I have been wondering for a while now why more people don't seem to use metal halides for freshwater planted tanks? I thought MH was more efficient than fluorescent and also the light is more brilliant. Nobody seems to have much to say about them so I figured I would ask:thumbsup:
Why not Metal Halide???
- Thread starter Prophecy
- Start date
Its likely money. PC's T5's CFL's are all generally cheaper than MH's and some people with FW perfer "yellower" or "redder" light that MH's dont come in. But IMHO i would never use MH's for a FW because of the price. Heat isnt all that big of a problem in FW.
That's because you live in Boston!
Metal Halides were not even a consideration for me- too much heat and I'm already fighting that problem.
Mainly heat and price for me. MH is signifigantly more expensive and runs signifigantly hotter than fluorescent. Also they put out a lot of light generally, so if you are trying to shoot for low or medium light, its a lot harder to do.
I like T5's.
I have had the others, still have a PC + HQI mix.
It use less energy to achieve the same thing with T5's.
Over time, this cost less, and the price is similar to MH's for T5's.
The key is really having good spread that is even for plants, corals etc, you have to raise the MH's up higher(thus lose intensity), but gain a more even spread. With T5's, you have a long linear source, with MH's just a single point source.
With T5's, you have multiple bulbs and switches for each, so you adjust the lighting very easily and use timers. This allows you to use less light when you are away, and more if you want to garden more later. If you have several tanks and larger tanks, T5's are pretty cheap on the electric bill.
I have and use them on deeper tanks, 24" for all, I use mostly PC's and T5's, even though I have MH HQI's. I simply do not need them and they cause me more work, time, and energy cost.
Regards,
Tom Barr
I have had the others, still have a PC + HQI mix.
It use less energy to achieve the same thing with T5's.
Over time, this cost less, and the price is similar to MH's for T5's.
The key is really having good spread that is even for plants, corals etc, you have to raise the MH's up higher(thus lose intensity), but gain a more even spread. With T5's, you have a long linear source, with MH's just a single point source.
With T5's, you have multiple bulbs and switches for each, so you adjust the lighting very easily and use timers. This allows you to use less light when you are away, and more if you want to garden more later. If you have several tanks and larger tanks, T5's are pretty cheap on the electric bill.
I have and use them on deeper tanks, 24" for all, I use mostly PC's and T5's, even though I have MH HQI's. I simply do not need them and they cause me more work, time, and energy cost.
Regards,
Tom Barr
:iagree:
Not sure you could find a low-medium light MH fixture for the average aquarium sizes.
blinding spot lights and massive heat for me... i do use them on construction sites though. 
oops, or for working on cars at night.
oops, or for working on cars at night.
This must have been typed out extremely fast, cause I cant understand what this means, haha.
But I do agree, I love the flexibility of of T5s in common length tank.
But, the only place that MH seems to be a necessity is when you're setting up those odd-ball corner and hex tanks, and then HQI cant be beaten for its ease. And if MH fixtures got to be as cheap as T5HO is atm, I could see switching over a few tanks, the heat isnt that much of issue, if your have Central-Air or live up north.
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