T5 vs. MH
- Thread starter happyclam
- Start date
SunnyX
New member
I used MH's for many years over my prior tank and recently swiched over to T5's. The MH's were great and gave me great results but I am happier with the T5's today.
Here are some of my opinions:
1. T5's work better for me because of the uniformity of the light soarce across the entire aquarium.
2. With MH's there were too many shadows and you had to strategically place your corals to get the right amount of light. With T5 I am able to place my corals anywhere in the tank.
3. The exact color you are looking for is much easier to achieve with T5's. With MH's I had to buy bulb after bulb to get the color I was looking for.
These are just three of the many reasons I like T5's better. Personally, I will never go back to MH's.
Here are some of my opinions:
1. T5's work better for me because of the uniformity of the light soarce across the entire aquarium.
2. With MH's there were too many shadows and you had to strategically place your corals to get the right amount of light. With T5 I am able to place my corals anywhere in the tank.
3. The exact color you are looking for is much easier to achieve with T5's. With MH's I had to buy bulb after bulb to get the color I was looking for.
These are just three of the many reasons I like T5's better. Personally, I will never go back to MH's.
SunnyX
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13092965#post13092965 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
Both work, both have advantages and drawbacks, but the bottom line is either one will work with a properly planned lighting scheme.
also they work together well
Yea, a combo of a couple of MH spotlights and T5's would be the best of both worlds. Shimmer and uniformity.
Reefenthusiast
In Memoriam
I like MH, because of the shimmer affect, and they give great amounts of light.
happyclam
New member
Thanks for the replys everyone. I really like the look of SunnyX's new tank, and add in the fact that Szymons amazing tank uses T5s, I think I will use T5s too. I plan on using the 72" Nova Pro Extreme 12x 39w T5HO fixture with built on fans from CurrentUSA. I will use 6 ATI Aquablue Special & 6 ATI Blue +. I might switch out 2 for the Fiji Purple, but I don't really like how it adds the purple shade to the aquarium.
Thanks for the help everyone.
Thanks for the help everyone.
SunnyX
New member
Well, here is the thing, how much light does the average SPS tank need?
I would argue that many tanks out there in fact receive TOO MUCH light.
It has been shown time and time again that you can grow amazing corals under T5's just as well or better than MH.
Maybe im a Little biased because I now run T5 but I ran MH for well over 10 years with great success. After switching over to T5 recently I don't know why i waited so long for the switch.
GSMguy
New member
unless the tank is less than 24 inches long then the t5s would be too long and that would look stupid,
so would you say 0' to 2' metal halide 2' to 4' T5, 4' and above 4' metal halide???:lol:
First rule of reef tank lighting, you must have adequate PAR
Second rule of reef tank lighting, oh wait, no need for more rules as the first rule is the only one that matters to your corals.
GSMguy
New member
its just as easy to bleach corals with both types of light, when you expose any coral to more radiation than it can handle it bleaches, t5 setups seem to bleach whole tanks thanks to the blanket effect where metal halides only bleach what is directly below the reflectors hot spot.
magnoliarichj
New member
t5s out put the same or better par with an icecap 660.. the best thing is that t5 do not degrade light output as fast. over 12 months a MH bulb will loose about 25-33% light output. t5ho cooled with a fan and on a 660 will only loos 5-10% light ooutput. thats the best benefit since when overdirven t5hos put out the same lumens or better than a new MH bulb.
happyclam
New member
Ok, while I'm still doing T5, I just have a few questions. How is it that while you use less watts of T5 to light a tank than MH, the corals grow fine either way? And is that why T5s are cooler- because you just don't use as many watts? Also, how many degrees would a T5 fixture heat your water? Sorry these are such stupid questions, but I'm new to T5 (and most of my aquarium books don't even talk about T5).
GSMguy
New member
depends on the setup and fixture, each tank will absorb more or less heat based on the enviromental conditions.
honestly you dont use less t5 wattage over MH at least you dont need to use more MH wattage to get the same results in the end its personal preference and should be a decision made based on the tank.
like sonnny runs t5 i run MH neither of us have heat issues because our setups use low wattage pumps and have lots of surface area for evaporative cooling.
honestly you dont use less t5 wattage over MH at least you dont need to use more MH wattage to get the same results in the end its personal preference and should be a decision made based on the tank.
like sonnny runs t5 i run MH neither of us have heat issues because our setups use low wattage pumps and have lots of surface area for evaporative cooling.
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