T5 or 20k 175MH

[tango]

I have a 125g tank, right now i have three 20k 175MH on it I just bought a 6lamp t5 fixture that i got at a good price so i could not let it pass.
my question is, between the two is the t5 6lamp better then the three
20k 175MH?:unsure:

 

[lilrobb]

What length T6s?

 

[tango]

its 48" long i know i have about 24" leftover

 

[rbredding]

I wouldn't think so..


can you run both the MH's and the T5?
(actinic in the t5s and change the MHs to 14K or 10K)

 

[markl]

I decided at the last minute on t5s. I went with an 8bulb set up with 2 ic 660's on my 120g

 

[tango]

I don't know, or i was thinking maybe i can put the t5 in the middle and
the corals that don't need that bright of light put on the sides.

 

[rolo65]

I run a T5 fixture and a MH 14K pendant....all actinic in the fixture....get pretty good colour and great growth

 

[weaglereefer]

What you could do is buy my dual 175w halide setup for $100 with 15k bulbs, and then put it between your current 3 bulbs (so you have 5x175). That'd be plenty of light, lol.

 

[rolo65]

au01st;561480 wrote: What you could do is buy my dual 175w halide setup for $100 with 15k bulbs, and then put it between your current 3 bulbs (so you have 5x175). That'd be plenty of light, lol.

Uhm........what's the length on those?!

 

[tango]

Ok al buy your dual 175MH if you will pay my georgia power bill

 

[weaglereefer]

We gonna play that game, huh? My new light setup is a 760w fixture, lol, and my chiller is 1/4 hp. Last month's bill was $298 WITHOUT lights or cooling for my tank, lol.

I really think you should go with 72" T5's. You're looking at about $150 in bulbs per year with T5's versus more with halides.

 

[tango]

the lenght of the t5 is 48" so i have 12" on both sides over

 

[tango]

i know thats why am asking what to do. so al start looking for a 72" t5

 

[lilrobb]

I just built a 6' fixture with 4' bulbs:
<fieldset class="gc-fieldset">
<legend> Attached files </legend>

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class="gc-images" title="6' T5 DIY.jpg[/IMG] style="max-width:300px" /></a>

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class="gc-images" title="IMG00048-20100912-1938.jpg[/IMG] style="max-width:300px" /></a> </fieldset>

 

[weaglereefer]

I know, I think you should sell that fixture and your halides and get a 72" fixture. Your original question, which of the two is better? Depending on the bulbs, I'd side with the halides for better coverage and PAR.

 

[weaglereefer]

Freakin' Germans, always doing stuff the hard way. First Volkswagen, now this...

 

[tango]

hmmm that's an idea

 

[glxtrix]

Yikes...the real question here is....does the T5 fixture have individual reflectors? If not, it's not worth it. I've ran 175W MH's for years...never done me wrong. But like T5's...reflectors play a HUGE role in the success of any lamp.

 

[snowmansnow]

ya. WHAT t5 fixture is it?

I run ONLY 7 lamp t5 over my SPS tank and grow stuff all the way to the bottom, but its a good unit.

FB