replacing my PC with MH

I Currently have a 48" PC CoralLife Fixture with a 55 gal tank i want to switch over to MH i went and talked to the lfs. I brought in a print of this 48" Metal Halide Lighting Aquarium 2x 250 Watts Bulbs - eBay (item 290472296352 end time Nov-04-10 14:24:05 PDT)

and they said coral would not respond well to it that i should get something more like



with over $1000 in price differance between the two is it realy worth it?

 

PC to MH is a big jump, and you'd likely see lots of light shock. Also, 2 x 250W MH bulbs is a whole lot for a 55. 150W is plenty. But yes, a T5 fixture would give you far less light shock.

Sounds like a LFS gave you good advice. You can do MH, but you'll need to acclimate your corals to them.

 

That looks eerily similar to the Odyssea fixture from Aquatraders. There have been reports to fires with the MH ballasts...

Going with a good brand name usually means inflated pricing with no difference in product between that and the one made in Singapore. With lighting, I'd go with the best that you can afford when you NEED the light. Better ballast means better power. Better bulb means better light. Better both mean very happy livestock...an investment of more money now to save some later.

 

the one from aquaticlife is a HID MH with T5 that would give me less light shock than the one from e-bay? or would going with a four or six bulb t5 be better? i want to keep both softies and hard. i just got the tank back from the ex and she let the lights burn out so everythings been in the dark for a couple weeks now the only thing that looks like it might make it is the zoo