t5 vs MH

[Deep Dive Coral]

what would you use on a 20" high tank with a canopy an extra 10" high. so the bottom of the tank will be 30" from the bulbs. also its going to be a retro fit and the tank dimensions are 48 x 16 x 20. thanks

 

[reefman]

lighting choice depends on many factors, i.e.:
what corals will i be keeping
is heat a factor
do i like the shimmering look
how much $ do i wanna spend
how often do i wanna change bulbs
etc.........

 

[Deep Dive Coral]

I'm going to be keeping SPs and heat is a factor. I do like the shimmering look. How much heat are we talking about?

 

[ZANYMASTER]

At this of the year,I suggest a chiller or run the A/C.Also depends how close it is to the water,12 inches away is a safe distance IMO.

 

[qy7400]

IMO your two choices are either a 5 bulb T5HO setup or dual 175W setup

T5s will run cooler, use less power, longer bulb life (unless using IceCap Ballast); down side is no shimmer.
MH will give you the shimmer but run hotter, use more power and cost more on bulbs.

Either way I'd still keep fans in the canopy, T5s run better and tank stays cooler using halides.

 

[Deep Dive Coral]

tanks stay cooler with MH? Well a/c will be on if I get them. And if I get a t5 setup then I will go with at least six maybe 8 if possible.

 

[Wolverine57]

tanks stay cooler with MH? Well a/c will be on if I get them. And if I get a t5 setup then I will go with at least six maybe 8 if possible.

Richie if you go T5 with 8 bulbs, you might as well go with MH

 

[autoponicz]

lets say you go with dual Mh and t5s for actinics...(thats what i would do)
with a 10" hood...your light will be closer to the tank than the whole 10"....depending on which pendant your going to use....like if your using 250w icecap pendants...they are about 5" tall so your lights will be about 5" from the top of the tank..and usually t5's are put about 3-4" from the top of the tank....so you may want to add a bracket to lower your t5's for them to penetrate to the bottom

 

[Deep Dive Coral]

well the lighting I'd going to determine the size and design hood that I use. If I go with MH then I will go with a larger hood. If I go with t5 I will go with a smaller lower hood. That's y I am looking for some help. As of right now I'm leaning towards 2 150w MH. Both with XM 10k bulbs. 2 54w t5ho true actinics by avi. What does everyone think.