T5 to MH lights likes and don't likes
- Thread starter nseawater
- Start date
nemofish2217
New member
okay, so im not gonna try to start a war, and i've never used T5, but i have seen them on ppls tanks..... i think they are great for color and growth, and i think they are an alternative to MH, however, i will never use T5 over halides because to me, the shimmer lines and "natural" look that halides give is non replaceable..... they make you feel like you are looking into a piece of the ocean, not into a fish tank.... You just cannot replace the MH look with any other lighting...now, if you are simply looking for lighter colors of your sps, then go with T5....but i think the use of MH is what makes the tank more enjoyable.... IMO...but to each his own...some people prefer the look of T5, and some MH. I am the latter... i will sacrifice the chance that i might give up a little color and growth to have MH. However, i think the most important thing for coral color is water quality. if you have superior water quality then you will have dynamite sps whether you use MH or T5...sorry for the long post.
the7ferret
New member
i agree.
i have pc's instead of T5's and i love the MH on my new setup. growth isn't a good but I think it just looks better. glimmer lines, shadows, ect.
i have pc's instead of T5's and i love the MH on my new setup. growth isn't a good but I think it just looks better. glimmer lines, shadows, ect.
reefgeek84
In Memoriam
Are you saying that your growth was better with PC's then a MH? The MH must have been broken.
reefgeek84
In Memoriam
This is where the debate comes in, this all really depends on who you ask... I think you will yeild slightly better results with a MH in terms of growth, but like I said, it is debatable.
jsweir
New member
I did have T5s originally. I started with a bank of 6x54W over a 75 gallon. I never achieved the spectacular colors that I saw in other "premium" T5 tanks. My growth was little to none. I could not even keep some acros on the top and get them to color up. I would take them to other peoples (MH) tanks and they would take off. I finally switched to MH DEs and ended up on the other end of the spectrum with bleaching corals (I also ditched the sand bed). I finally have the tank at a good equilibium showing good color and pretty good growth overall. I still run T5s as supplemental lighting (my MH photoperiod is only 4.5 hours). So, all in all I think both are a good solution when used together. Not sure if I would walk the DE path again though.....
Here is a T5 pic when I first started sps
And a recent with combo lighting (many more sps and more time)
Here is a T5 pic when I first started sps
And a recent with combo lighting (many more sps and more time)
reefgeek84
In Memoriam
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7007543#post7007543 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jsweir
I did have T5s originally. I started with a bank of 6x54W over a 75 gallon. I never achieved the spectacular colors that I saw in other "premium" T5 tanks. My growth was little to none. I could not even keep some acros on the top and get them to color up. I would take them to other peoples (MH) tanks and they would take off. I finally switched to MH DEs and ended up on the other end of the spectrum with bleaching corals (I also ditched the sand bed). I finally have the tank at a good equilibium showing good color and pretty good growth overall. I still run T5s as supplemental lighting (my MH photoperiod is only 4.5 hours). So, all in all I think both are a good solution when used together. Not sure if I would walk the DE path again though.....
Here is a T5 pic when I first started sps
And a recent with combo lighting (many more sps and more time)
How many watts of DE were you using?
reefgeek84
In Memoriam
No I was talking about when you had the 75 gal and had corals bleaching, how many watts of DE did you have over that?
reefgeek84
In Memoriam
And you had bleaching, thats crazy. I think that is a rare case.
jsweir
New member
Actually you will find it isn't. Check for threads on light coral coloration. Many reefers are finding that once your bb tank gets super low nutrients, the corals can't handle the photoperiod. We are all trying shortened photoperiods and large fish feedings to combat the problem.
think i will agreed with u!
im using T5s currently, i have growth rate, PE & color. i need to frag my table top atleast once a month or over grow. but im not too satisfied wit color i have now, so im planning to get a MH to test out. if i will get a better color on my sps. i have a digitata which is brown n now become striking orange with my T5s. but not for acro... for the area facing to to light, will have better n striking color, for those shared will b pale or brown...
Right now I have tekt5 retro on my 65g and have been thinking if I whould've gone with the mh setup route instead of the t5's.
