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Old 08-21-2006, 12:52 AM   #1
angry gary
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t-5 vs. mh for a 180 softie tank


next question for you guys. tank will be alot of fish with soft corals, mushrooms, polyps, leathers etc. (and does anemones require straight mh's)
t-5 or mh? i understand that they do not make 6 ft. t-5's correct? if not what do you use two three footers?
or should i use 3- 250w mh's? i think the 180 is 24" deep.
and if that is overkill would pc's work well?

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Old 08-21-2006, 02:24 AM   #2
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Myself I would go with 3 250W MH because of bulb replacement cost, and inital setup cost alone. Plus with the MH you get the cool Shimmer effect, and if you want to later you could keep anything you want unlike PC's.

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Old 08-21-2006, 04:58 AM   #3
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For sure not PC's. That tank is too deep. I have pc's on my 150 and can't keep too many corals in there.
I have T5's on my 55 gallon and do really like them but for a big 6 ft tank would prolly go with MH if you can afford them.
With T5's you would either have to get 2 3 ft or a 5 ft and not have light on the sides.
Anemones require strong lighting and alot of types are bottom/sand dwellers.
3 MH would not be overkill in that big tank.

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Old 08-21-2006, 07:31 AM   #4
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since this is a 6' tank i think 3 MH's are a must. MH's can only cover a 2'X2' area effectively. the only way around this would be to make your canopy very tall.

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Old 08-21-2006, 04:49 PM   #5
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Currently I have a 6ft T5HO system by aquactinics on my 125 tank and my anenome and soft corals are doing fine, but then again I am a newbie to corals and maybe the MH will be the next for me to try
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Old 08-21-2006, 05:32 PM   #6
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Mhs for sure.
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Old 08-21-2006, 06:12 PM   #7
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I think T-5's for the following reasons (as long as the tank is not too deep)
1. cost t-5's will be cheaper to run.
2. softies do not require as much light as a SPS or LPS

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Old 08-21-2006, 10:20 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fchidsey
I think T-5's for the following reasons (as long as the tank is not too deep)
1. cost t-5's will be cheaper to run.
2. softies do not require as much light as a SPS or LPS

Fred
Agreed. MH's provide very harsh light. Long strip light sources illuminates the softies very evenly - IMO looks a LOT better.
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Old 08-22-2006, 01:59 AM   #9
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I would do the MH.
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Old 09-22-2006, 04:41 PM   #10
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CT Reefer:

Where did you find your 6 foot T-5 lighting unit??? I am interested in looking into T-5s for my 180 i will be setting up soon...

Thanks!
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Old 09-22-2006, 04:53 PM   #11
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6 foot t5 bulbs don't exist, only 5 foot ones. I suspect the 6 foot unit is staggered 5 foot bulbs.

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Old 09-22-2006, 05:03 PM   #12
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I would do the T-5 based on what you want to keep (lower light corals). Here are the reasons: initial cost, bulb replacement costs, heat, power consumption. You could probably do this for a T-5 setup - get two icecap ballasts and drive 6 bulbs, 5 ft long with individual reflectors. The icecaps will overdrive the bulbs and you would have plenty of light down to the sandbed. Not enough light for clams or anemones, but plenty for softies and shrooms. You could also keep any lps you wanted on the rocks and most sps if up high enough on the rocks. If you are the DIY type, here's your cost: 2 icecap ballasts $320, 6 encaps $75, 6 5ft T-5 HO bulbs $150, 6 reflectors $130. That's a total of about $675. Now you wouldn't have to replace bulbs for 18-24 months. I don't know if you could do a DIY metal halide lighting for the same amount but you would run into heat issues and may need a chiller as well. T-5's are not perfect, so don't get me wrong, and I'm not saying they are better than halides. Just wanted you to hear that they could and would work for what you want to do. HTH
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Old 09-22-2006, 06:26 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bgi View Post
Agreed. MH's provide very harsh light. Long strip light sources illuminates the softies very evenly - IMO looks a LOT better.

WOW....Harsh?? no way! even 400w MH's don't come close to the sun still!

Plus MH shimmer effect is much nicer looking.

either way a lot of T-5 or 3 250w MH's will work.

My vote is MH....unless heat will be an issue.

I have tons of softies that love my 250w MH's
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Old 09-22-2006, 06:30 PM   #14
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T5s and Mhs awesome cant be beat period!
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Old 09-22-2006, 06:34 PM   #15
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what about T-12's you can get 6 foot VHOs on an icecap 660 ballast. You wont need reflectors either.

I would go MH, you will want sps sooner or later trust me.

The shimmer effect is the best part
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