48" aqualight pro 2x250 mh or Tek 8x54 HO T5?

Need some input. Putting together 120 gallon reef. There's a guy in my area selling new coralife aqualight pro with the p/c actinics. I can get a pretty good deal from him , about 800 bucks. Alternatively, the Tek fixture with 8 bulbs will run me about the same. How long do t5 bulbs last? I've heard from 6 mos to 2 years. My tank will be mostly lps with a few sps. Probably an anenome, and a bunch of fish.
If price for the 2 fixtures including bulbs was the same, which would you go?

 

forgot to mention, the tank dimensions are 48 x 24 x 24 reef ready with 2 overflows. I'll be running oceanic sump/refugium with vertex in250 skimmer, and calcium reactor.

 

Tek light! Hands down! You should replace t-5 and mh bulbs every year, PC's every 6 months.

 

PCs you can strecth out about 8-12 months, BUT it is a dying tech anyway that is being phased out. It puts out little PAR compared to MH and T5 and is VERY INefficient. No good reflectors and since the bulb is bent on half of the lamp wastes energy lighting the other half of the bulb.... ESU is disco'ing the PCs in favor of T5 anyway....granted you will then need to buy a new fixture, its just a taste of whats to come, if the king of PCs is nix'ing them I would forgo.
The MH will provide a nice kick and give you the ripple lines in the water that many hobbyists cannot live without. Honestly if you want the Aqualight I would figure out a way to remove the PCs and reflectors, Frankenstein some T5s in there. The ballast should be able to power 2 54w HO lamps. Toss in some Blue+ or a true actinic and it will offset the MH lamp.

If you go with the Tek you will have no problem growing coral in your tank, and you will have less of a heat issue. Believe it or not the Teks are cool even without the active cooling. I am falling in love with Teks all over again lately, but that is another story.
I would grab maybe 4 Blue+, 2Aquablue+, maybe a Fiji Purple or two or toss in a 6000k and then offset it with a true actinic. Lamps will be very dependant on what you what the tank to look like.

Good luck!!

EDIT- whoops forgot to say MH lamps are replaced typically every 8-12 months and depending on the ballast and cooled or not T5 lamps can be stretched 12-to even 24 months...

 

I would figure out exactly the benefits and cons for each light and compare that to what you want to do with the tank. T5s are cooler running which is a definite benefit if you live in a hotter climate or during the summer. MHs are nice because they penetrate deep tanks and you get the ripple effect. They are also considered to be the closest to natural sunlight that we can get at this moment. But you have the heat issues, they are expensive and you need to replace the bulbs in about 9-12 months depending on the bulb and ballast. Many feel that the MH/T5 combo is the best you can do for reef lighting. Personally, I am going to be upgrading and I will be going with a Tek fixture. I looked at MH and almost went that way, but I didn't want to deal with the heat issues and they are much more expensive.

 

+1 on above for me
I do live in a hot climate and thus need a chiller even though I only use T5s
The difference is I can get away with a smaller unit and it wont run as long or as often with T5 lights thus saving electric from what I would need if I had 2 or 3 MH above my tank

coupled with the fact I have a tank with Softies and LPS (beginners corals ) means I dont have the demanding species for which some may make the arguements on behalf of MH

people have proved that you can keep SPS and Clams under enough T5s of a high wattage ,

and where I am a 6 tube T5 fixture costs 700 local currency but a 3 way MH with 2 x T5 actinics costs over 3500 local currency

it was a no brainer for me based on all the above factors in the equation

Steve

 

I've been T5 from day one,and never regret going that route.I have a buddy that has a 90 total sps reef tank.He's been using 2x 250 halide with T5 for years.He seen my total T5 tank,was blown away and went all T5 as well.So after yrs. of halide,he's a firm believer in T5's as well.He couldn't be happier,and his acros have never looked better.

 

I know the mh are much more expensive, but my dilemma is that I can get either fixture for about the same price. If price were the same, which would you get?

 

I run the TEK 8 bulb on my tank with the same dimensions as your. Go with the tek if you want my opinion. Corals are doing great and growing. I still had to install fans though but I do have a canopy.

 

Go with the MH. You can't go wrong with them for LPS and SPS.

Make sure that the MHs are not above the tank braces. Could be a deciding factor.