T5 lighting vs. Led Lighting

[Agraves77]

Hello all,

I have a simple, yet extremely controversial, what is the best way to go with lighting?

Some things to keep in mind:

- I have a standard 48" long 75 gallon aquarium
- I am wanting to have a mixed reef with everything from softie to SPS

I am just unsure and wanted other peoples feedback.

Thank you!

[2smokes]

For a mixed reef leds are good especially if the sps you plan to keep are deeper water species(seriatopora histrix,somme montipora etc).Leds and T5HO draw the same ammount of electricity to make light but the T5 needs to be changed like once a year.T5 grow the most sensitive corals faster,better so its worth the effort to change the tubes once a year IMO.Also leds dont have the UV spectrum (you get absolute zero uv from leds) while the T5 and MH have a lot of UV.Basically the UV is what makes the difference between leds and T5,MH.T5 and MH re made of glass and can whitstand UV radiation but leds are made of plastic that its damaged by UV and thats why they are made with zero UV emission.Even the leds sold as UV leds have zero UV in them,its just pink blue light-excepting the UV leds made of copper and glasswich arent used in the hobby and they are true UV leds but they last just 100 hours,before they get fryed.Thoose last just as much as an old incandescent bulb. UVA,UVB and UVC are all emmited by only glass made light bulbs and tubes.Its the same radiation that tan your skin and makes the fish soo rich in vitamin D.

[Flippers4pups]

Your are correct that it's highly controversial and highly debated. It really comes down to what you like and want, of course your budget as well.

I have been a T5 guy most of the time in the hobby since 93, but recently switched to LED's. I've had them now for two weeks and couldn't be happier. I have a a mix of LPS and SPS with a couple of softies and the polyp extension has never been this good before with T5's. They say LED's have advanced a long way and they're right.

[Agraves77]

Would either of you try and run a T5 and LED Mixture? Just to See? also, just curious, what LED's did you get Flippers4pups

[2smokes]

I would go with only T5HO each with individual reflector and the leds i would use only for moonlights and algaescrubber.A mixed lamp T5 plus led is better than a lamp thats just leds.

[Agraves77]

Probably should have gave some clarification. I want to do a t5 and led mixture inside of a canopy. The reason being is because, i already have a kessil a160. So my thought was buy another one and match them together. Giving me plenty of par. great shimmer, etc....

[2smokes]

An advice for the T5HOs would be to use individual reflectors for each tube.Shimmer is beautifull but its not important for corals and in fact a lamp that creates shimmer ,makes shady areas.Uniform light like T5 is better because it doesnt have shimmer (like MH), but it has coverage.

[zooman72]

I you are going to stick with Kessil A160's, then you could flank a pair with a total of four T-5's (2 in front, 2 behind), and probably get close to what you want - coverage plus shimmer. Others have done it, and I am sure there are examples around here if you search a bit...

[greg683x]

I have a t5 LED combo and Im very happy with it. The look of the LEDs makes your tank look amazing with the shimmer it provides, but they can also create a lot of problems with shading in the tank, this can be more of a problem depending on which fixture you by.

I dont like the washed out look t5's put out, but they coverage they provide is great.

If you use both types of light you get the best of both worlds

[75mixedreef]

I agree with both. LED for the intensity, energy efficiency, and coloring. T5 for the softer light to fill in and it hits more of the spectrum. Plus with less T5s you have less upkeep cost. Twenty some bucks per bulb adds up enough to be annoying.

[2smokes]

Originally Posted by greg683x

I have a t5 LED combo and Im very happy with it. The look of the LEDs makes your tank look amazing with the shimmer it provides, but they can also create a lot of problems with shading in the tank, this can be more of a problem depending on which fixture you by.

I dont like the washed out look t5's put out, but they coverage they provide is great.

If you use both types of light you get the best of both worlds

If you want the strongest shimmer then MH is the best.Nothing beats the shimmer from thoose lights. And MH,T5 and leds,they all consume same ammount of electric energy for an identical ammount of light just the T5 and MH had to be changed once a year while leds dont.People buy LEDs mostly because they immagine they are more economical but they arent.

[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by 2smokes

People buy LEDs mostly because they immagine they are more economical but they arent.

If you truly believe that statement... I can't begin to tell you how far out to lunch you are!

I bought $1200 of leds, 5 fixtures for 4 tanks and in less than 2 years they saved me their total cost compared to the MH and t5 I was running before the switch. The units do use a little less electricity, my chillers (2) run 95% less saving more electricity, my house A/C ran less saving even more electricity and I save $300 a year in bulbs and I ran t5 bulbs for a year and MH bulbs for 2. Total savings over a year was in excess of $700.

[gone fishin]

There are many of these threads kicking around. IMO the bottom line is if one buys a quality T5 or LED fixture then one can grow corals. There are pros and cons for each fixture and ultimately it comes down to what one wants to invest in. Good luck just my cents.

