best choice for additional light?

[ichthyophile]

right now, i am running a 55 gal reef, with a coralife 4X65w (2 actinic, 2 10,000K) light. i cannot currently afford to go metal halide, so i will be adding an additional strip light instead. i have room for a 4"x48" fixture, and my choices are a 2x65w with 12,000k's, or a 2X54w T5 w/12,000k's. which would be the best choice of the two to add to my setup?

 

[sterling18]

I like the T5HO's.

 

[dugg]

T-5, atleast they will be usefull when you finally get MH. If you are capable of installing a MH retro kit in a canopy, you would be suprised how cheap you can go to MH. You could fit your tank with a dual 175 or 250 watt MH kit for around $250. I would think you have that much or more in the lights you have now figuring in the new ones you are installing now.

 

[javajaws]

T5...see what can be done with them alone:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=700454

 

[rbp 4 135]

haha i was just about to link that

i think that t5 would be a good bet, if you do ever go to mh then you could use actinic bulbs in them, or a different kelvin bulb than your mh's in order to broaden your spectrum. like dougg suggested

 

[ichthyophile]

ok, it looks like t5 is the consensus. i do plan to roll-my-own metal halide eventually, this just isn't a good month for it (school registration). i would like to tig weld up a nice, shiny aluminum housing that fits my tank, and use my existing ballasts and fixtures for actinics only, with a pair of 175 mh's. it would make a nice package, and let me move into acroporas, etc.
but for now, i will get the t5 to round out my spectrum and supplement my lighting needs. thanks for the input.