Lighting T5 vs MH

My 10 year old fish only 55 started to leak so I am upgrading to a 90 or 110 reef. I am looking at AquaticLife 48 Inch 6x54 Watt AquaticLife T5 HO Light Fixture w/ 4 LEDs at $529 or their 48 Inch 2x150 Watt HID 2x54 Watt 420/460 NM AquaticLife T5 HO Light Fixture W/ 4 Lunar LEDs for $799. Is it worth the extra for MH?

 

I really like the shimmer and growth rate of the Metal halide. But I also like the general color of my T5's. I have two tanks one with T5 and one with Metals. So I'm kinda torn and could really go either way as far as color goes. If you're starting out with small SPS frags and want them to grow faster I would go Metal Halide especially if in a deeper tank.
Depending on your setup MH could cause heat issues.

 

i just got a 4x54w 8 moonlight led,dual fan w/bulbs setup on ebay for $114.i was running 3 250w 20kMH.i like T5s better...and so does my elec. bill. and no heat from T5s. im going to get another set and do a retrofit

 

What corals are you thinking of keeping? You could keep most corals with the
t5 if kept in the proper locations in the tank. You could keep SPS on the sand with the MH

 

Softies, LPS, SPS, and a clam at some time. Still going to have fish.

 

You've opened up a debate that will never be settled. What I would do is determine what type of corals you want to keep, do you foresee heat issues? What is your budget? Do you prefer the shimmer effect? I currently use T5s and like them, but I want to try MHs at some point. It's really a personal choice. Keep in mind though that T5s can grow and keep anything that MHs can, so don't let that be a limiting factor.

 

no shimmer with my pc's or t5's, but my led moonlights shimmer nicely at night!

 

I am already over budget, but my wife is spending more than I am. Last month I added 50 lbs of Fiji LR and 40 lbs of Kupang LR. I will be getting more of the Kupang. It has allot of growth on it and good color. My fear is that the T5 will be fine if I stay with the 90 gal. But bigger being better and I go with the 110 the T5 will not be enough for a clam on the bottom.

 

I'm not super familiar with MH but I'm not sure if 150 watt lights are going to be that great for a 90. I've heard 250's recommended for 90's before, especially with a clam and SPS.
I also am not aware of how good the aquaticlife T5 fixtures are or how good their reflectors are but a good T5 fixture with good reflectors and bulbs should handle a 90g just fine with 6 bulbs.

What are the dimensions of the 110 btw?

Sorry don't have much positive to add, I would just be sure you do your research, it's really a hassle to find out after the fact that your reflectors are crappy and you can't keep a clam alive on the sandbed because of it, or something like that.

 

I run 8x54 watt T5's from TEK/Sunlight supply on my 120, and am really happy with it. I think my 120 is simmilar to your 90/110, just a little deeper and wider. I bought my lights from aquacave.com, they were great to work with, and the price was very competitive. If you are going with the T5's, I'd look at the 8 bulb set up vs. the 6. Better safe then sorry...a little more $ now may save you a lot of $ later.

I used to run 2x150W MH and 4x32 watt PC on the same tank. Had major heat issues so I switched to the t5's. I am really happy with the T5's. Only think I have not tried in the tank is clams, but I have been told they will so well with T5 if placed properly.