Opinions/About to pull the trigger

Airborne · 11/01/2009, 11:31 AM

Here it is:

I have narrowed it down and will be picking up my new light for my 120g. 48x24x24.

ATI Powermodule 8x54w T5's

or

Hamilton Cebu Sun 2x250MH and 4x54w T5's.

Torn between color and shimmer. This is the part that I hate when it comes to this hobby. At these prices you only want to cry once when buying equipment. How do you know that you are not making an expensive mistake when you have a family and live check to check? When you are struggling financially it is even hared to justify $1,000 for a light.

Both are around this price.

Thanks

lReef_lKeeper · 11/01/2009, 11:36 AM

i personally prefer MH ... i think a lot of the answers you will get will be a personal preference when it comes to lighting. it is a decision that, unfortunately, only you can make.

i have thought about going with T5s, but MH is just so tried and true in this hobby, that it is a tough decision.

Airborne · 11/01/2009, 12:10 PM

Thanks. I know. I had a Current Outer Orbit on my 34gal that had 1x150mh and 4 T5's, at 24". While colors were decent and growth was good, Pop was lacking. That was even with changing all bulbs to ATI and Geisman.

Loved the shimmer but when my tank had a issue, my friend housed my corals in his 60g with the T5's in a Current Nova Ext Pro. When he gave me my corals back, they colors were amazing. So I slowly acclimated back to the MH and the color never cam back the way it was under the T5's.

I am new at this and this will be my second tank that I wanted to do this right.

I too love the Shimmer. Even my wife and I have been looking at tanks on this site and she even noticed that the colors were much more vivid under T5's and more washed out as she put it under the MH's. I don't know if washed out is the right word but alot ligther in color.

luther1200 · 11/01/2009, 12:18 PM

I think of the 2 if it was me I would get the Powermodule. I like MH also, but its hard to beet the amount of light a T5 fixture will put out, plus it has so many lamp color options.

madean · 11/01/2009, 12:35 PM

Just by looking at the specs you have given I dont think IMO that those two hoods are comparable. The second hood should give you more light then the first. I could be wrong, but logically it seems like the second hood will produce more PAR. It then becomes a question of if you want that much light. You should figure out what you want to keep now and possibly in the future. With the tank only being 24" deep either hood should work. Some pros and cons=
A lot of arguements will say that you will replace more bulbs with t5's. With these two hoods you have 6 and 8 bulbs so that arguement is out the door. What is two more bulbs. Not enough to sway a decision. The MH create a shimer effect that t5's dont. The color combinations are endless with t5's. The t5's will give you a more consistent PAR value throughout the tank as opposed to MH. So if your plan is to keep coral that all require about the same amount of light then maybe t5's are a better choice. If you plan to mix all over the board then maybe MH are better. But the cost factor is almost double for electricity between the two hoods. One uses about 400 w and the other about 700 w. So that might sway your decision. I would go with t5's personally, less heat buildup (which might mean les air conditioning in house or possibly no chiller). Less electricy used to light and cool water in the long run.
Just some food for thought though if you a DIY'er at all you should be able to produce a light that is 8 t5's for less then $1000.

madean · 11/01/2009, 12:37 PM

Sorry first line wrong, I dont think the two hoods are comparable. The MH should produce more PAR. But that is a guess. If the MH were 150w I think they would be a little more comparable. Either way, get a par meter after you decide and use it wisely place your corals in your tank. IMO you will be more successful, and know your corals. Find out what they look like when their happy, stressed etc.

noahm · 11/01/2009, 12:42 PM

I love MH shimmer, but I might lean toward the Powermodule out of those two.

Check this out. Premium Lumenbright reflectors, t-5, and LED. Not to throw a curveball into your thoughts, but LB reflectors are SUPER efficient. This isn't your average combo unit...Don't know if its out yet though, but I would get it in a heartbeat if i needed lighting at this point.

http://glassbox-design.com/2009/lume...mh-t5-and-led/

luther1200 · 11/01/2009, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madean

Sorry first line wrong, I dont think the two hoods are comparable. The MH should produce more PAR. But that is a guess. If the MH were 150w I think they would be a little more comparable. Either way, get a par meter after you decide and use it wisely place your corals in your tank. IMO you will be more successful, and know your corals. Find out what they look like when their happy, stressed etc.

Maybe if you just lok at number of lamps it would appear that way. But the Hamilton fixture has 1 big reflector for the MH and 1 for each set of T5's. So really I doubt it has more PAR than the Powermodule. The reflectors are a huge factor that can't be over looked, IMO.

madean · 11/03/2009, 10:09 PM

I would think that it has more PAR in certain areas of the tank. Specifically directly under the MH areas and decreasing outwards until the t5's come into play. But I cant say for sure because I have neither of these fixtures and have yet to see any diagrams that show the specific Par values throught different areas of the tank. But if they are somewhat equal then hands down go for the t5's only, less energy consumption.

sminker · 11/03/2009, 10:27 PM

Powermodules are the shiz, but very expensive.

I noticed that the cost was kind of bothering you, have you looked into retro kits? You can do a 8x54 retro for about $500-600. Not to mention, retros normally provide higher PAR when done right.

luvreefs23 · 11/04/2009, 12:04 AM

powermodules are a beast when i comes to par. My ati pm 10x80watt fixture hits 300-350 in the sand 30" from above. I tested my lfs 400 watt radium about 20-25 inches away from the sps and par was about 400-450...go a few inches beyond the reflector towards the front of the tank par hit 125-150. Dont under estimate the t5 bulb.

