VHOs vs T5

harif87 · 02-15-2007, 04:16 PM

I looked around for a thread like this but i couldnt find one with the details i was looking for. Anyways, ATM im running 4x65 watt PC lights over a 55 gallon tank with mostly softies. However its time for a lighting upgrade so i can start to concentrate on some LPS & SPS. So

i was considering T5's when i realized that VHOs are also an alternative. My question is what are the advatages that one has over the other. I know the general advantages of T5s but i dont know that much about VHO's. Can i run a tank with SPS with VHOs alone? I was thinking of somewhere along the lines of a 4x110 watt bulbs over a 55.

Also i know VHOs are older, but are they outdated just because they dont look as cool? Plz someone enlighten me on this lighting dilemma.

**Damon** · 02-15-2007, 04:50 PM

6 in one hand, half a dozen in the other. VHO bulbs have built in reflectors on them (URI). T5 allow for more flexibility in spectrums. I perfer VHO, Keri perfers T5.

Reefneck · 02-15-2007, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damon

6 in one hand, half a dozen in the other.

I agree!!!

harif87 · 02-15-2007, 07:23 PM

Is it possible to sucessfully keep high light demanding SPS and LPS under T5's or VHOs without any plans of upgrading to MH?

**Damon** · 02-15-2007, 07:37 PM

I know its possible with VHO. I would imagine the same goes for T5 if you have enough light.

fishfingers · 02-15-2007, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harif87

Can i run a tank with SPS with VHOs alone?

It doesn't matter what type of lights you use you will be able to grow just about anything, as long as you have enough of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by harif87

Is it possible to sucessfully keep high light demanding SPS and LPS under T5's or VHOs without any plans of upgrading to MH?

Yes, I've seen many examples of this. Not sure on your tank size but 4 t5 bulbs with good reflectors will allow you to grow pretyy much anything. More would be better though of course.

I'm not to informed with the way lights work myself, but I know when your looking into lights the amounts of watts isn't what you should look at, it's the PAR that's most important. I don't know what that is TBH (if someone could explain that would be tops) but T5's have a better PAR than VHO, which makes them more appropriate for reef tanks (even though VHO has more watts).

Anyway I found most of this information under a google search of T5's vs VHO. It seems most people thought T5's would be the better option.

harif87 · 02-15-2007, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishfingers

It doesn't matter what type of lights you use you will be able to grow just about anything, as long as you have enough of it.

Yes, I've seen many examples of this. Not sure on your tank size but 4 t5 bulbs with good reflectors will allow you to grow pretyy much anything. More would be better though of course.

I'm not to informed with the way lights work myself, but I know when your looking into lights the amounts of watts isn't what you should look at, it's the PAR that's most important. I don't know what that is TBH (if someone could explain that would be tops) but T5's have a better PAR than VHO, which makes them more appropriate for reef tanks (even though VHO has more watts).

Anyway I found most of this information under a google search of T5's vs VHO. It seems most people thought T5's would be the better option.

What you said about it doesnt matter what light you have as long as there is enough of it, is true. But the thing is you cant light a reef tank with NO bulbs. Sure if i could somehow concentrate the light of about 40 of them into your tank than thats fine. The only thing is that no one can fit 40 NO bulbs over their tank. Same with T5 or VHO. What im asking is, is it possible to fit enough T5 or VHO bulbs over a tank.

[i might be wrong here but] par is the amount of lumens per watt. T5 have something like 92 lumens per watt which means that you need less watts to acheive a certain amount of lumens.

Damon, i dont mean to sound rude but, how do you know its possible?

**Damon** · 02-16-2007, 11:09 AM

VHO, T5, and MH all have enough par and lumens to successfully grow anything provided you have enough of them. Meaning, you can fit enough of these bulbs (keep in mind we're talking about T5 HO not standard T5 bulbs) over most tanks to achieve the amount of light your corals require.

harif87 · 02-16-2007, 11:30 AM

I know it sounds good on paper, but the reason why im a little skeptical is because ive heard stories of peoples SPS and/or LPS not having such great color under T5's. Which is why i need to see some tanks running on T5s before i decide.

I think im going to stay away from VHOs for now. But now the question im asking myself is "are my pockets ready for MHs or should i settle for a good T5 kit"

leveldrummer · 02-16-2007, 01:17 PM

put as many t5's over that tank as you can, if you can get 6 across it, you can keep anenome's and sps. easily. run a couple 6500k, (highest par) 10k, and a couple actinic for color, your corals will look so good you wont believe it. keep the sps anywhere you want too. a 55 gallon tank isnt deep enough for the light not to penetrate well.

fishfingers · 02-21-2007, 02:48 AM

Not the ones I wanted to show you hariff, but these should give you a good idea on what can be done with t5's anyway.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...totm/index.php
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...totm/index.php
http://www.hausriff.ch/156000/index.html

If those tanks don't have great colour, then i don't know what does!!!

leveldrummer · 02-21-2007, 10:44 AM

thank you fingers, that should help some folks, those tanks look amazing!

