Thanks Grim Reefer. Would the 8 lamp fixture or 10 lamp fixture have an advantage over running a 250w MH + T5 setup? I know with T5s you need to replace about every 10 to 20 months and at about 25 bucks a bulb that's pretty far up there. Plus it seems like the wattage is pretty close to the same so is there really any advantage of one over the other? Or is it just a looks sort of thing? With that T5 sunpower fixture would I be able to keep clams and sps on the bottom of a 24" deep tank? Sorry for all the questions I really just want to buy one fixture and not replace it down the road because I didn't ask lots of questions or made a badly informed decision.
I have everybody tell me with sps MH is the best way to go for color and growth but then I see all these guys kicking butt with T5s so it all is very confusing. I would think with a T5 fixture you have more control over color so maybe could get better colors on corals? But not really have the same par so maybe not the same growth? T5s also give a better spread of light evenly distributing the same light through the entire tank but that light wouldn't all reach the bottom like with a couple of MH.
Will I save on power and bulb bills or is it about the same?
Help somebody talk me into the T5s lol. All my friends say sps needs to be under Halides. Do those ATI fixtures do something other fixtures don't? Like the Aquatinics or Teks?
