T5 vs. MH---for NANO
- Thread starter Alivin44
- Start date
weimers75
New member
The t-5's I was referring to were HO, I didn't even know that they had t-5's that weren't HO! I also didn't take into account how small your tank was, so sorry about that!
Reefman - how many t-5's did you have on your tank that your corals were losing color? In many of my corals I actually had better color from the t-5's after several months. They've been used in Europe for much longer than they have here with outstanding results as well.
Reefman - how many t-5's did you have on your tank that your corals were losing color? In many of my corals I actually had better color from the t-5's after several months. They've been used in Europe for much longer than they have here with outstanding results as well.
dball711
New member
Your lighting choice will depend very much on your stocking plans. T5 HO set ups can be very effective and economical compared to MH, very good bulb selection for units starting at 24†or longer. The secret to successful T5 HO’s is to use individual reflectors for each bulb (this increases the output). A good T5 HO set up can equal the performance of MH.
For your AP12 any 24†fixture wont be a good fit, to much overhang as mentioned by Mark426. Current does make an 18†T5 HO 2 bulb fixture and I am using 2 of these on a BC 14 (no individual reflectors but I’m only keeping softies in this). They hang over about 1†on each side and that works for me. Much better than the 3 18 watt PC bulbs I had in there. Problem with the 18 inch bulbs is there is not a very good selection of lighting spectrums for bulbs that length. I also have an AP 12 with the 70watt MH Sunpod and love it. I keep the tank covered to reduce evaporation and have had no heat issues. The Sunpod is a cleaner set up but I like the light distribution from the T5 set up on my BC14. If all your planning to keep is softies the T5 option will be more cost effective in the long run.
For your AP12 any 24†fixture wont be a good fit, to much overhang as mentioned by Mark426. Current does make an 18†T5 HO 2 bulb fixture and I am using 2 of these on a BC 14 (no individual reflectors but I’m only keeping softies in this). They hang over about 1†on each side and that works for me. Much better than the 3 18 watt PC bulbs I had in there. Problem with the 18 inch bulbs is there is not a very good selection of lighting spectrums for bulbs that length. I also have an AP 12 with the 70watt MH Sunpod and love it. I keep the tank covered to reduce evaporation and have had no heat issues. The Sunpod is a cleaner set up but I like the light distribution from the T5 set up on my BC14. If all your planning to keep is softies the T5 option will be more cost effective in the long run.
strayvoltage
New member
I have the AP 12 with a coralife 150W Mh clip on light on it. The fixture allows me to adjust it so that it doesn't have to be right on top of the water and gives me a really nice look with a 20k bulb in it. I am sure the sunpod 70W also gives a good look and gets the job done.
