T5 versus MH

[REEFSTOCK]

give me the wattage and cost of equipment to run over a 2'x4' tank (pretty common size), with MH.

[ReelFreak]

Another satified T5 HO customer speaking here, I think that if electricity is an issue than the T5 HO w/ individual reflectors is a great option. I'm not sure why I see and hear so many people speaking negatively about T5 sometimes. I'm only using 216w over a 55g tank, and if I were to use MH most would recommend 2x250w....or at least 2x175w. Regardless I feel I am able to get away with less wattage because of the efficiency of the reflectors combined with the slim profile of the light. Many people have done tests on PAR of T5 and the PAR is there with MH. Why would we not be concerned with PAR?? Higher PAR can correlate to higher growth, correct? Hence the reason 20k users get little growth, but great color (not a good tradeoff in my eyes). Plus there's a good chance w/ MH I would need a chiller = more electricity.

In a day and age where we cry about Global warming, and all of the greenhouse gases we are creating....shouldn't we be trying to light our reefs with the least amount of power possible? If I can have a sucessful tank w/ just 216w instead of using 500w and the bulbs are going to last me twice as long (saving resources) then why as a conservationist should I not try it out??

Yes the new LED technology looks like a promising thing, but how many of us are going to spend that kind of money this early on?

I think for each person you will find who dislikes T5s you are going to find another sucessful and happy reefer using them. This is just my opinion, but sometimes I see and read about tanks that are wasteful on the electric side. Seems to be the American way, " I can, so I will " spend all this extra money on something I don't really need.....who cares about the wasted resources. I know this sounds a little extreme, but seems more and more I read threads about the environment and not many talk about how to reduce the amount of power we use in our tanks.....JMO

[REEFSTOCK]

Originally Posted by Charles

My tank dimension is Length 70 x Height 24 x Depth 23
voltage here is 220 Volts and I am currently using 2 x 250watts 20,000K MH and 4 x 30watts Actinic blue. How many T5 should I used to keep my SPS healthy? Does the reflector really double the wattage of T5? This will help me cut down on actual wattage used and in turn cut down on electricity. And is operating T5 cooler than MH? If so this will also lessen the operation of my chiller thus again cutting down on electricity bill.

See if you can get David Griegor (PM him) to join the thread. He has spent some time figuring out longer tanks. My gut reaction is that it is hard to get your moneys worth with anything other than 4 foot or 8 foot tanks. Or at least using all '4 bulbs.

You may need to keep the corals a bit higher than the bottom in the tank. In a 75 BB most corals could go anywhere with a 6 bulb set up.

Reflectors make a huge difference, for any bulb.

http://thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76743

Originally Posted by HFG

PAR TEST / FIXED POINT ~5.5" / No Water


BULB NR... SS... IC
NEW BULBS:

ATI/Giesemann:
11K.....98...201...264
B+......83...163...213

UVL:
10K.....79....158...214
12K.....77....161...205
UVA.....57....117...160

2-3year OLD bulbs:
GE.......83...153...210
GA......13.....26.....34

NR= no reflector. There was a white board behind the bulb. White boards are more reflective than cheep foil slap-ons. I figure most people will have at least a white hood.
SS= Sunlight Supplys
IC= Ice Cap

[REEFSTOCK]

(I switched my user name as I went from reefer to business owner )

You can see here in the tests the IC reflector gives about 150% PAR than with just a white back.

[Charles]

I tried to PM David Griegor but it just gave me an error message username not found. Anyway please advice me how many T5 and wattage I need for the dimension of my tank. thanks

[hng]

It's probably not fair to say that t-5s are not good because they are not used in street lamps or some other random application. And they certainly ARE used in other places than the reef hobby (I can't think of any lighting system that wasn't used in other applications before hobbyist decided to use it for their reef tanks). Hospitals and office buildings are using a lot of t-5 lights now, for the savings in bulb replacement and energy consumption.
I think that these discussions about which is better are not that helpful cause no one has done head to head comparisons measuring the PAR. And even if they did, does it really matter which one is more efficient? Fact is, both types of lighting or even a combination can create a heck of a tank. I'm disappointed that so many people are so into halides that they can't possibly accept another form of lighting (not directed at you Geoff, talking about people at LFS and internet forums in general). Every time a new lighting technology comes around, people are hesitant to use it. Just wait until LED's come out. There will be plenty of people saying that LED's can't adequately light a reef tank, they don't give the wonderful shimmer of halides, the fixtures are too big, it's too expensive, etc...
Charles, most people recommend using fans to cool t-5 bulbs, this has been shown to greatly increase their light output and bulb life. click here to see thread Yes, t-5s run cooler than halides and no, you probably will not have to use a chiller with t-5s. Good reflectors will help increase the light intesity, it does not increase the watts consumed by the lights. For the configuration, I'm not sure since they do not have bulbs that long. The longest t-5 bulbs that I know of are 60 inch 80 watt bulbs. You could use 8-10 of those over your tank if you don't mind the 5 inches of low light areas on either end of the tank. You would need individual reflectors for each bulb, the parabolic Ice Cap brand are supposed to be the best.

