T5 lighting the real deal or not??

[dnyce]

Hello everyone, I am going to set up a 120 gal rectangular tank with LR, fish and maybe some soft corals. What I would like to know is what do the members think of T5 lighting. I am looking at the 48" Nova Extreme with
4-54 watt bulbs (216 watts). It seems most people on this sight are Metal Halide fans, but if I can use the T5's which are cheaper, cooler, and provide very good lighting I would like to use them. So I am looking for as much feedback as I can get, thanks in advance.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

All depends on what you want to keep.

 

[ming]

The Nova fixtures aren't as good as the Tek because of the reflectors. Nova bulbs are also placed too close to make efficient use of all the light.

 

[fritz]

I used to run overdriven T5s it really will depend what you plan on keeping. With 4 bulbs over a 2 foot spread you arent' going to get very much light at all. 4 T5s on your tank would be good only for the low light speces (IMO). A 120 gallon tank is the perfect and most efficient size for MHs. MH bulbs have a 2 foot by 2 foot spread. Being your tank is 2 feet by four feet your tank is the perfect size for 2 MH bulbs. Unlike most tanks which are 18 inches wide yours wouldn't waste any of the light of a MH bulb.

IMO, T5s are good for narrow tanks, once you get into wider tanks the number of bulbs you would need to cover the spread makes them no longer "cheaper, cooler" etc. I'd also like to point out that I've run PC, VHO, T5 and MH and I wish I had gone MH from the start. I went with the other bulbs for the same reason you are considering them but trust me, MH is the way to go.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Key thing to remember with T5 lights is to get INDIVIDUAL PARABOLIC REFLECTORS (shiney ones ) for each light.

 

[kimoyo]

I have only t5's on my 120 but I have 8 of them. You can't expect 4 54W bulbs (216W) to hold up against 2 250W MH (500W) plus actinics. When I put all 8 54W bulbs on (432W) people at first think they are MH's until they ask. And the room seems cooler to me, I switched from MH's.

 

[dnyce]

Ok, now we are getting some where. So Kimoyo with the 8 bulbs what fixture manufacturer are you using and are you using white and blue or actinic? Fritz your advice was good too, but if I can I would like to start off with something cheaper than $500 - 700 MH's. I know this is a expensive hobby, but I'm a newjack and I'd like to save a few bucks where I can.

 

[kimoyo]

I have a tek fixture. But if your going with a fixture I'm not sure if you'll spend less than with a halide setup. I would suggest you get what you like more than what cost less because in the long run you'll probably end up buying what you like more anyway. I'm a little more experienced so I understand what it means to get t5's.

 

[fritz]

Kimoyo makes a great point,

When I started I didn't want to spend money on MHs, too hot and too much money so I bought:
110 Watt PC $150
it wasn't enough for the corals that I wanted to keep so I bought:
VHO Retro setup $200
still wasn't enough so I switched to T5s overdriven which are MUCH brighter then the Tek fixtures and cheaper:
T5 Retro with DIY canopy: $250
Now I run two 150 watt MH bulbs on my setup. To my eye it's not as bright as T5s but my corals strongly disagree. I've seen much more growth with MH then iwth my T5s and the T5s killed the colors on my corals.

The icecap 660 should have pulled only about 240 watts but it was pulling around 3amps. My MHs only pull 2.2 amps even thought they should be pulling higher wattage. It's been my experience in this hobby that trying to save a few bucks costs you more in the long run.

For example I figured I could get away with an Aqua C Remora and save some money:
$200
then I faced the music and upgraded to an EV 120
$150
well I should have done it right the first time and not tried to save a few bucks:
$225 for an ASM G2

IMO T5s aren't viable for corals. They were designed for industrial uses like to light your local Old Navy on the cheap. MHs have been around a long time, have a great track record and are more geared towards coral growing. You could use 2 x 250watt (=500 watts) lights on your tank and it would be great or 8 x 54watt bulbs (=440 watts). Halides aren't as hot as people make it sound and for a 60 watt difference I wouldn't think twice about it. Also think of the cost of replacing 8 T5 bulbs vs. 2 Halides.

Your best bet is to take a few trips and visit some MR tanks that are setup with Halides and with T5s. A lot of people here run MHs without any supplimentation (I do) and have great results.

 

[herman]

Food for thought

This tank was grown entirely using T5 lighting. And there are many more tanks like this one. Cant tell me that that you cant grow stuff with awesome colors under T5s.

