 

[dvups1]

Yes.

This may not be necessary. Lighting is just one part of the total package.

I am assuming your are running VHOs on the Icecaps. The combo you have is not wrong or inadequate. If it is pleasant to your eyes then leave it alone. If you have seen other tanks that you like better then I suggest changing the bulb combo to get the color you are most hapy with. The best color for coral growth happens to be the one most people can't stand (6500K).

The problem here is the word "may". I can't think of anything in the hobby right now that you "must" have MH for.

One thing is for certain. You must use a good reflector for each individual bulb if you want the T5s to acheive their goal.

If your water chemistry and tank husbandry are where they need to be then there is no reason you can't keep SPS and clams in your tank with the lighting you currently have. You may be limited on how deep in the tank you place them though depending on what type the are.

 

[blureef2]

Having had T5's one thing that you do have to worry about is that they run very very hot if overdriven. I had four 48" t5's run by an icecap 660 ballast and I was very happy wtih it exept for the heat output. Also you wil never get the "shimmer" effect. So something that close I would just go with what looks better in my tank..

 

[Ashlar]

FYI, 500w != 500w ... Different lights are more or less efficient at converting electricity to light. You want to compare how much current the ballast draws, not the rating of the bulbs.

 

[Wes]

bah...i knew there was something there...ok...for comparisons sake, the tek unit i linked to...how would you know what it would draw and thus cost to run versus say a Vue 250 electornic ballast x2

 

[Ashlar]

Check the mfg website, marine depot, or the ballast itself. Most should have an amp draw.

 

[DeMarcusR]

I've run both Halides and T5s. With a smaller tank, I'd go with the t5s simply because you do save money when you look at the light output.
The standard 48in bulb is i believe 54 watts. I personally always overdrive the bulbs with an icecap 660. That pushes each bulb to about 80 watts each. Yes - overdriven they do produce a little heat but not to the point that you cant handle the bulbs with your bare hands unless you've got sensetive hands...

If you buy a retro kit, the bulbs alone are about $25ea if you buy them locally and slightly cheaper if you buy them online. 4 bulbs would run you somewhere around $100-$120 and would last about 1.5-2yrs. (I ran the same t5 bulbs overdriven for well over a year before deciding to replace the bulbs to try a different color). When you compare the cost of bulbs - t5s are much cheaper than halides. Halide bulbs are roughtly $70 each and thats if you found a good sale. You'd save money right off just because you replace the bulbs less often.

I personally ran 4 48in bulbs over a 260 gallon for a period of time and got excellent growth. They hung 18inches off the top of the water and was able to penetrate 30in down to the sand with no problem. For me to get the same growth with halides - I had to use 4 250w.... I would still be using the t5's except I wanted to get away from having a canopy and go with a pendant - there weren't any decent t5 pendants so I went back with halides. Even without a canopy - the water runs way hotter than with the t5s in a canopy....

 

[Duck]

@acat1976 wrote:

I have 6X54 T5s over my 110. I think 8X54 would be nice, but probably not really necessary for a 90. My 110 has the same footprint as a 90 gallon, it is just a few extra inches deep.

I think you can get pretty much any color you want with any of the lighting types. It all depends on what combination of bulbs you use.

To overdrive the bulbs, you will need the 660. I believe the 430 is the standard ballast for them.

You asked earlier about clams... I have a clam under my T5s and it does very well (not great mind you... but very well.) I also have some SPS, but I am a little selective on what I keep. The biggest downside that I have found is the light is not intensive enough to penetrate through the center brace for SPS. I have to keep my SPS on the sides and place softies and such in the middle under the brace.