metal halides or t5 setup which would you buy

[rogerwilco357]

what light would you buy the dimmables 250-400 watt ballast with the killer reflectors to match for sps or would you go with the new ati powermodules 10 bulb setup? i have the choice to go metal halides or t5's what is your choice ?

[badwrasse]

wow tuff one you could keep anything with either one, I guess it comes down to the cost to run and shimmer which is more important to you.

[bolo7735]

If you have a controller to dim the new ATI Dimmable T5 is worth looking into. If you have the budget to operate MH then go with that. Both option are great.

[grigsy]

I agree, both are good choices.

Personally, I like metal halides better as I really prefer the shimmer effect they give the water.

[Jamesus]

I hate all the heat that comes with the MH. Go with the T5s, get better color with all the different bulb combinations.

[boogaman]

I always loved the look of my MH's but they do create more heat, and then you might have to run a chiller.

[Alex T.]

Although I believe you can "keep anything with either" setup, I've never seen proof that a t5 setup can really grow SPS at depths over 15 inches below the water surface at the rate that halides can.

If you love clams like I do, and want to be able to not just color up but GROW millepora and other light loving SPS in all depths of the tank, I really think metal halides are the best choice for the task. Until LED becomes more refined and cost effective, it's MH for me.

[SnowManSnow]

T5s can absolutely grow stuff down to 24". I have a 7 lamp Aquactinics Constellation on my 24" deep tank and keep all sorts of SPS all the way to the bottom.

This is an old pic, and things have really grown since, but you get the idea.

B

[rsaha]

I don't see how you can go wrong either way. Personally I run MH which is a bit problematic in the summer but I love the shimmer. Nice thing about T5 is even coverage throughout the tank. I run my MH with the Lumen Max Elite reflectors. They definitely are brighter under the bulb and taper off towards the edges.

Have you thought about MH with Reefbrites?

[jetbkk]

I have been debating the same issue the last couple of months. I can pretty easily upgrade to MH, but I live in Bangkok and it is HOT year round and I'm pretty sure I would need a chiller if I go with MH. With T5 I still need to run a fan when the lights are on, but that keeps things ok.

My problem is that I have a 3 bulb T5 housing which is pretty much all that fits on top of my tank, but people tell me I should have a 4 bulb unit for my tank size (36" x 18" x18"). Everything in my tank is doing fine (including 2 anemones, for example) but I would like to get a clam so want to try to squeeze and extra T5 bulb in somehow!

I do see there are some 4 bulb T5 housings (and even one from Reef Octopus that has 4 bulbs plus 2 lines of LED's) with built in fans, so if I can eliminate the fan on my tank perhaps I could get buy with a bigger T5 housing...

Tough decision..

[Alysiak00]

just my 2 cents but i had a nice t5 setup and broke down and got a mh. the difference is night and day after only 3 days. everything seems more open and loves the new light. plus the shimmer is a sweet addition

[jetbkk]

What about the heat? Did the MH increase the temp of your water? Do you run a chiller?

[scubasteve06]

If you go with MH you'll need exhaust fans or a chiller. If this is in your budget go with MH. If not then go with the ATI powermodule.

[rogerwilco357]

well no budget just need to make the choice of the shimmer and growth from metal halides i have had them before and the tank is in the basement of my home in michigan very cold anyways no chiller needed..but then the t5's and the colors they put out they can really improve the color of any acro IMO i have seen this..now if i had 2 tanks one to grow stuff out mh setup for that one and t5's to color them up to show or sell frags off then i would go that way so maybe i should just put up the other tank in the garage and do both decisions decisions ..think i better just stick with the one tank and make up my mind if the t5's don't work out and i resell i will take a major loss ..so need more input do you have pics of your tanks showing yours sps off under what lights?

[nd31male]

i have 2 tanks set up on MH and the other t5s i just converted my t5s to MH maybe im just old school.