Looking for overhead lighting for my tank. Arcadia do a nice one and comes in T8 with 3 tubes for £100 or T5 with 4 tubes at £200.

Price is not the main issue, what i would like to find out is what type of lighting is the best and why. Or would you not really notice the diffrence if you had the two side by side.

I have got T5 lighting on my 300 gallon tank. I have got a very subdued lighting which I did on purpose. It all depends on what you want your tank to look like. If you want plants to flourish, then you really need very good lighting. Even then, it can be difficult to keep them alive.

How big is your tank? It's certainly not cheap for this type of lighting, especially when he got a big tank. I've got two units on my tank. It's a good job I like subdued lighting, I think I've got about eight bulbs and it still isn't very bright

I use standard tropical lights (a pink one, a white one and a blue one which is on before and after the other 2). I fix the bulbs to the lid of the tank with the starter units under the tank in the cabinet

I have both T8 and T5. Had to take the T5 because I needed a new hood/light for my 66 gal and it was only available with T5 tubes.

At the shop they told me that T5 will give you more light/lumen for less Wattage, especially if using with reflectors. Not sure though if that means saving money cause the price of the T5 might make up for the possibly lower bill from the power supplier, and they still have to be exchanged after a while as well.

If I was into plants really or had a marine tank, I'd go for the T5, for keeping Oscars I don't see a real advantage. It's nice that they can be dimmed, but not sure now if the standard T8 can't:unsure: What I like about the T5 is their smaller diameter. Regarding brightness, I can't even notice a difference between the T5 and the T8 I had before, but maybe just needing glasses.