Thoughts on T5 and LED hybrid

[JumpingFlea]

So I decided to go for 3 Radions xr15 for my 5 foot tanks lighting. I was also thinking of going for the Aquatic Life T5 hybrid with the Radions for that even spread and for future corals. The tank is going to be a mixed reef with LPS possibly being dominant, but the thing is I’ve heard that T5 bulbs need to be replaced pretty often and heat up the aquarium a bit. They also take up quite a bit of energy. Does anyone have experience with T5s or hybrids? Would the Radions be good on their own? Thank you!

 

[mdb_talon]

I love T5 lighting and other than halides I would still say they are my favorite. However I dont use them mostly because they do require bulb changes. I never had any heat issues with T5 really (i did with halide), but replacing the bulbs every 8-12 months gets costly.

 

[JumpingFlea]

What bulb did you use when you used T5s? How do you know when to replace the T5s?

 

[mdb_talon]

I forget the exact combos I used, but was ATI I believe Blue Plus, Coral Plus, and Purple were a few of them. As for when to change I could usually notice a color spectrum change that was visible to the eye within around 8 months. No good scientific way(readily available to hobbyist) that I know of. I generally tried to stretch out changes to a year and always changed around december (so I could buy them on christmas sales).

 

[JumpingFlea]

Ok thank you! It seems like the only con is really the price of the bulbs. The hybrid fixture comes with 4 60 inch bulb holders with reflectors I think. I will do some thinking about it. Have you had any other problems with T5s? Also what did you like about them?

 

[mdb_talon]

Ok thank you! It seems like the only con is really the price of the bulbs. The hybrid fixture comes with 4 60 inch bulb holders with reflectors I think. I will do some thinking about it. Have you had any other problems with T5s? Also what did you like about them?

To sum it up I would say the results and the look. T5 by their nature give a broad spectrum of light evenly balanced without hotspots. Most of even the best modern led fixtures are a variety of very specific spectrums that are then blended to create a broad spectrum. Some are more successful than others, but in my opinion it just still cant match what you get with t5 or halide (and without having to tweak anything).

I sound like I am talking trash about led even though currently that is all I use lol. You certainly dont need t5 for a sucessful tank with a good look (conversely you dont need LED either). For all I love about t5 though clearly in my case it was not enough for me to want to pay to replace the bulbs. However I am planning a new display and do plan to use a combo of led/t5.

 

[JumpingFlea]

To sum it up I would say the results and the look. T5 by their nature give a broad spectrum of light evenly balanced without hotspots. Most of even the best modern led fixtures are a variety of very specific spectrums that are then blended to create a broad spectrum. Some are more successful than others, but in my opinion it just still cant match what you get with t5 or halide (and without having to tweak anything).

I sound like I am talking trash about led even though currently that is all I use lol. You certainly dont need t5 for a sucessful tank with a good look (conversely you dont need LED either). For all I love about t5 though clearly in my case it was not enough for me to want to pay to replace the bulbs. However I am planning a new display and do plan to use a combo of led/t5.

Thank you so much for your help! Happy Holidays!

 

[nereefpat]

So I decided to go for 3 Radions xr15 for my 5 foot tanks lighting.

What are the other dimensions?

but the thing is I’ve heard that T5 bulbs need to be replaced pretty often and heat up the aquarium a bit.

They last 12-18 months, but that depends on a lot of factors, especially how long you run them. In a hybrid, maybe you run then for the peak 6 hours a day. They would last a long time that way. You don't need to change them that often.

Heat: That's never been a problem for me. I really don't think that's much of an issue with T5s.

They also take up quite a bit of energy.

That's debatable. On a 5 foot tank, I'd probably run the 4 footers at 54 watts. 200 watts really isn't that much, especially for the light they put out.

Would the Radions be good on their own? Thank you!

Depends on dimensions of the tank and what you want to grow and how much you hate shadowing.

 

[JumpingFlea]

What are the other dimensions?

Sorry, they are 5x2x2

Depends on dimensions of the tank and what you want to grow and how much you hate shadowing.

I want to grow mostly LPS but I am starting to like the look of some of the stick SPS so hope to grow some of those. In the future I would also love to have a clam but heard they need really good lighting and very stable water parameters. For the shadowing I don’t really mind.

 

[Thor2j]

I'm in same boat. Waiting on new 72x30x22 tank. Built my light fixture with same AL T5 fixture but I have 3 XR30 Gen 5 blues in it.

 

[JumpingFlea]

I'm in same boat. Waiting on new 72x30x22 tank. Built my light fixture with same AL T5 fixture but I have 3 XR30 Gen 5 blues in it.

Nice fixture! What corals are you planning to grow?

 

[bnord]

Have a very similar set up with 2 Radion 15s and center 30 and a 4 bulb ATI set up which I run 3.5 hours a day.

Replace one bulb at a time with 1-2 month intervals after one year, there are lots of more expensive parts of he hobby other than bulb cost. Buy them on sale and store them and horde them for the bulbpoxalypse

Mix of Blues and actinic

no heat to speak.

love the spread and the ability to place high PAR corals high (have a pair of blue ridge breaking the surface) and torches on the bottom and under ledges

 

[JumpingFlea]

Have a very similar set up with 2 Radion 15s and center 30 and a 4 bulb ATI set up which I run 3.5 hours a day.

Replace one bulb at a time with 1-2 month intervals after one year, there are lots of more expensive parts of he hobby other than bulb cost. Buy them on sale and store them and horde them for the bulbpoxalypse

Mix of Blues and actinic

no heat to speak.

love the spread and the ability to place high PAR corals high (have a pair of blue ridge breaking the surface) and torches on the bottom and under ledges

Would love to see the set up! Also how high is the fixture mounted?

 

[bnord]

Quick recent not ready for guests shots
Lights are 9-10 inches off the water

 

[Thor2j]

Nice fixture! What corals are you planning to grow?

I'm a big acro guy but have a decent amount of lps as well. Transferring from my 120g which has 4 xr15 g5 blues. Plan on running t5s 6 hours a day with 2 hour ramp up and down with led only. Have par meter so will try and mimic current par.

 

[burton14e7]

I have a similar setup but XR15g4 Pro XR30G5 Blue XR15G4 Pro with four ATI blue+ bulbs. I have to turn down the LEDs when the T5s are on or my par is too high for my SPS. I also have a fan that turns on when the temp gets above 78.5. It runs for a few min then shuts off a couple times a day when everything is on.

 

[Backreefing]

T5 and LEDS complement one another. Bulb replacements costs are nothing compared to the LEDS. What 4 $20 bulbs every 1.5 years ? I’ve ran them for 2 years no problems. But some great aquariums are led/t5 hybrids .

 

[JumpingFlea]

I’ve ordered the fixture, now I need to get the bulbs. I was thinking of going for 2 ATI Blue + and 2 ATI Actinic. For the Radions, what would be the best lighting schedule for the tank? I’ve heard of this AB+ setting but not sure what it is.

 

[Thor2j]

I’ve ordered the fixture, now I need to get the bulbs. I was thinking of going for 2 ATI Blue + and 2 ATI Actinic. For the Radions, what would be the best lighting schedule for the tank? I’ve heard of this AB+ setting but not sure what it is.

AB+ is a certain coloration of light. The radion G5 blues are made to simulate this. If you run all channels at 100% you simply adjust the intensity for you requirements.

 

[JumpingFlea]

My lfs suggested that I can go for 2 of the radion xr15 pros and add another one later when I start growing colonies in 2-3 months. Would this be good? I feel like adding another light later might stress out the corals. Would just starting off with three be best?