Which is better for a 30x30x18 cube (MH vs T5)?

Wondering which will give me the best lighting for my cube? Comments are welcome!

MH set-up:
Lumen max 2 Mogul pendant
Galaxy select-a-watt ballast 250w/400w
Radium 20k 250w

vs

24" ATI PowerModule 6-bulb T5 fixture
*bulbs will be all ATI

A few quick points:

- won't go over 6-bulb on the ATI
- heat & more top off needed is a concern with the MH
- light spread of a 24" fixture vs the pendant over the 30x30 dimension
- both will be suspended on an adjustable mount kit
- looking to keep all types of corals & clams, etc

Thanks for any input!

 

It really comes down to what YOU want. Both would be great fixtures.

If you don't mind the topoffs..can handle the heat..but really want to be able to keep ANYTHING (as far as lighting goes) and want the shimmer..halide is the way to go.

t5's are cheaper to run and cooler and sustain nearly all corals/clams/etc.

Personally..I like halides

Ivan

 

Agreed.

 

Thanks for the input guys.

I guess some of my main concerns with the MH set-up is that I'm wondering just how much more top-off I will need due to evap. This is my first foray into MH, having used only T5 fixtures. I normally make 10g of RO/DI a week for WC & top-off, wondering if that will stay the same or go up a lot? Having a new baby I'm trying to minimize the maintanence/water making, etc.

I also have never seen a 24" fixture light spread hung & have no idea how much better the pendant will be for the dimension?

And the cost of 6 good quality bulbs vs one MH bulb is another thing I'm thinking of too.

 

I top off less than 1 gallon/day with my MH. I have a 84 Gal with the MH/LEDs 3 inches from the water. I have fans above the MH sucking out, blowing up...none across the water. I also have 3 submersed pumps in my sump, and 3 PH's in my DT...probably more heat than the MH you're thinking about. I can't remember off hand from your build thread, but are you doing HOB or sump?

 

I would go with mh. On my 75g I top half of a gallon every 2-3 days. My mh are on for 9 hours.

 

This is a killer tank, and you are probably going to have some nice sps, so go with the metal halide. You will get the colors you want and the growth.

 

Thanks again for all the great input, the info on how much you all top off has really made me feel much more confident!

@FaceofDeceit I'm doing in-sump def!

I'm def going to stick with the MH set-up, can't wait to get it up and running!

Last quick question, a bit unrelated, but since I'm only running on MH bulb, does it take a bit to "ramp up" as the bulb is powered on? I may supplement with led's down the line but just wondering if MH has a little bit of a wake up time and then full power?

 

You'll seriously be amazed when you see your tank under halides. You wouldn't think there would be much of a difference..it's just light..but there is. If your lights are suspended and not in a canopy then heat won't be much of an issue. I had a fan in my canopy with a halide and it kept it room temperature inside the canopy.

Evaporation really isn't anything ridiculous either. You won't be topping off 3 gallons/day or anything.

Edit: It takes a few hours for your bulb to initially "burn in." The color won't be the actual color for a day or so. If that makes sense.. It will probably look yellow. But then all of the sudden it will be nice and blue. After the initial break-in they fire up within a minute or two. No need for supplementation.

 

well, you know what I voted for lol