best grow out led light?

[kyla bidwell]

Hello all! So, ill be in the market for a new lighting system soon and I dont know much about led (or any other) lights yet. I started with a Fuval reef led strip. When I started adding sps I mived to metal halide. I want the shimmering effect that a mh gives. And I want the fast coral growth that the mh lights give. But I dont wantmh anymore. I just want to know what you guys are using, what would you consider a good deal (price wise) for what type of light you have, and do you feel like your getting optimal coral growth out of your lights? I am on somewhat of a budget, but I want something thats going to be worth the money spent. I would rather pay 400 for something that does what I need it to do, than pay 300 for something that only works half as well. I hope that makes sense!

My tank is a 46 gallon bowfront. For now its a mixed reef, but I plan to make it sps dominate soon.

As always, thanks for reading and have a blessed day!

 

[kyla bidwell]

Anyone?

 

[Tegridy Reef]

I think mh and t5 grow the best so for growth I think I will b stepping down I have the hydras love them great color but get better growth with my halides I plan on running all three haha but that's my opinion

 

[Shep]

I think most people are going to say T5, especially for SPS corals

 

[kyla bidwell]

Ok thanks! I may keep the mh then. And add led too. Would I run both lights at the same time? Or should I do mh for x hours then led for x hours?

 

[Tegridy Reef]

I belove people have the blue LEDs or white and then the halide not as long but I belove there is like a reef brute halide combo that looks awsome

 

[kyla bidwell]

I think most people are going to say T5, especially for SPS corals

oh wow! Ok that comes as a surprise. So if I do a combo like That Guy said, would t5 be better than mh if I add led? Or would it be just as good to keep my mh and add led? I definitely want to get leds because I love the way they look. And I can either keep my mh or swap the mh for t5n whats the better choice?

 

[Tegridy Reef]

http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=101052&d=1413056542theres one I'm talking about

 

[Tegridy Reef]

There's one with t5shttp://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:/...d=0CC8QMygTMBNqFQoTCKCBu_f0gckCFUT-Ywod3NQJtg

 

[Shep]

oh wow! Ok that comes as a surprise. So if I do a combo like That Guy said, would t5 be better than mh if I add led? Or would it be just as good to keep my mh and add led? I definitely want to get leds because I love the way they look. And I can either keep my mh or swap the mh for t5n whats the better choice?

You could do a T5/MH combo or T5/LED but just know that must people add LEDs for color and shimmer and not so much for growth. Straight LEDs work fine but as supplements they are just not really strong enough to help all that much

 

[ca2or]

I use my LEDs for color and mh for growth

 

[kyla bidwell]

Ok after reading everyones thoughts on this.....im going to keep my mh and add a kessil a350. eventually I am going to swap out my mh for a 4 bulb t5 too. My question is: how mny a350 should I get for my tank? will 1 be enough? I want to try to use only the kessil. And if it dosent grow my coral fast enough ill use the mh with it. But if I were to only use kessil a350, would I need more than 1? And would I be better off getting the a350w or is the normal a350 ok? My tank is 37in long
21in high (from ceiling to floor)
13in deep (side view from left to right)
and is a 46 gallon bowfront

 

[reid429]

I would honestly go with the reef breeders

 

[twilliard]

Orphek Atlantik compact awesome over my 46g bowfront

 

[kyla bidwell]

Orphek Atlantik compact awesome over my 46g bowfront

unfortunately thats a little out of my price range for now. Eventually id LOVE to have one though!

 

[kyla bidwell]

I would honestly go with the reef breeders

I will do some research on reef breeders. They are much less expensive than kessil. Do you think they are better than kessil?

 

[Scottsquatch]

Check out the SB reef lights. Go to there website and read the FAQ's. They are affordable and have great science behind their spectrum. I am sold on them and doing both my tanks with their lights in Jan. Also, they have a great spread and if you set them up properly, you shouldn't need supplemental T5 lighting. Check them out.

 

[Wolff92]

I get great sps growth with my hydras. Around an inch on some pieces 2 inches a month. I have 20 colonies under leds and they have been with me for almost a year and a half now. I would like to add t5s at some point because you do get better color as far as sps goes with an LED t5 combo

 

[TheEngineer]

I'm not sure why everyone is down on LEDs for growth. I've had nothing but success with LEDs. I've used them exclusively for almost a decade and they work fantastically. My first fixture was a DIY with just two colors. Now I'm using a Kessil. Both perform great for me.

 

[klesel]

Because everyone thinks they know best I say if it works for you and your happy then that's all that matters !