Can't decide whether to abandon LEDs

[Ocelaris]

I'm not terribly happy with the Maxspect Razor 320w 16K 4' light that I inherited when I bought the tank (it's on a 5' tank). I haven't had a ton of different lights to compare it to, so just not sure I want to sell it and go with a T5 fixture. I'm just getting started with the tank ~9 months and only have a few SPS, (seriatapora, stylophora and an unknown brown acro). The easier SPS are growing pretty well, but I bleached them out once accidentally with turning the lights up too much. Also I'm not confident in the "spread", I heard everyone talk about shadowing with LEDs, and it seems like the interior of the frags are somewhat bleached, so I don't know if I'm over thinking it or just make the plunge and go to T5s. I like the shimmer of the LEDs, but I like a more "full spectrum" look; back in the day I had 10,000k Metal Halides + Actinics and loved the color. Now everything seems to be blue, bluer, or bluest.
I have a 110 gallon, 60" Wide x 18" deep x 24" tall, not my favorite dimensions; but good first tank after being out of the hobby for 15 years. I'm looking at the 6 bulb ATI sunpower fixture, the LED combo version is way too expensive for my tastes. At that point I'd just do a retrofit Metal Halide + T5.

Anyone else go T5 from LED and regret it?

 

[cromag27]

I jumped on the bandwagon when they became popular. I soon jump off.

I like t5/led combos the best.

 

[gacolt]

I'm a big fan of t5 and metal halide light.i have tried many LEDs and always end up selling them.to me LEDs suck I would rather run power compact.if I had your tank I would run a 5' Ati fixture or 2x 400w mh w/ t5 supplement.

 

[SJ-reefer]

In the end I went with T5/led combo, works better for me.

 

[Ocelaris]

Yeah, I have fond memories of my metal halides, but right now I have a slim fixture with no hood. I hated my hood and the bulk of metal halides. But I already planned wiring for ballasts, I just don't know if the heat in the basement is going to be unbearable. It's a tight enclosure. It's not that the leds aren't nice, but I just don't trust that they're going to give me the growth and coloring I want down the road.

 

[jsker]

I have had them all, I like my present LED's. Color spectrum is great, and growth is great. Have tried looking at different issue such as balence of elements in the system?

 

[mcarroll]

Shading shouldn't be too bad with the Razor...certainly better than most halide systems. (I have a Razor. I had halides prior.)

But whether this is worth talking about is a matter of taste – yours, not other folks'.

Switch lights if you want, but look at other possible issues if corals aren't thriving. It's not the lights.

That said, if you happen to be used the light T5's put out, then you might notice the shadows more than someone who came from using halides though.

In that case you have lots of good strip LED options that will put off much more T5-like light. Current USA's Orbit Marine Pro is one good one, but GHL, Hamilton Technology and others have good ones as well.

 

[lion king]

Big mistake I made going to leds, as soon as budget allows I'm going back to t5s.

 

[bif24701]

I've had all the lights, the best proven method I've seen by far is A360WEs combined with T5s. How ever when I started my new build I consider them all. In the end I went with Kessil AP700. I am literally so pleased that I don't even think about lighting. If you don't at least consider these fixtures when choosing lighting systems you need to do more research.

 

[Ocelaris]

With the razor, I'm just always wondering if there is missing reds like the kessils, which have an explicit red channel. I have the 16K razor, they switched to a 15K color on them the following year, so I'm suspicious of what I'm missing. I think the problem which everyone has is whether the grass is greener on the other side, psychosomatic. They make 120 degree reflectors instead of the 90 degree reflectors that it comes with, so may look at that also.

 

[Bpb]

I can almost guarantee you that the missing red channel is NOT negatively impacting the health of the tank. Red and green diodes are somewhat effective at color rendering to the eye...but it's nothing a blend of warm and neutral white diodes couldn't address. Adding those colors are just a way to sell fixtures because people think it makes them "full spectrum"

 

[mcarroll]

With the razor, I'm just always wondering[...]

• Classic case of buyer's remorse. Lot's of lighting threads start similarly.
• A case of buyer's remorse starts with the information asymmetry of Caveat emptor.

(Both of those links are worth reading even if you know the terms already.)

As long as marketing remains the same in this segment, I think it's always going to be difficult for new users to pick something they will actually be happy with.

Most of the talk is about nonsense concepts such as "full spectrum" and "pop" while people know little or nothing about lux meters, PI curves, lenses, spot vs area lighting, nutrition, etc.

