Need help deciding MH or T5 for 55g reef

miserkris · 10/05/2010, 08:47 PM

Could someone pls say somethin similar to this...?

For eg:
" it will cost the same energy cost if I run an ~300w MH for 4 hrs compared to a ~300w T5 system for 10 hrs. (assuming those times with 300w ,are suffiicent to keep photosynthetic corals, inverts )

For, I dont know how many hours each (MH,t5) should run to match the energy cost to be the same. I am only afraid of high monthly lighting costs ... my wiffy looks at energy bills a lot

THANKS TO YOU ALL !! Pls advice !

mutateddogbone · 10/05/2010, 10:20 PM

it depends on what corals you would like to do. if you go t5, you will be able to get 6 bulbs over the tank, if you go 2x250 halides you will have a good light output, but the high end reflectors needed for good light direction are larger in width than the tank itself.

if it were me, i would go with a 6 tube T5 TEK light with your situation. it will give you more control over spectrum if you decide you dont like a certain "look" of your tank

theatrus · 10/05/2010, 11:33 PM

4-6 bulb T5HO (54W each) is what I would suggest. Since your tank is only 12" back to front, and most MH reflectors are targeting 24", you're just dumping light places it doesn't need to go.

Also, to determine energy, multiply bulb wattage in the fixture by 1.05 for electronic ballasts and 1.2 for magnetic to derate them. Then multiply runtime in hours by that wattage numbers - this is the number of Watt*hours your device will consume per day. Your utility bill will list your billing amount in cents per kilowatthour (kWh) - if you divide your watt hours by 1000, and multiply by your billing rate and multiply by the number of days in the billing cycle, you can arrive at your estimated $ per month.

tiburone9162003 · 10/05/2010, 11:59 PM

I'll say go with t5s or LED's..

aleonn · 10/06/2010, 01:36 AM

Wow, thanks for the breakdown, theatrus!

I'd go with the T5s as well. I didn't want MH partly because of the energy bill and also I didn't want to buy a chiller.

RocketSurgeon · 10/06/2010, 01:05 PM

55 gallon = T5's

http://home.comcast.net/~stevelarsen00/site/?/home/

10/05/2010, 08:47 PM	#1
miserkris Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Downingtown,PA Posts: 1,062	Need help deciding MH or T5 for 55g reef Could someone pls say somethin similar to this...? For eg: " it will cost the same energy cost if I run an ~300w MH for 4 hrs compared to a ~300w T5 system for 10 hrs. (assuming those times with 300w ,are suffiicent to keep photosynthetic corals, inverts ) For, I dont know how many hours each (MH,t5) should run to match the energy cost to be the same. I am only afraid of high monthly lighting costs ... my wiffy looks at energy bills a lot THANKS TO YOU ALL !! Pls advice ! __________________ 156g Oceanic Mixedreef,100g Sump Current Tank Info: 156 g mixed reef

10/05/2010, 10:20 PM	#2
mutateddogbone Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Broken Arrow, OK Posts: 1,016	it depends on what corals you would like to do. if you go t5, you will be able to get 6 bulbs over the tank, if you go 2x250 halides you will have a good light output, but the high end reflectors needed for good light direction are larger in width than the tank itself. if it were me, i would go with a 6 tube T5 TEK light with your situation. it will give you more control over spectrum if you decide you dont like a certain "look" of your tank __________________ 2013 Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society - President An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure Current Tank Info: 75g braceless SPS dominated w/ 50g Frag Tank

10/05/2010, 11:33 PM	#3
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	4-6 bulb T5HO (54W each) is what I would suggest. Since your tank is only 12" back to front, and most MH reflectors are targeting 24", you're just dumping light places it doesn't need to go. Also, to determine energy, multiply bulb wattage in the fixture by 1.05 for electronic ballasts and 1.2 for magnetic to derate them. Then multiply runtime in hours by that wattage numbers - this is the number of Watt*hours your device will consume per day. Your utility bill will list your billing amount in cents per kilowatthour (kWh) - if you divide your watt hours by 1000, and multiply by your billing rate and multiply by the number of days in the billing cycle, you can arrive at your estimated $ per month. __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

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10/05/2010, 11:59 PM	#4
tiburone9162003 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Sacramento,CA Posts: 408	I'll say go with t5s or LED's..

10/06/2010, 01:36 AM	#5
aleonn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 4,041	Wow, thanks for the breakdown, theatrus! I'd go with the T5s as well. I didn't want MH partly because of the energy bill and also I didn't want to buy a chiller.

10/06/2010, 01:05 PM	#6
RocketSurgeon Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 653	55 gallon = T5's http://home.comcast.net/~stevelarsen00/site/?/home/