Current Trends in Reef Keeping T5HO

[jansenwrasse]

After reading hundreds of threads talking about T5HO systems it seems that it is the current trend in reef keeping. For the record I currently run a T5HO set-up

The things that kill me are that people are selling or getting rid of more than adequate lighting to change over to T5 systems. T5 has earned respect among reef keepers alike but to change a system from MH to T5 for more PAR is crazy to me.

I recently read a thread where a reefer changed his lighting from 2x 150w DE lights with 2x65w PC actinics to an 8 bulb 54w T5 fixture.

Had 492 watts (bad measurement) now has 432watts. Now for reference we are billed for Kilowatt hour (1000w hrs), and the going rate is about 10cents per kWh. So 60 watt difference after about 16 hrs of light he/she would save about 10 cents, or about $2 per month.
= $48 for 2 years.

Its cool that he is saving energy ! I am all for it!

Now a typical 150w DE lamp : is about $60 x 2 = $120
Typical 96w PC lamps : $40 x 2 = $80

About $200 lamp replacement annual cost.
$400 for 2 years

Bulb life of a T5HO with fans is about 8 months @ 10hrs a day.

8 bulb fixture @ $20 per bulb (Low price for a nice geismann bulb)
$160 every 8 months
about $480 for 2 years.

So they don't save you any money if you run the lights for 8 months but if you extend the bulbs to 10 months. My bulbs were about 8 months @ 8 hrs a day and the ends were pretty black!

Now you do get a little more light out of the T5 Lamps (PAR). But lets suppose that a coral needs "x" amount of light to grow and thrive. Now the Metal halides that people are using and have been for years have been growing corals and become the "Aquarium of the Month" in Reef Keeping Magazine. Now to say that you are going to get more light to the coral when it was growing fine and doing well is great but why? ... ???? ??? Was the coral not growing as well before?

Bottom line for me is : I see people telling others that they should change to T5 set-ups they will get more light and better growth, Which is B.S.. In my experience If you have a reef lighting scheme and your water parameters are good you WILL grow corals, I promise you. Save the money you are going to spend on your "upgrade" and get some good quality test kits and try to ensure NSW levels in your tanks and the corals will grow.

If you are looking for your first lighting kit and are new into the hobby T5HO is a great way to go, don't discredit it it does work.

Chime in and let me know your feelings on the topic

I think we could all stand to learn from others

 

[Ismellikefish]

Why not go for best of both worlds?

I have MH and T-5's > works very well

 

[jansenwrasse]

Great Idea! Im sure it won't be long till someone tells you to ditch the MH and go strait T5's

 

[dv0920]

Cool topic, but your gonna love this! I upgraded from a 36 inch Tek5 8 bulb fixture to a Maristar 24 with 250 hqi and 2 24 watt t5's why??

Because regardless of what people say, T5 produces bland or pastel coloration in corals and not the deep colors of Mh, sure some people with amazing skills can keep great looking sps under T5, but Im not German or have acess to their equipment without a huge hole in my pocket, so for me T5 is like a dsb, just too much work and knowledge required for proper use.

I love the coloration from MH but thats just ihmo.

Anyone want a cheap 36 8 bulb fixture with 3 month old geisman, ati and D&D and ULV lamps? plus a set of 10 bulbs only 5 months old for free? Email me OMBO

cheers
D

 

[Peter Eichler]

It's kind of along the lines of people trading in their already high gas mileage car for a hybrid. Not only do they take the hit on their perfectly good car they are paying thousands more for the hybrid version of a car. Take for instance a regular civic vs. a hybrid Civic, even at the current high gas prices it'll take over a decade of driving 10k miles a year to make up the price difference in the Hybrid vs. a regular old high gas mileage Civic. That's not considering the fact that Civic Hybrids sell over MSRP quite often and you can get a basic Civic for under MSRP, or the price of possibly having to change the battery out of warranty ($3000).

 

[Ismellikefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12570232#post12570232 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jansenwrasse
Great Idea! Im sure it won't be long till someone tells you to ditch the MH and go strait T5's

lol, I started with just T-5's and added 1 MH > I really like them together. The MH gives it a little more pop > plus the shimmer effect.

I did notice the temp to be hotter than the T-5's but nothing a fan couldn't remedy.

 

[jansenwrasse]

I like T5 and I like MH but switching from one to the other for the sake of more PAR when corals are all doing fine and growing well drives me nuts!

The thing that puts me at ease over the whole lighting topic is that people in the hobby are looking out for the best interest of the invertibrae that we keep.

 

[andrewkw]

I switched from two 250w de's to T5's for colour. I used phoneix 14k bulbs which are generally regarded as great for colour but with T5's its a million times better. My corals look better, the tank looks nicer and it also runs a little cooler.

With t5's there are just so many different colour possibilities while with mh you are limited to the 6500-20k range.

 

[seapug]

Good perspective on this topic.

I think it's more of a color thing as well. I use MH and like them, but I am often tempted to try out T5s simply for the colors you can get with different bulbs. But that's just me...I suffer from lightbulb ADD.

 

[sirreal63]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12571061#post12571061 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by andrewkw
I switched from two 250w de's to T5's for colour. I used phoneix 14k bulbs which are generally regarded as great for color but with T5's its a million times better.

That's because the Phoenix 14K does a horrible job at rendering colors. Purples and blues look good but everything else gets washed out. Reds and greens look disgusting under the Phoenix. I would hope the T5's look better. A lot of people think the Phoenix looks great until they see something else and then they drop them like they're hot.

 

[Mark426]

I agree somewhat with the original post. There is no reason to change from MH to T-5 unless you have some overriding reason to do so. Both are good and BOTH will give great colors with the right lamps or combo of lamps. I give T-5's a slight edge in color (with right combo) and MH for growth.

Mark

p.s. I am setting up a new 30G nano and going with a 24" AquaIllumination Modular LED fixture. But won’t mess up this thread with that subject.

 

[Marklu]

A lot of times, i feel these posts about "metal halide vs. T5" are totally biased. Most people just argue in favor of whatever they have. I think the whole topic is pretty old and i think it basically just comes down to personal taste. So this perpetual argument is pretty pointless IMO.

 

[gskidmor]

slightly off-topic, but I was under the impression that T5 bulbs last longer than 8 mos - are there any links/references for that? I just did a new setup and went with a 6x39w setup!

 

[Peter Eichler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12572388#post12572388 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gskidmor
slightly off-topic, but I was under the impression that T5 bulbs last longer than 8 mos - are there any links/references for that? I just did a new setup and went with a 6x39w setup!

Every bulb will last long past 8 months, MH and T5. Every bulb will also decrease in performance as time passes, it's just up to the user to decide when they have decreased enough to warrant replacing.