Every reefer's tank I've seen seem to have mh and are happy with it and i especially like the shimmer lines and the more light blue feel of the tank. Make it feel like a real under water reef.
I might go with an icecap 175w retro with 14K EVC bulbs. I've heard that phoenix makes a 175 SE bulbs as well. Though I have not seen any on-line that sell's the product.
How are everyone's MH setup..? are they retro / pendant?
Every reefer's tank I've seen seem to have mh and are happy with it and i especially like the shimmer lines and the more light blue feel of the tank. Make it feel like a real under water reef.
I might go with an icecap 175w retro with 14K EVC bulbs. I've heard that phoenix makes a 175 SE bulbs as well. Though I have not seen any on-line that sell's the product.
How are everyone's MH setup..? are they retro / pendant?
marine_freak
In Memoriam
Uh well I think it all comes down to lumens here folks.... the more lumens of usable light the better.... I would have to agree that Metal Halides are the best for acro tanks. If you have a a killer acro tank it will be lit with halides.... T5's VHO and PC's are ok if you have your corals very high in the tank and bulbs very close to the water...... I myself run on a 75 gallon oceanic 2 400 watt radiums, and 2 4ft URI actinic 03... it equals about 13.2 watts a gallon, and my corals are loving it.
zapata41
In Memoriam
well i used to have t5 setup driven on 660 ballast over my 90g, now i have 2x250w 10k XM in LAIIIs in my 180. i like the halides way way way better. most all corals showed various stages of bleaching when i switched lighting. i get shimmer lines now. i have two point sources of intense lighting vs. full tank intense lighting. i get shimmer lines. my growth i by far better, not that it wasnt great with the t5s. way better color with the halides, biggest nice thing. i will stay with halides for the next bigger tank too.
Tim
Tim
thebicyclecafe
New member
Used both over a 20H SPS tank, the T-5 worked okay, (This was a teklight 4x24W). You have to use the right bulbs, and for SPS this means the sun bulbs and aquablue.
Growth was a bit dismal I should say, the colors looked "okay" from the T-5 but colors on the coral weren't that hot.
I switched to MH for that tank and man I swear the growth rate on the corals is ever faster and colors look nicer. It's a 250W 10K bulb... and I love the shimmer lines. I've since mounted a sunpod 70W fixture over a 10 for fragments out of that tank and boy does that work like a dream. I was thinking 150 would work better but that 70W is bleaching a couple of acros already!
IMO MH is best for SPS and clams. The color is nicer, and it illuminates the room quite nicely as well. Halides are the way to go.
Growth was a bit dismal I should say, the colors looked "okay" from the T-5 but colors on the coral weren't that hot.
I switched to MH for that tank and man I swear the growth rate on the corals is ever faster and colors look nicer. It's a 250W 10K bulb... and I love the shimmer lines. I've since mounted a sunpod 70W fixture over a 10 for fragments out of that tank and boy does that work like a dream. I was thinking 150 would work better but that 70W is bleaching a couple of acros already!
IMO MH is best for SPS and clams. The color is nicer, and it illuminates the room quite nicely as well. Halides are the way to go.
Covey
New member
The Grim Reefer did, T-5>MH>back to T-5s. Generally a well set up T-5 system can do anything a 250W MH system can do. I used t-5 for a year and a half and would perfers to keep using them if I could. That been said I am in the process of setting up a 29" deep 150G an have decide to use 400W MH. Nothing in the T-5 world has the penitrating power of 400W MH. So I am forced to use the "demon street lights".
Anyway half way thru the setup I am going to have my current 4' of T-5s on the tank and a 400W MH over the last 2'. I am going to run some side by side test with that tank to really see the maximum of what T-5 can pull off. Against a 400W MH that should totally whoop it.
Same tank
Same water
Same water movement
Same coral (will frag)
Different light.
I'll post a thread in a couple months when everything is set up.
Anyway half way thru the setup I am going to have my current 4' of T-5s on the tank and a 400W MH over the last 2'. I am going to run some side by side test with that tank to really see the maximum of what T-5 can pull off. Against a 400W MH that should totally whoop it.
Same tank
Same water
Same water movement
Same coral (will frag)
Different light.
I'll post a thread in a couple months when everything is set up.
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