[ReelFreak]

Alot of people will stagger 5' bulbs to get coverage across a 6 foot tank.
. I have read where people didn't stagger the 5' bulbs on a 6' tank and stated they didn't notice any big dark areas from it.

As for the amount of watts to use, it's hard to say exactly. I use 216w on a 55g and have all types of corals, even blue acros, that do great under them.

If you want a place to get tons of info on T5s Reefcentral has quite a few happy users on the forum. If you want more bang per bulb, look at overdriving the bulbs with an Icecap ballast then using IC reflectors.....Serious light coming out of those systems.

Edit....my crude drawing didn't work...

[Charles]

Thanks Hng and ReelFreak. My last question is regarding the use of parabolic reflector which they claim this will double the effect of the T5, what I mean is that for example 167 gal x 5 watts/gal = 835 watts. I need 835 watts for my tank dimension. If I used T5 bulbs with individual parabolic reflector then this means I can use a total of 418 watts of T5 bulbs then rely on the reflector to turn this 418 watts to say 836 watts??? I am confused on the reflectors, do we use reflector to cut down on the wattage we will be using thus saving energy? Pls clarify thanks.

[hng]

Watts/gallon is not the best way to determine how much lighting you would need. The reflectors have no effect on the watts of the lighting, it only increases the intensity of the lights by directing more of it down into the tank. I would also recommend that you check with reefcentral.com for more information on how you should set up a t-5 system. They have much more experience there with this type of lighting. Specifically, look for the "t-5 Q & A" thread and ask there.

[REEFSTOCK]

Think of it this way. The sun provides a certian amount of watts per your body space. Now throw a whole bunch of mirrors around your body.... owch.

We threw out the rule of thumb watts per gallon a long long time ago. It means absolutly nothing.

PAR and spectrum are the true mesurments.

Like hng says, there is lots of info out there.

[VWD]

I Think T-5's as just a new lighting system, a flourescent light, They are newer and everyone is excited. Just like when PC's came onto the market.. They may indeed be better then VHO's and PC's , I don't know that answer. But to say they are better and more intense then MH's . I don't think so.

[REEFSTOCK]

Originally Posted by Charles

Hi guys, I live in this part of the world where electricity is considered one of the main cost of maintaining a reef tank. I am currently using MH but people here are shifting to T5 lightings to save energy. My concern is T5 comparable to using MH, I mean will my corals be happy if I changed to T5 instead of using MH?

This was the origional post.

The short answers to his questions are.

Yes, you can save eneregy using T5.

Corals will grow under T-12, T-5, PC, MH and LED. Their colors may change under different units and different bulbs, but they will grow and that is generally the measure of happyness. All of them can be made to work for you.

[VWD]

Originally Posted by REEFSTOCK

This was the origional post.

The short answers to his questions are.

Yes, you can save eneregy using T5.

Corals will grow under T-12, T-5, PC, MH and LED. Their colors may change under different units and different bulbs, but they will grow and that is generally the measure of happyness. All of them can be made to work for you.

I agree with this statement, You can say energy with T-5 as well as any other flourescent lighting.

[Geoff]

before you make a decision. count the watts. watts is watts. this is the amount of power drawn. it does not matter if it is 500w of MH or 500w of T-5's the electricity bill will be the same as far as lighting is concerned.

depending on the light height chiller running cost can be a concern.

this is why i am pointing out efficiency. in most Household, commercial settings. flourescents have replaced the terribly inefficient incandescent light. commercial growers pick the most efficient lighting, they have to, their livelyhood depends on it. look into what lighting the horticulture industry is using. they are completely concerned with PAR.

G~

[REEFSTOCK]

They pick the most efficient lighting they know about, have easy access too, and can afford. I am not saying your wrong, but I am unconvinced you are right.

I still say it comes down to what works over your tank for your tank. This has to do with the shape and the critters in it.
I have yet to find a MH set up over an = sized tank that uses less watts than T-5, whether it be a display or grow out. The replacement of bulbs is much cheaper as well. The blueish bulbs have at least 2 years on them, the GE day can easily run 4 years. MH does not have this track record.

If your running 150s or 250s your probably running supplements. If your running 400w 20ks... well your running 400w ;p

T-5s are more efficient for aquaria. I am still convinced of this. Whether they are the best choice for your display... well there are so many factors in this. I am also convinced most corals will adapt to all the lights out there given enough PAR.