Metal Halide Bulbs or Fluorescent bulbs?

[noctcrawler]

I need to upgrade my lighting system some time in the near future; and I might consider building it from scratch. So which type of bulb lasts the longest in between of changes? Which one do you have to replace least often? And is either kind of bulb more suited to a particular kind of tank (i.e.: Freshwater or Saltwater)?

 

[Ozymandias]

not sure i know that MH's run really hot. personally i would look into a T5 system or go with Fluorescents, btw what type of tank is this for?

 

[Cory Keeper]

I'd look into T5 HO lighting for your tank. Only downside to it is no shimmer.

 

[McLendon]

The MH lights are more for SW/reef tanks and large/deep planted FW tanks over 100 gl. And they make A LOT of HEAT

 

[Cory Keeper]

I wouldn't go and say that..... MH would be good for FW tanks too, even more so if the owner is looking for that shimmer effect or a good 10K color.

But yeah, MH does have issues with heat.

 

[noctcrawler]

btw what type of tank is this for?

Right now, I have a freshwater setup, but I would love to switch to saltwater.

 

[noctcrawler]

I'd look into T5 HO lighting for your tank. Only downside to it is no shimmer.

What's T5 HO and why is there no shimmer with it?