T5 vs. MH for Nano

Hey all!

I've almost finished putting together my 20g tall nano tank that I am going to use for corals. I have a 1in drilled overflow dropping into a 10 gal sump w/ small fuge, Rio 2100 return pump into a scwd, which is plumbed into 3/4in PVC for a moderate-strong alternating flow.

The last thing I have left to choose is the lights. I am trying to decide between T5's and 150w MH. I really like the brightness and shimmer of the MH, but also like the T5 for thier efficency and lower heat, and am having a hard time choosing. I want to be able to keep ANY type of coral in this tank (within the size restrictions, anyway).

Any thoughts?

 

What's the height of the tank, please?

 

I would do a Viper 70 watt HQI for 20 / under or 150 HQI for a 29 cube - it would help to know tank size / height as Sparky said. A 20k radium would make that nano pop.

 

20T's are usually 17"-18" tall. I would say a 14k - 20k halide if you have an ATO setup to compensate for evaporation and are able to keep the water temps at no more than 82. if either of those could be a problem go with the T5's.

~Will.

 

The tank is ~18in tall, iirc, 24in long, 14in deep.

I don't have an ATO, and I'm interested in getting/making one, but the tank is located in such a way that I have very limited space, so I'm not sure where I would put the resovoir.

Would 70w MH be enough light for some sps if I wanted them? is 150w MH too much?

I looked at the Viper 70w on dfs, and I think it would look nice on my tank. I was also looking at the Hagen GLO T5's, which would also do the trick, but I hear that the bulbs they come with aren't very good? One other I saw was the Current Sundial fixture, which is kinda ugly and a bit expensive, imo, but does have moonlights. I could't really find any other T5 fixtures that I like, so if anyone knows of a good one in the $150-$250 range, please feel free to point me to them...

 

look at the tek fixtures

 

They look nice, but the ones I found came with no lamps, and for 24in wide 4 bulb fixture + the price of the 4 bulbs easily comes to over $300 plus shipping. The 70w Viper is looking better and better...

 

True but the tek would be a much better option then teh 70w viper

 

Having looked at both the 70W and the 150W Viper, if it were me I'd go with 150. It's a $40 difference b/w the two. If one can place a 2x150 halide fixture on a 55 @ 48x12x21 (WxDxH), then cut that in half, and you'll see that each 150W bulb serves 24Wx12Dx23H. That's pretty close to the dimensions of your tank.

Missionsix ran 2x250's on his 55, and I run 2x250's on my 90, which is the same dimensions as a 55, but 6" deeper from back to front, and a few inches taller.

Given the swing-arm capability of the Viper fixture, you can always raise it if you feel the need, but I suspect you'll be very happy with a single 150W halide bulb fairly close to the surface.

As iLLwiLL states above, consider a 14K or 20K, rather than a 10K bulb, as you'll need some blue.

 

How do you figure - what's the logic behind that?