Kessil LED vs Halide T5

[DSC reef]

That's very interesting about the SB reef lights. They must have nailed that spectrum pretty good. There new fixture looks nice.

 

[BoomCorals]

That's very interesting about the SB reef lights. They must have nailed that spectrum pretty good. There new fixture looks nice.

I thought so as well. The kessil shimmer is awesome for look though.

 

[DSC reef]

I thought so as well. The kessil shimmer is awesome for look though.

Honestly I think that will be the defining point for me if I ever go led. I've really grown to love the halide shimmer. I prefer look and color over fast growth most of the times as some corals grew to fast and it was like I couldn't enjoy the colors long enough before I had to frag or give a colony away because it grew to big. Your reviews really helps me on choices and I appreciate that.

 

[BoomCorals]

Honestly I think that will be the defining point for me if I ever go led. I've really grown to love the halide shimmer. I prefer look and color over fast growth most of the times as some corals grew to fast and it was like I couldn't enjoy the colors long enough before I had to frag or give a colony away because it grew to big. Your reviews really helps me on choices and I appreciate that.

Glad to help. For me it’s all about growth and color. The T5 tank coral seem to have a great amount for both. But the lavender color is not easy to take pics under. Right now I have to move the frags to a different tank, wait 5 minutes for the polyps to extend back out, then take the pic.

 

[DSC reef]

That sounds like a pain. Heavy lavender and dark blue have been troublesome for pics. It's frustrating to see the colors looking at the coral only to look at the phone in complete disappointment. Lol Looking forward to seeing new pics with your other combos.

 

[A. grandis]

I recently just removed the 2 actinic bulbs and added blue plus. I like the look and the corals have responded well now. Some montis lightened up for a week but now color is back. Currently I'm running the Hamilton 20k halides and the 4 blue plus. You could also try removing one actinic and adding another blue plus with 1 coral plus and 1 purple plus as well. Sometimes it's hard to leave T5 combos alone

Does the tank look blue like Jason Fox with the Hamilton 20K and the 4 Blue Plus bulbs?
Is the Hamilton 20K whiter than the Radium? That probably would depend on the ballast too, I would think..
Grandis.

 

[Reef Monkie]

Glad to help. For me it’s all about growth and color. The T5 tank coral seem to have a great amount for both. But the lavender color is not easy to take pics under. Right now I have to move the frags to a different tank, wait 5 minutes for the polyps to extend back out, then take the pic.

It might be a little off topic but what are you shooting your images in, the RAW format or JPG? I take pictures in the RAW format and use a program like Adobe Lightroom classic ($10 monthly sub) or DxO Optics pro ($129 or $199 one off payment) to colour correct images, both of these programs allow for batch processing of images and recognise camera/lens models to correct for flaws. If you then buy a 'grey card' (literally a piece of card that is a reference neutral grey) you can use that to take a photo under any type of light and then use that image to know how much you have to correct the white balance.

This saves a lot of time when photograph is essential for your business. You just import all the images taken under light X, set the white balance correction from the grey card shot, and batch process everything leaving you free to do other things as hundreds of images are processed. You then have all your images colour corrected as well as corrected for lens aberrations/distortion and camera 'quirks'. Because editing RAW files is non-destructive you can then go back and re-process any single image you feel needs special attention and then set up another batch process to export everything to JPG or PNG in the size/quality you need. You can even make different export pre-sets so that images are neatly labelled and sent to folders of your choosing which is great for archival purposes or for web uploads.

I doubt there are any pro or semi-pro photographers that could work without a program like this. To get started there are lots of tutorials available online as well as on youtube.

 

[Reef Monkie]

Just try to search a little more. There are tons of "guys", and girls too, that went back to T5s and MHs from LEDs even earlier than 'that guy", including myself!!.
Grandis.

Lighten up a little? (yes I do bad jokes too)
I love the look of halides, I just thought it was funny that in your enthusiasm you hadn't realised 'that guy' was on this forum too and that his system had evolved since that video.

 

[DSC reef]

Does the tank look blue like Jason Fox with the Hamilton 20K and the 4 Blue Plus bulbs?
Is the Hamilton 20K whiter than the Radium? That probably would depend on the ballast too, I would think..
Grandis.

The Hamilton's have a nice white blue look to them, almost icey is the best way to explain it. The 4 blue plus actually look really good. The combo comes together nicely and the tank looks brighter without the pure actinic.

