Anyone Thinking of Dumping LEDS and going back to Halides
- Thread starter Goldcoastreefs
- Start date
FastUno
New member
Just like some say here, the addition of T5's will be the way to go. Heck, I was happy when I discovered that I did not have to do that. A friend had given me 4x T5 brand new retrofit kits & I will make a DIY T5/Chinese LED combo fixture. I did not want to add T5's, because every time I ran T5's for longer periods I would see more unwanted growth all over the tank & my skimmer is not great at wet skimming.
But when I do add T5's do you think the Stylo will color back up underneath where it is white? From my earlier observations there was a stub at the base that was brown & white under MH/T5's & after turning it to face the LED's it has colored up & grown into a nice regular purple stub, so I think so. I hope I don't affect the other corals when I add T5's as well?
Is there anything besides T5's that I can add that is like a gooseneck spot light (NO LED's) & I can direct at just the SPS corals?
I thought pucks were the next best thing to MH bulbs from what I saw in local reefers tanks. I was impressed.
But when I do add T5's do you think the Stylo will color back up underneath where it is white? From my earlier observations there was a stub at the base that was brown & white under MH/T5's & after turning it to face the LED's it has colored up & grown into a nice regular purple stub, so I think so. I hope I don't affect the other corals when I add T5's as well?
Is there anything besides T5's that I can add that is like a gooseneck spot light (NO LED's) & I can direct at just the SPS corals?
I thought pucks were the next best thing to MH bulbs from what I saw in local reefers tanks. I was impressed.
TropTrea
New member
If you like that spot light effect yes you can do it with DIY LED's. Simply cluster them together in fairly tight groups and put tight 30 to 40 degree lens on each led.
Uncle Salty 05
New member
Old fashioned VHOs can work wonders on what you describe.
No spotlight effect but a 2 bulb 24" retrofit kit would put quality intense light right where you want it.
The only down side is replacing bulbs every 6 months.
http://www.customaquatic.com/estore/control/product/~product=LT-PFVHORETRO-4
Uncle Salty 05
New member
I have one I will send to the OP if they are interested. (its a Hamilton, old but still works)
Uncle Salty 05
New member
Have you ever seen a VHO lit tank?
Some of the most beautiful tanks I have ever seen were VHO only.
meshwheel
New member
Yes, I have! Used to run VHO's years ago with IceCap ballasts. Alone and with Osram Powerstar 400 watt metal halides. It was very expensive and hot running them all too. They work and work well. I just think the leds are so much more efficient and controllable. They are getting better all the time. And as prices come down, it will allow more people to enter the hobby and keep reefs at much more affordable prices.
Uncle Salty 05
New member
Oh, I agree.
That is why my VHO is gathering dust and my LEDs are being shipped back to me after being repaired. Currently running halides.
I was just suggesting a temporary solution.
That is why my VHO is gathering dust and my LEDs are being shipped back to me after being repaired. Currently running halides.
I was just suggesting a temporary solution.
VHO LED hybrid for the win.
That is MH, VHO, LED for the win. If I could find a way to squeeze in some T5's and PC's I would have them over the tank as well.
With a good reflector, VHO is the same as T5. A single VHO will be about the same as 2 T5s with no/bad reflector for PAR with similar spectrum. The "internal" reflector on VHOs was not very good. Twice the power, but half of the bulbs for VHO. Same cost per bulb, so lower replacement costs for VHO. There is also less bulb choices with VHO. The thing for most is that there is no T5 equivalent for URI Super Actinic. The actinic white is pretty amazing too, IMO.
Interesting..but the actinic part isn't exactly a problem with led. That is the one thing it had pinned down right from the start. 
I slipped into the salt water part of the hobby on a banana peel about 15 years ago when I stumbled on a full 20 gallon SW setup on my neighbors yard sale. It had everything needed...for 20 bucks, Including a power compact/VHO hood. I went to replace the VHO bulb and was laughed at and told that it was old technology. That is the extent of my personal experience with VHO....
Retro fitted some T5's into the canopy and wow, what a difference it was.
I slipped into the salt water part of the hobby on a banana peel about 15 years ago when I stumbled on a full 20 gallon SW setup on my neighbors yard sale. It had everything needed...for 20 bucks, Including a power compact/VHO hood. I went to replace the VHO bulb and was laughed at and told that it was old technology. That is the extent of my personal experience with VHO....
Retro fitted some T5's into the canopy and wow, what a difference it was.
TropTrea
New member
Let us not get overly confused here between the different style of florescent bulbs.
Standard Florescent Bulbs are between 32 and 40 watts in the 48" lenght
VHO Florescent Bulbs are usually 110 Watt for a 48" length They use 2.5 to 3 times the amount of power that the standard bulb does but only produce about 60% to 75% of the light per Watt.
Compact Florescent Bulbs are basicly VHO Bulbs which are bent in U shape. The standard ones used on 48" long tanks were are pair of 55 and later 65 watt bulbs. The big problem with these bulbs was that for directional lighting like in an aquarium it was almost impossible to design a reflector that was more than 70% efficient.
High Output Florescent Bulbs for a 48" length are 54 watts. They are slightly more efficient on a per watt bases than the standard florescent however do to their narrower 5/8" diameter it was possible to put more bulbs in a smaller space as well to design a reflector that exceeds the older design bulbs.
Today the widest range of florescent bulbs manufactured for specialty reasons are the standard T-8 and the HO T-5 bulbs. There are still some Compact florescent and VHO bulbs manufactured however do to the low demand the selections are dwindling. Some bulb manufacturers have completely dropped these lines in the last 10 years.
I believe that as LED lighting becomes more popular in all applications more and more manufacturers will begin to drop the remaining florescent lines as well. But the question is how fast will these lines be dropped.
meshwheel
New member
Well said Dennis! As i see it, as the demand dwindles prices will go up on these as well as metal halides too. They have dropped now(but only due to a larger inventory, due to lack of demand) but will eventually start to rise back up.
Love my reefbreeders! Worth every penny. I have puposly not posted on my thread to give my tank time to change. And boy has it! There is Coralline algae everywhere My corals are growing great and colors are just getting better!
They lights are just a piece of the puzzle..........
Love my reefbreeders! Worth every penny. I have puposly not posted on my thread to give my tank time to change. And boy has it! There is Coralline algae everywhere My corals are growing great and colors are just getting better!
They lights are just a piece of the puzzle..........
d2mini
Premium Member
It will be a long long time, especially as people are now finding that led alone aren't giving them the results they want and are combining T5 with LED. Many combo led/t5 fixtures are popping up now too. I'm not saying it won't happen eventually, but as of right now I see zero sign of LED being able to replace T5.
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