T5's vs. VHO's...Whats honestly better?

[arminkropp]

I just bought A VHO kit (should have it in a week) and today at the LFS the owner was bashing my decision. He said T5's are much brighter and that I should have researched it more. he said I should get T5 end caps and switch ASAP. Is he right?

Right now I only have NO (2x30) so I would consider anything an upgrade. Plus I got everything ICECAP(660 ballast,2 pairs of endcaps,stand offs and URI Bulbs) for under $300CDN. I think I got a pretty good deal.

 

[MarineFlake]

Its a trend. Seems if you do not buy something from them (lfs), they always have something negative to say. I have seen no great advantages from one to the other from a purely technical standpoint. Like almost everything in the hobby it seems to be a matter of application and prefence. I use VHO, its cool, its bright and I can get ballasts for about $35 ea. Maybe somone will follow up with some facts about T5.

 

[MT79]

I used a 2x75watt VHO set up on my first reef, a 29 gal, and was extremely pleased w/ them. I still use VHO to supplement my MH's. IMO, and as PC said, I think T5's are more of a trend at the moment...This same argument was being made comparing VHO to PC lighting not too long ago.

 

[fishfreek]

T5's are the 'in thing' as Michael said. You should check the LFS and see if they stock VHO products or if they only stock T5 products. His modivation may be for himself more than for you. I have been happy with my VHO lights. Now I havent seen T5's in action but I can tell you that you wont be unhappy with the results of VHO. Many sucessful reefkeepers have used VHO for over a decate with no issues and will continue to use VHO.

I dont know what the bulb life of a T5 is but you can go a year before you should swap out VHO bulbs.

 

[katz]

bulb life is anywhere between 1.5-2 years for t-5's. never had pc or vho so i don't bash anyone using them. they have been around long enough to be considered successful and as we know in this hobby . . . i like my t-5's, they are very bright and don't give off tremendous heat. lps, sps, clams and everything else under the sun have been successfully kept usin t-5's. i agree that it might be the trend right now but i think there is i bit more to it than that!

 

[MT79]

bulb life is anywhere between 1.5-2 years for t-5's

Do you have any links, etc. that support that? No offense, but I just find that hard to believe. IMO/IME most aquariums will do best w/ lamp changes every 9-12 months, fluorescents sooner rather than later.

 

[katz]

call greg @ reefgeek. i too will beleive it when i see it! one thing i forgot to mention, make sure you get the t-5's that come with parabolic reflectors, like the tek light system. other knock off's will not give the same penetration.

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

Just want to chime in on this. Yes the T5's are leaps and bounds better for a lot of reasons. They are the latest advancement in lighting so what do you expect. When LED's are perfected they will make T5's seem obselete. Not to say that VHO's are not a good source of lighting. They are not as bright, as energy efficient, last as long, or as hot as VHO's. The "AS" factor comes into play. I am going to wait until the T5 technology spreads through the market to other manufacturers and the price comes down> Because my pocket is not "As" big as I would like it to be.

 

[arminkropp]

Well Like I said anything is an upgrade over what I have now.
On the plus side if I want to change over to T5's all I need is new endcaps cause the IcaCap 660 I bought can run them.

I'll borrow a lux meter from work one day and be able to get more info! First hand

 

[Brisc0]

My good friend (my only one with a reef tank) has 6X54W T5s on his 75G reef and he is keeping a couple nice bottlebrush acros that remain richly colored and show decent growth. I don't use either so I have no personal opinion, but I am impressed with the retro T5s he is running, and I know he is super stoked about the T5 8X54W moonlite hood that CUSA is starting to produce. The only thing I see about his setup is that if you really do the math he could have had a nice MH setup for a minimal bump in cost. But thats just me, im the preacher for MH.

 

[Thumper]

I run my vho's with mh with all actinic bulbs but I can assure you that you'll be happy with your light set up. Everyone has their oppinions and I'm not saying that theirs not a difference but for the price you cant beat what you purchased. Lighting set up's are not an exact science and I love my vho's.