T5HO vs. Metal Halide

fishn00b · 10-31-2006, 11:20 AM

Hey back again with another quick/stupid question.

I am looking at lighting for the reef tank that I am building, but after realizing that I need to put 7 - 10 watts a gallon on to grow some corals, I realized that I would need a ton of wattage over the tank (I'm deciding between a 265 or 410 gallon).

Basically I just wanted to know if I would need the same amount of watts over the tank if I was using T5HO vs. Metal Halide. Many of the systems I'm looking at come with T5 bulbs rated at 24 watts. I was thinking of putting 300 watts of T5 (with different K ratings) over the 265, but is there anything I should know that T5 won't be sufficient for the reef tank? I'd much rather use this set up rather than using 2000 watts of metal halides because of the monthly electric bill. Thanks for your input.

**Fishfirst** · 10-31-2006, 01:50 PM

its all about lumens... and penetration. How deep is the tank?

fishn00b · 10-31-2006, 02:12 PM

The tank will probably be around 2 - 3 feet deep.

**Damon** · 11-01-2006, 07:47 AM

There is a huge difference between 2 and 3 feet, especially when it comes to penetration of light.

fishn00b · 11-01-2006, 09:39 AM

I realize that.

I just wanted to know if you need the same amount of watts of T5HO as you do metal halides, let's say the tank is only two feet high then.

**Fishfirst** · 11-01-2006, 09:48 AM

I'd go with metal halides... if you don't really know the depth... can't go wrong with 400 watt mh's

**Damon** · 11-01-2006, 10:48 AM

Couldnt agree with you more...............

fishn00b · 11-01-2006, 05:09 PM

I was going to go with metal halide's orginally because of basically how effective they are. But then I realized to put that wattage over a tank of 265 gallons, would be like 40 bucks a month in just the lighting bill.

With all the hype of T5HO, I was wondering if they were interchangable (obviously by matching spectrums and lumens) and I could get away with using less wattage.

**Fishfirst** · 11-01-2006, 08:43 PM

eh... I've found my bill went up around $5 a month with MH's

fishn00b · 11-02-2006, 06:00 AM

I've been hearing that a lot with people, but when I go to calculate it (at 10 watts per gallon) I have at least 2750 watts.

Then obviously with the little formula thats 2.75 kW x 12 hours a day x .10 cents an hour x 30 days for the month = 99 dollars....

How many watts are you running over yours?

**Damon** · 11-02-2006, 07:13 AM

First off, you dont need that much lighting over a reef tank. The corals you want to keep will determine the amount. That old wpg rule is way off nowadays with more efficient bulbs (PC, VHO, MH). 2x400 MH with 2x110 VHO would give you more than enough light to grow just keep just about anything and thats around 4.5wpg over a 265 gallon tank.

fishn00b · 11-02-2006, 10:45 AM

This is true, but then I'm still looking at over 40 dollars a month just to run the lighting

.

**Damon** · 11-02-2006, 11:54 AM

Here's an example.........
For instance 1000 watts * .024 = 24 KW
24kw/24 (hrs in a day)*10 (amount of time you run lights for)=10KW per day
10kw per day *.09 (National average) =.90
.90*30 (days)= $27.00

Thats for a 1000 watts left on 10 hrs a day for 30 days.

**Fishfirst** · 11-02-2006, 11:58 AM

plus you never leave metal halides on for more than 5-6 hours when you've got vho's backing them up

fishn00b · 11-02-2006, 01:58 PM

I see what you're saying. So if I leave the VHOs on for approximately 10 hours, I can peak out the Metal Halides for the "noon time" effect. Excellent. I'll see how this works out. Thanks a bunch guys, but I'll probably be back with more questions.

**Damon** · 11-02-2006, 06:25 PM

And we'll be here to answer them.............

fishn00b · 11-02-2006, 07:37 PM

Lol, well thank you.

I'm assuming when I do my setup, I will have one MH (400 watt) at 20,000K, and another MH (400 watt) at 6,500K... while having the two VHO (110 watt) at around 7,100K for the best color spectrum output? Would that set up be optimum for the reef?

harif87 · 11-06-2006, 08:39 PM

Since your already talking about T5's i was wondering if its possible to keep LPS with around 432 watts of pure T5 lights over a 55 gallon tank? Or possibly 384 watts of PC lights...

**Damon** · 11-07-2006, 07:33 AM

You'll have much better success with the T5 vs the Pc bulbs. While intensely stronger then N.O. they still dont have the PAR for growing light intensive corals.

Fishnewb1 · 01-09-2007, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harif87

Since your already talking about T5's i was wondering if its possible to keep LPS with around 432 watts of pure T5 lights over a 55 gallon tank? Or possibly 384 watts of PC lights...

yea that would be well over enough. I have 4 bulbs for like 216w over my 55 and the lps is thriving. The wattage on T-5 HO bulbs dont apply to the watts per gallon scale because of the high output and intensity. 432w would be enough for sps. I would NOT go for PC's there expencive bulbs and short life is horrible. If I were you i would get the Nova Extreme with either 4 bulbs (which i have and its great) or if you want sps i would get the 8 bulb.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113175

10-31-2006, 11:20 AM	#1
fishn00b Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 20 Posts: 401 User Feedback: (0)	T5HO vs. Metal Halide Hey back again with another quick/stupid question. I am looking at lighting for the reef tank that I am building, but after realizing that I need to put 7 - 10 watts a gallon on to grow some corals, I realized that I would need a ton of wattage over the tank (I'm deciding between a 265 or 410 gallon). Basically I just wanted to know if I would need the same amount of watts over the tank if I was using T5HO vs. Metal Halide. Many of the systems I'm looking at come with T5 bulbs rated at 24 watts. I was thinking of putting 300 watts of T5 (with different K ratings) over the 265, but is there anything I should know that T5 won't be sufficient for the reef tank? I'd much rather use this set up rather than using 2000 watts of metal halides because of the monthly electric bill. Thanks for your input.

