lighting question?

[phi delt reefer]

heres why;

example;

a tank has a 48"x12" foot and is 18" deep would need two 250w halides which is 500w.

the same tank would need 4 48" t5 bulbs (54w a pop) - so thats 216w.

[phi delt reefer]

omg we posted the same THING! i swear your post wasnt there when wrote mine! LOL

[Black Phantom]

I don't want to split hairs but arent we supposed to be comparing 250 watts to 250 watts.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Black Phantom

I don't want to split hairs but arent we supposed to be comparing 250 watts to 250 watts.

Yes, I think the original question was comparing watts of equal output.

[Alleycat_99]

Ok I have a cube tank 24x24 by 30 high I have 2 175 watt MH mogul I can use or buy a t5 fixture. Goiing to have a mixed reef.so am I gunna consume more power with MH of t5 same wattage 350watts

[Aquattro]

On that size tank, I'd probably just use the 1 MH. It will cover a 24x24 area. At 30" deep, you'd need to keep more light demanding critters higher up.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

On that size tank, I'd probably just use the 1 MH. It will cover a 24x24 area. At 30" deep, you'd need to keep more light demanding critters higher up.

agreed one halide is fine on that tank

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by phi delt reefer

a tank has a 48"x12" foot and is 18" deep would need two 250w halides which is 500w.

the same tank would need 4 48" t5 bulbs (54w a pop) - so thats 216w.

Well, a bit subjective here. The tank in question doesn't "need" 500w, only if you're using 250s. You could easily light the same tank with 2 x 70w, or 2 x 150w. Now this addresses light spread and coverage. What is in the tank may have different needs. I don't use T5s, but 4 x 54w seems low if I'm running an 18" clam tank. I would think that more than 4 tubes is "needed" . I could be mistaken, as I said, I don't use them, but "need" is a subjective term.
In comparison for cost, you need to compare costs of bulbs over time, costs of power, for MH, costs of cooling any heat generated. I know my chiller currently costs almost as much as running a second set of T5s