agreed, t-5s are sweet, but my guess is its a basic strip is lacking reflection power IE individual reflectors, and i would also guess there standard t5's, not High output t5's.
yeah if its not HO then your coral options decrease like no bodys buisness lol. They dont make HO in 30 inch lenghts either, as far as i know, for good brand names anyways, but if you can manage to get a 4 bulb 24 inch unit to work then you could keep LPS, softies, leathers, and maybe low light SPS higher in the tank.