10-31-2006, 01:50 PM	#2
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Soon to be Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,478 User Feedback: (1)	its all about lumens... and penetration. How deep is the tank? __________________ 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

11-01-2006, 07:47 AM	#4
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982 User Feedback: (0)	There is a huge difference between 2 and 3 feet, especially when it comes to penetration of 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)

11-01-2006, 09:48 AM	#6
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Soon to be Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,478 User Feedback: (1)	I'd go with metal halides... if you don't really know the depth... can't go wrong with 400 watt mh's __________________ 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

11-01-2006, 10:48 AM	#7
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982 User Feedback: (0)	Couldnt agree with you more............... __________________ 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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10-31-2006, 02:12 PM	#3
fishn00b Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 20 Posts: 401 User Feedback: (0)	The tank will probably be around 2 - 3 feet deep.

11-01-2006, 09:39 AM	#5
fishn00b Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 20 Posts: 401 User Feedback: (0)	I realize that. I just wanted to know if you need the same amount of watts of T5HO as you do metal halides, let's say the tank is only two feet high then.

11-01-2006, 05:09 PM	#8
fishn00b Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 20 Posts: 401 User Feedback: (0)	I was going to go with metal halide's orginally because of basically how effective they are. But then I realized to put that wattage over a tank of 265 gallons, would be like 40 bucks a month in just the lighting bill. With all the hype of T5HO, I was wondering if they were interchangable (obviously by matching spectrums and lumens) and I could get away with using less wattage.

11-01-2006, 08:43 PM	#9
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Soon to be Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,478 User Feedback: (1)	eh... I've found my bill went up around $5 a month with MH's __________________ 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

11-02-2006, 06:00 AM	#10
fishn00b Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 20 Posts: 401 User Feedback: (0)	I've been hearing that a lot with people, but when I go to calculate it (at 10 watts per gallon) I have at least 2750 watts. Then obviously with the little formula thats 2.75 kW x 12 hours a day x .10 cents an hour x 30 days for the month = 99 dollars.... How many watts are you running over yours?

11-02-2006, 07:13 AM	#11
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982 User Feedback: (0)	First off, you dont need that much lighting over a reef tank. The corals you want to keep will determine the amount. That old wpg rule is way off nowadays with more efficient bulbs (PC, VHO, MH). 2x400 MH with 2x110 VHO would give you more than enough light to grow just keep just about anything and thats around 4.5wpg over a 265 gallon tank. __________________ 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)

11-02-2006, 10:45 AM	#12
fishn00b Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 20 Posts: 401 User Feedback: (0)	This is true, but then I'm still looking at over 40 dollars a month just to run the lighting .

11-02-2006, 11:54 AM	#13
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982 User Feedback: (0)	Here's an example......... For instance 1000 watts * .024 = 24 KW 24kw/24 (hrs in a day)10 (amount of time you run lights for)=10KW per day 10kw per day .09 (National average) =.90 .90*30 (days)= $27.00 Thats for a 1000 watts left on 10 hrs a day for 30 days. __________________ 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)

11-02-2006, 11:58 AM	#14
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Soon to be Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,478 User Feedback: (1)	plus you never leave metal halides on for more than 5-6 hours when you've got vho's backing them up __________________ 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

11-02-2006, 01:58 PM	#15
fishn00b Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 20 Posts: 401 User Feedback: (0)	I see what you're saying. So if I leave the VHOs on for approximately 10 hours, I can peak out the Metal Halides for the "noon time" effect. Excellent. I'll see how this works out. Thanks a bunch guys, but I'll probably be back with more questions.

11-02-2006, 06:25 PM	#16
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982 User Feedback: (0)	And we'll be here to answer them............. __________________ 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)

11-02-2006, 07:37 PM	#17
fishn00b Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 20 Posts: 401 User Feedback: (0)	Lol, well thank you. I'm assuming when I do my setup, I will have one MH (400 watt) at 20,000K, and another MH (400 watt) at 6,500K... while having the two VHO (110 watt) at around 7,100K for the best color spectrum output? Would that set up be optimum for the reef?

11-06-2006, 08:39 PM	#18
harif87 Minor Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Age: 21 Posts: 989 User Feedback: (1)	Since your already talking about T5's i was wondering if its possible to keep LPS with around 432 watts of pure T5 lights over a 55 gallon tank? Or possibly 384 watts of PC lights... __________________ sorry for beating you senseless "The human torch was denied a bank loan"

11-07-2006, 07:33 AM	#19
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982 User Feedback: (0)	You'll have much better success with the T5 vs the Pc bulbs. While intensely stronger then N.O. they still dont have the PAR for growing light intensive corals. __________________ 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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