T-5 for SPS Frag Tank?

[CaptainAndy]

Decided to set-up a frag tank and wondered if anyone has had success with raising acro frags under T-5 lighting. Thinking about a 4 or 6 bulb fixture.

[RayD]

Talk to Cobraz. He had great success doing a frag tank with T5.

[SteveDola]

my acros have good color and show growth from my T5s...is it like having them under 400w MH bulbs? no but then again I dont have that hefty bill either.

[JayM]

tagging along here, a frag tank on t-5 is one of my post-holiday projects....

[Andy O]

I have been using the aquatinics t5 fixture on my 40 breeder frag tank and think that the colors of my sps are just OK. I am strongly considering switching it out to a MH.

[besl]

Andy, which T5 brand and temp bulbs are you using? Seems to be a broad variation and I don't see much by way of comparison info on this for T5 - lots on mh, Snajays site be among them of course, but not much on T5.

[Andy O]

I use 2 x Geisemann Pure Actinic and 3 x Geisemann Day bulb.

[CaptainAndy]

There are several good threads on RC about acros and T-5. What I am looking for are success (or failure) stories using T-5 in frag tanks. I actually have extra MH fixtures lying around but I'd like to use something that doesn't put off much heat.

[Clam Man]

t-5's are great for a softy/lps tank but imo there is no substitute for mh.I would go with 2x250 se's over a 40g breeder for growing sps with 6500 k ushio's.as for heat I don't see a hole lot of difference between t-5's and mh.the 6500k bulbs will last a long time the t-5's well not so long anyways been there done that good luck.

[SteveDola]

check out the sps/t5 thread on RC in the sps forum. there are some amazing color and growth.

2x250 over a 40 would give sick growth and color but youre talking 500 watts over a frag tank not 200 or 300. Id bet that if you put 500 watts of T5 over the 40 youd get insane growth and color too esp. since the shallow tank seems perfect for a t5 fixture. I saw a tek 6 bulb for 300 bucks on Dr fosters.

The biggest problem I see when people post their dislike with a T5 fixture is they under light the tank. I have the tx5 over my 75 but have the fixture overdriven by a ic660 on 3 of the daylight bulbs to give it a boost. If youre trying to keep acros and clams then dont skimp on the bulbs.

[paja4]

captain, check out zeovit.com they have some amazing sps tanks in the tank of the quarterthread. paul

[ldf99]

I use T5s over all my frag tanks and love the color of my corals and growth of my SPS .You cant bet the color .I was using 250w MH and 150w MH and had a lot of growth but less color .My tanks have 4 54w T5s on them and you cant bet the color and growth from German bulbs .

Take a look under SPS on Reef Central ..:D

[pvh]

I guess it all depends on the person/preference but I used to have T5 and I loved the color T5 provide. Plus the fact that it's evenly disperse the light through the entire tank. I had good growth with my T5.

I now have MH and I like the shimmer but it's not evenly distribute and there are shadow. I was a bit disappointed. However I just had a couple of months so I can't tell yet. My MH has Power Compact Actinic but I prefer T5 Actinic better. I think it provides better color. When I take actinic pictures I have a T5 bulb that I use instead of the Power Compact Actinic.

Just my 2 cents.

[okuma2977]

i have a 210 fish only thinking about switch to a reef tank right now im using
flourecent about 300watt what king of lighting and how much wattage would anyone reccomend

[SteveDola]

what are the dims of the tank? what do you want to keep in the tank?

[stratkid1048]

i have a nova 24'' on my 20 gallon with acros especially my new blue acro :D i had 4 day lights and it was too much so i put in 2 days, an actinic, and a random pink one(dont know why) but since i dulled the light a little theyre growing like crazy

[chew*]

Got my frag tank running under a 70w mh, I think that beats the bill and growth you'd get from any t-5 setup.............fyi to make it more efficient I revised a PFO mini pendant to accept a 70w mh. If you use a shallow tank such as a 20L you'd be styling.

I think when i worked out my electric bill the frag tank runs me $8 a month......

[smcnally]

Got my frag tank running under a 70w mh, I think that beats the bill and growth you'd get from any t-5 setup

I don't know man...I disagree. T5 done right will be perfectly fine for acro growth. Just like MH though, you need to make sure you pick good bulbs and of the right temperatures. I've had a maxima growing very well on the sandbed 20" below my T5s for the last 7 months. Most people would say you can't do that, but it is growing just as well as it did under 250W MH. I had issues with SPS in my tank which I originally thought was from the lighting, but now that I look back at it all it wasn't. The issue was that I have very little flow in this tank and two large leathers. After having T5 I don't think I would go back to MH. MH is nice, but I like the benefits of T5 more.

[SteveDola]

Got my frag tank running under a 70w mh, I think that beats the bill and growth you'd get from any t-5 setup.............fyi to make it more efficient I revised a PFO mini pendant to accept a 70w mh. If you use a shallow tank such as a 20L you'd be styling.

I think when i worked out my electric bill the frag tank runs me $8 a month......

have you had T5s on the frag tank before to compare growth?

[chew*]

Nope you cant fit t-5s on the tank to begin with so that 1 thing against them.....I highly doubt you could get good color and equal growth at the same wattage.........maybe good color with 4 bulbs but now your at 100 watts.......


I can run a 150 really high (20") above my finnex tank.......I have 4 t5's sitting 1" off water on the finnex right now the color is ok with 2 whites, one 460 and 420 but not spectacular.

For one its no where near as bright, its running hotter, and in order to work in the tank I need to remove them.........

I also noticed my zoa's extended more and the polyps out more on my sps which gives me the impression they are reaching out for more light.....

I also don't get a natural feeling out of the lights....maybe due to the lack of shimmer....

Last but not least actinics can't be included in wattage for growth and it boils down to a watt is a watt and i think the t-5 test on rc even concluded that..........In order to get the same growth i'd need 3 white's

On my finnex I'd need 6 whites to be equal to the 150w......I have room for 4 max......On top of that I upgraded to a 250w on the finnex and use the same amount of space as the 150w.......so to compare t-5's in that application they will never come close....

Also some sps just need to be literally blasted to bring out the best colors.....etc the zooanthalea will try to protect it more...I personally don't think t-5's can acchieve that.

As far as flow smcnally I have 2 koralia nano's in my frag tank.......It's softy flow at best ( this statement made by someone who used a blue line 40 return and 2 vortechs in a 65g ).......the sps are happy and growing like weed's.

Personally i think flow in sps tanks depends on how clean you run your tank.......cleaner tank( low nutrients ) needs higher flow to get the nutrients to the corals quickly. Dirty tank etc higher nutrient ( Like my frag tank as it's almost imposssible to run low nutrient ) etc lower flow as nutrient deficiency is less of an issue.

Also t-5's require a tank to be run very very clean for a few reasons. 1 is the higher the orp ( cleaner the water ) the better the light penetration, also due to not being point source they cover larger areas more evenly, this aids in hair algae growth. I think david (ldf99) can vouch for me on this...........

[smcnally]

For one its no where near as bright, its running hotter, and in order to work in the tank I need to remove them.........

T5s don't run anywhere near as hot. I'm curious why yours were so hot. I have 6 T5 on my tank and I can stick my hand right next to the bulbs with no issue. They also don't heat my water like my MH did.

On my finnex I'd need 6 whites to be equal to the 150w......I have room for 4 max......On top of that I upgraded to a 250w on the finnex and use the same amount of space as the 150w.......so to compare t-5's in that application they will never come close....

T5 definitely isn't for every tank, but they are a very good choice for lighting for a lot of tanks.

As far as flow smcnally I have 2 koralia nano's in my frag tank.......It's softy flow at best ( this statement made by someone who used a blue line 40 return and 2 vortechs in a 65g ).......the sps are happy and growing like weed's.

That's more flow than "softy flow". The biggest issue with slower flow isn't so much the amount of growth, but the way the coral grows.

ersonally i think flow in sps tanks depends on how clean you run your tank.......cleaner tank( low nutrients ) needs higher flow to get the nutrients to the corals quickly. Dirty tank etc higher nutrient ( Like my frag tank as it's almost imposssible to run low nutrient ) etc lower flow as nutrient deficiency is less of an issue.

I disagree (just my personal opinion). Flow keeps crap from building up on the corals. It also sees to aid in the way that the coral grows. If you take acros as an example, acros from a higher flow tank have a much nicer defined structure and look healthier over all. I've noticed that acros from lower flow tanks seem to have deformed corallites (anyone else notice this?). They don't seem to grow as uniformly and don't have sharp edges. The branches also seem to grow more twisted on colonies that normally grow pretty uniformly.

Also t-5's require a tank to be run very very clean for a few reasons. 1 is the higher the orp ( cleaner the water ) the better the light penetration, also due to not being point source they cover larger areas more evenly, this aids in hair algae growth. I think david (ldf99) can vouch for me on this...........

You will benefit from the tank being really clean with any lighting. It is true that is isn't a single light source but the argument goes both ways. You loose that "sweet spot" that you get with MH, but you gain having a pretty uniform level of light throughout the tank.

[chew*]

My personal feeling is that if your running a frag tank with t-5's and your expecting MH growth....you need to do a few things.

Run low nutrient to avoid algae blooms and to increase penetration

Run all 6500k t-5 bulbs.......after all a watt is watt except for pc which are a watt is = to 1/2 watt.......

Use the widest shallowest tank you can find so you can fit as many as possible......

Me personally I think a "quality" 10k bulb gives the best growth and color. If you pull a coral out of my tank or take a pic with flash no lights the coral is the same color as it is in the tank with the lights on.

My personal opinion on t-5's is that they are photoshop for fish tanks.....example......geez i don't like the color of that coral so lets change the color combination on the bulbs awww thats much better....

I can make a bleached out dead sps colony look amazing with a blacklight........I'll call it a purple delight.........

[SteveDola]

My personal opinion on t-5's is that they are photoshop for fish tanks.....example......geez i don't like the color of that coral so lets change the color combination on the bulbs awww thats much better....

I can make a bleached out dead sps colony look amazing with a blacklight........I'll call it a purple delight.........

isnt that what people are doing when they switch out different mh kelvin bulbs? trying to find that "look" that appeals to them-

this is what makes this hobby great...alot of ways to skin a cat and everyone has an opinion on how to skin. I have to agree with you Brian that you 70w mh works well for your small frag tank but I think theres many applications where T5 can really shine over MH. Its a fact that you can light a tank using less watts and run cooler in specific applications using T5s. However running 4 t5s on any display tank has its drawbacks for color and growth but theres no need to run 2 straight actinic bulbs...youd use 1 with a combo of a 75/25, Blue +, and aquasun. I always recommend having more than 4 to get a better combo of growth and color. If lighting a frag system for the sole purpose of growth then it would be better served to use all aquasuns since color isnt an issue.
To say that T5s are only good for "photoshopping" corals (inother words, appearance lighting) is wrong. Maybe you dont like T5s (which is fine) but dont try to discredit it because you're quick to judge. If you were trying to light your finex with only 4 24watt bulbs *2 of which actincs then theres no comparison. Its not an even comparison. WHich is what you were getting at with your "a watt is a watt". Try adding a bulb or 2 and then compare the color and growth. I can tell you that using 5 bulbs on my 75 has yielded better color and much better growth than when I was using 2 175w MH 14k AB bulbs. All Im saying is dont shoot them down because you under lit your system and pass it off on the lighting type...you were going from 150w to 96w with 2 actinics - of course T5s arent going to hold up.

[chew*]

Nope that was point altogether steve. On my 30 max i can fit is 4 24w bulbs, however if i go mh i can run a 250w and 2 t-5 actinics. T-5 has its niche, but its on wide shallow tanks where you can fit more bulbs.

Agreed on the mh high K bulbs also.

As far as color after having using the aqualine 10000's over my pheonix bulbs I'm kinda digging the natural look over the saturated blue look........apparently some of my corals feel the same way also having naturally colored up far better than they did under the pheonix bulbs.....I highly doubt it had anything to do with par either as I think i had par nailed down in my 65g.........

I think you've seen and know one of the corals I'm referring to steve.

Wasn't that light the one i bought off of you steve? It's kinda a poor comparison. A white housing with little reflection capabilities, it could be comparable to running t-5's with no reflectors. Personally MH efficiency is very similar to t-5's, its all about the reflector.
I think had you run those 175's in lumenarc mini's your growth results may have differed greatly.

[CaptainAndy]

I have been running t-5's on a 50 gallon frag tank since I started the thread three months ago. Only tried with easy acros - slimers, millis, etc.

Overall I have not been happy. Colors cannot compare to MH in my hands. One thing, for sure, though I have minimal bioload/feeding, my Phospates are undetectable and I run a 40 gal fuge, I'm still having hair algae in frag tanks. Don't know whether it's still an immature tank or it's the T-5s. I'm running 4 differerent UV's actinics and 2 UV daylights.

[smcnally]

...after all a watt is watt except for pc which are a watt is = to 1/2 watt...

Not really...A watt is only a watt as far as your electric bill is concerned. Watts mean nothing other than giving you a baseline to go off of. You could use the same 250 W XM 10,000k MH bulb and get different result not only from using different ballasts with it, but by using different reflectors. Same with T5...If you do T5 right you can do a lot with it. I wouldn't consider my tank wide and shallow and I fit 6 T5s over it and it lights up the tank plenty. I'm running 144W total, but 2 are actinics and one is a "Blue Plus" so I'm really running 72W of 10,000k and 24W of "less than effective" lighting and another 24W of Actinic which doesn't benefit growth at all. With this, I have a Maxima growing very well under 20" of water. A 70W MH would NEVER be able to do this on my tank and a 175MH would even be a little lacking IMO. The only thing I can think of that would be better than my T5 setup on my tank would be a 250W MH. But then, IMO it wouldn't fill the tank will and I would have dim areas on the ends.

Corals will normally get more brown with more lower kelvin light. If yours are coloring up that well then I would think that you run a pretty nutrient free system or something else you are doing is causing the colors.

[smcnally]

I'm running 4 differerent UV's actinics and 2 UV daylights.

Andy,
Are you saying you are running 6 bulbs total and only 2 are daylights? If so, then that is your problem. Go with 4 daylights and 2 actinic.

[chew*]

So even though there's a huge thread on RC and extensive testing was done you ignore the facts? All things being equal the best bulbs the best ballast the best reflectors a watt is a watt.....I do not recall you running an sps tank in your build either so you really can't say either way......problem is 6 24w t-5s take up alot more room than a single 150 with a decent reflector, In fact in just about any application they take up more space...

On another note Liam after having run a mixed tank with t-5's decided to run MH on his frag tank........things that make you go hmmmm.

Steve D on the other hand does run a mixed tank, If he says he has good growth I believe him, however all things being fair and equal he never used MH with some of the better reflectors or really any reflector for that matter If the one I bought off of him is the one he was using......

Steve mind you the 70 watt is on a 12g tank......a 250w in a lumenarc would be blinding, which is why i had popped the question if you were willing to modify the canopy.

A lumenarc can be modded farily easy to accept a 150 DE, just as i modded a PFO mini to accept a 70w DE.

[Liam]

So even though there's a huge thread on RC and extensive testing was done you ignore the facts? All things being equal the best bulbs the best ballast the best reflectors a watt is a watt.....I do not recall you running an sps tank in your build either so you really can't say either way......problem is 6 24w t-5s take up alot more room than a single 150 with a decent reflector, In fact in just about any application they take up more space...

On another note Liam after having run a mixed tank with t-5's decided to run MH on his frag tank........things that make you go hmmmm.

Steve D on the other hand does run a mixed tank, If he says he has good growth I believe him, however all things being fair and equal he never used MH with some of the better reflectors or really any reflector for that matter If the one I bought off of him is the one he was using......

Steve mind you the 70 watt is on a 12g tank......a 250w in a lumenarc would be blinding, which is why i had popped the question if you were willing to modify the canopy.

A lumenarc can be modded farily easy to accept a 150 DE, just as i modded a PFO mini to accept a 70w DE.


Actually i will speak for myself before you make presumtions on my part.:rolleyes:

i am using metal halide because my next system will be 84x36x24,and although T5 will provide more than enough light the sheer size of the tank makes them impractical.
since i like to try and match my frag tank lighting to my display lighting wherever possible i am using metal halide.

To say that a 70 watt halide or even a 150 can provide more light than a set of T5 lights in good reflectors is ludicrous IMHO.
I would also take studies carried out by self proclaimed experts(under uncontrolled conditions) on RC with a pinch of salt.

[Liam]

Actually i will speak for myself before you make presumtions on my part.:rolleyes:

i am using metal halide because my next system will be 84x36x24,and although T5 will provide more than enough light the sheer size of the tank makes them impractical.
since i like to try and match my frag tank lighting to my display lighting wherever possible i am using metal halide.

To say that a 70 watt halide or even a 150 can provide more light than a set of T5 lights in good reflectors is ludicrous IMHO.
I would also take studies carried out by self proclaimed experts(under uncontrolled conditions) on RC with a pinch of salt.


And a watt is not a watt,are you trying to tell us that a 400 watt 20k bulb provides equal par to a 400 watt 6500k bulb,they both use 400 watts don't they:rolleyes:

[chew*]

nope what im saying is a watt is a watt given the same K with quality bulbs known to give high par.......

To think that you can actually FIT t-5's versus a 70w mh on a 12 g jbj nanocube is also ludicrous :rolleyes:

Like i said earlier t-5 has its niche which you preety much confirmed Liam, MH is a universal soldier.

In my application on my display I don't see how t-5 could even come close.........I also had someone over for a demo last night to help them choose lights.......Atm i have 3 light setups sitting here. A 150w de in a PFO mini, a 4 bulb HO t-5 setup in the BEST reflectors, and a 250watt 2ft + 2 t-5 actinics aquamedic pendant.......So its not like i'm making claims without actually trying out all aspects...

I personally feel that you will be hard pressed to beat a aqualine 10k mh bulb with 2 vho actinics for color or growth no matter what combination of t-5's you use.

[Liam]

nope what im saying is a watt is a watt given the same K with quality bulbs known to give high par.......



To think that you can actually FIT t-5's versus a 70w mh on a 12 g jbj nanocube is also ludicrous:rolleyes:

is someone setting up a 12g nano cube as a frag tank??

[Liam]

nope what im saying is a watt is a watt given the same K with quality bulbs known to give high par.......




can you explain this statement in a little more detail for me,i am really not seeing what you are getting at.

[Calciumbuf]

nope what im saying is a watt is a watt given the same K with quality bulbs known to give high par.......


I am completely baffled by that statement

[smcnally]

IMO, to state anything in this hobby as a cold hard fact is ludicrous (sorry I just wanted to say ludicrous for the 3rd post in a row). Methods in this hobby change daily and things that people think work now they will say are awful methods tomorrow. Give it a year or two Brian and you'll be saying MH is a waste and that T5 is the way to go, and someone else will switch sides too because some dork in Michigan who people 'think' is an expert wrote all these amazing 'studies' down in a thread on RC.

[chew*]

is someone setting up a 12g nano cube as a frag tank??

You made mention of me using a 70w......which i do....I made mention of t-5's not fitting, which they don't.

And yes I have a 12g nano cube frag tank thats thriving with incredible growth..

what i meant Liam is if you used lets say a 10k 150 w ushio versus a 3 x 54w lets say ATI 10ks......bottom line is its preety much the same output given they are both used in quality reflectors and quality ballasts are used......that analogy is sorta not real world so lets say a 4 ft 75g tank...... 6 54w versus 2 150's........problem is the T-5 user is going to try to use 1 or 2 of the bulbs for color correction......the mh user still has room for more bulbs for color correction.............

[Calciumbuf]

FWIW I have always looked at differant forms of lighting ( t-5 ,Halide,Pc,led, ect,ect,ect) and various equipment that we all use to run our tanks as Tools in the world of Reefing, some are better than others some are complete garbage, It is up to the Hobbiest as to how he employs the equipment in a given setup to be successful in his/her setup and his/her husbantry.

[Liam]

In my application on my display I don't see how t-5 could even come close.........I also had someone over for a demo last night to help them choose lights.......Atm i have 3 light setups sitting here. A 150w de in a PFO mini, a 4 bulb HO t-5 setup in the BEST reflectors, and a 250watt 2ft + 2 t-5 actinics aquamedic pendant.......So its not like i'm making claims without actually trying out all aspects...


that may be all well and good but i don't think captain Andy was looking to find out what would be the best lighting for your 12 gallon nano cube frag tank.

[SteveDola]

LUDA!

Im guessing reflectors would have made a difference, youre right however 350w compared to my tx5 is still less wattage.

also to say youve tested extensively different lighting settups when youve only used 2 actinics and 2 suns for maybe 2 mths is being a tad aggressive in your determination.

[chew*]

FWIW I have always looked at differant forms of lighting ( t-5 ,Halide,Pc,led, ect,ect,ect) and various equipment that we all use to run our tanks as Tools in the world of Reefing, some are better than others some are complete garbage, It is up to the Hobbiest as to how he employs the equipment in a given setup to be successful in his/her setup and his/her husbantry.

Now that i can agree with and being open minded I purchased various equipment, I tried the t-5s I don't prefer them nor do i think they look natural nor did i like the response i'm getting from the 2 test frags under them......I listen to my tank, If you listen real close and have a watchfull eye it will speak to you.................

Steve D I've actually done some alternating of the lights, Ive kept the tank very stable, there are no fish, and with 2 small frags it's very very easy to keep things stable as consumption is near non existent. I visually documented the corals response which have not been fed anything but light, I also chose to use higher light acropora sp frags as I intend to stock with corals that tend to like higher light.


Also I would like to add one more thing. Lighting is only 1 part in a very large recipe to growth and color........I'm not saying MH is better but in most cases it is far easier applied and integrated.


Bulbs wise steve d fair is fair, 13k 150 mh versus 2 10k t-5 1 420nm 1 460nm was what i was comparing. To be truthful if i took a pic of both you wouldn't be able to see a spectrum difference. I ran the MH 16" off the tank , t-5's needed to rest on the tank brace for the same penetration. t-5's weakness is very apparent on this setup........just cant fit enough bulbs or have acess into the tank without moving them........

[Liam]

You made mention of me using a 70w......which i do....I made mention of t-5's not fitting, which they don't.

And yes I have a 12g nano cube frag tank thats thriving with incredible growth..

what i meant Liam is if you used lets say a 10k 150 w ushio versus a 3 x 54w lets say ATI 10ks......bottom line is its preety much the same output given they are both used in quality reflectors and quality ballasts are used......that analogy is sorta not real world so lets say a 4 ft 75g tank...... 6 54w versus 2 150's........problem is the T-5 user is going to try to use 1 or 2 of the bulbs for color correction......the mh user still has room for more bulbs for color correction.............

the par directly under the 150 DE will likely be great but as soon as you move a few inches off to either side the par drops dramatically.
T5's produce a constant par across the complete length of the bulb, it may or may not equal the most intense area under the 150 but it makes them fatr more effective over a greater area.
IMO this makes them more efficient IMHO.

[Liam]

I listen to my tank, If you listen real close and have a watchfull eye it will speak to you.................

ahhh Daniel son:D J/K

[SteveDola]

what can it say after only a few months at most? usually things are just starting to settle in. plus 2 day bulbs isnt correct. of course your entitled to your opinion---all im saying is, set up correctly and wait before making snap judgement. Theres ALOT of tanks out there with sick growth and color using only T5s. I think half of Europe uses T5s with success...a whole continent cant be wrong.

[chew*]

Liam I don't doubt that at all, the apparent accelerated algae growth supports what you say........

My biggest issue is once again application......

In my situation look at the dimensions.
24" long 13" deep.......maybe if i rigged up a setup like your 90 I might be able to fit 5 24w bulbs but.......

I tossed an aquamedic 250w with 2 t-5 actinics on it......I think i'll get alot more growth......to compensate I went with a high watt bulb and raised it up high enough ( "20" i think ) so that the reflector spreads light over every inch of the tank.........

Steve the tank ran 3 months prior with nothing but a cleanup crew after cycle, i think its settled in.....

[smcnally]

maybe if i rigged up a setup like your 90 I might be able to fit 5 24w bulbs but.......

Why would you put 5 24W T5s on a 90? Wouldn't it make more sense to use 54W (4') bulbs?

[Liam]

Liam I don't doubt that at all, the apparent accelerated algae growth supports what you say........

My biggest issue is once again application......

In my situation look at the dimensions.
24" long 13" deep.......maybe if i rigged up a setup like your 90 I might be able to fit 5 24w bulbs but.......

I tossed an aquamedic 250w with 2 t-5 actinics on it......I think i'll get alot more growth......to compensate I went with a high watt bulb and raised it up high enough ( "20" i think ) so that the reflector spreads light over every inch of the tank.........

Steve the tank ran 3 months prior with nothing but a cleanup crew after cycle, i think its settled in.....


i am sure that using the halide is the right choice for you,i don't think that is in question but a 12 g nano cube is not the usual choice for a frag tank.
I am not questioning your set up here,please don't think that.
I don't think the original poster of this thread is trying to light a nano cube though.

[chew*]

Why would you put 5 24W T5s on a 90? Wouldn't it make more sense to use 54W (4') bulbs?

yes it would i was using my 24" tank as a comparison to implementing liams old setup.

I know your not questioning my setup liam, I'm more or less questioning people on suggesting t-5s, more importantly without really knowing the application etc opening light can be output through. I think MH is the obvious choice on small openings where you can't cram alot of t-5's thats all.......

And no a 12g tank is far from the norm for a frag tank, I did it to challenge myself and my husbrandry skills......smaller volume smaller room for error.....It's quite a learning experience.....if you can do it sucessfully then a larger tank should be a cakewalk...

[SteveDola]

I know your not questioning my setup liam, I'm more or less questioning people on suggesting t-5s, more importantly without really knowing the application etc opening light can be output through. I think MH is the obvious choice on small openings where you can't cram alot of t-5's thats all.....

definitely.

[chew*]

You see my point now Steve D, all this suggestion about lighting and after reading this whole thread there is still no mention of the dimensions of the tank or how deep.

It should have been the first question asked before suggesting any light.

[smcnally]

You see my point now Steve D, all this suggestion about lighting and after reading this whole thread there is still no mention of the dimensions of the tank or how deep.

It should have been the first question asked before suggesting any light.

The difference though Brian, is that the only person that has said anything negative about either lighting system is you. We've all said that both lighting systems are good and that both have their place. You've been the only one in this thread that has been saying that one is better than the other.

[chew*]

I've only said that I don't prefer it and do not think it gives a natural appearance............

My reasoning for MH being better is application based.....Deep tanks, narrow and or short openings, and acessibility in the tank without needing to move the lights.

Bottom line someone can ask what type of lights for a tank and not give the dims and i can say MH and not be wrong......because its so universal.

On the other hand someone else can say t-5 and without knowing the dim's its actually poor advice without popping the crucial questions "what are the dims" "do you run low nutrient" etc etc......

This is something I see happening frequently on the forums.....and in this thread also........We still don't know the dims of the tank capt andy is using or if he runs low nutrient.......

[smcnally]

Bottom line someone can ask what type of lights for a tank and not give the dims and i can say MH and not be wrong......because its so universal.

Really? What if the person is asking for a tank that is a nano with nothing more than gorgonians some softies and sea horses? I think you would be wrong to say MH in that situation.

[chew*]

then a 70w diy Mh project would be perfect as the diy mh was not good enough for sps, crappy halogen reflector ,crappy E ballast , and the crappy astralux 20k bulb........

[Liam]

Really? What if the person is asking for a tank that is a nano with nothing more than gorgonians some softies and sea horses? I think you would be wrong to say MH in that situation.

funny,Chew condemns others for offering advice without knowing the dimensions yet i don't see where he knew them either.

[chew*]

Because Mh is universal it can be used in almost all applications.

In the DE department a 70w,150w,250w can all be used in a tiny footprint...making them versatile.