best coloration & better growth.. T5 or MH???

[MarvinsReef]

here's my choices for future lihgting upgrade on the 12g nano.. please help me choose which one will give better coloration and promote better growth.. doing my homework now.. if you happen to run either fixture, please provide pics w/ specs of you tank and how long you've had the fixture.. also, please provide any other info that will help me with decision making..

T5 choice.. 24" fixture w/ 24w x 4 w/ Lunars

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ...a_Gen_Page-_-Lighting&subref=AA&N=2004+113175

MH choice.. 20" fixture w/ 70w MH w/ Lunars

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ...a_Gen_Page-_-Lighting&subref=AA&N=2004+113352

**pics from Liveaquaria.com

Thanks in advance..

Marvin

 

[Creetin]

Stick with t-5's for your tank. My Mh ruin alot of nice zoa's IMO
LPS seem to do better in t-5's as well JMO

 

[Azurel]

I think a lot of it has to do with how high off the tank the MH are....When I first placed mine on my tank it was 3 inchs off the water and was bleaching everything. I raised it to 12 inches off the tank and it seemed to do nothing, so I moved them to 6 inches off the tank and wham everything has colored up and looks better then when I got them...I use 14k Hamilton @50 watt. I would think you will be fine with either one. I have heard though that the T-5s actinic don't look to good as compared to VHO super actinics.

Your running 10ks though right Creetin? I can see why that might be to much.

 

[surfnvb7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7600310#post7600310 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Creetin
Stick with t-5's for your tank. My Mh ruin alot of nice zoa's IMO
LPS seem to do better in t-5's as well JMO

i wouldnt say that MH's in general ruined your tank, its almost ALL due to the type of bulb you choose.

i tried out that new 175w Iwasaki bulb that everyone is raving about. it has a true white color (supposedly 14k). it absolutely ruined and browned out all of my zoas. absolutely hated it. it doesn't give any corals much flourescence at all. the only good things about it was that it was VERY bright, and the pinks on my sps became much more noticable.

so again, its all about the type of bulb. what type of bulb comes with that MH setup?

yeah....10k's IMO would make everything look horrible. 10k's dont give zoas any flourescence at all. with the hamilton 14k's, you are right azurel. the big problem i've noticed with them is that they lose their blue spectrum pretty fast, and basically turn to a 10k bulb after a month or so which kinda sucks. but it depends on what ballast you run them on also.

 

[Creetin]

I run 400w 10k's and use it for my sps which my tank is mostly and will sacrifice a few zoa's to brown till i get a all zoa and lps tank for them in my new system. I started with 250 watt 10k halides and they even turned them brown.
You are right I had higher kelvinn bulbs but the 20k xm's did make my zoa's look good, But it made my sps all green, Well the bases turned more green than i like, Color and health was still good. LOL i cant win.
My sps look the best under 10k, good growth and color, and my zoa's and lps look best under 20k's.IMO
I just preffer t-5's, overall the bulbs come in an array of colors and the nice hydro red t-5's would make the red zoa's and acans GLOW.
I Generalized, and i shouldnt have i didnt look to see the fixture was 70 watt, and i am just going off my prefferance as the best all zoa tanks i have seen in person had t-5's on them. Thats JMO
TIFWIW

 

[surfnvb7]

yeah, i can understand the sps problem with the XM 20k's. its really hard to get a person to like the XM 20k if they normally run the XM 10k for sps.

have you possibly looked into running the 400w radiums on HQI ballasts? i run the 250w version, and love it. its not near as blue as the XM 20k. my only complaint, is the pinks in my sps dont come out very well. but i've seen lots of pics using the 400w'ers and plenty of nice looking pink sps.

i personally dont like to see an ounce of brown in my tank. with the 10k bulbs, half of the sps look brown, with brightly colored tips. cant stand that look. i'd rather them look aqua green than brown.

JMO also hehe

 

[Creetin]

I have a friend thats using that combo and he has went thru 4 bulbs in the last 2 mos. They keep popping. It has a nice color, But i dont want to spend 80-100 bucks for a bulb and keep replacing them. They are nice though!
I would rather spend it on some cool corals. Or the new nano streams for my zoa and lps tank.
The 20k's on my luminarc's with 400 watt mag ballasts look great, But i dont want to sacrifice white bases for green ones.

 

[surfnvb7]

you dont think white bases looks "unnatural"??? there is a guy in my local club who also essentially blasts his sps w/ 10k's. they all look bleached to me except for the brightly colored tips. reminds me of those diving pics you see where all of the sps corals are bleached over several acres.

something is not right if the keeps popping radium bulbs every month or so. that would turn me away from them also.


sorry for the thread hijack marvin

 

[ReefWifey]

I just put a 70w sunpod over my 18g last night, I'll take some pictures tonight to see if it gives you any idea of color. I don't have any corals in there yet, but the liverock and sand is in. It ships with a 14k, and I can tell you that light is bright as heck!

My question is, it has blue and white LCDs, which operate independatly. Is the blue really only for nightime viewing, or does it add to the blue spectrum and help the zoas color by running it during the day to?

I bought because I like the fixture alot, but knowing that I might end up switching to a 20k bulb. We'll see.

Kam

 

[surfnvb7]

the blue LED's are supposed to be for the night time moonlights. i've never heard of a fixture coming with white LED's. thats odd.

