 Angel wrote:
sshm
what do you like about the T5HO over the MH? I do know that the bulbs
are cheaper!
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Angel,
First of all let me just say that you are already doing things right, it is
important to research before buying and I am happy to give my opinion
on the T5HO. There are many who still swear by MH and it has been tried
and tested as far as intensity levels go and their ability to grow polyps
that were unthinkable a few years back. The downsides to the MH bulbs
that I consider are that they are almost a focussed source of light, they
produce a lot of heat and their efficiency is low compared to T5HO bulbs.
I wont comment on the downsides of MH but I'd rather comment on the
+s of using a T5HO fixture. First, they produce a lot less heat, if the
ballast is remote from the hood even more so. That means less heat you
need to take out of your tank, so a chiller need not be necessary. With a
tank length as yours, the T5HO bulb will be 54w, if you can cram even 6
of them, thats more than 300watts. This may seem to be about 200w
short of 2x250w MH fixture however, the penetration of the T5HO is
comparable to the MH if the T5HO comes with a decent reflector. If
your goal is not to keep some crazy signature series SPS which will RTN if
a snail sneezes in the sump then you are good to go with 6x54w T5HOs.
Moreover, if you go with 6 Giessemann aquablue lamps, then you can
probably even keep some really cool SPS as well, and you will get a crisp
bluish-white color. The best actinic you can get will be from a VHO bulb,
nothing comes close. However, if you go wiith the aquablue which is 40%
actinic and puts out light which has an additional peak at the 420nm
range, you wont need actinic supplementation. Moroever, the phosphors
used are stable in these bulbs so you will only need to change bulbs at
about 2 years of use.
To summarize, the T5HOs cost less to run, offer almost the same PAR
(photosynthetically active/available radiation) as MHs, give out less heat
and last longer.
Here a few good options if you go T5HO:
DIY project:
link This is an awesome deal, because for 150bucks, you get 2 54w T5HO
lamps (choose giessemann aquablue), a ballast, all wiring and most
important the Tek individual reflectors (these can really concentrate and
punch the light down). You can easily put in 6 bulbs so thats 3 sets of
everything you need and free shipping - $465 shipped, for 324w total of
T5HO.
If you dont want to DIY and want a cool looking fixture:
link This has a single reflector, I dont know how good that is, but I assume
there will be some restrike from the adjacent bulbs which may increase
the heat somewhat. If you go for this I'd reccomend the 3-3 option of
midday-aquablue, the middayy is 6500k which is about what corals at the
top of the reef get (i.e. most shallow SPSs), but the 6 aquablues is always
a good option.
If you really want to keep SPS:
link thats an 8 light fixture. Its about 19" wide so it will overshoot your tank
by 1".
A cheaper (though not as good looking) option than the above would be
this:
link Go with the no bulb option, so it would cost 260 and still be free
shipping. Then choose 8 aquablues at almost 27 each, thats 216 and also
free shipping. so thats less than $500 in total. This fixture will be 21"
wide, and not as cool looking as the tek.
I hope that others will advise you on the merits of MH (never used them)
over T5HO so you can make a decision that suits you best. I have gone
with T5HOs over my 20gH tank and all the SPS I have have kept their
color, except a monti cap that bleached from the light.
Edited by sshm
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