Best lighting on the market? Is there one?

[f.christian]

So I have a friend who’s about to drop 1,400 on a t5 light fixture with 2 Kessil A360X. I feel like that’s soooo much for money for just those 3 things. He says that’s what’s the best in the market.

I’m just wondering if he was lead the wrong way? Are there better lights for the same price or less? Is he making the best choice? I gotta look out for my fellow reefer so I’m wondering what you all think.

Is there something better? What’s your all’s perspective. He mainly has zoas and mushrooms. Some encrusting corals. Oh and a few anemones. For a 125g long tank

 

[Jekyl]

8 bulb T5 can't be beat on its own. Adding in your favorite LED and it gets better.

 

[A. grandis]

So I have a friend who’s about to drop 1,400 on a t5 light fixture with 2 Kessil A360X. I feel like that’s soooo much for money for just those 3 things. He says that’s what’s the best in the market.

I’m just wondering if he was lead the wrong way? Are there better lights for the same price or less? Is he making the best choice? I gotta look out for my fellow reefer so I’m wondering what you all think.

Is there something better? What’s your all’s perspective. He mainly has zoas and mushrooms. Some encrusting corals. Oh and a few anemones. For a 125g long tank

Yes, there is:

M E T A L
H A L I D E S
+
T5
The very best!

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

You can diy all the light for maybe less but would take time and brain power. Lol
D

 

[Hemmdog]

Seems fair value, maybe $1200 for all three. If it’s the aquatic life hybrid t5 I’m thinking of.

 

[Reef - Tripp]

ATI t5 sunpower.

 

[Hemmdog]

So I have a friend who’s about to drop 1,400 on a t5 light fixture with 2 Kessil A360X. I feel like that’s soooo much for money for just those 3 things. He says that’s what’s the best in the market.

I’m just wondering if he was lead the wrong way? Are there better lights for the same price or less? Is he making the best choice? I gotta look out for my fellow reefer so I’m wondering what you all think.

Is there something better? What’s your all’s perspective. He mainly has zoas and mushrooms. Some encrusting corals. Oh and a few anemones. For a 125g long tank

I used that combo on my last tank, I loved the color, growth could of been better for sps but I also could of been a better reefer. I needed more flow as well.

 

[KrisReef]

So I have a friend who’s about to drop 1,400 on a t5 light fixture with 2 Kessil A360X. I feel like that’s soooo much for money for just those 3 things. He says that’s what’s the best in the market.

I’m just wondering if he was lead the wrong way? Are there better lights for the same price or less? Is he making the best choice? I gotta look out for my fellow reefer so I’m wondering what you all think.

Is there something better? What’s your all’s perspective. He mainly has zoas and mushrooms. Some encrusting corals. Oh and a few anemones. For a 125g long tank

Might have been.

Check this out

 

[Viking_Reefing]

Define “best”.
If all you care about is growth and health of the corals MH+T5’s, in my opinion, still reigns supreme.
All light sources have their pros and cons. The best light is dependent on your wants, needs and application.

 

[A. grandis]

Define “best”.
If all you care about is growth and health of the corals MH+T5’s, in my opinion, still reigns supreme.
All light sources have their pros and cons. The best light is dependent on your wants, needs and application.

I think most people would define "best" as "better growth and healthier corals". Define that? What we find in the ocean as the ultimate example to be followed. Halides also helps to produce the true pigmentation of the corals, like in the ocean under the sun. Metal halide is the only artificial light that gave me the very best of all together, safely. If you add T5s, you can enjoy the "sky light" mode of the natural reef when the halide goes off... The whole system gets very healthy and thriving with profusely growth!!!! It's the only light that really impresses anyone in the world! Even the fish look healthier showing their colors better!

My second choice, for shallower systems, would be an ATI T5 only system. The colors are amazing and it offers everything for the best colony formation, filling out all the gaps!!

LEDs were terrible in terms of supplying my normal expectations! The only think LEDs are unique in my point of view is to produce that "artificial looking" blue pop, but I actually prefer the pop from ATI Blu Plus, as for a more natural look of a dawn/dusk that happens in the ocean, so...

Bottom line is... if you wish to reproduce what you see in the ocean there is absolutely no other combo than a good metal halide system with T5s as supplementation. Quality above all, at all price, to get the optimal results in that category!

In reality threads like this are just a way to have fun and allow people to express their personal preferences!
Let's have fun!

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

What were those sun pods or sun lights? They are basically like a sky light in your house roof with hvac tubing and everything lol. Harness the power of the sun and turn on your tan light above your tank. Aka metal halides. Lol.
Really ive read about people wanting to use these.
D

 

[Bpb]

What were those sun pods or sun lights? They are basically like a sky light in your house roof with hvac tubing and everything lol. Harness the power of the sun and turn on your tan light above your tank. Aka metal halides. Lol.
Really ive read about people wanting to use these.
D

Solatubes

 

[nereefpat]

For a 125g long tank

If it's a standard 6' long 125, 2 Kessils aren't going to cover very well. Somewhere in the 18-24" diameter is their coverage. I would want 3, along with the T5 Hybrid, if I were going that route. 3 Kessil 360s (Wide angle) + four 5 ftT5 bulbs would be excellent for a 125.

 

[blasterman]

What were those sun pods or sun lights? They are basically like a sky light in your house roof with hvac tubing and everything lol. Harness the power of the sun and turn on your tan light above your tank. Aka metal halides. Lol.
Really ive read about people wanting to use these.
D

Metal halides have nothing to do with the sun. Not sure why this myth is perpetuated , but I could post spectral graphs of the sun vs halides vs broad spectrum LEDs and the LEDs would be way closer to the sun than halide. Reef halides are just narrow chops of spectrum.

 

[Mike konesky]

Broad spectrum LEDs and narrow spectrum halides....got it.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I never said they did. I was talking about the sun lights. The tanning lights have been refered too from the halides back in the 90s. I never did halides but ive heard good things despite the big heavy ballast and heat.
D

 

[minus9]

I don't think there's a "best" light when it comes to lighting a reef. All of the modern LED's will provide the right spectrum, but it's their format or form that will decide how you implement them with your particular tank/set up. I used metal halides exclusively in the 90's up until the early 2000's, then after a break in the hobby, I returned only using LED's and have been extremely happy with them. There are plenty of reefers out there with all of the major types of lighting that have stellar tanks, but lighting is only one factor in keeping a reef. I love my Kessil's and with the new 500x that just came out, it's really getting close to being a metal halide in LED form.

 

[minus9]

Btw, Iwasaki 6500k bulbs with actinic VHO's were the bomb, just saying.

 

[Scubatricky]

Kessil have just launched the 500, getting closer to MH.

Orphek are about the best you'll get in led. Otherwise go T5 and MH

 

[A. grandis]

Metal halides have nothing to do with the sun. Not sure why this myth is perpetuated , but I could post spectral graphs of the sun vs halides vs broad spectrum LEDs and the LEDs would be way closer to the sun than halide. Reef halides are just narrow chops of spectrum.

When you compare a system lit by the sun and a system lit by metal halides you just can't tell much difference! That doesn't happen with other types of lighting. Results don't lie.