From MH to T5's
- Thread starter sandogrob
- Start date
ocellaris123
Active member
I personally wouldn't do it as the change of lighting may cause your anemones to move, and they are already in ideal spots looking at the picture.
Reason why I said it is because RBTAsbleached when it was switched from MH to T5HO with similar wattage/power.
SNAKEMANVET
PREMIUM MEMBER
I went from 6x54 watt T5 fixture(324 WATTS) to a 2x250 +4x54 actenics(716 WATTS) my electric bill is only about $10 to $15 higher.Imo I wouldn't change lights,your anemones look great.
stealle
Premium Member
3 methods in order of my preference...
You can hang the T5 fixture really high. Like 12" above the tank. Also, run the lights about an hour less than your current lighting schedule. Lower the fixture about an inch per 5-7 days until at the desired level while also increasing the lighting schedule about 15 minutes per week until desired schedule.
Another method is to place something to diffuse the light over the tank. Like several layers of window screen. Remove one layer per week to allow more light to penetrate.
3rd method won't work with an anemone, but works with corals. Place corals low in the tank. Move the corals once a week to a higher level until you reach the desired location.
stealle
Premium Member
That's probably not a fair assessment of the difference in electrical cost. You are probably running all sorts of electrical appliances/lighting in your home. Too many extrinsic variables.
If you want to know an accurate difference in electrical cost try using the RC electricity calculator here: http://reefcentral.com/index.php/tank-electrical
You will need to look at your electric bill to find out how much you are paying for cost of electricity per KWH and enter that into the calculator.
SNAKEMANVET is probably not too far off though... He may be only paying $15 a month more, but overall he is using more than twice as much energy for MH so he is paying twice as much per month for lighting. According to the default RC calculator settings (rough since I don't know his cost per KWH), SNAKEMANVET was paying around $14/mo for T5 and $31/mo for MH.
My guess is the electrical cost in San Diego is alot higher. I have spoken to people who have saved $80 a month switching to T5's. Here if you go over a certain limit the cost goes up per kilowatt. Thank you for the acclimation info. Do you also agree with the bulb set up suggested by Mazdaspd3?
SNAKEMANVET
PREMIUM MEMBER
I didn't take that into consideration, your electricity may go up after a certian amount.On average for me my whole setup cost me about an addtional $35.00 more a month.
