what should i do with my reef lighting

[jdpaz]

I currently have a 90 reef tank with an aquamedic ocean series 2x250w HQI system that is in need of bulb replacement. Recently I accidentally broke one of the UV glass sections. I spoke with aquamedic about replacement but they are out of stock until February. My question is should I keep with the halides? Are they really needed? I only have one SPS coral all others are softies. I was thinking if I ditch the halides I could save some money on electricity and noise from ballasts'. Would T5 lighting be a downgrade? I would love LED but cannot afford to swallow the 1000 price tag.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

JAY

 

[ava420]

your not running it still right?? i think the glass is there to block bad rays from the DE MH bulb... i know i cooked a few of mine a year or so ago cause i didn't have them in and was still running the 2x250w MH. with the one sps just keep it near the top and go with all T5 if you want. there's plenty of people that keep sps under t5 without issue. just make sure to get good bulbs. you will have less trouble keeping it cool in the summer with T5's...

i like my MH but i also have a bunch of sps and a couple of clams that like them too. T5 isnt a downgrade depending on what you wanna keep.

 

[jdpaz]

I just shut down the broken side this evening. I noticed some bleaching and panicked. You think 4 T5's will work? Or should I go for 8? What do you recommend for bulbs?

I'm curious how low the power bill will go without the MH. I lost most of my coral a few years ago when we had that ice storm and this year I was without power for another 4 days. My coral has really been beat. I'm trying to build it back up. I figure I can always setup the MH again if I feel its needed. I just feel bad with only one side going and no solid date when I can turn the broken side back on.

 

[ava420]

I'm pretty sure its just regular tempered?? glass but i could be wrong... you could get a piece cut at your local glass place to fix the MH setup..
I would think 6 or 8 T5 bulb would be best for a 90gl... I'm new to T5 as well (just put two in my MH set up) so I'm not sure on bulb colors. but the ATI brand are suppose to be real good...

 

[niftyjosh]

You can get replacement uv glass at Michael's or something. Just have to cut it yourself. Pretty sure its dirt cheap.

 

[dz6t]

You can get replacement uv glass at Michael's or something. Just have to cut it yourself. Pretty sure its dirt cheap.

I heard that a lot but when I went to Michael's, they did not have it (or I asked the wrong person).
The UV shield is tempered.
IMHO, I will not downgrade to t-5. Some old timers at ReefCentral switch back to Halide from t-5. I have been there and went back to Halide as well.
In terms of power bill, a watt is a watt, regardless it is halide or t-5.