Xbreakxitxdownx
Active Member
Hello I have a 90gal tank and I am going to have a mixed reef with fish and wondering if I should go with t5 or led? What would your choice be? Let me know please.
T5 or led lighting for mixed reef
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I would go with the ATI Hybrid. mix of T5s & LED. (if I had the money to spend) I run T5s and are very happy with the results and the way the corals grow and open, but I have friends that have also had success with LED.
T5 globes are fairly pricey and I suppose you have to consider that.
I think it comes down to personal choice. LED users swear by them and T5 users swear by them....cant win really. lol
Zero Nitrates
I love chalices
Either way is great!
If you get LED's you don't have to replace bulbs all the time.
If you get LED's you don't have to replace bulbs all the time.
jt17
Valuable Member
I ran LEDs only for a year and a half on my mixed reef and could never get then dialed in where all corals were happy. I would ask around about recommended percentages of the different colors and everybody said the same thing, every tank is different. I even asked an ecotech rep at MACNA about recommended setting for a mixed reef and got the same answer. I did keep my LEDs for a future SPS tank though cause some are having success with just LEDs a SPS, like Battle Corals. 6 months ago I switched to t5, Ati blue plus, with a reefbrite xho strip and within a week my LPS were puffier and better PE on SPS. My chalices were never happier. The cost of either is similar. LEDs cost more initially but the lower energy and no bulb replacement make them cheaper to run where t5 are less expensive on the front end but use more power, therefore more heat generated, and annual bulb replacement.
WWC switched almost all of their tank from radions to t5 w reefbtites earlier this year because they weren't happy with the results of the LEDs. If the pros think the t5 are better then who am I to argue.
If you want to a great example of the potential of coral growth under t5 check out GlennF s thread hear on r2r. One of the most amazing mixed reefs. Good Luck with your new tank.
WWC switched almost all of their tank from radions to t5 w reefbtites earlier this year because they weren't happy with the results of the LEDs. If the pros think the t5 are better then who am I to argue.
If you want to a great example of the potential of coral growth under t5 check out GlennF s thread hear on r2r. One of the most amazing mixed reefs. Good Luck with your new tank.
Fishbone
Active Member
I'd go with T5's with RB LED's attached for POP. For LPS and softies unless you have a really wide tank you can likely get away with only 4 bulbs in a quality fixture like ATI. If the T5 bulbs are properly cooled you will have no problem running them a year on a mixed reef, so bulb replacement really isn't that bad. Energy and heat are pretty low on a 4 bulb system too.
OP
OP
Xbreakxitxdownx
Active Member
What brand of t5 lighting should I go with and how many bulbs?
My tank dimensions- 48"L, 18"w, 28" d
My tank dimensions- 48"L, 18"w, 28" d
wildcrazyjoker81
Well-Known Member
Budget? ATI sun power or power modules are king of T5 world. Tek lights are good too.
OP
OP
Xbreakxitxdownx
Active Member
$200-250 or is that to cheep
mcarroll
10K Club member
There are lots of factors to consider when deciding.....most of them are the advantages that LED offers.
First, LED's will do everything that T5's would do, but also...
...LED's have no mercury in the bulbs (necessitating special recycling) which need to be switched every 6-12 months.
...LED's are much longer lived, with most being rated for 10,000-50,000 hours, depending on the cooling. 5 years+ is thought of as the rule of thumb.
...LED's are much more efficient with power. This is partly due to the lighting technology itself, but also because LED's are so compatible with lensing - a lens is basically a light concentrator/multiplier. For example, an LED with a 30º lens is 400% as bright as a plain LED. On a great day/ideal conditions, you might get 200% with a reflector-based light...125% is more probable.
...LED's themselves are cheaper. When I switched from high-power lighting I was running 300 watts of light. After switching to a DIY GU10-bulb based fixture, I only needed about 40 watts. The fixture itself only cost about $60 to make. (This was a 90cm x 30cm x 48cm deep or 36" x 12" x 19" deep tank.) A similar build for your tank would cost around US$100.
All these things stack up to greater efficiency for LED's.
A pic of one of my GU10 fixtures on its back on the workbench: (those bulbs are two-inches/50mm in diameter)
There are other factors, but these facts (and a serious budget pinch) were all the persuading I needed to make the switch! Maybe you too.
Good luck in any event!
-Matt
First, LED's will do everything that T5's would do, but also...
...LED's have no mercury in the bulbs (necessitating special recycling) which need to be switched every 6-12 months.
...LED's are much longer lived, with most being rated for 10,000-50,000 hours, depending on the cooling. 5 years+ is thought of as the rule of thumb.
...LED's are much more efficient with power. This is partly due to the lighting technology itself, but also because LED's are so compatible with lensing - a lens is basically a light concentrator/multiplier. For example, an LED with a 30º lens is 400% as bright as a plain LED. On a great day/ideal conditions, you might get 200% with a reflector-based light...125% is more probable.
...LED's themselves are cheaper. When I switched from high-power lighting I was running 300 watts of light. After switching to a DIY GU10-bulb based fixture, I only needed about 40 watts. The fixture itself only cost about $60 to make. (This was a 90cm x 30cm x 48cm deep or 36" x 12" x 19" deep tank.) A similar build for your tank would cost around US$100.
All these things stack up to greater efficiency for LED's.
A pic of one of my GU10 fixtures on its back on the workbench: (those bulbs are two-inches/50mm in diameter)
There are other factors, but these facts (and a serious budget pinch) were all the persuading I needed to make the switch! Maybe you too.
Good luck in any event!
-Matt
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