T5 bulbs to replace MH setup?

[piscivorous]

It seems a lot of folks are going the T5 route. I got my 55 gallon tank set up last March and I have two 175 Watt MH bulbs set up inside a canopy with an open back and fans on both ends. I had a real bear of a time keeping my tank temps in the lower 80's over the summer and I think much of the problem is just that the MH bulbs put out too much heat. I've got 4 foot long acttinics to suppliment the MH setup as well. I was wondering if I might be better off replacing my MH setup with T5's. How would this affect the rest of the tank? Is it worth it to do this or would it be cost prohibitive....I honestly haven't even looked at the cost of a T5 setup.

[betamed]

Depends a bit on what your keeping in the tank, but they will run cooler and some even have built in fans. will save on electric too. Get a fixture with individual reflectors. I have both tek and ATI fixtures and they are both great. You'll loose the shimmer of MH, but you can get better color with T5.

[dublo8]

agreed with above. I went the other direction though and went form a 4 bulb t5 setup to a single 250 watt MH. phoenix 14k bulb and I havent looked back since. temps are a little higher but nothing a fan cant manage. I loved the color of my t5's but when coral growth is concerned it made a world of difference. Also a single MH bulb vs replacing a full set of t5's is a no brainer in my situation.