150 Watt Metal Halide Switch To T5's

[infinite abyss]

I'm planning to switch from 150 watt metal halides to t5's on my 30 gallon saltwater tank.

I'm hoping to see more vibrant colors and also hope it will be cost effective on the electric bill.

If you have experience with both metal halide and t5, what kind of growth differences did you notice

between zoas and sps?

 

[Hyperlitexr50]

I ran 2 29 gallon biocubes for 3 years one with a 150w and one with nova extreme pro t5 fixture. I really liked the halide better and that is why my large tank has them. Have you tried running a different bulb in the halide with a better color. I loved the Phoenix bulbs.

 

[markitekt]

One thing I can say is that 150w MH are pretty useless. T5's are nice under the right circumstances. You need to have good ballasts, bulbs and reflectors. Colors with t5s are very nice, however the intensity might not be enough for some of the high demand SPS, especially on a narrow 30g tank, where you can't really do more than 4 bulbs with individual reflectors.