[2smokes]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

If you truly believe that statement... I can't begin to tell you how far out to lunch you are!

I bought $1200 of leds, 5 fixtures for 4 tanks and in less than 2 years they saved me their total cost compared to the MH and t5 I was running before the switch. The units do use a little less electricity, my chillers (2) run 95% less saving more electricity, my house A/C ran less saving even more electricity and I save $300 a year in bulbs and I ran t5 bulbs for a year and MH bulbs for 2. Total savings over a year was in excess of $700.

I think you are far out to lunch if you add the corals you buy and die because of the bad LED lights,consider the fact that a LED lamp cost more than a T5 and it wont last forever,in 3 years is toasted and youl have to buy another whoole lamp not only to change somme bulbs.Leds make heat just as any otther,MH and T5 lamps .If you run 400 w of T5HO it wont be any difference in savings or heat from 400 w led lamp .With T5 and MH you can grow corals fast and even sell frags.The coral growth is a value that should be considered too.My opinion is that good brands LED lamps are too expensive for what they deliver and dont worth the investment .Better buy a cheap T5HO lamp and with the difference in monney buy corals and learn what this hobby is about.The goal in reefing i think it is to grow corals and make a nice and diverse aquarium not to have an empty aquarium with a lamp that mimics lightnings and sunsets.

[dz6t]

Originally Posted by 2smokes

Leds and T5HO draw the same ammount of electricity to make light

Wrong, LED draw a less electricity to produce same amount of light. Please check your fact. How much electricity saving is another question.

T5 grow the most sensitive corals faster,better .

There is no scientific basis for this statement, if you are trying to provide useful information, please prepare to have some fact to back it up.

the T5 and MH have a lot of UV

Wrong, t5 emits very little UV unless the coating inside the bulb is defective. Metal Halide emits a little bit more if UV shield is not properly installed.

Basically the UV is what makes the difference between leds and T5,MH.

Wrong again, there are many other major difference such as intensity, spread and difference in visible spectrum etc, UV ain't it.

They are true UV leds but they last just 100 hours,before they get fryed.

Please check your facts, they last a lot longer, more like 10x longer.



My advise, before you post, please get your basic information right and have some actual hand on experience before you give advise.

My two cents and thank you.

[dz6t]

FYI, I ram running 42 tubs of t5, 32 LED fixtures and one metal halide to grow coral. Coral grow as fast and healthy under any lighting as long as you armed with a PAR meter.

[rockworm]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

If you truly believe that statement... I can't begin to tell you how far out to lunch you are!

I bought $1200 of leds, 5 fixtures for 4 tanks and in less than 2 years they saved me their total cost compared to the MH and t5 I was running before the switch. The units do use a little less electricity, my chillers (2) run 95% less saving more electricity, my house A/C ran less saving even more electricity and I save $300 a year in bulbs and I ran t5 bulbs for a year and MH bulbs for 2. Total savings over a year was in excess of $700.

Your analysis is excellent when you live in Florida. I live in a cold climate. I run my A/C 2 months a year but heat my house for 8 months a year. I use MH/T5/LED blues and my heating costs have gone down. Further, my tank heaters only run a few hours a night and don't run at all during the day. There are far too many variables to say that one is better than the other. As someone said, there are pros and cons to each, and the environment in which they operate has a significant effect.

[2smokes]

There are MH and T5HO that are making same ammount of lumens per watt as the LEDs.For instance a 35W MH (HID xenon car bulb)can make as much light as a led at the same spectrum intensity.35W xenon of hot spectrum color goes up to 3500 lumens wich is same as the best of the best LEDs at same color spectrum.T5HO ,MH and LEDs draw the same ammount of current o make same ammount of light intensity at same spectrum color.I have an UV meter and i tell you that leds have 0 UV in them while MH and T5HO have tons of UV just like the sun light in the summer at 10 o clock in the morning on a sunny day.You can get tanned by the UV thats made from T5 and MH even if the MH or the T5 is behind the lamp glass .Not even the poorest coral farmer in philippines doesnt use a LED lamp to grow corals and that says a lot.Poore coral farmers in asia use Xenon car lights wich are the same as MH and they are just as economical in watts per lumens as the leds but the xenon car lights have much better spectrum and corals grow faster.

[Ron Reefman]

I think you are far out to lunch if you add the corals you buy and die because of the bad LED lights...

Did my corals die and I didn't notice? I have a mixed sps and lps tank that grows corals just as well now as it did when I uses t5 and MH together.

consider the fact that a LED lamp cost more than a T5 and it wont last forever,in 3 years is toasted and youl have to buy another whoole lamp not only to change somme bulbs

Nobody says the last forever, or even the 10 to 15 years they once said. But I have 3 Chinese fixtures that are now 4 years old and work just like they did when they were new. The PAR (yes, I have a meter) is down less than 10% from new and I'm still running them at only 60 to 65% power.

