LeslieS

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I dropped one of my T5 fixtures and Russ and Jim had a good deal on a MH fixture so I switched over for no other reason than the fixture was a bargain. We have a million MH vs. T5 threads, so I thought I would post the changes to my tank under a different light source. The MH have been on for 30 minutes. Here are the differences I have noticed so far.

Was: 4 39w Aquablue Specials and 4 39w blue plus. No actinic (same as Ming :)

Now: 2 175w 10k ushio bulbs and 2 39w actinic bulbs

The reds in the tank used to look really red. Now many of them are brown, but the greens are popping and my blue ricordia's finally look really blue.

The tank looks much moodier under MH. The shadows have much more dimension and the shimmer is crazy. I'm not sure how I feel about that much shimmer as it makes me feel sea sick. Also, the tank is mostly softies and already had tons of movement. Don't look at the waves....don't look at the waves.....

I am still waiting for the cats to notice the shimmer pattern on the ceiling. They are going to go crazy.

The MH fixture is narrower than the eight bulbs across were so the spread of light is not quite reaching the sides of my rock work. Jer feels this looks more like a natural reef than the flatter overall lighting of the T5. I am going to have to rearrange some things to make sure everything is getting the amount of light it needs.

The fish are totally freaked out :)

My white rasta leather is looking less peachy colored. Hopefully it will turn back to white as it was kept under MH before it came to me.

I would like to post a before and after pic, but as I said, the other fixture was broken so it would not be a real comparison.

I will definitely keep you posted if I notice anymore dramatic changes.

Thanks to HOF for letting me know about the good deal on the fixture.
 
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KathyC

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Interesting observations Leslie, especially regarding the colors of the corals :) Definietly want to hear what the cats have to say when they finally look toward the ceiling!!
Your tank is a 120 if I recall, are you finding the 175's light reaches down far enough in the tank?
 

masterswimmer

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By any chance is it an Aquactinics 36" fixture ? :D


LMAO, yes, I think it might be :biggrin:

Leslie, great commentary. You will not only find that the color variations you see now are different from the T5's, but you'll see the same variations from different MH bulbs as well. After using a few different ones, you'll finally settle on one that satisfies all your needs, ie: growth, coloration, penetration, shimmer, and most importantly, your cats :tongue1:

Thanks again for using HOF............

Russ
 

Alexxn

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LMAO, yes, I think it might be :biggrin:

Leslie, great commentary. You will not only find that the color variations you see now are different from the T5's, but you'll see the same variations from different MH bulbs as well. After using a few different ones, you'll finally settle on one that satisfies all your needs, ie: growth, coloration, penetration, shimmer, and most importantly, your cats :tongue1:

Thanks again for using HOF............

Russ

Well then.....Leslie ya got yerself a sweet light ! Take it from someone who knows firsthand...your softies will grow like wildfire :tongue1:
 

Dace

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Leslie , with the right t5 bulb combination over all lps and softies would look best under t5's, As for sps and ming tank. I think he has been able to accomplish incredible success with sps, better then anyone i have ever seen. But i don't think t5 light would get the best result from a sps then mh. I've seen a bunch of tanks and am a die hard MH person and have to admit, for over all mixed reef t5s is the way to go. but if your a die hard sps lover, Theres nothing in the market like MH. Hope this helps. PS, if your old t5 setup is 36" and you want to sell. let me know. i need one.
 

rfalk

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Was: 4 39w Aquablue Specials and 4 39w blue plus. No actinic (same as Ming :)

Now: 2 175w 10k ushio bulbs and 2 39w actinic bulbs

That right there is a huge difference in color (blue plus bulbs have actinic spectrum in them)

I love t5s because of the color mix and match...but the MH shimmer really gives it that sunlight look
 

NYreefNoob

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compring a 4 bulb t5 and pending what unit it was is no comparision to those of us who are die hard t5 fan's, alexpescad runs t5's also { as well as someone else i know }:shhh: and have had great success with sps, i never got to compare when i had mh versus my t5's cause was 2 different tanks, and using reg t5's versus over driven t5's which i will soon be doing with mine. soooooooo maybe i should see if it makes much difference
 

fritz

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You can have a great tank with T5 or MH. Truth be told of my five favorite tanks one runs CF and NO and one is VHO only (24" deep sps tank), how about that. You can achieve a great setup with any of the above lights.

To me, a reef is not a reef without MH. The shimmer makes me feel like I'm underwater, on a reef. Everytime I've done T5s or look at a T5 tank it looks unnatural to me. It feels like fluorescent lights rather than the sun. There, in my opinion, is a "lab" feel to T5s.

It's really a matter of preference. You can do everything with T5s you can with MH and vice versa. It comes down to which look you prefer.
 

NYreefNoob

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dont do what lunner ? over drive my t5's ? they arent yet. i still got to switch over the ballast going to run 4 on a 660 and 2 on a 430 or just the 4 and keep my vho for antic
 

Chiefmcfuz

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The questions you need to ask yourself about MH vs T5 are:

1. Is my livestock healthy?
2. Am I happy with the results/coloration?

If the answer is yes to both of these questions no matter what light type you have everything is fine. Enjoy your tank the way you want to and do what works for you (and your livestock)
 

LeslieS

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Your tank is a 120 if I recall, are you finding the 175's light reaches down far enough in the tank?

Yes it is a 120 and it is 30" high. I will continue to place things at the appropriate height on the rock work as I did with the T5's. I'll let you know if things start fading.

By any chance is it an Aquactinics 36" fixture ? :D

yes :)

This thread is not about which is best. It is just about my experience with each. :) I will continue to post if I notice anything new.
 

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