Best lighting for 220g Sps Tank

Current USA 4x24W T5HO on a 30gallon. I thought it was bright. Until I stuck a MH lamp over the same tank. It looked like night time in the tank with the T5's compared to the MH.

 

What was the metal halide system?

 

Odyssea 250 watt. 30 gallon was a 30 tall. 18" deep. My 75 gallon is 21, only 3 inches deeper. So it's not like there's a big depth difference. Night and day. I wouldn't do T5 again.

 

96W to 250W. But I don't actually know how you would fit 10 t5s over a 30 tho.

 

But as you well know, you can't judge by wattage. A 24 watt T5 will have more penetration than a 65W PC. Reflectors also make a difference. A 250 watt halide will illuminate the entire setup, with one bulb. I can swap my halides once per year with good bulbs. $80-$90. Good T5 bulbs will run about $20 for a 24 watt. $80 for 4 24 watt bulbs once a year. Only difference is heat, and a small fan will take care of that problem.

I would have to put a 8x54 watt Tek or ATI Powermodule over my 75 to have anything remotely similar to 2x250 mh. Look at the cost of 8 54 watt bulbs yearly. I have no chiller over my 75. I have one fan that blows across the surface, so heat isn't an issue, either.

 

LEDs would not be viable, even in the future. As a general rule, more watts will be more light.

+1 If memory serves me right, the current USAs don't have individual reflectors.

If MH is best for your setup, you're not alone. K+ for you contributions.

 

The Current's did not have individual reflectors. They would have undoubtedly put out more light with better individual reflectors. T5's are fine lights, and I do really like the flexibility of the color spectrums available. It really all depends on your setup which is best / what kind of corals you plan to keep / etc.

Having used both, I find the MH to be easiest to deal with - over a nano for example (24 cube), one small viper halide (150watt) will provide all the lighting needed. We have one at my office, one of my employee's set it up. No heat issues, very clean looking.

Always like a T5 / MH debate

 

A lot of T5 fans here. This debate seems it will go on forever.
Let's see some pics of the premium T5 tanks.. and I mean yours with mature colorful SPS not some pic on the internet that says this tank is run with T5 only.

I've seen a lot of premium SPS tanks in person but have yet to see one that is T5 only. I know they exist I've just never seen one.

Here's a good read on lighting:
Aquarium Lighting; Kelvin, Nanometers, PAR, Bulb, Watt, MH, LED, light basics.
*T-5; Generally around 13 mm in diameter. This is a mini pin bulb which generally uses even less watts per lumen than many than T-8 bulbs. A common lumens per watt output for T-5 lamps is around 65.
The T5 has become very popular among both plant keeping freshwater aquarists and reef keepers for good reasons; they are compact, come in many varieties and high lumen per watt outputs.

One negative with T5s that goes for T2s is that the quality control on these lighting fixtures (not the bulbs themselves) is often lacking. From my investigation of looking at defective items, it seems to be difficulties in good solder in the confined spaces of these small macro lighting fixtures. Generally assuming a good fixture from the beginning, one should expect a lifespan comparable to may other light fixtures, however early failure (usually immediate) is definitely more common with T5 and T2 fixtures.

*Metal Halide (MH); Metal Halide are the reigning “Kings” of reef aquarium due to depth penetration, output, spectrum, and over all beauty and amount of coral life they help support. Aesthetically speaking the Metal Halide is also hard to beat, even with some of the newer LED and SHO due to the “shimmer” and ripples of light they produce that really give off a beautiful reef appearance in marine aquariums.
Even the newer T-5 lamps cannot achieve the depth penetration and overall output of these lights. Metal Halides generally have very good lumens per watt ratio (although I have seen a lot of variation and even incorrect ratings here); however it is safe to say that MH are generally found with lumens to watt ratios of 50 to as high as 90 which is among the highest of any aquarium lights available (along with excellent PAR production as well).
Metal Halide work via a gas mixture of halides and other elements, the actual light production comes from the small bubble of gas that is held in place by metal wires and/or supports. The electricity running between them and the small gas bubble, heats them, similar to an incandescent filament. This is one of the reasons that Metal Halide bulbs give off more heat than other bulbs.

The downside is the heat that MH lights produce, often resulting in the need for hood fans and even chillers, although the newer open design units such as the EcoSystems USHIO double end fixture and HQI bulb works well for 10-25 (or even larger aquariums when other lights are included in the "mix") WITHOUT a chiller.
The sizes I most often have used are between 10,000K and the 14,000K with 75 for small aquariums up to 250 watts for really deep tanks (over 30”). With the 10,000K- 14,000K lamp what I currently recommend.

 

Yes, because lumens per watt ratio for MH is far superior to T5.

 

I'd hate to send people to another website, but on Reef Central, there is a guy names SunnyX who has the most amazing SPS tank running on T-5's only.. If you guys can't find him and his thread, I'll post a link later..

Anyone who sees it is going to second guess MH's..

I don't care though.. I still think retro MH's with retro T-5 supplements is the best way to go, hands down.. Love that shimmer, and the ability to slowly ramp the photoperiod up then down throughout the day..