I have a choice. Just recently bought a canopy for my 55, here are my options.
1. Two 175W Metal Halides. (ok, maybe that's too much?
)
2. Four T5s ran off ballasts for CFs (same wattage, should be alright).
3. Two T8 Flourescent and four compact flourescent. (What I have now)
Considering everything.. bulb costs, simplicity of the setup, bulb availablity, heat, etc..
The first option is a bit too extreme.. the high pressure bulbs scare me and I hate the high temp per square inch on these things. The smallest drop of water might cause the bulb to shatter and explode. The bulbs are expensive, even online, and next to impossible to find locally. However, I get the best lighting, it's the simplist to set up and uses up the least space.
The second option would provide me with roughly 4WPG of evenly spaced lighting. It would be the lowest heat, second easiest to assemble, least crowded and probably most efficient. T5 bulbs are dirt cheap online but impossible to find locally.
I would be using the ballsts I use for my CFs (I think two WH5s and some dual 55W CF ballast), all electronic but still not the best ballasts money can buy.
The third option is what I've been using.. I worry about temperature problems and the high replacement costs for the bulbs($35 locally each, $20 online). As of now, I would need to replace every single one of the CFs I have. I can, at most, fit 3 T8s in my canopy (blocks that rest on the tank make it too short in most areas), I have an electronic ballst for two. With this option I would be using four seperate ballasts with quite a bit of wiring involved. I never liked the idea of CFs, I feel they get too hot. It's like having two high output T5s almost touching each other in terms of heat per surface space.
If you had a choice which would you pick? maybe a mix?
1. Two 175W Metal Halides. (ok, maybe that's too much?

2. Four T5s ran off ballasts for CFs (same wattage, should be alright).
3. Two T8 Flourescent and four compact flourescent. (What I have now)
Considering everything.. bulb costs, simplicity of the setup, bulb availablity, heat, etc..
The first option is a bit too extreme.. the high pressure bulbs scare me and I hate the high temp per square inch on these things. The smallest drop of water might cause the bulb to shatter and explode. The bulbs are expensive, even online, and next to impossible to find locally. However, I get the best lighting, it's the simplist to set up and uses up the least space.
The second option would provide me with roughly 4WPG of evenly spaced lighting. It would be the lowest heat, second easiest to assemble, least crowded and probably most efficient. T5 bulbs are dirt cheap online but impossible to find locally.
I would be using the ballsts I use for my CFs (I think two WH5s and some dual 55W CF ballast), all electronic but still not the best ballasts money can buy.
The third option is what I've been using.. I worry about temperature problems and the high replacement costs for the bulbs($35 locally each, $20 online). As of now, I would need to replace every single one of the CFs I have. I can, at most, fit 3 T8s in my canopy (blocks that rest on the tank make it too short in most areas), I have an electronic ballst for two. With this option I would be using four seperate ballasts with quite a bit of wiring involved. I never liked the idea of CFs, I feel they get too hot. It's like having two high output T5s almost touching each other in terms of heat per surface space.
If you had a choice which would you pick? maybe a mix?