The only difference between t5 and t8 is that t5 are smaller therefore there is less gas to ionize which means they consume less energy. If you have identical kelvin and wattage, t5 lit tank will look the same as a t8 lit tankbut the t8 will cost slightly more to operate, but if you go planted you'll need to change the lamps every year so the exta cost of lamps will negate the energy savings. In the pet solutions catalog they have pictures of the same tank with about 6 different colors of light so that you can compare and select what you like, I'm assuming that if its in the catalog its also on their website. As far as led is concerned, at todays prices you'll never actually save money due to efficiency, as an electrician I can tell you that the only time we install them is in places where they are hard to access and you need to replace lamps as seldom as possible.
