T-5 vs MH threads pertaining to sps

[dvanacker]

Your Right....the pic shows it more blue then it is.

I cant seem to figure out the white balance.

 

[Jim Z.]

I agree with dvanacker in that you can grow some excellent acros and other sps with T5's. I like the shimmer lines from MH exposure, but I can't let my hobby take me to the poor house. The best statement that I can make is get whatever you can afford. Either way you will not be disappointed......Jim Z.

 

[CeeGee]

I think that if one can afford it I would with halides.

I am running 4 X 39 watt T5 (as much as I can possibly fit on my tank which comes out to about 4.1 watts per gallon) and my tank almost looks too bright. I don't have any nice shadows like I see in the halide tanks and I don't have shimmer lines.

My corals also don't have bright colors although I am thinking that is due to phosphates. I am running a shallow sand bed and not sure if I am keeping it clean enough. I just replaced the bulbs and reflectors as I can't afford halides right now. I am going to get my tank cleaned up and give these T5's one more shot to make my corals shine and then it is off to halide world for me with T5 supplementation.

 

[drock59]

as people have stated, spend the money on skimmer, lights and pump. The rest will fall into line.

 

[zapata41]

ok i dont know if anyone is really listening to the ppl that have switched from t5 ti halides, as i have, so let me say it again. the T5s i had, 4 X54 w overdriven on 660 ballast in slr reflectors did a great job and i could grow sps down low and my clam did fine on the bottom. here is an example coral though. i have a poccolopra that was placed about the same distance down in the T5 lit tank as it is now in the 2x250w lit 180g tank. since switching to the 250w xm bulbs the coral has undergone serious bleaching and is slowly recovering, actually all corals went through some sort of a bleaching phase. point being that t5s do work great but i feel that halides are better. i spent the last year praising t5s only to come here and tell everyone who reads how i like my halides more and why. i am using about the same power as the t5s and have less bulbs to clean and get way better colors. plus shimmer lines but all in all get what you can afford, so get the t5s now and then the halides later, then decide which one you like better. a good time to switch to halides i when you have to replace all those t5s, just start looking for good deals on halides parts for the next year and then make the switch.

Tim

 

[doody]

I decided I'm gonna go with halides. Simply for the fact tha they are proven to work and look good. Sure lots of people are haveing great success with the T-5's, but just not enough out there yet for me to feel solid about them. Then again, like I said above, I don't expect to have a wet tank till the end of the year. Who knows what kinds of advancements t-5 will make by then.

 

[CeeGee]

you should go with halides with T5 supplementation. I have heard that those VHO actininc bulbs that everyone loves is coming later in the year in a T5. That will be rad.

 

[dvanacker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6790825#post6790825 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zapata41
ok i dont know if anyone is really listening to the ppl that have switched from t5 ti halides, as i have, so let me say it again. the T5s i had, 4 X54 w overdriven on 660 ballast in slr reflectors did a great job and i could grow sps down low and my clam did fine on the bottom. here is an example coral though. i have a poccolopra that was placed about the same distance down in the T5 lit tank as it is now in the 2x250w lit 180g tank. since switching to the 250w xm bulbs the coral has undergone serious bleaching and is slowly recovering, actually all corals went through some sort of a bleaching phase. point being that t5s do work great but i feel that halides are better. i spent the last year praising t5s only to come here and tell everyone who reads how i like my halides more and why. i am using about the same power as the t5s and have less bulbs to clean and get way better colors. plus shimmer lines but all in all get what you can afford, so get the t5s now and then the halides later, then decide which one you like better. a good time to switch to halides i when you have to replace all those t5s, just start looking for good deals on halides parts for the next year and then make the switch.
Tim

4 bulbs on a 660 isnt the same wattage as 2x250watt MH w/ actinics. Did you switch tanks or what is you logic here.