Lighting that won't need upgrading

A. grandis

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Okay guys thank you I will look into those as well....I didn't even know they covered a 30 x 30 thought it was 24 x 24 but I could try one then see if I need another if I go this route
LOL! LED manufacturers will always tell you what they want in regards to coverage and efficiency. They even tell you their Christmas lights are better than metal halides using PAR numbers!!! How stupid is that? The "best" LED fixtures in the market aren't exactly what their painters try to put on their canvas! Spend time and do your search carefully. Anyway... I guess some of us just need to go through their own experiences to learn. Besides, most people recommending LEDs don't even have nor saw a tank under T5s and/or metal halides to know what they are talking about in the first place. Not to mention of those who don't even have a reef tank and give advice with internet info from google search. That just make it worse for all of us. Sometimes I almost get tired of giving advice. Good luck with your search.
 

1guydude

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Those atis r nice. Dimable. Have fans and timers. A hybrid with a bar of leds will give u shimmer. Or u can add a orphek bar.
D
 

ApoIsland

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As far as best for growing sps? I have yet to see anyone who has used Halides, t5 and LED say that LED grew coral better. Most who switched to LED did so for reasons other than growing corals better. Again, not knocking LED at all. I own 10 top of the line LED units.
This is very true. Myself and everyone I know says Halides and T5 by a mile when it comes to coral growth and health. That being said I did switch to LED as it allows me to run my tank without a chiller which is something I could not do with T5 or Halide. I also don’t miss having to get bulbs every 18 months. I am also to the point that I enjoy the slower growth with LED as it means less trimming. Colors pop more with LEDs also but you can tell the coverage is garbage compared to T5. A lot more shading with LED.

Pros and cons to both. If you are going for ultimate coral growth and health then go T5.
 

oreo54

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A reminder from a long time ago.....
If anything should be an indicator of health, it should be growth. Anyone veteran hobbyist will tell you corals calcify faster under lower kelvin bulbs. An Iwasaki 6,500K metal halide grows corals faster than a Radium bulb of equivalent wattage. And let’s compare coral colors to growth. Some of the notable slow growing acropora are the blue hoeksemai, torts and purple monster. There seems to be a discrepancy between growth and color. A purple monster grows pretty fast under an Iwasaki, but its not going to be a deep purple.

Perhaps we lose growth, hardiness and stress tolerance when pushing towards excessive pigment expression and photo-inhibition. Again, this may not be wrong. The hobby places immense value on coral color. So it may just be a double edged sword.

You should illuminate your tank the way you want. But don’t make the mistake of believing your goals and desires should be the “standard” that others should be compared against. It’s a lot more fun and engaging to discuss a diversity of metrics for success in reef aquariums.
 

rgrimaldi123

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41cuNDdYdTL._AC_[1].jpg


I don't like hanging lights from the ceiling either
 
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JL15219

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This is very true. Myself and everyone I know says Halides and T5 by a mile when it comes to coral growth and health. That being said I did switch to LED as it allows me to run my tank without a chiller which is something I could not do with T5 or Halide. I also don’t miss having to get bulbs every 18 months. I am also to the point that I enjoy the slower growth with LED as it means less trimming. Colors pop more with LEDs also but you can tell the coverage is garbage compared to T5. A lot more shading with LED.

Pros and cons to both. If you are going for ultimate coral growth and health then go T5.
Yeah those are some valid points....and those are some of the reasons I didn't want to go with T5s initially.....when you say pop what do you mean exactly?
 
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JL15219

JL15219

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Question for all the T5 people. I'm going to have the tank right next to my desk almost touch. Since I have to mount/hang at a certain distance....Will this be blinding me? Is the light spillage bad?
 

Spare time

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Yeah that's what I was going to go with originally but I started to research a little more and things changed


One thing to keep in mind with these forums is that t5 people REALLY want you to get a t5 lol

T5 are nice, but not practical in your situation and honestly the only difference is that you will have to pay for replacement bulbs every year. They do have their pros but LED's will do the job.
 
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JL15219

JL15219

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One thing to keep in mind with these forums is that t5 people REALLY want you to get a t5 lol

T5 are nice, but not practical in your situation and honestly the only difference is that you will have to pay for replacement bulbs every year. They do have their pros but LED's will do the job.
Yeah I was set on getting led at first but I think the t5 people changed my mind just a little LOL
 

Spare time

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Yeah I was set on getting led at first but I think the t5 people changed my mind just a little LOL

Don't get me wrong they do work, but its not like they are going to give you better results. Sure you may get a slightly better spread, but is that worth replacing bubls every year, having extra heat, and having a a giant fixture above the tank? Its such a small tank and its not like you are packing acros every inch so the benefits of t5 are just not something that would benefit you.
 

