Has anyone switched back to MH from T5?

[rangerD275]

I currently have a 34 gallon Solana with a 14k 150W HQI. I am in the process of building a 150 XH (48x24x30) mixed reef. I've been trying to decide on lighting for two months now and I really need to make a decision.

I see a lot of folks switching to T5's...my question is, are there folks out there that have switched back to Halides? If so, why?

I like the look and shimmer of my halides, but in truth I haven't seen a tank in person with a REALLY powerful T5 set up. All of the T5's I've seen so far look kind of bland compared to the halide tanks I've seen.

If you are using T5's do you use LED's for shimmer? If so, does it look as good, or better than halides?

I like T5's for the usual reasons, less heat, more lumens per watt, being able to more finely tune the spectrum......and so on. But I really do like the way halides look.

Also, has anyone noticed a difference in coral growth.

[old salty]

I went back to MH's from T5's. The T5's were great; really no complaints about them. Tanks lit with MH's look more realistic due to the shadows and shimmer. It just became a matter of personal preference.

[wtafuro]

I'm in the same situation with lighting, pulling what little hair out trying to figure what to go with. I'm with you on the shimmer it really brings out a lot of quality to the tank.

I saw an idea earlier that I think will solve my problem. Use T-5's for the majority of the lighting and run a single MH on a moving track to simulate daylight. Get the shimmer without most of the heat and still keep the good quality lighting intact.

What do you think?

[BADGUS]

Originally Posted by wtafuro

I saw an idea earlier that I think will solve my problem. Use T-5's for the majority of the lighting and run a single MH on a moving track to simulate daylight. Get the shimmer without most of the heat and still keep the good quality lighting intact.

What do you think?

For me this idea is too much trouble,not enough room.

I will be using MH after trying a 6bulb Tek fixture.The look of the MH is so much more natural,makes the tank more enjoyable.T5's did their job,but the tank lacked something.

[wtafuro]

For me this idea is too much trouble,not enough room.

I will be using MH after trying a 6bulb Tek fixture.The look of the MH is so much more natural,makes the tank more enjoyable.T5's did their job,but the tank lacked something.

I'm not disagreeing with you on that point. The biggest problem is room. I had planned on going with an 8 bulb T-5 which would leave me very little room on one edge of the tank for an HQI reflector. Tank is 24" wide.

The other thought I had was to go with a strict MH strip like Currents sunpod 3X250w and then add 2 strips of dual 80 watt t-5's. This would give me nore than enough light but also give me the ability to adjust color on the t-5 bulbs as needed.

Any other Ideas?

[ken6217]

I have two tanks. One has MH and the other has T5 with individual Ice Cap reflectors. The growth on my SPS are excellent in both, and maybe even better in the T5 tank. I do like the look of the MH's though. The brightness and the shimmer looks so nice.

I had heard of people adding LED lights to their T5's to get that shimmer effect. I can't do it unfortunately because I have no room in my canopy.
Ken

[James77]

If you like the look of halides, go with the halides.

I used T5s last year, started with a SolarFlare and ended up getting an ATI Powermodule. While intense and effective, I missed the shimmer of halides. Unless you are already having a problem with heat, halides are more than manageable in a properly vented canopy. The electrical savings are not spectacular. It costs me about $10/month more running 2x250 HQIs with VHO actinics than it did with the 8x54 Powermodule. My biggest reason was the appearance, which is a big plus for halides, especially considering our tanks are usually for show. The T5s had the flat flourescent look of every freshwater tank I have owned.

I do use T5s on my palnted tank, mostly because I wanted that tank to use as little power as possible, and T5s are great for planted tanks.

[danjen10]

I went back from T5 to Halides. I got the Lumenbright mini wide reflectors. I prefer the color and look of the halides. My corals seem happier under them too.

[grigsy]

I had T5 for a little while, but I always prefered the look of my tank under metal halides. Just love the shimmer effect I get from halides.

Right now, I am using Hamilton Cayman Sun 250 watt HQI reflectors and I really like them.

[scottwhitson]

I also have used both and really prefer the look of halides. You can't beat the shimmer in my opinion. I think the answer to this thread is what YOU really prefer the looks of. I personally like a brighter tank with shimmer. I think that T5's are great lights for the power saving and the heat I just don't like the look.

[rangerD275]

Originally Posted by ken6217

I have two tanks. One has MH and the other has T5 with individual Ice Cap reflectors. The growth on my SPS are excellent in both, and maybe even better in the T5 tank. I do like the look of the MH's though. The brightness and the shimmer looks so nice.

