MH vs T5s?

[wwarriner]

Which one is better in a smaller tank. I want to be able to keep sps and clams and stuff, but don't want an overwhelming electricity bill at the same time!!!

I was thinking of 1 250W HQI MH with a 10,000k XM and 2 39W T5 actinics on a 40 breeder.

Any thoughts?

[wwarriner]

I just noticed RayAllen's post on the 14,000k MH bulb which sounds like a possibility. I just want the best for my tank and not have to worry about it later.

[clamgal]

I have a 400 watt single end 14k hamilton MH bulb+ actinics, and I LOVE it.

[BioCube14]

MH=Heat
T-5=Little or no heat

less water means your tank will heat up faster unless you dont mind spending more money on a chiller

[Fish4life]

classic t5 vs mh debate. t5s= ability to maintain sps,clams,etc at all levels in tank (provided you get the correct reflectors and bulbs), cheaper to buy and run, cooler (as long as you run fans on the ends of the bulbs). IMO both will work.

cheers,

kurt

[Jamie]

I have about 500 watts of T5 over my 150 and have been very happy. I have had great growth on softies, LPS, and SPS. I recently added a bunch more SPS this past weekend...so we'll see how those do.

I think the big difference...and what made me go with the T5's was heat. I didn't want to have to buy a chiller...right now with a couple of quiet fans, my temp maintains 77-79 degrees F with no problems.

MH's do have a much more concentrated beam allowing them to penetrate further...so for most people with tanks deeper than 24"...they have to go with MH. As far as PAR goes, I have read that though the PAR for T5's is not as high as MH...it is pretty darn close...and for me the benefits to having the low heat/more efficient T5's outweighed what it lacked in comparison to the MH. Additionally, having multiple T5 bulbs allows a good amount of freedom regarding the color of light you want to display in your tank. With a MH, you're going to have to make a big decision on which 1 MH bulb you want to put in there.

I don't know if it was mentioned before...but in order for T5's to hold their own, each bulb has its own reflector...like a TEK or an IceCap.

HTH,
Jamie

[wwarriner]

Thanks for the replies. I'm definitely leaning more towards T5s instead. I am probably going to get 2 of the T5s retrofit kit.

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1350

[ErikH]

You want to fit as many bulbs as possible across for best coverage and growth especially with hard corals.