direfishking27
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what are the key differences between t5's and led's and which is better
T5 vs led
- Thread starter direfishking27
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That is a disscussion that goes on and on .
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/eq...-emitting-diodes-vs-t5-do-you-prefer-why.html
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/eq...tive-radiation-rating-what-bulbs-use-etc.html
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/le...light-emitting-diodes-fixture-steven-pro.html
T5's are great LED's are great and Metal Halide are great.
They all do the job it depends on your budget and what you want to do with YOUR tank. Looks at tanks on the forum and see how they look to YOU and see how they are preforming. There is no one right answer.
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/eq...-emitting-diodes-vs-t5-do-you-prefer-why.html
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/eq...tive-radiation-rating-what-bulbs-use-etc.html
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/le...light-emitting-diodes-fixture-steven-pro.html
T5's are great LED's are great and Metal Halide are great.
They all do the job it depends on your budget and what you want to do with YOUR tank. Looks at tanks on the forum and see how they look to YOU and see how they are preforming. There is no one right answer.
DFW
Active Member
A mix of t5s and royal blue LEDs is best for me! You need to see a lighting setup in person over a tank, and corals, and fish before you buy it! And if you want to take pictures of your tank, see if you can get good shots under that lighting before you buy it! Some LED fixtures do not lend themselves to taking good pictures, and they do not provide a natural look, in my experience. I have seen some that do look good, but they were some of those small, very expensive units that you need several over a tank.
OceanRevive
Well-Known Member
The questions are, how big is your tank and what are your priorities and concerns. They can all grow coral and they all have issues of one kind or another.
Before I started working for OceanRevive I switched 4 tanks from MH and t5 combos to all led and I love the color control and the extras like brightness control (sunrise and sunset) as well as the moonlights and not having to replace bulbs. For me, the leds saved enough in electricity and bulb replacement that in just 2 years they paid for themselves. But leds do lack some spectrums of light and some corals don't look quite as good under white as they do under MH or t5. On the other hand, I love the fluorescing colors of some corals under blue leds that is hard to get from MH or t5. LEDs also tend to be very directional, i.e. straight down, and they do create a bit more shadow under ledges and overhangs.
So it's not which is better, it's which one has the features you are looking for?
Bpb
2500 Club Member
Very good honest and unbiased review I would tend to agree with all points on. Each lighting style has it's benefits and set backs. Ideally the best lighting would be a combination of 2 or 3 depending on your goals. I enjoy the looks of blue and violet LEDs on softies and Lps. It's amazing. Having that look several hours a day is great. I also like the look of the crayon like reflective true colors of acropora corals under quality metal halides, as well as the incredibly fast growth. So I choose a MH/LED combination lighting solution. I have also used T5HO lighting extensively as well, to me the color, but growing ability falls somewhere between the two. You literally cannot go wrong as long as you don't buy garbage. Put quality light over your tank, and focus on water parameters mostly. You'll nuke a tank with a parameter swing far faster than an abrupt light change
ReefLEDLights
Valuable Member
I started back in the day with a LED T5 Combo and it worked great.
I eventually converted to 100% LED.
By mixing the right LEDs you can duplicate the spectrum of any T-5 or MH.
The key is to use the proper Ratio and Colour Bin. The latest Cree X series 5 watt LEDs offer a wide spectrum in their Cool White and Warm White. This with a good ratio of 450nm, 410-420nm and 660nm give you an awesome grow light.
By adding tertiary colours you can easily replicate the looks of a T5 at a fraction of the operating cost and no worries about a spectrum shift as the bulb ages.
Of course this is only one recipe for success and there are a lot of recipes and opinions on whats best.
The only way to really decide is to compare one next to the other as their is a wide variation between different LED fixtures and T5 bulbs.
Bill
I eventually converted to 100% LED.
By mixing the right LEDs you can duplicate the spectrum of any T-5 or MH.
The key is to use the proper Ratio and Colour Bin. The latest Cree X series 5 watt LEDs offer a wide spectrum in their Cool White and Warm White. This with a good ratio of 450nm, 410-420nm and 660nm give you an awesome grow light.
By adding tertiary colours you can easily replicate the looks of a T5 at a fraction of the operating cost and no worries about a spectrum shift as the bulb ages.
Of course this is only one recipe for success and there are a lot of recipes and opinions on whats best.
The only way to really decide is to compare one next to the other as their is a wide variation between different LED fixtures and T5 bulbs.
Bill
Bpb
2500 Club Member
LEDs work great but let's not promote snake oil here. You're not going to perfectly duplicate a gas burning bulb with any combination of diodes. Performance and look may come across, but technically it's not duplicating the actual spectrum. This spectrograph provided by Sanjay Joshi depicts an XM10k 250 watt bulb. In order to "duplicate" this spectrum you would need no less than 42 specific different colored diodes, but make them in a multichip format to where every color is present at every point of light emission, and have enough drivers to tune them to that specific ratio of intensities. I don't know of any product makers that are producing units with more than 10-12 different colors. Again...not saying LEDs don't work, they obviously do, people have proven it. And while I guess theoretically if you had high bin diodes that emitted 40-50 different individual colors and could put them on dozens and dozens of multi chips and have driver capability and software of specifically replicating the intensities of different spectral peaks of different halide bulbs, you'd be close to "duplicating any mh bulb spectrum," but the cost involved in a unit like that would limit it to the extremely wealthy, and no one is making that to my knowledge.
Again, I like LEDs just as much as the next led fan, but let's at least make real claims not assotions based on assumed kelvin rating.
Again, I like LEDs just as much as the next led fan, but let's at least make real claims not assotions based on assumed kelvin rating.
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ReefLEDLights
Valuable Member
Our follow on research and recommendations are directly inspired by Sanjays research. In fact we were easily able to replicate the look of the 400 watt MH Radium offering higher PAR at only 118 watts!
I will admit that you can not 100% replicate the measured spectrum with only 40-50 LEDs but you can come so close one that the coral/plants would consider the small % on each specific spectrum moot. One could also assert that a smoother spectral curve is more natural than one with spikes.
There are 28 different Spectrum/Colour Bins of the Cree Cool White and for the individual Colours Cree offers them individual spectral and intensity Bins ...Yes you can choose a mix to a very high order of probability that it will emulate the Look and Grow almost perfectly. But then again not everyone is discriminating on spectral bins.
Below is a typical generic Cree White Spectral Chart. Now Imagine you soften it to only a percentage of the of the overall intensity look then add the 410-420nm, 450nm spikes and so on.
Then depending on the mix/intensity you can achieve any look.
Then take this to to the next level and add individual channel multifunction control to tweak the look perfectly to ones individual taste.
LEDs nor is our recipe snake oil. There is a reason why one of my old favorites the 110 watt Actinic and 50/50 VHO 46.5" are no longer available. Its only a matter of time before most T5s are unavailable or banned given their toxicity. Fortunately numerous companies here are offering and researching viable options. Just remember a gas burning bulb is just a mix of different gasses.
Bill
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I haver heard Vertex now has a led setup that can be customized thur multi channeling etc. Does any know someone who uses this newer technology?
Bpb
2500 Club Member
I think based on that response we generally agree. I just know that two light sources labeled at an identical kelvin rating may look similar (or identical), but have wildly different spectrum. The overall learning curve, DIY skillset, or upfront cost for an led system that can truely rival the actual spectrum of my mh daylights is a bit too geeked out on the technical prowess needed to build such an elaborate setup for my taste, or too costly to be worth it for a mid range tank size. Many of us don't need chillers at all, and annual bulb cost is manageable. At some point unless you are running a massive tank that requires a lot of energy to cool and dehumidify the room, the benefits of such an elaborate led setup seem to lie 100% in satisfaction of doing something highly technical. Like building a nice model, or building a classic car. All that is for the reefers entertainment. Which is fine. Not knocking that. I prefer a plug n play system that does all the work on it's own
Bpb
2500 Club Member
To be even more fair. I hate outlandish claims all around. I actually read a sponsored review today (don't have the link handy) of the reefbrite two arc mh bulb that boasted it to be "cool to the touch even while running for several hours, and is the most energy efficient reef lighting option available today" that is the biggest load of crap I think I have ever read anywhere regarding lighting technology. If they had linked that to their site directly, I shudder to think of what kind of lawsuits would come up if someone burned their hand on one.
Anyway sorry for derailing the thread. I know it was originally about T5 lighting. I feel like the debate is fairly comparable though. T5 may not be quite as peaky in spectrum though. A little smoother.
Anyway sorry for derailing the thread. I know it was originally about T5 lighting. I feel like the debate is fairly comparable though. T5 may not be quite as peaky in spectrum though. A little smoother.
ReefLEDLights
Valuable Member
Yep
I got to admit I'm fascinated by replicating natural and MH light with LEDs.
Maybe Geeky but really enjoy the results of my personal aquariums.
No doubt for some systems bulb management is manageable but for me I've saved thousands since 2007 when I made the change. 570 Gal Mixed + 330 Gal SPS
Either way LEDs are like memory chips and their price is dropping quicker than Congressman Weiners Pants in front of a cell phone...
Today one could DIY a 400 watt Radium or 10K Ushio for less than four bulb replacements and then consume less than 1/3 the energy...Next year the cost will be less...
Cheers
Bill
When it comes to lighhting,wether its VHO,power compact,T5,Metal Halides or LED's. If it works for you that is the lighting system you use. For me, I was old school till Jan. 2014 . I went from 24 years of "VHO's" to Aquabeam's LED fixtures(3rd Gen.). Lighting will always be contraversal even after we all move on.
The adventure continues----Merry X-Mas to All
The adventure continues----Merry X-Mas to All
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