Debating switching from T5’s to led

[Rmckoy]

I currently and have always had T5’s
This particular fixture is a 8 bulb 54watt
After the 90gal started leaking we upgraded to a 230
From a 4’ tank to a 6’ tank the lights are not working .
We picked up 3 black boxes
A few questions though . Never having leds .
1) do you get the same growth ?
are there fixtures enough to support growth ?
How high above the water is ideal for mounting ?
The tank is 27” deep

 

[fishface NJ]

I started this hobby about 12 years ago. I started with T5 and in year 7 switched to LED black box. I went back to T5 3 years ago. You can't compare the growth you get with T5. Slow growth with LED. I had my LED about the same height as my T5

 

[Rmckoy]

I started this hobby about 12 years ago. I started with T5 and in year 7 switched to LED black box. I went back to T5 3 years ago. You can't compare the growth you get with T5. Slow growth with LED. I had my LED about the same height as my T5

I’ve been reading about some going back to T5’s

 

[Bpb]

I’ve used them all. With correct husbandry and par management you can achieve results from each lighting tech that are so similar the differences are negligible. What is more important than diode substrate sourced photons vs those formed from phosphors excited in a glass bulb is the mechanism of delivery.

No...a pencil eraser sized multi chip over a 24” cube tank will not deliver the same effective amount of light as 8x24” t5 tubes. No way no how. I don’t care what the spectrum is or what the spread rating is. A pair of them won’t provide the same effective light as 8x54” t5 tubes.

However...a blanket of diodes covering the same footprint as the t5 fixture or metal halide pendant, with about 80-100% the same maximum wattage rating will however perform comparably if similar par levels and spectrum are observed.

People’s failure with leds is never in the physics of light generation. It is almost always a result from mis-managed expectations from poor application by the user.

3 black boxes over a 6 foot tank may work depending on your goals. If you want light loving sps everywhere, it will not be enough. Just not enough surface area of light delivery to illuminate all the crevices of branching corals. If you want lower light stuff or a mixed tank, it may be enough. Easier soft corals don’t self shade. If you keep the lenses on the diodes I would put them 15” absolute minimum over the water. Ideally 18-20”. This will make the light spread far more even and gentle

 

[A. grandis]

I currently and have always had T5’s
This particular fixture is a 8 bulb 54watt
After the 90gal started leaking we upgraded to a 230
From a 4’ tank to a 6’ tank the lights are not working .
We picked up 3 black boxes
A few questions though . Never having leds .
1) do you get the same growth ?
are there fixtures enough to support growth ?
How high above the water is ideal for mounting ?
The tank is 27” deep

Photons produced by LEDs are different than photons produced by T5s!
The way T5s distribute the light is also very unique, specially with a great fixture like the ATI! That is a great advantage!
Get those T5s going!!! When I've tried black boxes over my 120Gal. the colonies had weird formation/growth and it wasn't worthy at all!!! Went back to T5s over that system and they came back to normal. There was absolutely no comparison to my old T5 fixture, so after I believe about 6 months I put the T5 fixture back and sold the boxes. I consider the black boxes better than most fancy LEDs available, but still not good enough to beat T5s, never IMO!
I would get an ATI 60" fixture or 2 X ATI 36" fixtures for a tank 72" long. With the 2 X 36" you will spend almost double of the money when you change bulbs though. Make the 60" work for you and call it the best day of your "aquarium set up" life.
Your corals will thank you every day and you won't regret for the growth and colors!!!!!!! I think you know what I'm talking about!
Just one thing... some will tell you that you will need to make sure you keep lower light corals on the bottom of your 27" tall tank. Not to worry. People also say even some Acropora will grow good down there with those T5s, so...
Enjoy your ride!

 

[t5Nitro]

I moved back to ATI T5 from an orphek. Corals love it.

 

[Rmckoy]

Photons produced by LEDs are different than photons produced by T5s!
The way T5s distribute the light is also very unique, specially with a great fixture like the ATI! That is a great advantage!
Get those T5s going!!! When I've tried black boxes over my 120Gal. the colonies had weird formation/growth and it wasn't worthy at all!!! Went back to T5s over that system and they came back to normal. There was absolutely no comparison to my old T5 fixture, so after I believe about 6 months I put the T5 fixture back and sold the boxes. I consider the black boxes better than most fancy LEDs available, but still not good enough to beat T5s, never IMO!
I would get an ATI 60" fixture or 2 X ATI 36" fixtures for a tank 72" long. With the 2 X 36" you will spend almost double of the money when you change bulbs though. Make the 60" work for you and call it the best day of your "aquarium set up" life.
Your corals will thank you every day and you won't regret for the growth and colors!!!!!!! I think you know what I'm talking about!
Just one thing... some will tell you that you will need to make sure you keep lower light corals on the bottom of your 27" tall tank. Not to worry. People also say even some Acropora will grow good down there with those T5s, so...
Enjoy your ride!

If I could find the ATI fixtures or where to buy them .
Being 27” wide and deep ,
I think I want min 8 bulbs .
what’s the wattage for 60” bulbs ?

