What does everyone think of T5's for reefs

[Kronk]

I have researched the crap out of this subject as well and there doesnt seem to be a clear winner... to answer your original question though i would say just get a new ballast instead of investing a ton on a totally new system.

You could get T5HO's in combination with MH like reefer rob has suggested just keep the single working MH you have and get a 4 bulb retro kit this is the best price i could find with free shipping in canada just be sure to select the right size.

Cheers,
Ken

[marcingo]

Thanks very much... I cant wait until I have 1k to spend on some amazing light system lol. But for now I bought 4VHO with icecap ballast for the side of my tank that is missing a light and im gonna continue running my MH. Thanks for all the helpful suggestions everyone.

[kwirky]

Originally Posted by marcingo

I cant wait until I have 1k to spend on some amazing light system lol.

By the time you feel a real need to upgrade, there'll probably be something even better any ways. I feel with any kind of fast moving technology, the key to buying is procrastination. Leave it to the last minute

[briansmyth]

I have a four foot PFO Solaris 20K LED system on my 90 gallon tank. If you're into leaving a smaller footprint on the planet, you might want to think about these.

I had DIY 400 watt metal halide lighting with a 10K and a 14K bulb. The LED lights are saving me a chunk each month on my utilities plus I'm adding way less top off water to the tank since much less evaporation ... fewer trips to get RO/DI water now. I was able to take off a fan on my sum, so energy savings and water conservation there, too. I imagine my air conditioning will run less in the summer now and it is way less hot in the basement the rest of the time. No chiller required.

Corals seem to be doing well under the LED lighting - I will be checking SPS growth closely beginning in April, but results will be mainly anecdotal.

I think metal halides have a nicer shimmer effect, but as long as you have ripples in the water, you will see most of that shimmer effect with LEDs.

The LED light bulbs may need to be replaced at about 10 years, so there appears to be a cost saving there. Programming the lights, having lunar lights and options such as cloud cover have been of interest to me.

The big downside of LEDs are the price, but if you think about the total cost of ownership, there are benefits to LEDs.

[marcingo]

true i really was interested in the LED lights but I couldnt justify buying a set of lights for almost 4000 dollars.