 

[DEEPWATER]

Hey Dnyce

Welcome to MR

Tek T5 lighting 8 bulbs will cost you $335 Bulbs are $20 each $160 for bulbs ,total $495 ...splash sheild is around $25 if you need it

Tek T5 light 6 bulbs will cost you $290 $120 for bulbs total $410 and $25 for the splash sheild if you need it

If you are interested just pm me ,it will be shipped to your door ,for FREE

 

[fritz]

This tank was grown entirely using T5 lighting. And there are many more tanks like this one. Cant tell me that that you cant grow stuff with awesome colors under T5s.

:lol2:
Herman didn't you plumb this tank into your MH tank in order to test which lighting was better? I thought you told me that you ran 2 tanks, plumbed together so that you could test under the exact same water which lighting worked better and I thought you said that the Hallides were MUCH better!???

 

[kimoyo]

The reason I got interested in sps corals was because of this tank.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/totm/index.php

Several people with very nice tanks and that I respect as reefkeepers think t5's can't keep sps but I don't agree. T5's afford a diverse spectrum but you have to choose the right bulbs for your setup. One problem is that most of us choose lights before we even have the tank running or enough experience to know whats best for us.

dnyce, right now I would concentrate on your plumbing and getting your filtration together. I personally think the better your water quality the less you have to worry about lighting and flow. If your just starting up, you really won't need lights for a bit. Take the time to look at setups and do as much research as you can.

 

[tomzpc]

IMO T5s aren't viable for corals.

No offense but IMO that's just silly.

A lot of people here run MHs without any supplimentation (I do) and have great results

I know a lot of people who run T-5's without any supplementation(I do) and have great results.

I've seen beautiful tanks with metal halide lighting and I've seen beautiful tanks with T-5 lighting. Heck, I've seen some gorgeous tanks with VHO lighting too.

Agree wholeheartedly with the early suggestions that IF you go with a T-5 fixture that you stay away from the NOVA setup and get a Tek-light. Deepwater on this site is running some amazing deals on them right now. Anything less than a 6 bulb tek on that size tank would be too small though and an 8 bulb would be a better bet if you want to keep acros and other light loving sps.

I agree with Fritz on one thing here though. The best thing that you can do would be to look at other's tanks to compare the lighting and then decide.

 

[cali_reef]

I know a lot of people who run T-5's without any supplementation(I do) and have great results.

How does one not have supplement (actinic\blue) T-5 setups? I thought one of the advantages of multiple T5 bulbs is to have different color temp bulbs, therefore supplementing the white daylight bulbs.

My advice, buy what you want now, find out what you think you want later and buy that again, then buy another set of lights because you see someone else using something different and have a great looking tank. Or just ask everyone to post pictures of their tank and lights used then go from there. I bet Fritz will be asking for other's experience and opinion before he buys another big piece of equipment:lol2:

This is an expensive hobby, don't put water in your tank if you are not willing to drop some serious cash, like a down payment for a new car and an electric bill that matches a monthly car payment.

 

[tomzpc]

How does one not have supplement (actinic\blue) T-5 setups? I thought one of the advantages of multiple T5 bulbs is to have different color temp bulbs, therefore supplementing the white daylight bulbs.

It was a tongue in cheek comment. =)
Fritz' point was that he and many others run MH without any T-5 (or other) supplementation. My point was that I don't have to supplement my T-5's with another type of lighting either. I wasn't referring to spectrum.

 

[digitalreefer]

I'm pretty new to all of this, but the one thing I've learned is you don't know anything until you start. There's always another opinion or another unforseen concern that you'll run into once you get going.

Just an example, I decided to go with halides so that I'd have the option to eventually keep anything I want. I then realized that I blow a circuit every time I try to run my AC and lights at the same time, so now I'm trying to add some flourescent lights so I can limit my halide's on time. I also found out once I started that I really like zoanthids and that my MH lights are a little overkill for what I want to keep.

My advice... find a tank or two that you really like, find out what type of corals they keep, what kind of light they use and why. This way you can develop your own educated opinion and figure out what will work best in your situation.

Keep in mind too, that people sell lights here all the time. Instead of spending more on new lights, you might be able to find the lights you really want on the board. (I'd be a richer man if I'd known about this board before I started)

You'll probably end up changing things around a bit once you start, but if you make educated choices specifically based on what you're looking to do, you'll spend less and deal with less frustration down the road.

 

[LeslieS]

I'd be a richer man if I'd known about this board before I started

Me too!!!

 

[digitalreefer]

I'd be a richer man if I'd known about this board before I started

Me too!!!

Not sure how the board would make you a man... but richer yes!
LOL

 

[tomzpc]

Not sure how the board would make you a man... but richer yes!
LOL

:lol2: :lol: