T5HO or LED

[Quantum Reefs]

My friend let me borrow his T5HO lights for my new setup until I can get new lights. I was wondering if I should just look solely at LEDs since I hear that's the latest craze or stick with T5HO. I don't want to go metal halide since I have an acrylic tank and am afraid it may melt or warp the tank.

[trockafella]

People will argue it both ways.. This question gets asked like once a week.. Its really up to you and how feel about it.. They both work just fine.

[Stu]

You will get all sorts of opinions on this topic, as some are very passionate advocates for LEDs and some against. Reef enthusiasts all over the internet (here included) have argued about this until they are blue in the face. The up side to this is that the pros and cons of LEDs vs. other types of lighting are fairly well documented, and LED technology seems to be ever-changing.

 

Personally, I am finishing a DIY LED retrofit into my t5 fixture. I am making the conversion solely because 20" t5 bulb options (my tank is 20" long", so a 24" fixture was a no-go) are very limited, and after trying every 20" bulb color combination, I just haven't gotten the color in my tank that I want. However, 24"+ bulbs made by ATI, Geisemann and others are excellent and the right color combination can make corals look great and grow corals well. There are a number of WAMAS members who have beautiful tanks with t5s. T5s also throw a lot of light and have good spread. Some people like this because it will brightly illuminate a tank, but it does have the drawback of not producing any shimmer and some people think this looks "sterile". On the flip side, LEDs will produce shimmer like metal halides, as the light comes from a point source. Another thing to note is that an LED-lit tank can potentially appear dimmer because LEDs produce significant par with less lumens. Conversely, LEDs can produce lots of PAR as long as you acclimate corals to the light (corals can be easily burned if introducing LEDs on full blast).

 

I will also say that Trockafella has a CADLights hybrid fixture that looks great. It has t5s as well as LEDs, so has the benefit of nice color and pop from the LEDs, and nice illumination and spread from t5s. So that's an option as well if you want to try both.

[basser9]

http://s919.photobuc...TING/?start=all

 

Here is the best testing to date which showes you all of the combos that can be made,,,

Leds are the best thing to hit the reef world that i have ever seen but it is pretty much

a diy thing for most of us.

 

The satis cold white is interesting because you can run them by themselves and they have

a perfect color........Great for smaller tanks......100 for 125.00 delivered.

Edited July 11, 2011 by basser9

[trockafella]

If its the "Best thing to hit the reef world" how come none of the facilities (dr macs. live aquaria etc) dont use them to grow there coral..? Has Steve Tyree and Jason Fox switched over yet.? Lets start local, has Copps or Johnny at BRK gone all LED yet..? Just a thought...

 

 

[mrholiday]

it all come down to $$$... my friend. diy it, you dont like sale it...

[mrholiday]

http://s919.photobuc...TING/?start=all

 

Here is the best testing to date which showes you all of the combos that can be made,,,

Leds are the best thing to hit the reef world that i have ever seen but it is pretty much

a diy thing for most of us.

 

The satis cold white is interesting because you can run them by themselves and they have

a perfect color........Great for smaller tanks......100 for 125.00 delivered.

 

My friend, so what is the best combo for a 65g tank 36LX24Hx18f&b...

[steveoutlaw]

It all comes to personal preference. Go out and look at tanks with MH, T5 and LEDs. All you will get on here is opinion. I have personally used all 3 and if I had the space and the money I would have a fixture utilizing all 3. I'm currently using T5s and I'm getting much better polyp extension and growth than I did with the LEDs. Of course, I said the same thing when I switched from MH/T5 combo.

 

Bottom line, don't let anyone on here make the decision for you......go out and see the different installations and the color that they have. Then you can pick the one that you like best. After all, it's YOUR tank and you're the one that has to be happy with it.....why let someone else decide what fixture to put on it.

[Coral Hind]

fatboy,

 

What size tank do you have? How tall is it?

[basser9]

Take some time and look at the spectral charts that are on the links and you will see there are

tons of different combos that can be had.

Just as a radium is different from a xm 10k so are all of the leds.......

You can have a radium color spectrum that pars out like a 400 watter on steroids that needs to be replaced

in 10 years that uses half the power and one tenth the heat......sounds like a no brainer.

Still need to diy for the most part so it will be some time in the next 5 years before you see most old school

go to them.

Prices are dropping pretty fast on the emmiters so alot of people are building fixture as we speak.

I want people to understand that a led light is not just a cree cw/rb combo please look at all the different type

of emitters that this link has tested for you.

Look closely at the 10 watt satis blue it has a purple tint,,,as do there 3 watters.....

There are alot of varibles to leds just like there were with mh until sanjay did his work with mh bulbs.

This link should help a diyer who has a grasp of lighting to build any type of color/par led setup that anyone could want.

Edited July 11, 2011 by basser9

[Swimboy123]

I purchased 4 SWC 20 3W Cree fixtures and I love them! Fully dimmable and with 10 white, 10 blue and absolutely no heat. Check it out here http://www.tbaquatics.com/swc-xtreme-cree-led-60-watt-light-932.html

[zygote2k]

you guys have all missed the point. It's not the size of your bulb or the color it produces or how it's made. It's all about stable water chemistry.

 

I am the self proclaimed LED king around these parts. I've owned, installed, or worked on nearly all of the major LED systems on the current market plus several different DIY fixtures. If you are into maximum light with little heat, then go with LED's. If heat is not an issue, then go with MH or Fluorescents. All of the lights- (LED, MH, Flo) will grow corals almost like the sun, but it won't matter what light you have unless you can achieve stable water chemistry.

[FearTheTerps]

For someone just coming into the hobby I would look for a good used T5 light. No need to spend all that money on an LED fixture if you don't really know what you are getting yourself into. This will also let you spread your money around on other important stuff, tank, skimmer, powerheads, etc.

 

There are endless amounts of bulb color combinations you can do with T5, so you can customize your color however you want.

[Reefoholic]

For someone just coming into the hobby I would look for a good used T5 light. No need to spend all that money on an LED fixture if you don't really know what you are getting yourself into. This will also let you spread your money around on other important stuff, tank, skimmer, powerheads, etc.

 

There are endless amounts of bulb color combinations you can do with T5, so you can customize your color however you want.

 

+1

[Quantum Reefs]

Thanks all for your suggestions. It looks like there is a number of options. My tank is 36 inches wide, 15 inches depth and 26 inches in height. I have a t5ho retro (4x39w) and 2 vho super actinic right now that my friend is lettin me use. I can use it till I figure something out. No hurries, but since it's in my living room, wanted something nice

[gmubeach]

Go on a tank tour see whats out there.....My friend always tells me unless you see it with your eyes... He hates when I order random "stuff" off theintenrenet.

[BowieReefer84]

Thanks all for your suggestions. It looks like there is a number of options. My tank is 36 inches wide, 15 inches depth and 26 inches in height. I have a t5ho retro (4x39w) and 2 vho super actinic right now that my friend is lettin me use. I can use it till I figure something out. No hurries, but since it's in my living room, wanted something nice

 

I would say do not get a metal halide. At 36" width you won't get full coverage on the sides IMO.

 

As far as T5 or LED flip a coin, they are both just fine. See what you like by checking out some setups at the stores or members houses.

 

Honestly, a 4 bulb T5 setup with 2 VHO super actinic sounds pretty nice to me. Do the T5's have individual reflectors? Do you have a hood to conceal this?