Lighting

[bg7003]

First off, there is no need for metal halides. I have a 210 gallon tank running just t-5's. In this 210, I have just about everything there is to have in a reef tank. I have clams, carpet anemones, elegance, goniopora, sps, everything. I've had this tank running for 3 years now with no fatalities. The coral is growing like crazy. I have to almost constantly frag my bird's nest and staghorn. I'm sick and tired of people saying the only hope of keeping alive a carpet anemone, a clam, or sps is through metal halides. Metal halides are expensive in everyway and there is no need for them.

 

[-Nemo-]

In my opinion, it depends on a lot of factors. I cannot argue though, that T5s are definitely the way to go most of the time. I wish I had skipped PC and gone straight for the T5s when I first started. A friend of mine is similar to you, has T5s and keeps everything imaginable under them successfully. But as stated previously, I believe a lot more factors go into it other than generalized statements that T5s are better than MH or vice-versa.

 

[seffieuk]

How many T5s are you running on your tank and can we have a photo pretty please

Seffie x

 

[ben1987]

There are positives to both.

1 watt of T5 costs exactly the same to run as 1 watt of MH. The bulbs cost most on T5's because there are more to change and more frequent.

Depth of tank is the biggest factor in decinding which to go for.