T5 or MH for sps coral
- Thread starter baruchbl
- Start date
Amphiprion
Premium Member
Either one is capable of growing corals quite nicely and with decent color. Can't go wrong either way. I suggest you look at a variety pics of both types of setups and decide which one suits your tastes the most.
Unarce
Unshackled
Despite what the numbers say...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...page=25&highlight=Iwasaki and T5&pagenumber=1
...T5 only tanks are more than capable of growing SPS. The only two things I don't like about the look is how most of the corals look light or pastel, and the way the tank looks one-dimensional.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...page=25&highlight=Iwasaki and T5&pagenumber=1
...T5 only tanks are more than capable of growing SPS. The only two things I don't like about the look is how most of the corals look light or pastel, and the way the tank looks one-dimensional.
cmc0814
New member
At this point, I think that either will work just fine. It is all about preference. To me, the cheaper and longer lasting bulbs (T5) are good, the low amount of heat given of is good (T5), and the lower electricity consumption is good (T5). But I like the shimmer of MH. So T5s outweight MHs in my book, but everyones' books are different...HTH
Horace
New member
From my perspective, a tank with T5 looks very bland. The colors can be just as good if conditions are right so I am not sure all T5 tanks are assured of pastels. I think its just more likely to have pastels with T5 because they put out ALOT of light, much more so than many MH setups. I will say thatthat I used to run T5, I did like it, my growth was good, but the tank looks much more REAL and ALIVE with MH... by a long shot. The look of MH is just unbeatable IMO. I cant deny the advantages of T5 though.
acidlittle
New member
CMC what kinda bulbs do you have on your tank? I need to replace my 48" T-5s and just wanted to get some input on good quality bulbs, SORRY for the hijack!
I love T-5's but haven't used halides, although the shimmer is awesome!
I love T-5's but haven't used halides, although the shimmer is awesome!
Frankysreef
Active member
I have both.. t5's on my frag tank, and mh on my main display... t5's make the colors dim compared to MH.
fishfanatic06
New member
t5
Maybe MH looks better for us, but I feel T5 is better for the corals. Because the spectrum of T5 is more ideal for the most corals and the light of bulbs reached every place of the coral, not only the upper side.
With T5 I have better growing rates and beautiful colours.
I use 6x39 Watt for my 250 Liter tank. 3 x 39 Watt ATI Aquablue special and 3 x 39 Watt ATI Blue plus (sometimes Osram 67).
I'm very happy about T5.
Sudad
With T5 I have better growing rates and beautiful colours.
I use 6x39 Watt for my 250 Liter tank. 3 x 39 Watt ATI Aquablue special and 3 x 39 Watt ATI Blue plus (sometimes Osram 67).
I'm very happy about T5.
Sudad
cmc0814
New member
acidlittle, I have 3 aquablue+, 2 Actinic Plus, and 1 Pure Actinic. That gives me great color and pretty good growth.
baruchbl, I understand and agree fundamentally with what you are saying, but it heats the tank less due to distribution. I have my 4 foot 6 bulb Tek T-5 hood literally laying on top of my glass tops and the temperature never rises above 80 F (without a chiller). I've never seen a MH bulb touch the glass without any problems....
baruchbl, I understand and agree fundamentally with what you are saying, but it heats the tank less due to distribution. I have my 4 foot 6 bulb Tek T-5 hood literally laying on top of my glass tops and the temperature never rises above 80 F (without a chiller). I've never seen a MH bulb touch the glass without any problems....
Horace
New member
There is fundementally NO proof to show that this is true. Second, it has been shown that temp and spectrum matter little, or much less than many would like you to believe. So long as your bulbs are in the PAR spectrum, your good to go.
I also think the main reason people are seeing some better results in some cases with T5 is that thier MH lighting was completely inadequete. I have recently done some testing of spider vs good reflectors (lumenmax) and the difference is rediculous. For some bulbs the output in the good reflector was 400% more. Now if you have an ideal MH setup to compare to those T5s in ideal reflectors, THEN you can compare the two. But given that I have run BOTH types of bulbs and have had great success with both, I Know one is NOT better than the other. They both are great. So unless you have a PAR meter and have done studies on your lighting, you cant really say any blanket statements like T5 is better for corals than MH because that is just NOT true.
dvanacker
DID I SOUNDS SMRT??
Good post Horace. People are starting to realize how important reflectors are even with MH. I have seen MH tanks that can't grow acros because of poor reflectors, bulb choices and some people that mount the MH far too high to avoid heat issuses (don't want to buy a chiller).
When it comes down to it both T5 and MH make great lighting choices for any type of tank....I wouldnt go with anything else. As for which is better...well they are too different to compare...depends what you are after.
When it comes down to it both T5 and MH make great lighting choices for any type of tank....I wouldnt go with anything else. As for which is better...well they are too different to compare...depends what you are after.
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