Should i get a T5 lighting or a metal halide for my saltwater reef tank?

I have a 75 gallon bow front saltwater aquarium. I’m planning to start a reef tank. Should I get a T5 or a metal halide? I heard that T5 is fine for the height of my tank plus a metal halide tank is pretty expensive. Any suggestions?
If I get T5 lighting will I be able to keep many varieties of corals/clams or only a few since it is not as strong as metal Halide?

A 75g bow front is pretty deep and although T5 will work, the PAR available at the bottom of the tank is not going to equal that of the metal halide.

If you have room to put the halides about 8 inches off of the surface of your tank then the heat will not really be an issue and may remove the need for you to run a heater as long as you have adequate flow (20x the total volume including the sump).

The halide bulbs are expensive vs. the T5 but 8 T5 bulbs vs. 1 halide bulb? The costs are not that far apart after doing the math.

They both require ballasts to run so you really are better off in my opinion to run the metal halides. You can get a 250w pendant style halide unit with ballast and a bulb used in the hobbyist selling forum of http://www.reefcentral.com for about 150.00 so they are not that expensive plus with 250w halide over your tank, you can keep any type of coral/clam that you want.

I would look into an LED fixture before making my decision. They are low heat, low power consumption, no bulbs to replace for about 10 years or more, etc, etc, etc.

How to Replace T5, Metal Halide & Power Compact Aquarium Light Bulbs

	MH ADV 48″ Metal Halide T5 Aquarium Light Hood 716W Coral Reef Marine LED 2x 250 $289.00

	24″ 346W 4X24W T5 Aquarium Light 250W Metal Halide LED Hood Coral Reef Saltwater $169.95

	24″ 346W 4X24W T5 Aquarium Light 250W Metal Halide LED Hood Coral Reef Saltwater $169.95

	24″ 346W 4X24W T5 Aquarium Light 250W Metal Halide LED Hood Coral Reef Saltwater $169.95

	MH ADV 48″ Metal Halide T5 Aquarium Light 716W Coral Reef Marine LED 2x 250W $289.00

	Metal Halide T5 Aquarium Light 716W Coral Reef Marine LED 2x 250W MH ADV 48″ $289.00

	MARINELAND Metal Halide T5 HO and LED reef light fixture $400.00

	72″ 1360 watt metal halide + T5 HO light for reef tank $1,345.00

	MH ADV 24″ Metal Halide Lighting T5 Light Hood Coral Reef Marine 346W LED Fan $169.95

	MH ADV 48″ Metal Halide Light T5 Lighting Aquarium Reef Marine Coral 716W LED $299.00

	24″ 346W 4X24W T5 Aquarium Light 250W Metal Halide LED Hood Coral Reef Saltwater $169.90

	MH ADV 24″ Metal Halide T5 Lighting Coral Reef Marine 250W Light Bulb LED 346W $179.95

	72” METAL HALIDE T5 HO AQUARIUM LIGHT LUNAR MOON MOONLIGHTS MARINE REEF NEW $479.99

	MH ADV 30″ Metal Halide T5 Lighting Aquarium Light Reef Marine Coral 346W LED $189.95

	MH ADV 36″ Metal Halide Light T5 Reef Marine Coral 406W LED Leg Fan Odyssea $219.95

	24″ Metal Halide T5 HO Light Aquarium Reef Marine Hood 298W LED 250W Bulb 2x 24W $149.95

	MH 18″ Metal Halide Aquarium Light Hood Nano Coral Reef Saltwater 150W Bulb T5 $104.95

	Hid 4T5 Ho 6Lunar 3 By Aquatic Life Llc $1,199.99 The AquaticLife 72″ Metal Halide Fixture features three directional 150 watt High Intensity Discharge 700+ nm metal halide lamps (10K), four 420/460 nm actinic T5 HO lamps, a built in timer and adjustable LED lunar lights….