The Debate Continues MH or T-5?

[kev apsley]

I know this has been debated over and over again but just wanted to post a poll to see the numbers first hand

 

[GSMguy]

BOTH

combos are best.

 

[sjm817]

Like most things, there are Pros and Cons with both technologies. Things dont always have to be A Vs B.

 

[faze07hd]

ya, you left out the option for both. I have 2x175w and 2x 48" actinics

 

[Entropy]

Metal halide is still the king IMO. You can use just about anything, but nothing looks like a good halide setup, well except the sun.

 

[PapaKlix]

MH supplemented with T5 blue +.

the guy i bought my live rock from had a t5 tek fixture and the rock looked kinda bland under all t5's, night and day to me under MH. i can't speak to the age of his bulbs, but it was a very noticeable difference to my eyes.

 

[vetdog]

I use a combo and love the look and results

 

[mojo~]

MH and t5 or vho supplement is probably one of the most intense combo's But how much light does one really need. It comes down to good equipment too. For both t5 and MH. I as running 6 t5ho with great success. Just wanted a little something different. I run all ATI bulbs and a fiji purple.
I am switching to 250 watt Radiums on a galaxy ballast with lumenMax 2 reflectors with either 4 t5ho's or 2 vho's havent decided on that yet. I ll see when new canopy gets here.

 

[mojo~]

alot depends on what you want to keep. Fish and mixed reefs I would go t5 all the way. But with keeping all SPS well I want the pop from the actinic 420 and 460 bulbs So I am going with both. hope this is somewhat usefull

 

[runningstix]

MH + VHO here!

 

[kev apsley]

Yeah, I'm a Metal halide guy myself, although I have seen terrific tanks set-up with T-5 that look outrageous! I don't supplement because I run 20K that's why I didn't even think to post the combo option, but yes I would imagine that would be the best of both worlds!

 

[plancton]

My experience with T5s vs MH:

T5 pros:
-lower watt consumption
- light covers the whole tank
-easier to setup and configure
-better bulb choices
-light colors look better
-corals get better coloration
-lower heat
-xenias grow like crazy
-easy start off

T5 cons:
-SPS grow slower
-zoos don´t thrive well for unknown reasons
-some sps bleach, such as superman monti is hard to mantain its trademark colors


MH pros:
-SPS grow faster
-shimmering effect
-zoos thrive really well

MH cons:
-xenia melt even far from bulb
- hard to get full tank coverage
-intensities change depending on the location of the bulb
-to much heat
-to much watt consumption

This is what I´ve seen in the hobby, the real advantage of MH is growth, is much faster than under T5, but colors not always, so in order to have growth and coloration a good MH+t5 combo is needed.

Now its only a matter of experimenting with LEDs, I´ve seen better coloration u nder LEDs, don´t know about growth.

 

[GSMguy]

Supplimenting 20k bulbs with t5s is where it's at Kev.

20ks alone look good but I like them better with suppliments, + lps look awesome under the blue T5s, I can't wait to suppliment my 20k ushios.

 

[kev apsley]

Plancton, Great list of pros and cons!

Nick, your right I think when I do eventually upgrade it will be the MH/T-5 set-up..that way you can get the colors and the growth

 

[runningstix]

xenia melting should be a pro for metal halides!

 

[kev apsley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14975353#post14975353 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by runningstix
xenia melting should be a pro for metal halides!

I'm gonna have to agree with this, it's the crab grass of the Reef Tank..although I remember back in 1992 the first time I saw pulsing Xenia I almost sh-- myself! I though it was the coolest thing in the world, how far we have come

 

[Entropy]

A little off topic, but I think halides and xenia melting are unrelated. I have kept xenia under 175w halides with great success (xm's and Iwasakis).

 

[Nanook]

You going to switch to whichever lighting wins????

 

[kev apsley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14975639#post14975639 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nanook
You going to switch to whichever lighting wins????

not at all, I have 20K MH and Love them I just wanted to get an idea as to how many people were switching to T5 and how many still think that MH are still in vogue

 

[Nanook]

I imagine that folks will defend whatever they run and encourage others to follow their lead for the best results I have been a MH and VHO user for years and really don't care for T5 super actinic bulbs in comparison to VHO....that is a big factor for me personally.

As an aside, I love my Radium 400 watt and 250 watt bulbs, but I am considering going to a whiter bulb for my stony tank.