T5-T8 and metal halide are the same

[sostoudt]

I understand that the high intensity of the small source metal halides could penatrate further into the tank, but at the same time, I could have a larger number of flourecent for less money and less heat impact (but they take up more space), and I don't intend to contradict, but PC are not outdated tech, they are VHO flourecent though they do have a shortish lifespan (6-8 months?) I don't see why PC would do worse in penatration then T5s as they have more light emited per inch, but its possible that T5s are more advanced then PC. Its also very possible that T5s are better for aquarium use because of their smaller diameter but at the same time on a larger tank this could be unnessisary... even if T8s are better, which im not saying they are i have yet to find them used on a site that sells marine aquarium supplies, only found PC and T12s.

no VHO's are really outdated tech, i dont think you probably even know what those are i had them 6 years ago. there T12

i believe the one of the flaws of pc is there actual shape, thats just what ive heard.

i believe PC is actually just compact flourscent and its efficancy is 60-70 lumens per watts, that is poor compared to others.

another chart for comparison, keep in mind these people are trying to sell mainly t5 fixtures
http://www.specialty-lights.com/plant-grow-faq3.html#compare

 

[johnson5585]

I had a FW tank I changed over to SW. Had a standard T12-T8 set up initially. I ended up with some free corals. Nothing died. I changed to T-5's based on my own decision to try and improve lighting. Well the tank is definitely brighter and the corals doubled if not tripled in size and count in less time with the T5's than I had them under the earlier T12-T8 set up. So that being said I would say based on my experience T5's are definitely superior to the other T bulbs.

I picked T5's over PC's because of cost and that based on my research they were cooler and more energy efficient (where I live you want efficient)

I picked T5's over Halides due to cost, heat and energy efficiency.

The one thing I like about Halides is the cool shimmer effect.

The thing that kept me from buying halides the most was price and heat output. I don't want any added heat (need for a cooler another expense)and do not need my electric bill any higher.

I found that overall the T5 set ups were the cheapest way to go and so far all the soft and LPS in my tank are thriving. (I have not added any SPS to my tank yet)

Could Halides be better than Florescent? Maybe. Do my corals care? Not yet they all seem very happy.

I think it boils down to preference and your pocket book. Because they all have pros and cons.

PS I heard that they might stop selling T12 bulbs sometime in the future. Forcing people to upgrade to the more efficient T8/T5's.

 

[Kevin8888]

no VHO's are really outdated tech, i dont think you probably even know what those are i had them 6 years ago. there T12
i believe the one of the flaws of pc is there actual shape, thats just what ive heard
i believe PC is actually just compact flourscent and its efficancy is 60-70 lumens per watts, that is poor compared to others.
another chart for comparison, keep in mind these people are trying to sell mainly t5 fixtures
http://www.specialty-lights.com/plant-grow-faq3.html#compare

I accept your judgment, for one I am new haha and you clearly have more experience with them, and I probably just misread the article, which happens, also at the same time lastnight when I was looking into some of the higher end lighting set ups they have T5s to suppliment the MH so that alone should show that the T5s are better, as I doubt they would charge multiple thousands of dollars for out of date.

From the looks of that compairison the T5s are better then MH haha but again I realize there are other factors, but it says 92 Lumins per watt vs 80 for MH.

So I guess now I'm looking for a direct comparison between T5 and metal halide preformance in a deep tank (with the same number of watts used).

 

[sostoudt]

I accept your judgment, for one I am new haha and you clearly have more experience with them, and I probably just misread the article, which happens, also at the same time lastnight when I was looking into some of the higher end lighting set ups they have T5s to suppliment the MH so that alone should show that the T5s are better, as I doubt they would charge multiple thousands of dollars for out of date.

From the looks of that compairison the T5s are better then MH haha but again I realize there are other factors, but it says 92 Lumins per watt vs 80 for MH.

So I guess now I'm looking for a direct comparison between T5 and metal halide preformance in a deep tank (with the same number of watts used).

well the reason people have t5 supplements is because there supposed to be actinics. a halide is a full spectrum bulb, and will grow corals quit well alone; however a actinic bulb would make your corals colors brighter looking.

if notice how brightly colors are in the stores, its because they use predominantly actinic.