I had heard of people adding LED lights to their T5's to get that shimmer effect. I can't do it unfortunately because I have no room in my canopy.
Ken

Yeah, I've heard of people using the LED's (mainly current powerbrites) to get that look, problem is that I would think that if your T5's are powerful enough, they would drown out most LED's that are realistic. Though I cant speak from experience, only an idea.

[bkcjames]

I switched from 4 6ft vho to 8 36" t5, the whole time I am still running my mh 250 watt 20k's. I love the shimmer effect, no other light can mimic that.

[James77]

Originally Posted by rangerD275

Yeah, I've heard of people using the LED's (mainly current powerbrites) to get that look, problem is that I would think that if your T5's are powerful enough, they would drown out most LED's that are realistic. Though I cant speak from experience, only an idea.

Ive seen a couple videos where it has been tried, and as more T5s come on, most of the shimmer is drowned out. IDK if more shimmer is visible in person or not.

[jayk198030]

i have had every type of bulb.

lets see...

PC (power compacts) -stink
t-12- awesome for super atinics
T-8 - a waste
T-5 -pretty good
MH - by far the best
LED - tech not there yet (if so costly)

[podcar]

I also switched back. Although to be completly fair, my T5s didnt have individual reflectors. The MHs look much better now.

[pmcadams]

I'm surprised you would choose one over the other. It's been about 6 years since my last reef, (I'm sure things have changed) but I'm in the process of starting another one now. My previous reefs were VHOs (T12 ?) and MH. They are not the same spectrum, so I assumed both are beneficial and not mutually exclusive. Aren't T5s just another version of T12s ? My plan right now is again for florescent bulbs and MH. Educate me on T5s please.... Thanks

[rangerD275]

Originally Posted by pmcadams

I'm surprised you would choose one over the other. It's been about 6 years since my last reef, (I'm sure things have changed) but I'm in the process of starting another one now. My previous reefs were VHOs (T12 ?) and MH. They are not the same spectrum, so I assumed both are beneficial and not mutually exclusive. Aren't T5s just another version of T12s ? My plan right now is again for florescent bulbs and MH. Educate me on T5s please.... Thanks

I was mainly referring to my "main" growth light source. With advances in reflectors/ bulbs there is a major shift toward using T5 lighting to replace halides with very good results. I would still be using T5 actincs for the dusk/ dawn effect, but I am debating on either using a MH and T5 combo, or just T5's. Also, you can use a 14, or 20K MH w/o actinics if you want but you will only see your fish 6 hours a day.

The problem occurs because florescent's do not emmit from a single light source and do not produce the "shimmer" effect that Halides do. Also penetration is slightly less.

There are many threads debating the merits of each that have some very good info. I dont really want to turn this thread into a T5 vs MH thread because there are too many to count but after looking at all of the data both have their positives and negatives, I just really think it boils down to personal preference.

I started this thread because in the T5 threads there are so many people that say "they will never go back to Halides" and I wanted to see if there was another group that in fact did go back to halides, and why.

[GrampaDon]

I switched back to MH/T5 Personal preference thing I guess. Because the
T5s did a fine job [retro with IC reflectors]

[Nereaga]

Started out with Mh only, then went to a T5 only setup and now running the Outer Orbit Mh/T5 combo. Best of both worlds! Great growth and good color. Not to mention the shimmer and more natural look of the halides....

Brad

[arredondojason]

I went from MH to T5 when I up graded from my 150G tank to my new 240G tank here is a pic of my tank when it had the T5s on it.



and I just didnt like the way it looked so i went back to the MH now I have 3 250W MH with the bulbs are Hamilton 14K.
Sorry the pic is so big I am still trying to figure out how to resize them down.

[pmcadams]

Thanks for the explanation Ranger. You confirmed what I thought.... my plans remain intact

[Moebuis]

Originally Posted by arredondojason

Off topic, but what's the air line for?

Back on topic: I've used both MH and T5 separately but now use both. The T5 supplements my MH and allows me to have a longer photoperiod to enjoy my tank while I'm home.

[rangerD275]

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

[tufacody]

I too prefer MH. T5 can definitely pop corals, but for me its at the expenses of a natural looking reef. I just see Las Vegas when I see an all T5 tank. The glow just looks a little too sterile/artificial.

[Johnny C]

The Current Powerbrite LEDs will definatly add shimmer to a T5-lit aquarium. It's not as intense as the halides, but definatly enough to get your "fix".

Here's two older videos of my tank with the T5s and LEDs on. Mind you this is only two strips and is more intense in real-life.

2 460nm. LEDS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nnYAf2bMn4

All T5s & LEDs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oG6Z...eature=channel