120g SPS build, help needed

[Bulldog88]

After several years out of the hobby, I'm back in!!!!! Pics will be coming soon so please be patient. A little history I had a beautiful 120 heavy SPS, I had to move so I sold the system and livestock. I was always a metal halide and T5 guy.

Present, I just picked up a 120g full setup, no livestock, but live rock for an unbelievable price. "I feel like I should be arrested".
Equipment list:
- regal octopus 300int DC skimmer.
- 2 AI hydra 26 HDS
- Ecotech MP 40
- Jaebo 10000 DCP return pump brand new
- Jaebo cross flow
- carbon reactor
- other things smaller things just too much to list.

Okay, so here goes the help part from all my fellow SPS reefers. I have been researching a ton on the lighting, some people have had great success using LED's. I think it comes down to people tweaking them way to much and not letting the coral react. This hobby requires a ton of time and patience, oh and don't forget money lol. So, here's my question. I'm thinking of either keeping the hydras and putting in a retro 4×54 watt t-5''s and see how well the SPS grow. Or, sell the hydras and put in a ATI 8x54w t-5 unit. This by the way will be put in a canopy. What is everyone's suggestions?

Another question is, this system came with a 40 gallon breeder and I need to figure out how I can incorporate a refugium in it but with limited space since the beast of the skimmer's footprint is 18"x12"!

So excited to be back, man a lot of technology is now available for this hobby! Good pics coming soon

Thanks everyone, Enzo

 

[SDboatguy]

So , I have 3 Hyrda 26 HDs and 4 T5s( LET retro fit) in the hood for my 60x18x20. I Like the set up so far, I've had the Hydras since the Xmas. The LEDs definitely add something that straight T5s didn't, mostly the ramp up and down. That said, an ATI 8 bulb 54w fixture would grow anything you wanted in that tank. Only concern I would have is your canopy - venting is very important with those fixtures. IMO both set ups will grow SPS and you will probably need to do some modifying to your canopy either way.

 

[Hentz]

I'm currently having some amazing success with my Hydra 26 HD's on my Acropora. I've also had success with T5 and Hydra 26's.

You'd grow anything anywhere with both lights!!

I'm upgrading in a month and am going with an ATI 6x54 Sunpower. Only because i got a smoking deal. If I wasn't trying to budget a little bit, I'd add 3 more Hydras on my new 46x24x20 SPS tank.

 

[Wazzel]

The 2 hydra26 units will probably not be enough down the road. You could add more units or T-5 supplements to make up the difference.

 

[Bulldog88]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Wazzel, I've been following your 120 build thread and AI posts closely, great info! Do you have the download fIle for your settings you're using? Do you think that 4x 54 t-5''s supplemented with the 2 hydra 26 HD''s would be sufficient? I could always add a third Hydra 26 later on.

 

[Bulldog88]

I graduated from Nicholls and lived in Thibodaux. I miss good crawfish!

 

[jda]

I will be the buzzkill - I don't think that you will find any tanks that had "great success" with LEDs. A small minority do pretty well, but you don't see any Copps or BigE type of tanks with LEDs - none. I have NEVER seen a LED lit SPS tank with my own eyes that would not look better with MH. IMO, the most that you can every hope for is about 70% of what you could get out of Metal Halide for a SPS dominant tank. However, this might be more than fine for you if you like the other things that LED brings. The vast majority cannot even tell the difference, so that does not matter either.

I might suggest that you read tdb320reef thread - he used to be very vocal on this board that LEDs were just as good but has since moved to MH and has seen the difference. There was a recent TOTM where the guy said that his LED were not as good, but is keeping the anyway - he did not regret his decision even though they were not as good.

I am not saying that you cannot do well... only that if you are the kind of observer and thinker who notices the small things and can tell the difference, then you might be bothered by them. I hate false equivalencies, but vinyl still sounds better than lossless digital... film is different than CMOS, etc., but most people cannot tell.

The hydras are sellable or tradable if you wanted other lights. I would also not trust a big-investment SPS type of tank to a DC return pump, but that is another post for another day...

I think that you can do well if you go into any decision well armed. My apologies if this was not helpful to you.

BTW - the LEDs will be supplementing your T5s. The T5s are the better light source, so think of them as dominant... even if they don't cost as much and you cannot change them from your couch or have a thunderstorm.

 

[Wazzel]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Wazzel, I've been following your 120 build thread and AI posts closely, great info! Do you have the download fIle for your settings you're using? Do you think that 4x 54 t-5''s supplemented with the 2 hydra 26 HD''s would be sufficient? I could always add a third Hydra 26 later on.