 

[Big E]

From my experiences and seeing/setting up numerous acropora dominant lighting--

A Blue+ and Coral+ combo will color any acro. Mixing another bulb into that combo is only going to get you a different ambient look.

Hybrid setups------- T5 should be the main workhorses for coloring and growth. LED for some shimmer and supplementation and not from the inside.

If you use too much blue+ or blue leds it will make mainly green colors dominant visually especially if you stand any distance, 3-6 feet from the tank.

A lot can go into what you want.............bright tank and vivid colors favor a crisp white look. A more blue look towards a windex bottle and greens dominate and slightly more pop in orange and yellow at the expense of red, blue and purple colors. Most of this type of thing is personal taste.

 

[nkyreef]

At least bulbs are cheap lol.

Going to order more blue plus and purple plus to try combos.

How often do you replace your T5's and on average how long are they on?

 

[BoomCorals]

It might be a little off topic but what are you shooting your images in, the RAW format or JPG? I take pictures in the RAW format and use a program like Adobe Lightroom classic ($10 monthly sub) or DxO Optics pro ($129 or $199 one off payment) to colour correct images, both of these programs allow for batch processing of images and recognise camera/lens models to correct for flaws. If you then buy a 'grey card' (literally a piece of card that is a reference neutral grey) you can use that to take a photo under any type of light and then use that image to know how much you have to correct the white balance.

This saves a lot of time when photograph is essential for your business. You just import all the images taken under light X, set the white balance correction from the grey card shot, and batch process everything leaving you free to do other things as hundreds of images are processed. You then have all your images colour corrected as well as corrected for lens aberrations/distortion and camera 'quirks'. Because editing RAW files is non-destructive you can then go back and re-process any single image you feel needs special attention and then set up another batch process to export everything to JPG or PNG in the size/quality you need. You can even make different export pre-sets so that images are neatly labelled and sent to folders of your choosing which is great for archival purposes or for web uploads.

I doubt there are any pro or semi-pro photographers that could work without a program like this. To get started there are lots of tutorials available online as well as on youtube.

RAW, then I do basic color correction in lightroom CC to remove excess blue etc. My goal with lightroom is to get the coral to look how it does to my eyes. I hate "doctored" photos where they slide the contrast all the way up, and other garbage like that. And yes I save color profiles for batch processing. It's rare that these days I have to manually edit anything as I have profiles saved for each light setup over my tanks. Good stuff!

 

[BoomCorals]

How often do you replace your T5's and on average how long are they on?

Well until recently I hadn't used T5s in almost a decade. But I'd imagine I'll replace them annually. The 8 bulb fixture is on for 10 hours a day. The T5/Halide they are on for 8 hours a day.

 

[rtparty]

Well until recently I hadn't used T5s in almost a decade. But I'd imagine I'll replace them annually. The 8 bulb fixture is on for 10 hours a day. The T5/Halide they are on for 8 hours a day.

Hopefully we see some BRS results in the next little bit on this topic. Our annual replacement could be too soon

 

[nkyreef]

Hopefully we see some BRS results in the next little bit on this topic. Our annual replacement could be too soon

Agreed. There has to be so many variables from on time, ballast type, etc. I would hate to throw away bulbs that still have life to give.

 

[leepink23]

I am planning on getting the new hybrid at somepoint, not in a rush because I am getting great growth with only Led, but this post really makes me consider adding T5, since I run the ab+ with Radions it' already blue, what would be good for more white with T5?

 

[BoomCorals]

I am planning on getting the new hybrid at somepoint, not in a rush because I am getting great growth with only Led, but this post really makes me consider adding T5, since I run the ab+ with Radions it' already blue, what would be good for more white with T5?

Coral plus

 

[FarmerTy]

Hey, good looking coral frags for the experiment! [emoji12]

Great experiment by the way Boom. So you're leaning towards more T5 over LED for mainly the growth you saw between the two sets?

 

[BoomCorals]

Hey, good looking coral frags for the experiment! [emoji12]

Great experiment by the way Boom. So you're leaning towards more T5 over LED for mainly the growth you saw between the two sets?

So far, definitely. Will keep posting updates.

 

[hubble]

I have the AI 26 HD's and am wanting to upgrade to the new Aqutic Life Hybrid fixture. I was recommended to go with 2 blue+ and 2 coral+ for the T5's and use the AI's for a supplement. Or I can jump on the
Hamilton Cebu Sun Lighting System 14,000K Metal Halide system.
Both are on sale for Black Friday. I think I would be happy with hybrid fixture, but I've always wanted a M/H system.