70w aint that bright my girlfriend has a 175w MH over her 15g, w/ an XM 20k bulb run on a magnetic ballast. hehe

the only thing i'd be conerned about with a 20k bulb run on a 70w DE, is it not being bright enough. MH bubls are notorious for being dimmer (less intense) as you get up into the 20k spectrums. but with that said, i think you'll be fine with it. i'd just keep an eye on the bulb around the 4-6month mark, b/c it may get considerably dimmer by then

 

[AIMFish]

If you did go with t5 I'd suggest a TEK hood, individual reflectors . I have a 48" one and it is really nice. I'm not sure on the 24" one but mine has 2 powercords, nice for using timers and the whole dawn/dusk thing!

 

[v8maro]

if you go T-5 don't get that unit, thats a single reflector and will be no more better than a PC setup. You need an individual reflector t-5 setup like a tek to get the light output you desire.

 

[Pazazz]

T-5 tek 8 bulb set up.... I run 4 bulbs at a time most of the day and all 8 for only about 3 hours a day.... 2 daylights 3 blue and 3 super atinic...

 

[MarvinsReef]

Thank you all for your input... I appreciate it a lot..

seems to me that the SunPod will be the best choice as of now.. the Nova T-5's don't come with individual reflectors.. but the Tek T-5's don't come with Lunars... man, can't win.. the SunPod is perfect for my tank size and I think the 70w will suffice with what I'm going to keep.. I also pondered about getting the 150w but I'm really concern about my pink Yuma melting... it's one of my favorite coral...

can you guys help me find pics of the SunPod over a nano? I've also inquired about this on Nano-Reef.com but didn't get much replies...

also, how much would 70w bulbs cost to replace? I know it comes with 14K but can I find 10K or 20K if I want to replace the bulbs? please reply with links so I can check them out..

ReefWifey, I'm very interested to see a pic of your new set up with the SunPod over it... if you can please take some pics with only the MH on, MH w/ LED's, just LED's, I'd greatly appreciate it..

Thanks
Marvin

 

[Azurel]

I think your best bet Marvin will be the 70 watt or 150 watt 14k....20k at 70 watts won't be that intense and a 10k won't give you the color your looking for although it will be more intense then 14k at that watt. 12, 14k, 15k will be your better options I belive. If you are going to have softies and zoanthids then I would stay way from anything 10k no matter what manufacturer as you don't want to melt your Yumas and some zoanthids will bleach or fade.

 

[surfnvb7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7607667#post7607667 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MarvinsReef
Thank you all for your input... I appreciate it a lot..

seems to me that the SunPod will be the best choice as of now.. the Nova T-5's don't come with individual reflectors.. but the Tek T-5's don't come with Lunars... man, can't win.. the SunPod is perfect for my tank size and I think the 70w will suffice with what I'm going to keep.. I also pondered about getting the 150w but I'm really concern about my pink Yuma melting... it's one of my favorite coral...

can you guys help me find pics of the SunPod over a nano? I've also inquired about this on Nano-Reef.com but didn't get much replies...

also, how much would 70w bulbs cost to replace? I know it comes with 14K but can I find 10K or 20K if I want to replace the bulbs? please reply with links so I can check them out..

ReefWifey, I'm very interested to see a pic of your new set up with the SunPod over it... if you can please take some pics with only the MH on, MH w/ LED's, just LED's, I'd greatly appreciate it..

Thanks
Marvin

one thing to consider with the 70w bulbs, is that alot of places dont carry much of a selection. and there isn't much of a selection to begin with. the big time companies that make bulbs (i.e. XM, pheonix, AB etc.) I'm pretty sure dont make 70w versions. so they may be a little hard to come by. my guess is a 70w bulb would cost the same as a 150w bulb, prob about $60-$80 each depending on the brand and availability.
http://http://www.hellolights.com/70wattmhbulb.html

http://http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=mh70-150

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_lighting_metal_halide_bulbs.asp?CartId=

as you can see from the big box type stores, theres is hardly a selection at all of the 70w versions, and they are $80-$90 each. if you had a bulb burn out, and needed one in a crunch you'd be at the mercey of wherever you can get one.

besdises, i'd rather put a 150w 20k bulb over a small tank full of zoas and rics before a 70w 10k bulb any day. the 10k will mostly like burn the yuma even if it is a lower wattage. and you can always put some screens b/w the light and the water surface with the 150w if it is slightly too bright.

you'll also have more flexability with the 150w if you decide to get a bigger tank down the road or put different corals in it.

just some stuff to think about....Hope this helps

 

[surfnvb7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7607733#post7607733 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Azurel
I think your best bet Marvin will be the 70 watt or 150 watt 14k....20k at 70 watts won't be that intense and a 10k won't give you the color your looking for although it will be more intense then 14k at that watt. 12, 14k, 15k will be your better options I belive. If you are going to have softies and zoanthids then I would stay way from anything 10k no matter what manufacturer as you don't want to melt your Yumas and some zoanthids will bleach or fade.

agreed, the 20k in the 70w version will be too dim. and 10k may be too intense with terrible color.

w/ that said i'd go with the 150w 20k again, if too bright, just put some screens over the tank

 

[MarvinsReef]

sounds good..

150w w/ 20K will give the best coloration also... I think.. anybody here running this set up?

I know the SunPod 150w MH comes with a 14K also.. should I buy the 20K along with the 14K's or can I get away with the 14K's for a bit?

and I still have left over screens from my last lighting upgrade so that wouldn't be a problem..

Marvin

 

[surfnvb7]

what brand bulb is the 14k?

 

[AIMFish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7609635#post7609635 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MarvinsReef
I know the SunPod 150w MH comes with a 14K also.. should I buy the 20K along with the 14K's or can I get away with the 14K's for a bit?

I'd go ahead and buy the 20k that way you can see which you like better, also if one burns out you'll have a spare.