I think what all this info is saying is that the way to choose whether to get MH or T5s isn't to look at it from the perspective of will one give you better color than the other. That's essentially because, there are so many kinds of bulbs (wattage, Kelvin-rating, for example) available in both nowadays, that you can get great color from both kinds of lighting. Other considerations should determine which you choose...like length of your tank, depth of your tank, cost, heat, etc.