T-5 vs MH

[gwen_o_lyn]

Hey Hoang!! What's going on buddy?

Glad to see ya hang out with us.

 

[schwaggs]

Dustin,

While I have never had a T5 fixture with that many bulbs, I did have 660W of VHO over a 90. IMO, you should go MH. IN MY EXPERIENCE (others may have different experiences), everything grows better with MH, even the stuff in the shade.

 

[mufret]

I use both and have a SPS dominated tank that is under only T5 lighting. I have no problem keeping clams in that tank and they are all on the sandbed. These days, there really are 2 choices when it comes to keeping "anything" (MH and T5) as long as you don't have one of the taller tanks where you are going to be limited to MH. I will really come down to personal preferences and your space requirement. T5 will be cooler, potentially use less energy, need less height above the tank and give you the opportunity to blend various bulb colors to get the lighting "just as YOU like it". You will, however, not be blessed with the shimmer lines that many of us crave. MH are more readily available (although that advantage isn't as great as it used to be) and there's more information available since MH has been the standard for many years.