t5 versus metal halide

tonyalberda

New member
whats better t5 or metal halide. i can have either or but t5 is runs cooler and is cheaper. do you still get the performance of metal halide?
 
yes IMO, check out the lighting forum and look for the grim reefer. It will take more t5 bulbs but yes they do get the same PAR as metal halide. Some arguments against the t5s are that the corals will be more brittle and may not get as colorful, but you should read the forums for yourself.
 
actually if you have 1 250 watt mh and 250 watts of T5's you will still get the same amount of heat in the tank.
 
OK. I was joking. This is the age old question. This is my opinion for what it is worth.

T5s:
Run cooler
Less electricity
Cheaper
Very good performance as long as they have an individual reflector for each bulb


I can not speak too much about MH because I choose T5s when I asked myself this same question. I know that the only thing I personally liked about them is they create that shimmer affect in the water which creates a more natural look to the tank.
 
D to the P,have you changed your name or havnet been here awile.I havent seen you in here.

For fish you can get PC's.For coral as aswell as fish nothing compares to MH for growth and color. Believe me that after you have been in this hobby awile and dont have MH then this is one of the first things you will up grade.
 
I know. I went snorkeling in Jamaica a couple weeks ago and seeing that shimmer affect in the ocean kind of made me wish I would have gonoe with MH... I guess I get a little shimmer from the T5s but nothing like what MH will do.
 
I know. I went snorkeling in Jamaica a couple weeks ago and seeing that shimmer affect in the ocean kind of made me wish I would have gone with MH... I guess I get a little shimmer from the T5s but nothing like what MH will do.
 
I come and go, I changed my name a while ago. I stopped coming after all the posts in the reef discussion were people screaming about bare bottom tanks and suckling from bombers' teat (I was more argumenative then), then I came back for like another couple of months, mainly just doing my own research and getting ideas. Now I just casually make my way around answering a few questions here and there. Problem is I've worked at a LFS for about 6 years and after answering these questions all day, I normally don't have he urge to come here and do it some more.
 
I have been away from this site for awhile as well. I need to wait for the LEDs eh? I should look into that more. I know the last time I looked I would have had to have my tank running for the rest of my life before I would get anything back from buying the LEDS.
 
Come to think of it, I don't think I've EVER seen a tank with LED's over it, but I know Current USA has been putting out some more LED products like their little power brite strip or whatever its called. Turns out if you use three of their little strips that have 4 LED's in each of them, you get way more PAR than the coralife 20" 96watt PC system. And the LED strips are small so they wouldn't take up anymore space than the PC system. I dunno though it just seems weird using something that isn't even technically a light to LIGHT the aquarium.
 
LED's are the moon lights. If used right can promote coral propigation. Or in many cases gives your tank a cool night look.I have seen a lihgt setup with LED's but its very new and not sure of its effects.
 
I read some about LEDs a couple years ago or so. I thought there was lights for sale but I must be mistaken. I was probably reading about the DIYers that were putting one together. I have read that the par is good with these lights. Well, enough hijacking this thread. I am going to bed. Night night.
 
Yeah, they've evolved from the moon lights although the actinics are still the moonlights and still light up your corals like the moonlights do, but yeah they get such good reviews and I just can't grasp it because it seems so unlikely. But yeah, I'm going to bed too haha.
 
Well speaking purely asthetically, I love my t-5's in my growroom. I have one metalhide bulb that's 150 watts hanging over an orange tree and I've love how long it's lasted. But it's hot and anyone that wants to say they are equally hot watt for watt needs their head examined. I could put my hand on my t-5's all day long but I nearly catch my hair on fire when I accidentally get to close to my metalhalide fixture. Also, we need a big ballast that also gets hot with the metalhalide and the fixtures with t-5's plug in normally without the cord or fixture heating up.

I'm not sure how different the metal halides might be for fish than for plants. But I don't like the big ugly fixture that the metal halide comes with and the t-5's are streemlined, small, easy to mount anywhere and run cool enough to place on or near any surface.

Suzi
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12234175#post12234175 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by suzimcmullen
Well speaking purely asthetically, I love my t-5's in my growroom. I have one metalhide bulb that's 150 watts hanging over an orange tree and I've love how long it's lasted. But it's hot and anyone that wants to say they are equally hot watt for watt needs their head examined. I could put my hand on my t-5's all day long but I nearly catch my hair on fire when I accidentally get to close to my metalhalide fixture. Also, we need a big ballast that also gets hot with the metalhalide and the fixtures with t-5's plug in normally without the cord or fixture heating up.

I'm not sure how different the metal halides might be for fish than for plants. But I don't like the big ugly fixture that the metal halide comes with and the t-5's are streemlined, small, easy to mount anywhere and run cool enough to place on or near any surface.

Suzi

They are definitely producing the same heat when you compare them watt to watt. The metal halides are much more concentrated though, so while you need 3x T5 bulbs to equal the wattage of the MH the T5s take up so much more space that the heat is dispersed throughout the length of the 3 bulbs making it feel cooler to the touch. The tank will receive the same amount of heat though.
 
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