MH vs T5HO

[Gdbyrd]

Say you have a 55g tank. They're 4ft long, a foot wide, and under 2 feet deep...say you add sand in there you've got about a foot and a half of depth.

If you have near equal wattage, which of the two lights will be "better" for the tank?

MH you have heat..and that's a HUGE disadvantage.
Then(if you're like me) you have mounting issues-I have a pendant.

What are some other important pros/cons to the two?

 

[bjohanson1234]

Well, for one, you have a misconception about the heat. And an understandable one too.

Since they are both high intensity discharge bulbs, (ignite a gas and keep it running using a ballast)they give off the same amount of heat for the same amount of wattage. The t5's just have the heat spread out over a larger surface area so they feel cooler.

Also, same wattage means same electric bill so it comes down to initial cost and cost of replacement bulbs to find out which one is less expensive.

Some people like the look of MH ove flourecent because you get a shimmering effect from surface water movement.

I beleive that MH also only have a 2 foot working area so for every 2 feet of tank length you need one bulb. So for a 4 foot long tank, you need 2 MH bulbs for a 6 foot tank you need 3.

4 foot fixtures in either MH or t5 are pretty common to find also.

Hope that helpd a bit

Brian

 

[dcantucson]

I like the combination of them both.

 

[yote]

I love the look of my halides.But over a 55,I'd probably go with T-5s.With 216 watts of T-5s,you'll be unlimited on what you can keep coral wise.

 

[daugherty]

i like both but on my 75 i am using 8 t5's and i get good growth with my clam and sps so far.

 

[Gdbyrd]

Depending on what happens with my MH, I'm probably going to go with the aquatraders t5's. At least try them out.

The plan with my current MH was to stack the rock on the corner, then have a tall pile of rock in the middle of the tank, then sand/macro algae on the other corner. That way I have two "piles" to place high light coral, then a side of the rock and some sand for lower light..followed by a more open swimming area.

At least that was the plan anyway. Depends on how things go with this light issue I'm having now. It'd be a WHOLE lot easier to just buy that t5 setup...If I stay with that pendant, I'm goign to have to drill more holes in my wall and all that jazz. Wife loves that, lol.

 

[daugherty]

you can always get a raw ballast at change the one out in you box if needed

 

[daugherty]

this is where i got my t5's from i have the 48in 8 bulb one

Catalina Aquarium

 

[Melosu58]

For a 55 I would go with the T5`s. Cooler lighting but plenty of intensity for that size tank.

 

[Gdbyrd]

this is where i got my t5's from i have the 48in 8 bulb one

Catalina Aquarium

That's a nice light. I'm not sure if I plan on needing that much light though. Especially for this 55g. If it was a bigger tank I would consider it. Still waiting on reefgeek for an answer about that bulb. If that goes south I'll be ordering those aquatrader lights.

Honestly I think I'll do it anyway. I really will miss the shimmer of the lights, but otherwise, it'll be nice to be out of those MH's. Gotten burned too many times by that swinging pendant.

Or hell, I may pull a 180 and order that 500w mh setup from aquatraders, lol. Who knows. I'm not sure. I have a little while to think about it. But I think my budget is going to be about 2-300$.

 

[Hiker4twenty]

I love the look of my halides.But over a 55,I'd probably go with T-5s.With 216 watts of T-5s,you'll be unlimited on what you can keep coral wise.

Yote,

I was under the impression that you needed in the range of 6 wpg to keep anemone's, sps and clams. Above you said that w/ the 216watts you can keep unlimited corals, but that puts you at 3.9 wpg. If that's the case then that sounds good to me because it's a bit cheaper fixture wise for just the T5's vs the MH w/ T5's. I'm trying to plan ahead for a fixture to eventually use on a 55g tank. I currently have a 29g setup.

Also,

Is there a big difference with getting a MH fixture w/ PC's instead of T5's?

 

[Melosu58]

I`m not yote but that`s why the WPG is so outdated. It`s not about watts but about intensity or Par. Even though the wattage is lower, the intensity is higher on T5`s and esp. if they have individual reflectors. That`s what makes T5`s and MH`s at the top because of intensity. I still use WPG to explain lighting but only in a very broad guideline.

 

[Hiker4twenty]

What lighting setup do you think is the one to go with?

1. Odyssea Power Compact Lighting

2. Odyssea T5 High Output Lighting

3. Odyssea Metal Halide System

 

[Bifferwine]

Power compacts are low power and outdated, compared to MH and T5. I would go with the T5s. Like Melosu said, watts per gallon is a general guideline to follow, but with T5s it's not strict. You can keep anemones, clams and SPS with around 4 watts per gallon of T5s, in my experience. You need more for MH, and much more for PCs.

 

[yote]

+1 Mike and Biff

 

[Rcpilot]

You could go with a MH and PC combo or a MH and T5 combo. It's very common for people to use a MH 10K or 12K and then use 2 or 4 of the T5 or PC actinic lights for color.

The goal with my 29g frag tank is a 175W MH 14k with 2 PC 65w actinics - but I'm only trying to light the right side of the tank. The last 6" on the left side - I don't care about.

 

[Melosu58]

Sorry Yote, I didnt mean to speak for you.

 

[yote]

Its all good Mike.
You worded it better then I could have.:D

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah, Yote would have answered in Redneck Speak ;)

 

[bjohanson1234]

Something bout a bull frog with a red hot poker up his ass or something im sure:mrgreen: