hailides or T5? confused

guys i know this question has probably been asked a million times before but im not sure what to do.. even after having tanks for years a swearing by hailides.. when i plan a system i seem to question these things intensly..

my inhabitatnts will include

LPS
softies.
Richodea and mushrooms
Zoanthus
and some plating monti's (RED and Purple)

i do want clams

my dilema is heat and a small confined flat that gets very hot with hailide in summer.. i have a chiller but i still need to live in the place comfotably..

opinions welcome..

 

MH's

 

+1 on the halides, no light restrictions to worry about.

 

I'll play middle of the road and say M/H's with T5 for actinics My work here is done LOL

 

T5's have been used to keep clams and very successfully I might add. I am using t5's on both my seahorse tanks and 33 long without any heat problems and this is very important on the seahorse tank.

I am currently in the process of setting up a 75 gallon tank and I am also going through the same about the lights. I have both T5's and Halides to use but I am leaning toward the T5's more for economic reasons (running cost including chiller, bulb costs).

Edit: thanks tangster, makes it so much easier to decide! LOL

 

We must all do what we can to help out ;D

 

MH's try the current sunpod it stays very cool i don't run a chiller and i have a 125

 

An important consideration is tank height. If it's a 55, T5's would be very effective. If it's higher, halides would be better.

 

T5, I have maxi, crocea, and squamosa clams all doing VERY well. I don't even have individual reflectors. Whats the height of the tank.

 

problem with T5's on a 55 is the width I have 55 with 175 M/H's and its slack on the bottom . Tanks are so narrow 4 54w tube would have to be relly over driven to keep some clams on the bottom , I know the 4 bulb set I made last yr did not do much on a 55 near to and on the bottom .. It would not support mushrooms even and Green stars even setting on the bottom .