11/01/2009, 11:31 AM	#1
Airborne Moved On Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Burbank,CA Posts: 574	Opinions/About to pull the trigger Here it is: I have narrowed it down and will be picking up my new light for my 120g. 48x24x24. ATI Powermodule 8x54w T5's or Hamilton Cebu Sun 2x250MH and 4x54w T5's. Torn between color and shimmer. This is the part that I hate when it comes to this hobby. At these prices you only want to cry once when buying equipment. How do you know that you are not making an expensive mistake when you have a family and live check to check? When you are struggling financially it is even hared to justify $1,000 for a light. Both are around this price. Thanks Last edited by Airborne; 11/01/2009 at 12:11 PM. Reason: bold subject

11/01/2009, 11:36 AM	#2
lReef_lKeeper lReef lKeeper Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ky Posts: 266	i personally prefer MH ... i think a lot of the answers you will get will be a personal preference when it comes to lighting. it is a decision that, unfortunately, only you can make. i have thought about going with T5s, but MH is just so tried and true in this hobby, that it is a tough decision. __________________ _________________ Bobby 40 Breeder, 20 long sump, Bubble Magus Curve 5, EcoTech Radion XR30w and XR15w G3 Pro, ReefKeeper Lite

11/01/2009, 12:10 PM	#3
Airborne Moved On Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Burbank,CA Posts: 574	Lights Thanks. I know. I had a Current Outer Orbit on my 34gal that had 1x150mh and 4 T5's, at 24". While colors were decent and growth was good, Pop was lacking. That was even with changing all bulbs to ATI and Geisman. Loved the shimmer but when my tank had a issue, my friend housed my corals in his 60g with the T5's in a Current Nova Ext Pro. When he gave me my corals back, they colors were amazing. So I slowly acclimated back to the MH and the color never cam back the way it was under the T5's. I am new at this and this will be my second tank that I wanted to do this right. I too love the Shimmer. Even my wife and I have been looking at tanks on this site and she even noticed that the colors were much more vivid under T5's and more washed out as she put it under the MH's. I don't know if washed out is the right word but alot ligther in color. Last edited by Airborne; 11/01/2009 at 12:11 PM. Reason: grammar

11/01/2009, 12:18 PM	#4
luther1200 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NJ, shore Posts: 4,376	I think of the 2 if it was me I would get the Powermodule. I like MH also, but its hard to beet the amount of light a T5 fixture will put out, plus it has so many lamp color options. __________________ Matt, 65G reef tank Current Tank Info: 65g reef, mix of sps, lps, few softies. Hoping to upgrade within the year.

11/01/2009, 12:42 PM	#7
noahm Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 2,736	I love MH shimmer, but I might lean toward the Powermodule out of those two. Check this out. Premium Lumenbright reflectors, t-5, and LED. Not to throw a curveball into your thoughts, but LB reflectors are SUPER efficient. This isn't your average combo unit...Don't know if its out yet though, but I would get it in a heartbeat if i needed lighting at this point. http://glassbox-design.com/2009/lume...mh-t5-and-led/ Last edited by noahm; 11/01/2009 at 12:54 PM.

11/01/2009, 12:35 PM	#5
madean Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 994	Just by looking at the specs you have given I dont think IMO that those two hoods are comparable. The second hood should give you more light then the first. I could be wrong, but logically it seems like the second hood will produce more PAR. It then becomes a question of if you want that much light. You should figure out what you want to keep now and possibly in the future. With the tank only being 24" deep either hood should work. Some pros and cons= A lot of arguements will say that you will replace more bulbs with t5's. With these two hoods you have 6 and 8 bulbs so that arguement is out the door. What is two more bulbs. Not enough to sway a decision. The MH create a shimer effect that t5's dont. The color combinations are endless with t5's. The t5's will give you a more consistent PAR value throughout the tank as opposed to MH. So if your plan is to keep coral that all require about the same amount of light then maybe t5's are a better choice. If you plan to mix all over the board then maybe MH are better. But the cost factor is almost double for electricity between the two hoods. One uses about 400 w and the other about 700 w. So that might sway your decision. I would go with t5's personally, less heat buildup (which might mean les air conditioning in house or possibly no chiller). Less electricy used to light and cool water in the long run. Just some food for thought though if you a DIY'er at all you should be able to produce a light that is 8 t5's for less then $1000.

11/01/2009, 12:37 PM	#6
madean Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 994	Sorry first line wrong, I dont think the two hoods are comparable. The MH should produce more PAR. But that is a guess. If the MH were 150w I think they would be a little more comparable. Either way, get a par meter after you decide and use it wisely place your corals in your tank. IMO you will be more successful, and know your corals. Find out what they look like when their happy, stressed etc.

11/03/2009, 10:09 PM	#9
madean Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 994	I would think that it has more PAR in certain areas of the tank. Specifically directly under the MH areas and decreasing outwards until the t5's come into play. But I cant say for sure because I have neither of these fixtures and have yet to see any diagrams that show the specific Par values throught different areas of the tank. But if they are somewhat equal then hands down go for the t5's only, less energy consumption.

11/03/2009, 10:27 PM	#10
sminker Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 612	Powermodules are the shiz, but very expensive. I noticed that the cost was kind of bothering you, have you looked into retro kits? You can do a 8x54 retro for about $500-600. Not to mention, retros normally provide higher PAR when done right.

11/04/2009, 12:04 AM	#11
luvreefs23 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 758	powermodules are a beast when i comes to par. My ati pm 10x80watt fixture hits 300-350 in the sand 30" from above. I tested my lfs 400 watt radium about 20-25 inches away from the sps and par was about 400-450...go a few inches beyond the reflector towards the front of the tank par hit 125-150. Dont under estimate the t5 bulb.