Lighting T5 vs MH

Guitar man has said it pretty well.I also live in jersey and my 250 watt m/h causes me to use my a/c in the summer more than I would like to.Also the sound of the cooling fan in my fixture can be annoying at times,I'm using a current sunpod.

 

I just bought a T5 fixture and my reasons were: cheaper, quieter, cooler. And from what people told me, and the research I did, T5s are a great choice for growing all kinds of corals - just get the right bulbs!

 

Glass cages list it as a 115 gal. 48 x 18 x 31. I like the look of a taller tank. My wife said that the 90 at 25 tall is too short. Dam I love her

 

Ahh with that sort of depth I think you might have to go MH, if you do T5 you might consider getting icecap ballasts and overdriving your bulbs, but I don't know how possible that is with fixtures, just with retrofit kits.
For a tank that deep I think you'd almost surely want 250w MH as well.

Have you considered a T5 retrofit kit and a canopy for the tank? You may be able to save some money even.

Check out reefgeek.com for some other good quality fixtures/lighting solutions.

Also just keep in mind that with 31" deep unless you have a really deep sandbed you're probably not going to be able to reach the bottom of the tank easily which can make maintenance a hassle.

 

Thanks, Screwtape. I will check out the reefgeek. Always looking for new sites. I have a canopy that I could install a retrofit kit.