T5 or metal halide

[jasonseaman]

so ive always done just the power compact light but i wana get more into the hard coral. i have a 75 gallon tank so should i go with a t5 or mh? please help me out here...

 

[TotalVapor]

Is it a standard 75 gallon tank? If so I would go with a tek fixture, T-5. I believe it is a 6 bulb that fits pretty well over it.

With that you should be able to keep just about any kind of coral you wish.

 

[jasonseaman]

right on thats what ive been looking at.. and yes its a standard 75gallon...

 

[NaTe R]

i have seen good results on those 75 gal tanks as well with t5 lights i think in large because there so shallow. Plus with those there's not to much temp issues

 

[NC2WA]

agreed with the T5..the big plus here is the T5 doesnt emit as much heat as MH does.

 

[returnofsid]

In my signature, are a couple links to my Flickr site. Go check out our tank pics, and pay close attention to the 75 gallon. It was lit with a 6 bulb Tek5 fixture. It was predominately SPS, with several clams.

 

[lvsuckerfish]

both will work the choice is yours lol as this will could be a battle I personally like MH lighting. will t5s work yes with sucess you won't get the water shimmer but you can use Leds with the t5s to get that shimmer.... t5s is a good choice with a good t5 system or retro fit system. that is one thing you really do not want to skimp on value wise. not saying go buy a 1000 dollar fixture but get quality and quality you will trust. and same goes for the bulbs also. good quality bulbs.

 

[jasonseaman]

wow thank you all for your input i think i will be ordering my t5 lighting tonight....

 

[sampets1984]

that is an interesting question. I have thought about going to metal halides because I want hard coral but I wasn't entirely sure if M / H were better than T-5 just based off the shimmer.

 

[returnofsid]

MH does offer much better "shimmer effect." The Shimmer does blast the corals with greatly intensified lighting, for split seconds. Shimmer effect is also dependent on disturbing the surface of the water. Shimmer effect is very minimal without "spot" lighting. It can be achieved with LED Spots as well.

One problem with MH lighting, is that the amount of light quickly falls off, at the edges. The lighting intensity, directly under the bulbs, is much higher than the intensity, as you move away from directly below the bulbs.

 

[sampets1984]

Well I am looking at getting a 125 and perhaps a new lighting for my 90 its just running vho's but I have been trying to figure out where you snag those fancy t-5 fixtures . Also It would be nice not to have to get a canopy or suspend the fixture after all.

 

[returnofsid]

Either your LFS or http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/

 

[jasonseaman]

sampets marine depot has a huge selection they are pricey but t5 in long run sounds like it saves you money on energy...

 

[sampets1984]

I was told to check out marine depot but for some reason I don't see tek on there so I assume those fixtures aren't as powerful. I had tried t-5s with my 55 and they weren't very strong it was a little 2 bulb fixture from pets smart I wasn't impressed Ill tell you that. My coral wouldn't even respond to its output.

 

[jasonseaman]

you may not have had enough watts sounds like you had maybe 108 watts and on a 55 gallon thats not enough...

 

[returnofsid]

I'd stick with either Sunlight Supply's Tek5 or Elite, or if your budget allows, ATI Power Module or ATI Sun Power. These are the best you'll find, from least expensive, to most.