T5 Only SPS reef?

[dvanacker]

Clwrk...you can't judge a tanks brightness by a picture....the exposure is on the lowest setting on my camera for that picture.

You keep asking for proof...well my link in my previous post (2 x 250w 14k vs 4 x 54w T5) was just as good as yours.

I never said T5 had better par then MH....that is hard to say either way.....the variables are immense.

All I was saying is that T5 works and well.....I'm not arguing any other point.

Dr.J..nice tank you stud...but I've seen better T5HO tanks.

 

[messy1messmer]

its not that we cant provide proof its just that after we have done our research and made our decision we dont let it eat up space on our computers. It is out there and maybe i should have been more blundt back a page or so. But if your are concerned with it you should hit the search bar at the top of the page a find it the same way alot of people on here did. that is read read read read.

Thats a good article but for a science guy and coming from a science that was written in 1999 and alot has changed in lighting in 7 years. The article says that most corals can adapt to 400watt MH which is saying thats not what they normally get. Also we in the US have only had good T5 bulbs for about a year to a year and half(ATI, UVL, ect....).

I really dont think this thread is getting anybody anywhere so maybe unless we have usefull information on the subject we should stop posting and that includes me.

I didnt feel people were getting proper information or fair information so i stepped in.

Dr. JMadscientist I am really happy the MH are working great for you. Just know that i know people that are running straight T5 tanks(30-265) and are having great success with them. Most of them use the same supplements they did before and have better growth and color then they did when they had MH.

 

[fijiblue]

Dr.J..nice tank you stud...but I've seen better T5HO tanks.

Yeah...like yours

The search function was used with one valid result which was posted. We can go all day and all night about this...Let's just agree to disagree and we will see where T5's are at in a year.

 

[dvanacker]

no no....your tank is nice.... And I dont know what we are agreeing to disagree about......like I said...all Im saying T5HO works fairly well. In my situation is saved me from using 2 x 250w MH or 150's plus actinics.....also my tank is only 12" wide so MH was not a good choice. I think I made the right choice with T5HO. At this point I think I will go with T5 on my tank upgrade but you never know I might change my mind and go with MH.

Dr.J...have you seen the MARCH 05 TOTM. He is not a probilo or zeo user...and a beautiful T5 tank

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/totm/index.php

 

[kimoyo]

T5 vs MH debate, makes me miss the days of BB vs DSB. Now that people have tanks with such low nutrients and great flow, lighting isn't as important. How many people have had to lower their photoperiods or raise their lights so corals don't fade? Instead of trying to see which light has the most par beaming down into the tank we should look at the biology of whats going on with our corals and if they are getting a uniform amount of light.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8160396#post8160396 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dr. JMadscientist
Where is a link for this testing? Regardless of whether a T5 or VHO, they are a Flourescent bulb. The T5's "tech" is the same as a VHO's tech...both a "flourescent" bulb. It is the power that is ran through the bulb that makes it different (Normal Output, High Output, Very High Output). The more power ran through the bulb, the faster the phosphorous coating on the inside of the bulb breaks down and the faster the spectrum change.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_lamp

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8159982#post8159982 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dr. JMadscientist
There is more to growing coral than bulb out put and heat. The point on the spectrum of the bulbs is that corals will stop growing as fast when the spectrum changes and algae will grow easier. Majority of halide bulbs can go for 10 months before the spectrum shifts drastically. VHO go for about three months before they shift. Being how T5's and VHO are the same type of bulb (same gases and same burn technique), I would imagine that they would be very similar in spectrum shift.

You keep asking for proof while making unsubstantiated claims. You posted a link to wikipedia but there has to be better articles to support your claims. That one says t5s could lose half their par due to phosphorous coating after around 6years, assuming you ran them 12hours a day (25,000 operating hours). Is it possible that spectral changes are less effective in t5s? Maybe t5 shifts don't affect corals as much because their main peaks are so wide as opposed to the narrow mh peaks. Or maybe not, I don't know. The main thing is that your lighting choice works for you. Goodluck.

 

[clkwrk]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8161919#post8161919 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dvanacker
also my tank is only 12" wide so MH was not a good choice. I think I made the right choice with T5HO.

IMO This is where T-5 rise above MH for light and heat reasons just not on deeper or wider tanks.

 

[fijiblue]

Yes, I did and thank you for the advice...I will make sure not to drink the water fish have sex in.

 

[fijiblue]

kimoyo - Even though you caught this at the tail end... I shouldn't have to even show any links...Im not the one making the claim that T5's produce more par...all I am saying is let's see these "studies". The wikipedia was posted to show that T5's are still a flourescent, not some new miracle bulb like they were being protrayed as.

 

[dvanacker]

Thats right........just drink beer. Fish stay away from the beer.

 

[fijiblue]

Im not trying to make enemies...im just trying to get the facts straight.

 

[dvanacker]

So what are you definitive facts. Mine is they work....co mon ..just say it....T5 works and can work well. Haha thats all I ever said. The nice T5 tanks out there prove it so.....that is a definitive fact.....you can have an amazing, beautiful tank with T5HO. Dispute that.

 

[NewSchool04]

T5's have worked well for me. I have a T5 tank and a MH tank and under the T5's the acros grow quicker. Both tanks are plumbed into eachother so it's not a water quality thing. I like both types of bulbs but I can def. say that T5 can produce an environment where acros thrive.

This is a thread I posted last year with growth pics with T5

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/printthread.php?threadid=728429

 

[fijiblue]

NewSchool04 - Thanks for sharing. What kind of MH do you use?

 

[NewSchool04]

I have a Reef Optix III pendant and Blue Wave III HQI ballast on my 30 cube.

 

[fijiblue]

What size and what kind of bulb?

 

[NewSchool04]

250W and Phoenix 14K.

 

[fijiblue]

Just curious...

 

[NewSchool04]

No worries, like I said, I really like them both. I think for an all around look, you can't beat the MH. Looks very crisp and the shimmer is great. The T5's seem to grow things faster though. I've got a lot of the same acros in both tanks and just watch to see what happens. Colors are totally different too between the same corals.

 

[fijiblue]

Are the ones in the MH tank darker?

 

[Brock Fluharty]

I have T5's, and if I turn me heater off, the tank gets very cold, so less heat. The fixture is warm to the touch, but nothing more. I have the Nova fixture, with a single parabolic reflector, and I get great zoa growth. I've never tried SPS, because I can't get my hands on any, and i'm low on cash, but i'll try to get some soon, and see how well it grows.