I do have a file and can e-mail it to you if you like. I do think 4-T5s and the Hydra 26's would work will together. With that set up you could get the best of both while off setting some of difficencities with the two systems. You could ditch the hydras and go T-5 only or mh. In my opinion you can get similar results from all the lighting systems.

Just remember all the system will function a bit differently and give slightly different results. It does not mean the one is necessarily better than the others. The only right system is the one that meets your particular needs. I have used VHO, Mh and LED and really have not noticed a high difference. The colors are slightly different under each lighting system but who cares. The "standard" people like to throw around is arbitrary anyway.

LEDs work for me on this tank and my set of parameter, but I would have no issues upswing the others given different parameters.

But anyway.... if you decide to stick with the Hydra units drop me your e-mail and I will shot you over the file and help in any way I can. Glad you enjoyed your time in the area. I am a local and glad to call it home. If you are ever back in the area let me know and we can get a beer or something.

 

[Bulldog88]

Jda, thanks I appreciate any comments. I agree I think some of the extra features on LED's are not necessary. I don't want the heat to be an issue with MH's and T-5s.
Do you think that most return pumps will eventually end up DC? They're quite and more energy efficient.

Wazzle, my email is gabulldog888@gmail.com I would appreciate it if you could send your hydra settings. I'll be back there at some point we'll have to get that beer.

 

[SchnitzelReef]

Stick with T5s if your goal is to keep mainly sps. I had LEDs for 2 years, my sps colors were nice, but growth was terrible. I was running Gen 3 radions, and didn't mess with the settings, and I even had T5s supplements. I wouldn't go back to leds if you paid me to. My corals look much better, and growth exploded once I switched to T5s.
If you want to grow chaeto, there are companies that make large reactors with lights inside to grow chaeto. You can keep it outside the sump, and use a small pump to flow water through it. OR just buy a new sump with a fuge already built in it. That's what I would do, less equipment the better imo.

 

[abhishek@1985]

I will be the buzzkill - I don't think that you will find any tanks that had "great success" with LEDs. A small minority do pretty well, but you don't see any Copps or BigE type of tanks with LEDs - none. I have NEVER seen a LED lit SPS tank with my own eyes that would not look better with MH. IMO, the most that you can every hope for is about 70% of what you could get out of Metal Halide for a SPS dominant tank. However, this might be more than fine for you if you like the other things that LED brings. The vast majority cannot even tell the difference, so that does not matter either.

I might suggest that you read tdb320reef thread - he used to be very vocal on this board that LEDs were just as good but has since moved to MH and has seen the difference. There was a recent TOTM where the guy said that his LED were not as good, but is keeping the anyway - he did not regret his decision even though they were not as good.

I am not saying that you cannot do well... only that if you are the kind of observer and thinker who notices the small things and can tell the difference, then you might be bothered by them. I hate false equivalencies, but vinyl still sounds better than lossless digital... film is different than CMOS, etc., but most people cannot tell.

The hydras are sellable or tradable if you wanted other lights. I would also not trust a big-investment SPS type of tank to a DC return pump, but that is another post for another day...

I think that you can do well if you go into any decision well armed. My apologies if this was not helpful to you.

BTW - the LEDs will be supplementing your T5s. The T5s are the better light source, so think of them as dominant... even if they don't cost as much and you cannot change them from your couch or have a thunderstorm.

I absolutely love every suggestion @jda gives . And couldn't agree any more with the lighting.
There are trade offs with each method. MH definitely gives off heat but there are so many ways to solve it.
I would personally do 2x 250 watts or even better 2 x 400 watts radiums on magnetic ballast with 2 reef brite xhos for lighting . Well thats what I run in my 30 in x 30 in x 18in tank and grow acro frags on the bottom easily.

If you are worried about too much heat, you can do 8 sunpower ATI T5s.

I would also suggest to look closely into flow. Believe me or not, flow is as important , perhaps more than light for acros . I would run 2 gyre kind of pumps and multiple small tunzes or jebaos on the back wall .
And if you don't have fish fancy like me with leopard and halichores wrasses , don't use sand .. keep it bare bottom , crazy flow and mh/t5.

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[Bulldog88]

Ordered some ATI replacement reflectors because they're only 2 inches wide. For now planning on 6 t'5s with two hydra 26's. I may add more hydras if needed.

Thanks, Enzo