MH or T5??

[samwheel]

I am working on setting up my first Salt water tank. It is 36" X 15" X 15" I am wondering what kind of lights i should be looking at getting and the pros and cons of each. I want to spend the money now so that i can keep any thing i might want to get in the future. I would like to buy the ballast and end caps and put every thing together my self.


Thanks

Sam

 

[zoomfish1]

Retrofits are cheaper than fixtures for sure. I would consider T5's or Metal halides. With the T5's go for the individual reflectors as they will be almost heads up with halides. With halides and the depth of your tank, 150w or 175w would work. T5's seem to be the hot item now. They say they are cheaper to operate and the bulbs last longer. Just a little place for you to start.

 

[fisheebill]

There is tons of t5 vs mh info on here!
I think I am going to go with new lighting soon.
I'm going for t5's.

 

[GSMguy]

t5s would work perfect the icecap retrofits are the best dont forget the individual reflectors

 

[samwheel]

So if i go T5 are am I looking to get 150 to 200 total watts just like if i was to get a MH? Are there any 15000K T5s or am i going to need to get some antinics?

 

[jag1979]

this one would allow you to grow anything you wanted

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5..._Retrofit:_4-39W_T5_HO_Fluorescents_by_IceCap

I would do a mix of 6.5k, 12k, and actinics

 

[hahnmeister]

Check around... sometimes retrofits cost more than fixtures because the individual parts cost more for the place to put together than just building a fixture. Those waterproof endcaps are $15 a pair...

I have a few 40B reefs. Two are 250wattDE lit, one is 6x39wattT5 lit. I, as well as my corals it seems, prefer the T5s...

If you went with a fixture or a retrofit, a 6x39watt unit should let you do anything you want. My only suggestion is to make the tank slightly taller... like 20" tall... because T5s penetrate deeper than halides with what they make, and have a more even spread (they dont create as many shadows as halides), so its hard to find a spot for some lower light corals like pipe-organ, open-brains, and mushrooms.