T5 VS. Metal Halide
- Thread starter bluerug
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BurntOutReefer
New member
the info on costs would be correct....I have both on seperate tanks....
The MH as far as the eye-appeal IMO is far better. Really great shimmer and coral growth.....just IMO
The MH as far as the eye-appeal IMO is far better. Really great shimmer and coral growth.....just IMO
fishfanatic06
New member
Have you checked out Iwan's House Reef thread in the large tanks section. He runs all T5's and he has some of the best sps growth and color I have ever seen. I obtain all my sps frags from a guy that runs all T5's. He switched over from Metal halides and has had insane growth. I have halides right now and the shimmering effect is really cool. I still get good growth and color, but with all this hype about T5's I might switch over. After all T5's have equal output as halides but the heat they put off is nothing compared to halides. The only real disadvantage I could possibly think of is the bulb replacement costs. With halides you replace them every 8-14 months. With T5's you replace them every 6 months. T5 bulbs cost 15 to 20 dollars a bulb. Right now this is quite a big debate that is going on over which is better. There is no sure answer yet. I think this kinda explains what Ti is saying.
nick18tjetta
New member
The most aestheticly pleasing combination of lights in my opinion is Metal Halides and URI VHO's. I am not a big fan of T5's in most applications, however in a limited space situation, T5 bulbs can get some good results.
fishfanatic06
New member
I am not saying that light is everything. I am saying that people have switched over from halides to T5's and they kept all the flow and chemistry the same. Growth was better after they switched over.
55semireef
Moved On
Halides don't penetrate any deeper than any other light. The reason they typically provide more intensity at the sandbed is they start out much more intense. A 4x54 watt Ice Cap T5 setup will put more light to the sand than most 250 watt halides.
In general, the only reason halides penetrate deeper is because you can just get 400 (or 1000!)watts into a smaller area...where it takes a T5 setup a full 1.5'x4' area to do that much. Other than that though the T5s should penetrate deeper from a PAR/penetration/watt standpoint.
If it was me I would go with the T-5.
The bulbs last longer and put out less heat. With good reflectors you can do pretty much anything you want with them as well
Any fixture that does NOT use individual reflectors the difference between an optomized unit with good reflectors and without, is night and day.
T5 fixtures that do not have individual reflectors compared to the Tek T5 fixture with individual reflectors...well there is a big difference. Each bulb puts out 300% more light with an individual reflector than without.
And btw, overdrive decreases the lifespan of the bulbs.
In general, the only reason halides penetrate deeper is because you can just get 400 (or 1000!)watts into a smaller area...where it takes a T5 setup a full 1.5'x4' area to do that much. Other than that though the T5s should penetrate deeper from a PAR/penetration/watt standpoint.
If it was me I would go with the T-5.
The bulbs last longer and put out less heat. With good reflectors you can do pretty much anything you want with them as well
Any fixture that does NOT use individual reflectors the difference between an optomized unit with good reflectors and without, is night and day.
T5 fixtures that do not have individual reflectors compared to the Tek T5 fixture with individual reflectors...well there is a big difference. Each bulb puts out 300% more light with an individual reflector than without.
And btw, overdrive decreases the lifespan of the bulbs.
55semireef
Moved On
If the "shimmer" look is all you care about then its going to cost you more to go with the MH. IMO, the shimmer effect should not be the only reason on why you either go with T5s or MH. Both lighting units can put out lots of light, can provide coral growth and color. It all depends on what spectrum of bulbs your using and how strong your balasts are. And if your using individual reflectors.
For what its worth, I've been using strictly T5's for the last 5months now and I'm planning on switching over to MH for my new 120 I'm setting up next month. The reason being is that I still feel a bit restricted with what I can grow successfully and the amount of color intensity I get. I'm not sure if MH will be better yet, but its been a proven winner time and time again so I'm willing to give MH a shot.
55semireef
Moved On
MH has not been a proven winner. What makes you think that and can you show me any references to prove that to me?
