d2mini
Premium Member
After years of LED, I switch back to MH/T5 with supplement Cree Leds. I am happy now...
Very nice. What fixtures are those?
After years of LED, I switch back to MH/T5 with supplement Cree Leds. I am happy now...
Very nice. What fixtures are those?
I made the switch from T5 to LED about a year ago and love it, no plans going back at all, run it over 3 tanks and love the color and growth of my coral(mixed reef).
That said, I have nothing against MH or T5(except maybe extra heat from MH), I feel they can also grow great coral and make it look beautiful as well. In the end I dont think there is truly a wrong answer to light now that LEd tech has come as far as it has and it no longer ridiculously expensive(anyone get a fully programmable full spectrum unit for under $200) and it really comes down to personal choice and setup requirements.
As an example I had been keeping track of the TOTM tanks and the last 14-15 winners broke down like this....
T5: 6
MH: 6
LED: 5
(only one counted in multiple categories was hedgedrew who really used an even mix of all 3 light types)
That is a pretty even spread of light sources for the TOTM systems a lot of us like to drool over and aspire to. Which makes it come down to, all types can and will work, it depends on what You Want to use and what is feesable with your system as far as room for lighting and heat issues.
Only anecdotal item I noticed was that the majority of people using MH supplement with LEd or T5. Very few people running LED feel the need to supplement with another light source. This does not really mean anything in the end, but I find it interesting most MH users feel the neeed to supplement to get the spectrum they want, where todays full spectrum LEDs dont seem to need help on that front.
My 2.3 cents.
Yep that's the same reason I supplement with VHO. So I can run the mh for 8 hours but still enjoy viewing the tank for about 12.I think the supplementation has more to do with the fact that intensity is not adjustable on the mh. I like my tank to be lit most of the day but I can't run mh for 12-14 hours. So I supplement with led so I can still observe my tank without cooking my tank.
Yep that's the same reason I supplement with VHO. So I can run the mh for 8 hours but still enjoy viewing the tank for about 12.
My 120 tank under all DIY leds..love it but want to try MH, T5 and LED for the 80 deep blue
I think this is a good example.
Here we have a nice looking sps tank where it's obvious that sps are growing.
BUT.... if we were to put mh/t5 over it, i think we'd see some positive changes.
1) Less shadowing under your sps, which will improve color and PE in those areas.
2) Different growth patterns. The sps will be getting light from more angles. A lot of sps in led tanks tend to have a straggly look, whereas that same coral in a mh/t5 tank has a tighter growth pattern.
3) Stronger/thicker branches
4) Some improved color. Natural color, not the color you see when your blue leds are on. But when you do put your blue leds on, it should still be pretty wild.
None of these are directed specifically at this tank, it's too hard to see some of those details.
But just in general, those are the kinds of things where one can see improvement and why some of us were not happy with LED.
My point is that when you see some of us complain about LED, it's usually not that they CAN'T grow coral, it's just not to the level we want or are used to. The points I listed above may not be important to you or not enough to overcome any disadvantages you may see with mh/t5 like power consumption or heat. That's perfectly fine. And I can see why someone who only knows LED would be perfectly happy with those results and make a statement like, "i have led and my sps are growing well". For me personally, I strive to have the healthiest, best looking coral possible. In many ways I have a long way to go, but I try my best. And if that means dealing with some extra challenges/costs, it's worth it... to me. Everyone has different priorities when it comes to the hobby and life in general and we have to decided what's best for ourselves and our families.
I hope this tank continues to thrive and would love to see updated pics a year from now.![]()
Yep that's the same reason I supplement with VHO. So I can run the mh for 8 hours but still enjoy viewing the tank for about 12.
First off, thank you very much for posting pics of your tank to show what results you are experiencing, and your tank looks very nice, the color is great
First off, thank you very much for posting pics of your tank to show what results you are experiencing, and your tank looks very nice, the color is great. Many times people post on this thread about their amazing results but have never posted a picture to the site so how are we to know?
Back to your tank- can you tell us some details about how you set up your DIY LED system? The best examples seem to use a larger number of emitters to spread out the light and hit the corals from many angles. Do you use lenses? What color LEDs?
Speaking of 6500 k lamps, they are still the best for shallow water corals less than something like 15 feet of water . That is the color of light where they come from so would it not be best
I currently supplement with led. I'm very curious about vho. The tanks with mh/vho have always been the best looking to me. What bulbs do you run? How many? What ballast? Feel free to pm if u would rather.
Only anecdotal item I noticed was that the majority of people using MH supplement with LEd or T5. Very few people running LED feel the need to supplement with another light source. This does not really mean anything in the end, but I find it interesting most MH users feel the neeed to supplement to get the spectrum they want, where todays full spectrum LEDs dont seem to need help on that front.
My 2.3 cents.
Really why are hybrid fixtures becoming so popular then? with t-5 supplementing the leds.
For the vast majority I feel leds as the primary and T5's supplementing is the best setup for any tank.Really why are hybrid fixtures becoming so popular then? with t-5 supplementing the leds.