Bear · 02-22-2007, 10:57 AM

harif, I was having the same problem and I finally decided to go with T5s.
6*54 watt tek retro with IceCap reflectors from reefgeek.com

For bulbs I was gonna do. 1 ATI aquablue, 3 ATI blue pluses, 2 UVL super actinics.

The water will look pretty blue and the corals should glow like crazy.

Reefneck · 02-22-2007, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bear

harif, I was having the same problem and I finally decided to go with T5s.
6*54 watt tek retro with IceCap reflectors from reefgeek.com

For bulbs I was gonna do. 1 ATI aquablue, 3 ATI blue pluses, 2 UVL super actinics.

The water will look pretty blue and the corals should glow like crazy.

Yea, With all those blue bulbs the corals WILL "Glow like crazy"!! Until they die from lack of light! Corals can not be kept under Blue/Actinic lights alone! The daylight bulbs are what they feed off of and without them or without enough of them the corals will die.

EDIT: I thought we had talked about this already. I made several bulb suggestions and now this? You can not have all blue my friend or nothing will grow and they will just wither and die. I don't want to see you throwing money away like that OR that many animals dying for no reason other than wanting color.

Bear · 02-22-2007, 02:26 PM

with these lights there is no need to worry. The Par on those blue bulbs are higher than on many daylights so they are fine. I have also seen a # of set ups like this (just like this) that have been like this for a couple of years now and they look great. I do thank you for your jumping to ding me in the head again, but after having done the research I have I am not that worried about it...but not that I think about it I would still like to talk with you about it more....

Reefneck · 02-22-2007, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bear

with these lights there is no need to worry. The Par on those blue bulbs are higher than on many daylights so they are fine. I have also seen a # of set ups like this (just like this) that have been like this for a couple of years now and they look great. I do thank you for your jumping to ding me in the head again, but after having done the research I have I am not that worried about it...but not that I think about it I would still like to talk with you about it more....

It's not all just about Par though bud. My partner at the fish store was standing beside me when I replied the last time and he was laughing his head off about the same thing I said. No Corals or anemones can/will survive under actinics/blue alone. If that is the route you take I am going to stay out of it any further because I don't want to be part of the massacre. Please rethink this stratagy.

Keri

**Fishfirst** · 02-22-2007, 02:41 PM

I'd have to agree... photosynthetic corals need full spectrum

Bear · 02-22-2007, 02:45 PM

well then it will be rethought and its probably a good thing that I was shut up in an open forum like this too

how im lookin at the giesemann now. 3 6000k and 3 actinic plus.

yea right back to what you said the first time keri

How will the corals glow under that?

morris, as far as lighting goes I would get the T5s...as you can tell.

Reefneck · 02-22-2007, 03:18 PM

Drop the 6000K (I assume you meant 6500K) and go with 10K's.

Bear · 02-22-2007, 03:26 PM

will do. Good thing you caught me, I planned on ordering them today.

02-15-2007, 04:16 PM	#1
harif87 Minor Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Age: 21 Posts: 996	VHOs vs T5 I looked around for a thread like this but i couldnt find one with the details i was looking for. Anyways, ATM im running 4x65 watt PC lights over a 55 gallon tank with mostly softies. However its time for a lighting upgrade so i can start to concentrate on some LPS & SPS. So i was considering T5's when i realized that VHOs are also an alternative. My question is what are the advatages that one has over the other. I know the general advantages of T5s but i dont know that much about VHO's. Can i run a tank with SPS with VHOs alone? I was thinking of somewhere along the lines of a 4x110 watt bulbs over a 55. Also i know VHOs are older, but are they outdated just because they dont look as cool? Plz someone enlighten me on this lighting dilemma. __________________ sorry for beating you senseless "The human torch was denied a bank loan"

02-15-2007, 04:50 PM	#2
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982	6 in one hand, half a dozen in the other. VHO bulbs have built in reflectors on them (URI). T5 allow for more flexibility in spectrums. I perfer VHO, Keri perfers T5. __________________ For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Member of the AGA (Aquatic Gardner's Association) Member of the IBC (International Betta Congress)

02-15-2007, 07:23 PM	#4
harif87 Minor Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Age: 21 Posts: 996	Is it possible to sucessfully keep high light demanding SPS and LPS under T5's or VHOs without any plans of upgrading to MH? __________________ sorry for beating you senseless "The human torch was denied a bank loan"

02-15-2007, 07:37 PM	#5
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982	I know its possible with VHO. I would imagine the same goes for T5 if you have enough light. __________________ For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Member of the AGA (Aquatic Gardner's Association) Member of the IBC (International Betta Congress)

