It's been 4 years since my tank has seen water. I still have my ATI 48" sunpower 8x54w, and was wondering if there is a reason i should be looking at LED. When i quit reefing LED's didn't impress me much when it came to SPS dominated tanks. SPS did not seem to pop under LED to me. Just curious if that has changed or if i should use what I have.
Been out of the game for a while - SPS LIGHTING???
- Thread starter rireuter
- Start date
Usernam Invalid
New member
Still can't beat t5 no need to spend all the money on new led fixtures
Hentz
New member
LED's will no doubt grow and color up SPS. Quickly and slowly.
But there is a reason why I went back T5, mainly because I couldn't find my sweet spot again after moving lol.
But ever since going Hydra 26 HD x3 > ATI 6x39 SunPower, my acros have loved life by showing lots of color and polyp extension.
But there is a reason why I went back T5, mainly because I couldn't find my sweet spot again after moving lol.
But ever since going Hydra 26 HD x3 > ATI 6x39 SunPower, my acros have loved life by showing lots of color and polyp extension.
ksicard
New member
Just stick with your ATI T5 fixture. LEDs have come a long way but there's no need to buy a new fixture when you already have a great light fixture that has been tested and proven.
If you really want to go LED's e-mail nanobox reef. He will basically gut some of your T5 bulbs and install LED boards in place of them. This will give you what I consider to be the best light fixture (LED/T5 hybrid). His LED's are fully controllable so you can do sunrise/sunset and all the cool stuff.
If you really want to go LED's e-mail nanobox reef. He will basically gut some of your T5 bulbs and install LED boards in place of them. This will give you what I consider to be the best light fixture (LED/T5 hybrid). His LED's are fully controllable so you can do sunrise/sunset and all the cool stuff.
HuskerBioProf
New member
I went with LED Hydra HDs. I saw enough success stories to make me not want to mess with the pain of bulb replacement (there is uncertainty there too: when does a bulb go bad?). I had T5 in all my past tanks and am happy with the color from these LEDs. The corals all seem healthy but I can't speak for growth. I have only had the frags a couple of weeks.
Agree with what everyone has said about keeping the ATI fixture, to be honest if I could find someone who wanted to trade my halide/t-5 fixture for their 8x54w ATI fixture, I would do it in a heartbeat, for a good combo of color and growth in SPS, they can't be beat IMO.
scar79
New member
Great fixture and you already own it - keep it and spend your money elsewhere. If you're looking to keep any LPS, zoas, shrooms or the like in your tank, I might suggest adding an accent strip of blue LED. Either an auxiliary unit like a Reefbrite, or one of those new plug and play LED strips that slots right in place of a T5 bulb.
If I could get a do-over on my lighting, I'd have an ATI 8x54w T5/LED Powermodule. The next best thing (possibly better aside from the form factor) would be a Sunpower with a blue Reefbrite XHO strip strapped to the front of it.
If I could get a do-over on my lighting, I'd have an ATI 8x54w T5/LED Powermodule. The next best thing (possibly better aside from the form factor) would be a Sunpower with a blue Reefbrite XHO strip strapped to the front of it.
a.browning
New member
As others have said... you pretty much have the best light for sps already. A lot of those that were quick to jump to LED's have now switched back to T5s, or at least have added T5s back to the mix.
I like my ATI T5 fixture even better than MH for stoniesNever would've believed it!
When I was a kid with my first reef I remember reading threads on that subject -- T5's good for supplemental light only, nothing will ever replace the MH, etc etc.
They all have pro's and cons. In the end of the day you can't make a wrong choice.
Wazzel
New member
I said the same thing in another thread.
Hah, and you're definitely damn right. People spend too much time worrying about making the right choice. But utilized properly, they're all "right". Run MH, T5, LED's -- As long as you run them properly, you will have a stellar tank.
Wazzel runs LED's and has beautiful corals and great color/growth. Biggles runs MH and has amazing color/growth. Flo runs T5/MH, same amazing colors/growth.
You can't make a wrong choice really with lighting, but you can absolutely use it incorrectly!
Id say stick with the ATI its an amazing light and can give you top results...if you got the cash to splash and want to play with new toys then grab some LEDs, just make sure you get enough. Im getting a bit bored now and my annual light-change bug is kicking in so thinking of the new Radion G4, but having to get 5-6 of them for my tank is making the decision hard.
