greg1786
Active member
Ive always ran t5s since I set up my very first reef tank years ago. I always thought they were my favorite lights. I knew how good metal halides were, especially for an sps tank. I was, however, attracted to all the color combo possibilities of t5s. Overall I was simply convinced t5s were the way to go and they would be the only lights over any of my reef tanks. Well, after coming home from work last saturday to find my 6 bulb aquaticlife fixture had literally bit the dust, I am singing quite a different tune a week later. I was in panic mode because I had no backup light, and with all the very light demanding corals I have in my 125, I knew I needed a new light asap. It just so happened a guy in my local club put up a 72" 3x250w + 2x150w metal halide fixture with a monster external ballast. I ended up buying it the very next day and couldnt be happier. I cant get over how much better my tank looks compared to the t5s. The coral is responding really well also. I will never go back to t5s I absolutely love the shimmer and that crisp look provided by the mh bulbs. The fixture currently has 5 14k phoenix bulbs which are great, but its a tad on the white side. I think im going to replace the two 150watt bulbs with 20k radiums to get a bit more blue. I was doing a water change the other day and took some close ups, some top downs, and a fts. Dont mind the water level in the fts it was literally mid water change lol.
we all know how important a happy mrs is in this hobby lol
