t8's produce 30% more light than t5's but t5's are mainly used.
BEAUTIFUL OLD TANK
i like the look of the new one. i think if you leave what you have for plants in their and do a carpet of some sort, that would look smooth
cant wait to see the final setup, im working hard on my 16g then when im satisfied im ripping down the 55g and starting over from scratch. i think when i do that tank, i will do a nice open setup like your old tank. a couple rock pieces with a nice beautiful green carpet
one thing ive learned that when you put the florite in, if the tank is dirty, float some floating plants and they will catch a TON of debris and clear your tank faster