T5 capabilities- reality or hype?

Where the heck are you getting those numbers? From everything I have read about T5's vs MH on PAR measurements the T5's blow the MH out of the water on a Watt per Watt consumption comparison. Please show something credible that says otherwise, because Grims own measurements confirm this.

You may be lucky enough to run your MH only 5" off the water but many other people have had splash problem etc. I guess its all a case of how your tank is setup, but most people do not Run MH only 5" off the water, so your setup in not indicative of the average MH tank.


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7764821#post7764821 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley



WRONG. T5s and metal halides are close enough as far as efficieny goes that it doesnt matter. As far as actual photons produced per watt, they are pretty much equal.

3) Lastly even if it's true which I doubt it is, if Grim used 12" off the Water VS 3", it would still be a fair comparison since people with T5's can put them 3" off the water but MH owners have to worry more about etching and cracking. In the real world I would say you could use that comparison.

What the hell are you talking about? Etching and cracking? I run my pendants about 5" off the water. No problems. I run 2x250w on a 58 gallon, and have NO heat problems whatsoever. I dont run a chiller.








Mind you, this whole discussion is a joke: Either one will work, and these corals dont need NEARLY the light most people seem to think they do. If you clean up your water, they really dont need much at all. I've seen acros grown under striplights for god sakes.
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A real good way to test the effectiveness of both lighting sources is to hook 2 55 gallon tanks to a single sump so they share the same water and water quality. Mount one tank with 4 x 54w t5 and the other with 2x 250w MH. Take a few corals frags from the same parent plant and place one of each in each tank...Come back in a year and tell us which one grew and colored up the best..
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7766125#post7766125 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reef_bones
A real good way to test the effectiveness of both lighting sources is to hook 2 55 gallon tanks to a single sump so they share the same water and water quality. Mount one tank with 4 x 54w t5 and the other with 2x 250w MH. Take a few corals frags from the same parent plant and place one of each in each tank...Come back in a year and tell us which one grew and colored up the best..
Click to expand...




Wouldn't an 8 X 54W be a fairer comparison?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7766150#post7766150 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HowardW
Wouldn't an 8 X 54W be a fairer comparison?
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Maybe but I think you would be surprised how much light 4 x 54w t5 would produce. You have to have 2 MH to light a 48" tank, but I would think 8 x54w would be to much for most corals in a 55g....
 
If you had something like a 90 or whatever where the tank is 48x18x24 tall running 6 T5's against 2 250's would be interesting. The thing to do would be to have multiple frags of the same colony in each tank but at different levels. It would be a killer experiment for some one with enough room.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7766338#post7766338 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
And 2 250's on a 55 aint?:D
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HAHA yeah but, you have to have 2 to span 4ft with descent coverage, and who the hell would waste the money on a 150w or 175w when the 250 is the same price.... I have seen 2x400w on a 55 before....I'm talking lights mounted a foot and a half off the water and a bottle of 50spf sunblock sitting by the tank for veiwing protection...lol
 
Maybe the best scenario would be a 70w MH vs a 54w t5.... ;)

thats about as even as it will get for a watt for watt comparison.
 
Forget about MH, forget about T5, Forget about VHO, Forget about PC, heck forget about the sun.
It's ALL about Arcturus

13db976.jpg

calm down folks.
 
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Well guys no data here but I was and still am a fan of T5 for a while. I used to run 6x54w T5 on my 75g and it was BRIGHT AS HELL! Because of loss of colors to some of my corals and the fact that I wanted shimmer (its priceless IMO), I switched to a 2x250w HQI Phoenix in ROIII w/ 2x54w UVL Super Actinics. The tank still looks very bright and the color is awesome and i now have SHIMMER. The tank DID raise in temp about 2+ degrees but that was easily countered by adding fans to my canopy. Now my water stays at 80.5 or less with the bulb being about 8" off the water. I have had both and will say they both are great lighting....however I must say, the MH looks better hands down and that is what is most important if you ask me :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7766395#post7766395 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reef_bones
HAHA yeah but, you have to have 2 to span 4ft with descent coverage, and who the hell would waste the money on a 150w or 175w when the 250 is the same price.... I have seen 2x400w on a 55 before....I'm talking lights mounted a foot and a half off the water and a bottle of 50spf sunblock sitting by the tank for veiwing protection...lol
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Right, all overkill.

The thing is, yeah, you need 2 MH bulbs to light a 55, but you can go up and use a 120, or even a 150wide, or a 180, or a 225, etc, on 2x250.

Use GOOD reflectors. Not these crappy PFO minis.

The T5s? Not a chance in hell, you need more bulbs.

Its all bout what you're trying to do, and the tank shape.


Grim, I've been saying all along that the T5s are great. You keep trying to put the 'Anti -t5 stick' in my mouth

What I've also been saying is that the science you're spouting isnt correct. The 'experiment' you did is nowhere near unbiased. And again, you keep trying to compare a phoenix to Aquablues. I'll give you GE against a 10K. Thats the closest I'm going. You're looking at a very specific example thats nowhere near indicitive of how things are.


As to the whole lumens per watt thing, metal halides produce anywhere from 65-115 lumens per watt. The standard T5HO is somehwere around 95. So yeah, theyre more efficienct than a 20K, but nowhere near an Iwasaki. If you want to talk about efficiency, look at Normal output fluorescents (T8 32w), where you're up around 130.



If you're gonna talk about this stuff grim, get your facts straight.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7766936#post7766936 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
Its all bout what you're trying to do, and the tank shape.
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That's what I've been saying all along. :cool:
 
Do T-5's give the shimmer affect like halides do?

This is why i like halides, but I hate the electricity & heat it puts out.

I might try the t-5s to save on electricity.
 
Do T-5's give the shimmer affect like halides do?

This is why i like halides, but I hate the electricity & heat it puts out.

I might try the t-5s to save on electricity.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7765708#post7765708 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ti
but this is an Iron.
B000291PVC.02.LZZZZZZZ


But seriously, people, calm down. :D
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that is one PIMP iron.

how about we take this deabet on to which is better, ironing, or steaming to get rid of wrinkles ;)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7766125#post7766125 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reef_bones
A real good way to test the effectiveness of both lighting sources is to hook 2 55 gallon tanks to a single sump so they share the same water and water quality. Mount one tank with 4 x 54w t5 and the other with 2x 250w MH. Take a few corals frags from the same parent plant and place one of each in each tank...Come back in a year and tell us which one grew and colored up the best..
Click to expand...

in a year without changing the MH bulb, you would have a burnt out MH bulb. more than likely at least
 
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