• Folks, if you've recently upgraded or renewed your annual club membership but it's still not active, please reach out to the BOD or a moderator. The PayPal system has a slight bug which it doesn't allow it to activate the account on it's own.

T5 Vs MH

J

jazzsam

Ok, so I know it has been asked a lot but...........

If I want the ability to put any coral in my tank would I "have" to get MH or can I use just strong T5? I know this is a matter of opinion BUT has anyone had good sucess with T5 and coral that requires a lot of light?

I am using T5 right now and I really love it but my next tank build I will want the ability to put ANYTHING in there if I want. Thanks.
 
B

Brian

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I think it would really depend on the height of the tank. I would go with MH if your tank is going to be 24" or taller. With MH you will be able to keep anything/anywhere you want in the tank (ie. clams on sandbed...etc)
 
R

RevClyburn

I'm under the opinion that T5'S work just as well as MH, only they don't have the
shimmer. I've read several articles and I have a tek t5 6x54 fixture, I absolutley love. I've asked this question on RC and most people feel that you can get great results with t5 lighting. The main difference to many was that you don't have the same growth, but even that depends on what you have over your tank. I' ve been told I can't keep Monti, Caps, Acros, Millis, and others, I should switch to MH'S. But it seems that I can keep all of those and more as long as I keep my water quailty up. That is the key, water quality, along with good flow. I'm going to get some frags and see.

just my 49 cents

rev
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

Everything I've read says that High Output T5 can give you the same par penetration that MH gives you, just without the shimmer and without the heat. I've also seen some dispute over whether you can get the same color schemes with T5 that you can with MH. So far, I have T5s over my 55, and have been happy with them. I am only running 4x54watt HO-T5, and should probably be running a few more in my opinion. I also am just starting to get into some corals. I think you will find that the field is split on this one.

I am considering taking the plunge with MH when I upgrade my tank soon, but I'm not convinced it is worth dealing with the heat issue. My house gets warm enough in the summer time, I can't imagine adding more heat to the mix.

But, I can tell you this, T5 generates the same ALGAE growth as anything else! LOL!
 
E

eholceker

NJRC Member
T5's are a great lighting system only if you have the individual reflectors. The tek5 is a great light and I actually wish I had it instead of my halides! When you start looking at the Current Nova which doesn't use individual reflectors there is nothing special about it. From my research the Nova has no where near the PAR of a halide system and it is debatable whether or not they are better than VHO's.
 
M

mott768

RevClyburn said:
I' ve been told I can't keep Monti, Caps, Acros, Millis, and others
Click to expand...

Rev, I keep them all and then some under my T5's and have fast growth, it will depend what bulbs you use when it comes to the growth factor.
 
RichT

RichT

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Linking to RC is not a problem. Lots of valuable information over there.
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Whoah! That is one SUPER long thread! He started that thread in January. Does anyone know if he's updated his data yet? I can't read through that 14 page "discussion" to find it!
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

Well, I've been doing some experimenting with my T5s.

So far, I have a nice purple crocea clam about 1/3 the way up in my tank on some rocks, and he is doing great.

I have an LTA anemone that actually moved itself lower away from the lights. I had him about half way up in the center, and he crawled down to the sand and moved across the tank to a corner.

Now I have a purple with green polup acro that Ed picked out for me at ILC, very high up in the tank, and it is doing great too.

I'm starting to wonder about this MH thing! LOL!
 
S

sinkingbeach

Phyl said:
Whoah! That is one SUPER long thread! He started that thread in January. Does anyone know if he's updated his data yet? I can't read through that 14 page "discussion" to find it!
Click to expand...

I believe I read somewhere in that thread he would be releasing his data as a presentation at M.A.C.N.A.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top