ApoIsland

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Yeah those are some valid points....and those are some of the reasons I didn't want to go with T5s initially.....when you say pop what do you mean exactly?

Colors of the corals just seem slightly brighter and detailed or more fluorescent. Its not a signigicant difference though.

If I had unlimited money to blow on a chiller I would go back to the T5.

Someone also just pointed out the LED units do look much sleeker if you get them mounted properly. I would have to agree there as well.

For your first light on that small tank my advice would be to go LED. Later on if you get super addicted and want to get a bigger tank and raise the fastest growing healthiest corals in the world then you can upgrade to a T5 or MH.
 

zalick

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Yeah I was set on getting led at first but I think the t5 people changed my mind just a little LOL
Take that advice with a grain of salt. I don't think most "T5" people are trying to get everyone to go T5. I don't personally run T5s but I would of I had your tank.

I had T5s over my 20 long, but the fixture broke and I couldnt get replacement parts. old coralife 30" fixture. Love it. But they have a new model now.

My current tank is 6' long and 3' wide and I have a massive fully enclosed hood. I need to be able to do all maintenance myself and having a massive 12+ bulb 6' fixture wouldn't exactly fit that criteria.


People who knock T5 or Halides are generally people who have never used them....

Here are the pics of two kessil a360 over my 20 long hammer frags tank. Forgive the cheesy coral background there is a window behind it and that's what I had on hand to block the outside :) PXL_20210227_004434232.jpg
 

A. grandis

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Don't get me wrong they do work, but its not like they are going to give you better results. Sure you may get a slightly better spread, but is that worth replacing bubls every year, having extra heat, and having a a giant fixture above the tank? Its such a small tank and its not like you are packing acros every inch so the benefits of t5 are just not something that would benefit you.
LOL!!!!!!!!
 

A. grandis

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Colors of the corals just seem slightly brighter and detailed or more fluorescent. Its not a signigicant difference though.

If I had unlimited money to blow on a chiller I would go back to the T5.

Someone also just pointed out the LED units do look much sleeker if you get them mounted properly. I would have to agree there as well.

For your first light on that small tank my advice would be to go LED. Later on if you get super addicted and want to get a bigger tank and raise the fastest growing healthiest corals in the world then you can upgrade to a T5 or MH.
Independent of size, if the tank is equal or less than 24" tall, T5s will give you a lot of extra benefits! Higher than that, for still an optimal growth and colony formation, without any hassle of any kind, halides/T5s will be the optimal IMO. Still, people can use the blue LEDs for the so called "pop", which isn't necessary anyway. That is what it's worth in regards to artificial reef lighting IMO.
People need to put their priorities on the table. Corals, or electricity savings?
I would hope everyone would choose to give the best to the corals.
This old stuff about having corals struggling thinking of saving money isn't right!!
So many people say "I wish I had T5s" ... " I know the corals would be so much better"... " but don't want to spend the money with electricity and bulbs". Better not to have a reef tank then! This organisms should be treated as PETS, not lab rats!
UNLESS you spend thousands of dollars to try mimic T5s covering the whole suface area with LEDs set on relatively low intensity. Still won't be the same cause the spectrum won't be the same as the T5s! No more true UV with LEDs. Search...
 

oreo54

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ati_T5_actinic__98052.1452874396.500.750.jpg
Flourescent tubes have very little UV unless "speciality" tubes.
 
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ApoIsland

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I would hope everyone would choose to give the best to the corals.
This old stuff about having corals struggling thinking of saving money isn't right!!
So many people say "I wish I had T5s" ... " I know the corals would be so much better"... " but don't want to spend the money with electricity and bulbs". Better not to have a reef tank then! This organisms should be treated as PETS, not lab rats!
If I ever start thinking of a piece of coral as a pet someone please put me down.

Just because the corals are not growing at record paces does not mean they are suffering. LED's grow corals just fine. Not optimal but just fine all the same.

If you are making this argument about micro organisms suffering from slightly sub optimal lighting then I can't imagine your reaction when you see someone cutting grass or pulling weeds. The torture inflicted on those poor living organisms....
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 78 38.0%
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  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 26 12.7%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 30 14.6%
  • Other.

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