A Few Questions

[weezawoo]

Couple questions, simple really,

1. What is the main dif between t5 and halide, pros and cons? And experiences?
2. Will i need a light over my sump or uv light?
3. If i cant reopen the sump holes can i run a sump over the top of the tank instead of holes?
4. Do i have to have a weir for a sump and if so how to make one?

Thanks

 

[Morri]

Couple questions, simple really,

1. What is the main dif between t5 and halide, pros and cons? And experiences?
2. Will i need a light over my sump or uv light?
3. If i cant reopen the sump holes can i run a sump over the top of the tank instead of holes?
4. Do i have to have a weir for a sump and if so how to make one?

Thanks

1. Halides are second to none for coral growth colar can seem very harsh if you have wrong colour bulb you will still need a couple of T5s to get the colour right due to the technology behind the halide ballast they use a LOT of electricity 300w of light will use roughly 350 - 400w of power

T5s you need a lot for the same effects as a few halides usually 6 - 8 T5s for SPS 4 - 6 is good for softies and LPS

2. If you are running chaeto in your sump then yes you will need a light I use a cheap tropical 11w tube for good growth I do not use UV and would only use a UV to solve a specfic problem whitespot etc.

3. you can use an overflow box these are not great and can cause floods in the event of loss suction drilling is a far better option in my opinion

4. a weir is important if you are drilling as it holds back the water they are usually just 2 pieces of glass 10mm I would shout on UR to see if anyone near you can help ]if you are not sure or ask in your LFS to see if they can help you

 

[-Nemo-]

Just a slight comment on lighting...
I have 4 bulbs of T5 (with individual reflectors) on my 20" tall tank and I can keep SPS with decent growth mid level in the tank and am also successfully keeping a crocea clam about halfway up, so there is some "play room".

Metal halides tend to run much hotter than T5s. I'm a fan of T5s over halides for that reason as well as there are so many different types of T5 bulbs available, that you can get almost the exact color you're looking for messing with bulb combination.

 

[HappyGeorge]

Obviously I'm fairly new to marines, but I really don't understand the real difference between Halides and T5's in terms of what you can and can't keep.

In my LFS the only tank lit with Halides is the SPS tank everything else is T5, in fact even some of the SPS and he specialises in corals.

I'm not trying to be awkward or flaming anyone and I can only speak from my own tank which is a 37x24x24 lit with a 6 x 39w ATI unit and it's early days but there is always talk of needing Halides to make a decent tank when there are many available corals that will do fine under low lighting and many more that will do fine under T5's.
My tank is showing huge growth on Xenia, zoas and coraline all of which don't need great light levels (coraline grows in sumps as does xenia), but there is also a photosynthetic Gorgonia that is showing new growth all over and the base of which is only an inch of the base of the tank and a fire coral that was just a base with a few stubs and is now showing about an inch of growth on each stub in the 3 weeks it's been running. So what is the Halide going to give me that my T5's don't apart from a bigger electricity bill, and are there any Halides that fit nicely inside a pelmet as don't want anything hung from the ceiling.

 

[weezawoo]

Very interesting. The only reason I am getting Halides is as I am getting a 3x150w unit for £75
Gives me the option I think to get a lot more than the 4x 54w bulbs t5 would give me.
I will post what bulbs they are when I get them.

I have seen people give away chaeto, I read breifly of its good properties, is it worth having in the sump?

I don't want to drill any holes if I cant release the silicone when I get the tank. It could cost £100 to get them undone which I don't want to risk if the tank got broken. But also is a lot of money if I can use other options!

I read a bit about weirs and I know there isn't one in my tank, so I would def need one if I have a sump. I am contemplating not having a sump on the tank. Weirs still confuse me a lot!

 

[Yuma]

I've got a sizable amount of information on T5s if you are interested, I'd be happy to PM it to you.

 

[Morri]

I kept SPS with success under T5s with no problems at all and I would never use Halides myself due to sheer costs of replacement bulbs and electricity used.

You can keep SPS under lower lights as long as they are carefully postioned.

SPS will grow under lower lights quiet happily but I know a lot of people claim better growth of halides

If you are getting halides that cheap I would check the age of the bulbs and the replacement prices you may need to spend another £50 on bulbs.

I am no expert on halides but if you have no T5s to acent the halides you need to buy the correct K bulbs as 10k is very white 20k is a lot bluer I think Ben uses them and would have a better idea

 

[weezawoo]

Bulbs are 3 months old, there is just a fault with one light hence cheaper, it just takes half hour to turn on, as long as the others work it doesn't bother me! Considering buying the ballast and bulbs for the t5s was going to be around £120 if not more, I got a deal, even if it only lasts me 6 months it saves me money now.
I wanted to have 6x 54w t5s but for original output it was too much. I know costs a bit more for the halides to run, it doesn't worry me too much. The heat from them will prob help the heaters work a little less.