02-16-2007, 11:09 AM	#8
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982	VHO, T5, and MH all have enough par and lumens to successfully grow anything provided you have enough of them. Meaning, you can fit enough of these bulbs (keep in mind we're talking about T5 HO not standard T5 bulbs) over most tanks to achieve the amount of light your corals require. __________________ For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Member of the AGA (Aquatic Gardner's Association) Member of the IBC (International Betta Congress)

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02-16-2007, 11:30 AM	#9
harif87 Minor Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Age: 21 Posts: 996	I know it sounds good on paper, but the reason why im a little skeptical is because ive heard stories of peoples SPS and/or LPS not having such great color under T5's. Which is why i need to see some tanks running on T5s before i decide. I think im going to stay away from VHOs for now. But now the question im asking myself is "are my pockets ready for MHs or should i settle for a good T5 kit" __________________ sorry for beating you senseless "The human torch was denied a bank loan"

02-16-2007, 01:17 PM	#10
leveldrummer something like a pimp Join Date: May 2005 Location: atlanta Age: 29 Posts: 1,933	put as many t5's over that tank as you can, if you can get 6 across it, you can keep anenome's and sps. easily. run a couple 6500k, (highest par) 10k, and a couple actinic for color, your corals will look so good you wont believe it. keep the sps anywhere you want too. a 55 gallon tank isnt deep enough for the light not to penetrate well. __________________ The meek shall inherit the Earth. Big deal. By the time they get it the rest of us will have messed it all up.

02-21-2007, 02:48 AM	#11
fishfingers Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Australia Age: 18 Posts: 129	Not the ones I wanted to show you hariff, but these should give you a good idea on what can be done with t5's anyway. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...totm/index.php http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...totm/index.php http://www.hausriff.ch/156000/index.html If those tanks don't have great colour, then i don't know what does!!!

02-21-2007, 10:44 AM	#12
leveldrummer something like a pimp Join Date: May 2005 Location: atlanta Age: 29 Posts: 1,933	thank you fingers, that should help some folks, those tanks look amazing! __________________ The meek shall inherit the Earth. Big deal. By the time they get it the rest of us will have messed it all up.

02-22-2007, 10:57 AM	#13
Bear Salty Pants Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: In a Big Yellow House Age: 20 Posts: 902	harif, I was having the same problem and I finally decided to go with T5s. 6*54 watt tek retro with IceCap reflectors from reefgeek.com For bulbs I was gonna do. 1 ATI aquablue, 3 ATI blue pluses, 2 UVL super actinics. The water will look pretty blue and the corals should glow like crazy. __________________ My Reef My Puffer Tank My Photos

02-22-2007, 02:26 PM	#15
Bear Salty Pants Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: In a Big Yellow House Age: 20 Posts: 902	with these lights there is no need to worry. The Par on those blue bulbs are higher than on many daylights so they are fine. I have also seen a # of set ups like this (just like this) that have been like this for a couple of years now and they look great. I do thank you for your jumping to ding me in the head again, but after having done the research I have I am not that worried about it...but not that I think about it I would still like to talk with you about it more.... __________________ My Reef My Puffer Tank My Photos

02-22-2007, 02:41 PM	#17
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,534	I'd have to agree... photosynthetic corals need full spectrum __________________ 210 Gal Reef w/ 55 Gallon Sump/Fuge, 125 Gal Fish Only, 65 Gal Seahorse-29 Gallon Sump, 55 Gal FOWLR, 54 Gal Corner FW Community, 20 Gal Nano FOWLR, 55 Gal Piranha, 29 gallon QT "All the yellow tangs and clownfish in the world can't save you now! hahahah" Peter from Family Guy

02-22-2007, 02:45 PM	#18
Bear Salty Pants Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: In a Big Yellow House Age: 20 Posts: 902	well then it will be rethought and its probably a good thing that I was shut up in an open forum like this too how im lookin at the giesemann now. 3 6000k and 3 actinic plus. yea right back to what you said the first time keri How will the corals glow under that? morris, as far as lighting goes I would get the T5s...as you can tell. __________________ My Reef My Puffer Tank My Photos Last edited by Bear; 02-22-2007 at 02:57 PM.

02-22-2007, 03:18 PM	#19
Reefneck Senior Aquarist Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Near a Coral Reef Age: 47 Posts: 1,351	Drop the 6000K (I assume you meant 6500K) and go with 10K's. __________________ I wonder how much salt mix I would need to turn our in ground pool into a Reef.

02-22-2007, 03:26 PM	#20
Bear Salty Pants Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: In a Big Yellow House Age: 20 Posts: 902	will do. Good thing you caught me, I planned on ordering them today. __________________ My Reef My Puffer Tank My Photos

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