[hoppycalif]

Long linear bulb lights will lose less intensity per inch of water depth than will nearly point sources of light. But, you can easily compensate for that by using a higher intensity light. Personally I would use the T5 bulb fixture, since it will give more uniform lighting to the tank.

 

[hoppycalif]

my question is will my plant quality vary between halide lighting and t5ho? Would there be a difference in terms of growth and plant quality?

If you provide the plants with adequate CO2 and fertilizers, they will do well with either type of light. If you are planning an aquascape featuring a heavily planted center, with only lighly planted areas around that, the MH is probably best, but if you plan to utilize the entire footprint with heavy plantings, the T5's will likely be best. But, the difference might not be visible. Once you have enough light, more light just causes faster growth.