Poll: Lighting Preference

[A Toadstool Leather]

I used pc lights on my first tank then upgraded to kessil leds under the second. I must say the kessil leds have really impressed me.

 

[Crimson]

8 t5's here and a reefbrite strip. My first reef was back in '94, 90 gallon with icecap vhos and 2x 150 watt pfo hqi's double ended inside a canopy that was configured air intake and exhaust. Great in the winter like having a mini heater. My reef was in the finished basement which helped in the summer.

 

[Jesterrace]

LEDs for me. I hate replacing bulbs. I currently have a cheap Mars Aqua light bar, but once my rail mount comes in I will be upgrading to a pair of AI Hydra 26 HDs on my 90 gallon.

 

[Crimson]

LEDs for me. I hate replacing bulbs. I currently have a cheap Mars Aqua light bar, but once my rail mount comes in I will be upgrading to a pair of AI Hydra 26 HDs on my 90 gallon.

To each his own and why I paused before replying. IMO, replacing t5 bulbs every 12-18 months is not that hard.

Try MH HQI bulbs, you need to wear gloves and make sure the nipple is upright. The oil in our skin reduced the life span or so the instructions would indicate.

 

[bubblemytip]

GNC LED

 

[sfin52]

Best results ever were from a single DIY MH/T5. It was an old end table with a metal sheet skin over the legs, and a cheap reflector and ballasts connected to the bottom of the table top. Looked terrible and was so long ago I really didn’t know what I was doing, much too bright and blue for my roommates taste at the time haha. But I’ve never seen softies grow at such a rate. It honestly ruined my level of expectation from coral growth in general lol.
I run two primes on my adopted rescue 55g. They do fine, not the optimal set up. Nothing on the tank is, (it’s a super diy long term plan of adventure and fun!) The 75g build I’m in right now is looking like 2 primes supplementing 4 48” T5s. But I haven’t bit the bullet on the money yet. Still researching and listening. So many love super blue plus. Am I the only one who doesn’t love it too blue?

No your not. I’m not a big fan of super blue. I love white as well. Blue mutes some of the fish colors.

 

[Antegon]

No your not. I’m not a big fan of super blue. I love white as well. Blue mutes some of the fish colors.

The quest for the four perfect bulb combo rages on

 

[jakeh22]

T5 led hybrid setup..One kessil ap700 and one aquatic life t5 hybrid 4 48” t5s best bang for your buck

 

[Antegon]

T5 led hybrid setup..One kessil ap700 and one aquatic life t5 hybrid 4 48” t5s best bang for your buck

What’s the footprint of that fixture

 

[jakeh22]

Well an ap700 can do up to 48” but has to be high up. I had 6 t5s prior and was just too much blow out for me and my 90gal. The fixture is 48x18 fits perfectly over most our reef tanks

 

[jakeh22]

What’s the footprint of that fixture

There is a 24” for cube aquariums and a 60” for monster setups

 

[Antegon]

There is a 24” for cube aquariums and a 60” for monster setups

Blast. Looking for a 48” that would fit in the canopy. Planning on just rigging two retrofit 2bulbs and squeezing the primes in between lol

 

[jakeh22]

Blast. Looking for a 48” that would fit in the canopy. Planning on just rigging two retrofit 2bulbs and squeezing the primes in between lol

That’s what I was gonna do but I don’t want a canopy anymore and when pricing it up you spend about 80 bucks per 2 bulbs and ballasts anyway so if you wanted to do 4 like me it’s not worth it let alone I wanted to do a dimmable t5 but let’s not get crazy this works haaha

 

[jakeh22]

t5 setup

one ap700 no t5s at the moment

 

[Dburr1014]

I used to have 250 semh and Corals grew great. Now I have leds. It's about the same power consumption but less heat. The corals do okay.
I like MH better but leds you don't have to worry about heat in the summer.

 

[Whispers]

I would love to have MH/t5 but I went with leds

 

[shaggydoo]

I chuckle every time I see one of these discussions. It boils down to personal preference and how much you are willing to spend. However, people always seem to just agree with each other on why something looks better.

What makes me laugh is the reasons people choose their preference. Now, I see a lot of love for the evenness of T5 light, but when T5 was first introduced, the common argument against T5/PC/VHO was the lack of shimmer. 10-15 years ago, most loved MH and considered the lack of shimmer a huge problem with fluorescent lighting.

Hybrids have always been a good lighting idea, but again, picking a hybrid system should be because you like the look. Don't worry about growth! You will find gorgeous/successful tanks with every kind of lighting option available. At one point I've had a tank with PC (my first one), MH, T5 (my first large tank), LED (current tank), and hybrid fluorescent/MH. I have liked them all for various reasons. Only thing I have not tried is VHO.

Bottom line, don't listen to others opinions on this topic. Go see several tanks with different lighting options and pick the style of light that appeals to you. Then decide what kind of corals you are keeping and make sure you can get the intensity you want. Most likely you can, since there are so many options within each lighting choice.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I voted LED. However, if I lived in a parallel universe where heat was not an issue, a MH-only setup would be my number one choice.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

+1 @shaggydoo. We know that MH, T5, LEDs, and even hybrid combinations of all the above all work. They all grow corals, they all support show-quality tanks. Are there pros and cons to each? Of course. But at the end of the day, there is no "best" light. What makes a light "good" or "bad" is your personal preference and tastes. They all work, so choose what you like based on how the pros and cons mesh with your tank and preferences.

 

[jda]

These type of discussions exist because "they all work" is a false equivalency and people who are smart enough to 1). know better, 2). have seen different, or 3). know that this just cannot be true or else there would not be these discussions, want to ask the questions. If you add the word "can" to that sentence, then that offers discussion which makes everybody smarter.

Nuance, detail and experience matters. What people want to do matters in these type of discussions.

"They all work" is about as false of an equivalency as saying that McDonalds is all that humans need to stay alive... yes, technically an Extra-Value Meal can keep humans alive on it's own, but if detail and nuance matter in this argument, then they matter for lights, as well. While all equivalencies are truly false on some level, depending on what you are keeping, one type of light, or another, might be no better than a Quarter Pound with Cheese and fries for your corals over the long term... and it might be fine for others.