Leds make heat just as any otther,MH and T5 lamps .If you run 400 w of T5HO it wont be any difference in savings or heat from 400 w led lamp.

Now I think you are just being a troll. This is the dumbest thing I've ever read from you. I have a fixture with 88 3w leds and it runs a few degrees above room temperature and the fans don't even turn on until it gets warmer. My 250w MH would burn the skin off your hand if you left it on the top of the fixture with fans running full speed.

The goal in reefing i think it is to grow corals and make a nice and diverse aquarium not to have an empty aquarium with a lamp that mimics lightnings and sunsets.

Now I know you are being a troll. And please try to find a spell checker to use!

[2smokes]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

I think you are far out to lunch if you add the corals you buy and die because of the bad LED lights...

Did my corals die and I didn't notice? I have a mixed sps and lps tank that grows corals just as well now as it did when I uses t5 and MH together.

consider the fact that a LED lamp cost more than a T5 and it wont last forever,in 3 years is toasted and youl have to buy another whoole lamp not only to change somme bulbs

Nobody says the last forever, or even the 10 to 15 years they once said. But I have 3 Chinese fixtures that are now 4 years old and work just like they did when they were new. The PAR (yes, I have a meter) is down less than 10% from new and I'm still running them at only 60 to 65% power.

Leds make heat just as any otther,MH and T5 lamps .If you run 400 w of T5HO it wont be any difference in savings or heat from 400 w led lamp.

Now I think you are just being a troll. This is the dumbest thing I've ever read from you. I have a fixture with 88 3w leds and it runs a few degrees above room temperature and the fans don't even turn on until it gets warmer. My 250w MH would burn the skin off your hand if you left it on the top of the fixture with fans running full speed.

The goal in reefing i think it is to grow corals and make a nice and diverse aquarium not to have an empty aquarium with a lamp that mimics lightnings and sunsets.

Now I know you are being a troll. And please try to find a spell checker to use!

Man ,please be polite.You started to call me in the forums .I will not report you for ofenses but next time when you forget to take your prostate pill and you get mad ,dont hunt me in the comment section.Everybody is entitled to have its own opinion.I didnt ofended you in any way,i just think LEDs arent the best light to grow corals.

[Tron_954]

Well this thread will go on forever!

At a fixture that size, be prepared to fork out hundreds of dollars in bulbs yearly!

In my opinion, after years of having LEDs and T5s, LEDs are efficient and work great, but won't do the same for SPS as......T5.

T5s will do wonders for the SPS growth and color, but at cost of bulbs...

PS: Blue LEDs + Zoas = winning

[ReefCowboy]

Ive ran all three, and here is my opinion based on my experiences:

T5's were great, produced great colors and growth. After 1 year i was pleased with how the corals looked, but was bored with the tank overall flat look. I would see LED lit tanks and couldnt believe how corals could have such amazing pop. Yes they produce great light, but appeal of the tank lacks big time.

MH- Great light, growth and colors were amazing, shimmer was nice and overall tank lighting was pleasing to the eye. Some like myself added blue LED's for dusk/dawn and to add blue pop. The heat issues will beat you long term(yes they will). The hobby becomes a fight with temperature in the summer months, and eventually you will give up.

LED- Finding a good fixture and dialing correct settings is the big problem here. Once you find the proper amount of fixtures and correct spectrum, corals will adapt and with a few tweaks things slowly find their way to great success. After a few months from transitioning from MH to Led, my corals are now colored and growing on the same pace as with the previous MH bulbs. Some sps will actually do better under leds, unveiling better coloration. Once you have the above steps in place and notice a cooler tank, and less expenses with bulbs and less chiller usage, you wont look at any other method.

[mpierce]

How are you mounting these lights? In a canopy?

If you are putting them in a canopy I would just start with 2 (one on each side of the brace) LED fixtures - radions, kessil, AI, rapid LED, chinese (evergrow), reef breeders, ocean revive, etc, etc, etc. Let them run for a year, see how you are liking it and if you are even still running a tank at that point. If you feel something is missing, add in a single 48" t5 (retro) on each side of the fixtures.

If you aren't putting them in a canopy then I would go check out some different tanks that are running the different lights you are looking at getting and decide what you like better. You don't want to try and hang 3 or 4 different fixtures over your tank.

Either choice you make will work just fine, there are plenty of people using LED and/or T5 with plenty of success. It really comes down to more how you care for your tank, water parameters, etc.

[aquaman67]

I started with Power Compacts. Then went to Metal Halide. Next I tried T-5s.

All of those worked well at the time. Of those I liked MH the best.

Right now I'm running TrueLumen Pro LEDs. But I'm thinking about replacing them. I'm really enthralled with the new class of LEDs and being able to adjust the color to anything I want. Not really a good reason to spend hundreds of dollars, but so much of this hobby isn't about fiscally sound decisions...

[gone fishin]

Originally Posted by aquaman67

but so much of this hobby isn't about fiscally sound decisions...

Man, that is the truth if I ever heard it.