Thanks for the replies. I'm wondering because I am about to setup a planted "40 breeder" and prefer the look of MH to fluorescent...although I don't believe I have seen what T5's or T5 HO's look like. I am thinking a 70 watt HQI will be very nice but am also interested in T5 HO. There are many good deals locally on 150W HQI lights and I'm very tempted, but I think this will be overkill. Opinions???
Why not Metal Halide???
- Thread starter Prophecy
- Start date
tanker
Josh Holloway--Be mine!!!
MH have more "penetrating" power. If you have a high tank and (over 24" high) MH will get more light to the bottom plants.
I had a home made hood I build a few years ago for my SW reef tank with dual 175 10k bulbs.
When I went back to freshwater I removed the mogel bases for the MH bulbs and put in two standard light bulb fixtures. Now I am running two 13 watt energy bulbs and it looks amazing. Each bulb puts out 75 watts of light. I found daylight bulbs that look perfect for freshwater. One of the best parts is that I still get the shimmer effect. I just blow the water at the surface from my return and its amazing.
At some point soon I will be adding my live plants and see how it goes.
When I went back to freshwater I removed the mogel bases for the MH bulbs and put in two standard light bulb fixtures. Now I am running two 13 watt energy bulbs and it looks amazing. Each bulb puts out 75 watts of light. I found daylight bulbs that look perfect for freshwater. One of the best parts is that I still get the shimmer effect. I just blow the water at the surface from my return and its amazing.
At some point soon I will be adding my live plants and see how it goes.
