Lighting advice - T5 or MH?

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cdub

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I'm in the process of upgrading my 95 gal to a 120 and I'm looking for everyones opinion on lighting. The 120(4x2x2) has a canopy that is 12'' tall and I have been debating on what type of lighting to use. My tank is a mixed reef with SPS, LPS, and some zoas/palys/rics. My two options are as follows:

1. 8 bulb t5 retro, with 4 bulbs being overdriven.

2. 2x250w MH

The total wattage for each setup is very similar, but I'm wondering how much heat will actually be transferred to the water for both setups. I really am not looking to invest in a chiller so water temp will be a key factor. Also with the canopy only being 12'' i know the halides are going to be pretty close to the water.
 
most definitly t5's if you are not going to buy a chiller. but keep in mind that t5s put off heat as well especially overdriven bulbs
 
Tagging along. I am also trying to figure out which setup to get for my 90 gallon.
 
I'd go with T-5's.... altough, one of the main drawbacks is when it comes time to replace all of the bulbs. In your case you'll be replacing 8x $20 every year or two.
 
This is one of the greatest debates on this site and you will get a lot of both answers. It is true that t-5's will not put out as much heat and will not cost as much to run, but the don't penetrate the water as well either. T-5's will also give you a much more even lighting over the tank. I like both so its hard for me to say one way or the other. I have an 8 bulb t-5 on my 90 gallon and really like it, but I am setting up a 135 that is going to have metal halides. My problem HQI is if you don't get a good reflector and have them high enough off the water the tend to spotlight the tank. That being said with you only having a 12" high canopy I would say T-5 is the way to go.
 
I will agree and disagree with everyone here. Haha...

I think the t5s will run cooler, and you will be less</em> likely to need a chiller, but you never know, since it depends on many other factors like various pumps/equipment that add heat to the water, ambient room temps, etc... I have run 8 overdriven t5s on my 140 gallon tank (like a slightly taller 120) with no heat issues. It definatly warms up, but if I kept the room at a temp at 75ish, the tank had no problems with my 10 case fans and sump fan (probably overkill on fans, actually)

Also, my tank is 27" deep, and my overdriven T5s punch 350 par to the center of the sandbed, so the penetration is as good as most MH setups of comparable wattage, regardless of reflectors. Obviously the trick is to use a high quality T5 reflector, like a Icecap SLR or other name brand.

Lastly, it is my opinion that you should choose a setup that you like appearence wise. That is most important, since the whole point of a tank in your home is usually for its visual appeal. Even a MH tank can run chillerless if you set it up to minimize heat transfer (minimize submerged pumps, good canopy ventaillation, the right reflectors, etc)
 
BTW, other fish stores may do the same,. but Creation Reef has set up their display tanks with different lighting systems so you can compare tehm in store to see what you like.
 
I agree with most. I run T5s. I like the less expense of electric and the cooler running. I also like the more even lighting across the tank and am not that obsessed with the shimmer, it's cool but not necessary for me. Just my personal opinion.

BTW, I am currently experimenting with LED configurations and different type LEDs. Will post when I am satisfied with the outcome.
 
Actually it will take more power to run 8 54W T5's overdriven than 2 250w MH's... 54w T5's when overdriven with an Icecap will be 80W each... 80x8=640w's Watts are watts anyway you look at it... you will be using more power with the T5s... As for heat... The T5s will actually produce more heat... let me explain... 640w's will produce more heat that 500w's obviously... the reason we all feel that T5s produce less heat is because the heat is spread out over 48" where the 250w bulbs produce heat over about 4"... The concentrated affect of the MH's create a much more localized heat... causing an increase in water temp... but by using the correct reflectors ducted together with fans the temperature produced can be negated...

With all that said... If the extra power consumption isn't that big of a deal I would go with the T5's... I like them because you can completely customize the light color you want and you can stagger the turn on of the lights to sort of simulate dusk to dawn...
The one advantage the MH's have is the shimmer...
 
Just more food for thought...

cdub;344981 wrote:
1. 8 bulb t5 retro, with 4 bulbs being overdriven.
Click to expand...

54 x 4 = 216
80 x 4 = 320

= 536 for your T5 setup.

Also note that 250w halides do not necessarily run at 250 W. THe lamp and ballast combination actually run at varying wattages depending on brand and other factors. Look at Sanjay's site and you may be surprised at how much it can differ between setups. I would say that a 2 x 250 setup could burn as much as 600W, possibly, but I havent looked at his 250W sections.

So in that light, power consumption can vary greatly, and might be hard to predict unless the numbers are published somewhere or tested. Maybe the same thing applies to T5 lamp/icecap combos, but I dont know.

Watts is watts, but watts do not equal heat transfer to the water. If you run T5's you can feel the difference by putting your hand underneath them. The different spectums react differently as far as heat. I have experimented with both, and I believe that the MH has more heat transfer. For example, a 80W heat lamp, 80W Infrared lamp, and a 80W incandecent will not all heat up a surface in the same manner. The spectrums are absorbed/reflected differently.

Of course this heat transfer difference might also account for how differntly corals respond to T5 and MH lighting, since under certain lights some spectrums are absent or less intense than under others.
 
I just took a quick peek on Sanjay's site and found a 250W EVC HQI ballast that burns an Iwasaki 10k lamp at over 350 watts! Ans it is not just an odd ball... Many were running hot, especially HQIs.
 
thanks for everyones input. i had figured the wattage up and when i saw my t5's would be around 500w i started to think about the possibility of 250w halides. my current tank has a 6 bulb t5 fixture(not overdriven) on it and i have zero problems with tank temp. my tank does get a little warmer(80) when the temp gets really hot outsides as my 50 gal sump is in my garage. when i move into my new tank it will have the sump underneath it so i should see very minimal temp swing.

i'm planning on having two fans in my hood both blowing on the end caps of the t5's. i'm also going to drill some holes in the top of the canopy to allow the hot air to escape.
 
I was running a tek 8 lamp T5 setup on my 90 gallon and completely loved it. Now the 180 is set up Im on the fence about lighting hense the fact I havent purchaced any yet. I have had the shimmer of the MH but didnt like the color of the corals under it. The T5 light makes the sps just POP out at you.

Love the shimmer and the color. HMMMMM Im starting my canopy in the next week or two so it will happen soon here. I would like to keep the power draw down as much as possible too.
 
WILLIAM1;345636 wrote: I was running a tek 8 lamp T5 setup on my 90 gallon and completely loved it. Now the 180 is set up Im on the fence about lighting hense the fact I havent purchaced any yet. I have had the shimmer of the MH but didnt like the color of the corals under it. The T5 light makes the sps just POP out at you.

Love the shimmer and the color. HMMMMM Im starting my canopy in the next week or two so it will happen soon here. I would like to keep the power draw down as much as possible too.
Click to expand...

Combo time... Do MH and T5... that's what I'm doing...
 
Ya I really think thats what its going to come down to. best of both worlds.
 
I think a combo is a good approach too. I would be very likely to try that in the future. I have thought about designing a custom MH reflector that is a little more narrow and long than most to allow more room for t5s to run along side it.

The only bad thing about a combo is that in most instances you will tend to burn more watts, but if that isnt a big issue I think it really is the way to go.

Or if you feel like playing with MH/LED combos that would be fun IMO. It would just be more likely to be DIY than an out-of-the-box deal
 
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