T5 HO lighting vs 96 watt power compact in FOWLR

[ErrolP]

I'm thinking of upgrading to T5 HO and selling my 72" 96 watt single 250 watt metal halide fixture. Any recommendations?

 

[Riley]

My coralife 48" t5 ho is awesoooome i have 2 actinics in it and it is very nice

 

[ErrolP]

So is it 4 bulbs total?

 

[Riley]

Noo sadly its only 2.. I have that t5 ho with 2 actinics and regular coralife 2 strip with colormax bulbs.. Cant go wrong with coralife imo

 

[ErrolP]

I totally agree, most of coralifes products are the best quality on the market, most of my lights are theirs as well as most of my equipment, I'm looking at the coralife 48" T5HO 6 bulb lunar led with a built in timer, I'm going to suspend it from the ceiling

 

[Fishguy2727]

T5HO is a great choice, no need for halides without corals. On a 6' tank you only have one halide?

I like Coralife, but they are not the best on the market. There are better fixtures out there. I personally like Coralife better than Current, something many people would disagree with, but I wouldn't say they are the best (best in my price range though).

 

[ErrolP]

Yes only one halide fixture is working, o bought the whole light setup for 50 so I couldn't refuse it'll be temporary until the suspension brace and line are set for the new fixture

 

[Tank2379]

I would recommend the NEP over any fixture.... IMO as long as it grows coral and can keep your Bulbs cool you bulbs will last 12m instead of the 6 months as recommended for replacement.... But top of the line would probably be ATI since it over drives your T-5 bulbs to 80w..

 

[ErrolP]

Does ATI make a 6 bulb T5HO fixture?

 

[Tank2379]

Does ATI make a 6 bulb T5HO fixture?

Yes they do if you look on PA website they should show a 6 bulb fixture...

 

[slitherbomb]

I wouldnt upgrade the lighting if it's just for fish. It would just be a waste of money.

 

[ErrolP]

I enjoy fish as more than I do corals so want a light that brings out the vibrant colors in my fish. My current light needs to be replaced it's functional but not as bright as I need it to be.

 

[slitherbomb]

Oh ok. Have you thought about using a cheap odyssea t5ho fixture? They're much cheaper than most other fixtures and are still bright and use standard t5ho bulbs so you can change the bulbs to whatever combination you want.

 

[ErrolP]

No but I'll def look into it! Thx