In my expierence on the flip side, lower kelvin bulbs tend to grow corals faster even if the color isnt as nice.(dont go too low were not growing plants)







i would just get which one you like better. im still of the opinion there comparable.

i dont know your energy rate, but the difference in energy usage between t5 and halide only equates to a extra 2-3 dollars a month.

also the overall difference in heat output between the two is relatively small, maybe couple degrees. Ive known people that buy t5 thinking they put out alot less heat ,thinking they wont need a chiller and end up needing a chiller anyway. the quality of the ballast and fixture would influence the difference of heat significantly more then fixture type.

 

[JakeH]

I figured you'd want to go with pendant lights on a tank that size, but either way an MH lamp will penetrate the water much deeper due to the sharper beam angle. The smaller the light source, the easier it is to make a proper parabolic lens/reflector...or at least get close. T12 & T8 lamp tubes are too large for a perfect parabolic reflector to fit on top of most aquariums. This may also be why the T5's outperformed the PC in that case. The PC lamp is like 3x as wide as the T5, so each reflector would need to be significantly larger to achieve the same efficiency, or it would need to be supplemented with additional wattage.

Which attribute are you more interested in? Putting more total light (lumens) on the bottom with a hot-spot in the middle, or even & diffused coverage (lumens/square meter, or Lux) across the tank floor? In addition to the 2 different measurements, each may be measured using 2 different methods, direct or reflected.

Metal Halide lamps definitely run hotter & therefore less efficient as they bleed more energy into heat than light. Theres no way around the fact that a MH uses a white-hot filament to create light & a flourescent uses only powder with mildly electrified gas, so the heat from the actual lamp is almost negligible. Most heat from flourescents comes from electrical resistance in the end caps & ballasts (if they're built into the fixture). However, flourescents do waste more light (=energy) due to their tubular shape & via absorption losses across the larger reflector.

Color Spectrum of the output is HUGELY important, but apparently you don't want to go there...

I dont have any corals or even a saltwater tank but I was a Lighting Engineer for many years, so the above is strictly lighting knowledge of 2 different lamp/fixture types & their respective limitations/pros/cons. There are obviously other factors to consider & many more variables once you add all that water & glass.

 

[nubz]

i dont know where i stand on any of this!!!

 

[Fishdude401]

Metal halide is better, for deeper tanks. Some tanks require more powerful lighting due to depth. I think that T-5 is the best because it is very versatile. But V-HO is very powerful/cheap

 

[Kevin8888]

Which attribute are you more interested in? Putting more total light (lumens) on the bottom with a hot-spot in the middle, or even & diffused coverage (lumens/square meter, or Lux) across the tank floor? In addition to the 2 different measurements, each may be measured using 2 different methods, direct or reflected.

I want light covering the entire tank, alowing for corals in all parts and if I can get enough power some Tridacna clams in or near the bottom. If I cant get enough light down there then I will likely make a platform for them higher up.

Color Spectrum of the output is HUGELY important, but apparently you don't want to go there...

I never said I didn't want to talk about spectrum, (I may have... if I did ignore it) I'm just not as worried about it, because as far as I know they are both mostly towards the high frequencys like 400-500nm aka blues and violots, which from what I've read is what corals need. So unless someone has data showing there is a significant difference in wavelegth then I'm not hugely concerned.

I dont have any corals or even a saltwater tank but I was a Lighting Engineer for many years, so the above is strictly lighting knowledge of 2 different lamp/fixture types & their respective limitations/pros/cons. There are obviously other factors to consider & many more variables once you add all that water & glass.

Thanks for your input, as a lighting engineer what you have to say is more towards what I'm looking for actual science and math differences haha.

It's definatly starting to sound like I'm going to have to go with MH and I never even thought about using pendants.... thats not a bad idea better focus, more customizable, less space...

 

[Myteemouse]

I have a lux meter I will test and give you data by this weekend.
On 250w MH of course.

 

[Myteemouse]

BTW MH bulbs are more but to match 2 MH bulbs with good reflectors you'll need about 8 T-5s bulbs at 54w (48") each with individual reflectors which are very important for T-5's
(over a 90-125 for example )
100-200 for two MH bulbs depending brand
25-30 EACH for 54w T-5 bulbs = 200-240 for 8 bulbs, for good ones.
Dual MH 250w MH ballast 200-250
two reflectors and wires 150-250 for both
two bulbs 100-200
700-800 tops for the whole set up for top of the line stuff
8 bulb T-5 fixure top of the line prolly 4-500 (Tek Light) with out bulbs
plus 200 -240 for 8 bulbs,
700-740 for T-5's
about the same for quality stuff.