Change From MH to T5's

[SWITCH420]

that said, you want something that you can keep anything under, because everyone i've ever met that got into the hobby changed their minds about what was going in there tanks somewhere along the lines.

+1 i never wanted sps now i do so lucky i have mh set up

 

[PolandSpring]

i use Tek T5's 6 bulb on my 90 gal 48x18x24... they work great and they aren't to pricey. i have a sps dominated tank and my corals grow like crazy and the color pops so much more than MH's. i would say go tek t5 4 bulb if your doing softies, but to be on the safe side that maybe u will switch one day, go 6bulb..

 

[mr_X]

i like the tek fixtures too. sunlight supply makes good products. corals will grow like crazy with either mh or t-5. it depends on alot more than lighting.

 

[Solace Aquatics LLC]

No one has mentioned having to change bulbs every 6 months. When you get into the larger T5 fixtures with MANY bulbs, it gets pretty costly to change out bulbs every 6 months in comparison to the MH's which last a year.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Tek T5's, I used them over my Coral Prop System, but the bulbs do add up.

 

[mr_X]

i've never heard of that. i was under the impression that t-5's lasted longer than halides unless you overdrive them.

 

[Long-Island-Mike]

If he is doing "mainly softies" ... a 48" ATI would be the biggest waste of money ... there is definitely no need for one ... Like people have said the Nova Extreme pro and the Tek are the best bang for the buck!

How long do you run your current halides for? If your electric bill is really that high ... you should honestly compile a list of all of your equipment, the wattage etc. etc. and use the reef calculators over on Reef Central (i will find the link for you) and determine what you can do to cut your costs ... Sometimes your return or skimmer pumps cost more to run then your lights, remember they both run 24/7.

WOW!! That calculator is awesome! Thank you for sharing that! I feel so much better now seeing it. It was always in the back of my mind, that my wife would drop the hammer one day and try and shut me down :smash: I thought it was costing me much more to run both tanks

Thanks again
Li MIke