As a result of this focus, you have people using LED's just like they were halides (whether they liked halides or not), and doing so without the aid of a light meter. That's not a recipe for success or happiness.

I've said it before: There's nothing wrong with spending $200/square foot to light your tank – there are awesome fixtures out there to be bought or built – as long as you're aware of what you're spending the money on, and that you can do it for $20/square foot.

Most dissatisfied folks don't seem to get that last part and instead try to associate sticker-price (high or low) and/or popularity with "best". You have to be aware of your options...which as I said is not easy for the uninitiated.

There are a few things that can help prevent or cure buyer's remorse....

A) Know that blue and white LED's of the absolute cheapest variety that merely turn on in the morning and off at night can make your corals happy and grow.

Happy and growing corals naturally look great.

Isn't this 90% of your goal? Maybe 100%?​

B) Know that every other feature and color on a light fixture is for you and not the corals.

Sunrise/sunset is nice looking, and however goofy I think extra color looks I admit that there's a segment of folks that like it. All these things (and the rest) are fine, but extra.​

Can this be much more than 10% of your goal?​

C) Know the difference between area lighting and spot lighting.

Along with price, this lack of knowledge seems like it could be at the root of many cases of LED-dissatisfaction.

Start with a fixture that puts out the kind of light you will prefer!

• LED strips will be similar to T5 light.
• LED pucks, multi chips (e.g. Kessils) and china boxes are all more similar to metal halide light.

D) Last, but not least: Use a light meter to make any lighting change.

Minimize changes in lighting intensity between changes in lighting setups.

There are $free lux meter apps that work well.

There are $15 handheld lux meters that work even better and are safer to use over your tank.

A PAR meter is great, but don't hold out on using a light meter at all just because you can't afford one.
​

 

[ClownnGoby]

I started with T5s ,then I had 2 evergrow lights sold them and went with kessils although I liked the design and the shimmer it added to my tank I was getting a lot of shadowing at the base of my SPS . My tank is 48" and now that I think about it I probably should've had 3 360s on it to help with shadowing , also I was running a zeovit system and even tho some had success with led the best looking tanks were t5 tanks
I decided to sell them off and went back to t5 . I chose a ATI 8 bulb fixture and love it corals color and growth has been much better for me ,
Most likely going to add a reefbrite led strip to the fixture

I think about going back to LEDs but if I did would most likely be a hybrid led and T5 combo

Also I like what eco tech has done with the radions and having programs available to download that are proven to color and grow SPS

 

[bif24701]

I for one have no buyers remorse.

 

[mcarroll]

I for one have no buyers remorse.

Not anymore! It's noteworthy what it took to get you there!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Anyone else go T5 from LED and regret it?

no.
adding t5 to my led I think would make me happy. and Im actually getting good results w my led's. k really really good results.

 

[Ocelaris]

Yeah, I'm wondering if I can retrofit the Razor into a hood with some T5s... I know it has active cooling, but that shouldn't be a big deal to have the hood vented. That might get me to the best of both worlds. I'm not concerned with intensity as much spread and coloring. I'm just not as happy with the color rendering of the Razors, and that may just be a personal thing. However I definitely seeing shading on my frags which may be remedied by the T5s and/or 120 reflectors.

I definitely would not have purchased LEDs for lighting if I was starting out from scratch; which is part of the reason I was drawn to this tank for sale. It's a chance to see what all the hoopla is about, and I can't say that I'm disappointed, but I'm not really blown away either.

I didn't mean for this to be an LED vs. T5 comparison; I'm just looking to see if other people made the big switch back and regret losing shimmer... I've googled the heck out of "T5 reef tank pictures" and "LED reed tank pictures" and totally subjectively I'm liking the T5 spectrum, so just wondering if people went all out, or added T5s etc...

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I'm just not as happy with the color rendering of the Razors,

me too. its a trick to set the color just right.....
Have you looked at the wide lens or checked how much intensity you lose pulling them. Its on my list of to do's.
with that focused beam from the lenses you have to hang it high to hit the sides and make the light bounce around..

 

[bif24701]

Not anymore! It's noteworthy what it took to get you there!

Right, I had to go through my growing pains,research, bad choices but in the end I think the most important thing I've learned is that just about every LED fixture can grow healthy corals. There is much more at play in our tiny boxed worlds.

 

[ahiggins]

Im not versed in lighting BUT I have nano tanks so T5s/metal halides arent really an option for me.
That being said, I love my AI prime LEDs. They grow everything Ive put in my tanks and all ive done is tailor the intensity/spectrum to what I need.