 

[Spare time]

I started this hobby about 12 years ago. I started with T5 and in year 7 switched to LED black box. I went back to T5 3 years ago. You can't compare the growth you get with T5. Slow growth with LED. I had my LED about the same height as my T5

Keep in mind that black boxes are considered the lowest quality LED type of fixture in the hobby.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Other than regular bulb changes, T5 are good lights.
If going to LED , begin with low or acclimation settings and work up the intensity over time.

 

[iamacat]

LED is the way to go but you have to navigate the market. There are also a lot of user error or misguided applications with LED. I believe there are only a few brands of led that can get you the PAR needed for SPS. Within those brands there is a lot of room for user error. Mounting height, intensity, and how the LED is diffused are all dependent on the user and are critical to the performance

T5 is great and preferred by many due to the spread and diffusion of light. LED is catching up in that department due to 3D printing.

 

[oreo54]

Photons produced by LEDs are different than photons produced by T5s!

Most ridiculous thing I've heard in awhile.

 

[oreo54]

I currently and have always had T5’s
This particular fixture is a 8 bulb 54watt
After the 90gal started leaking we upgraded to a 230
From a 4’ tank to a 6’ tank the lights are not working .
We picked up 3 black boxes
A few questions though . Never having leds .
1) do you get the same growth ?
are there fixtures enough to support growth ?
How high above the water is ideal for mounting ?
The tank is 27” deep

Start at the beginning.. you had 432W of t5's and replaced it w/ at best (fixtures on full) 330W.
Considering most dim the white channel you "may" be running under 231W of photon generating power.

Even the better directionality can't make that up to 432 W of photons.
Second some diodes in said black boxes may be only 60% as efficient as a t5 tube.

Point is it's all a bit complicated.

One un-debateable point is tubes give more uniform coverage and less to no shimmer.
LEDs are shadier (more 3d) but more shimmer.
Current cheap lensing does produce hot spots which need to be dealt with.

You would need a min of 6 BB's in an attempt to get sufficient light and coverage to a 230gal tank.
And those run close to full on both channels.
Arguable of course..and strictly based on current "assumptions" .

width of the tank comes into play as well.
And not all bb's are equal


If it wasn't for your 60" length I'd suggest you stick w/ what you know though..

Black box LED SPS tank? Where is the success?

What settings are you running ur OR at? They are currently at 50% and 30% white. I've been ramping them up 5% each week.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Scorpius]

Most ridiculous thing I've heard in awhile.

There's been a lot of this lately and a reason I've been staying away.

 

[Viking_Reefing]

If you’re set in only using one technology to light your tank I would stick with the T5’s which, in my opinion, still outperforms leds in terms of coral health and growth.
However, you will never get the same pop and shimmer if you’re only running T5’s.
This is why a hybrid solution is such a great way to go, by using both technologies they offset each other’s weaknesses.

For example you could supplement your ATI fixture with some led bars or supplement your LEDs with 4x T5 bulbs or something.

Oh and I would stay away from black boxes. Sure they work (to an extent) but it’s the lowest of the low. I would try to save money elsewhere.

 

[A. grandis]

Most ridiculous thing I've heard in awhile.

There's been a lot of this lately and a reason I've been staying away.

Different sources will emit different photons.
Different LEDs will emit different photons too.
Stay away then.

 

[fishface NJ]

Keep in mind that black boxes are considered the lowest quality LED type of fixture in the hobby.

They weren't low quality lights...Ecotech

 

[A. grandis]

If I could find the ATI fixtures or where to buy them .
Being 27” wide and deep ,
I think I want min 8 bulbs .
what’s the wattage for 60” bulbs ?

Metal halide/T5 is another great option! Best lights ever to keep corals, anemones and clams in captivity!
Do your search carefully and avoid those that never had a reef in their lives, like the oreo guy. Graphics and PAR numbers may look interesting, but real results are more important. Many are realizing how much money they spent with their LEDs and it was wasted. You will need to invest a lot of money to cover your tank with LEDs for the right application. Changing halides or T5 bulbs once a year isn't bad at all when maintaining thousands of dollars in fishes and corals. Don't take my word only. Do your search! Good luck!

 

[A. grandis]

They weren't low quality lights...Ecotech

Fancy plastic Christmas lights. And they call pucks the prime line of LEDs. What a joke! I'm glad you have your T5s back, fisface NJ! One more example of the facts! Cheers!

 

[iamacat]

Fancy plastic Christmas lights. And they call pucks the prime line of LEDs. What a joke! I'm glad you have your T5s back, fisface NJ! One more example of the facts! Cheers!

 

[iamacat]

I currently and have always had T5’s
This particular fixture is a 8 bulb 54watt
After the 90gal started leaking we upgraded to a 230
From a 4’ tank to a 6’ tank the lights are not working .
We picked up 3 black boxes
A few questions though . Never having leds .
1) do you get the same growth ?
are there fixtures enough to support growth ?
How high above the water is ideal for mounting ?
The tank is 27” deep

This got away from your questions

if you have basic black boxs you will have a hard time getting growth with those LEDs. They are not going to get dialed in or diffuse light well enough to get good growth. At least I wouldn’t be confident using them for growth.

BRS has lots of investigations on LED placement with PAR readings from all the major LEDs. They go over tank sizes, number of lights, height, and intensity. I suggest watching a few videos. They can explain everything much better than anyone in here can or has.