comparison of t5 and led
- Thread starter jasmin
- Start date
Ron Reefman
Active member
IMHO those are bad pics for doing a comparison. They don't even look like the same tank or corals.
What kind of difference do you expect? Light is light. If it's the same mix of spectrum and intensity they should look pretty similar. LED lights will have a bit more shadow as they have lenses and t5 use reflectors which bounce light all over the place and that makes for less intense shadows (not as dark).
The difference with leds is, you can change the intensity AND the spectrum with the twist of a knob or the setting of a controller. And if you got ones with controllers, you can do sunrise/midday/sunset/moonlight setting. I love that my tank looks different at different times of the day. The fish and corals really couldn't care less!
We don't need to consider the savings in electricity or bulb replacement. BTW, my leds paid for themselves in under 2 years when I switched from MH & t5 to leds.
What kind of difference do you expect? Light is light. If it's the same mix of spectrum and intensity they should look pretty similar. LED lights will have a bit more shadow as they have lenses and t5 use reflectors which bounce light all over the place and that makes for less intense shadows (not as dark).
The difference with leds is, you can change the intensity AND the spectrum with the twist of a knob or the setting of a controller. And if you got ones with controllers, you can do sunrise/midday/sunset/moonlight setting. I love that my tank looks different at different times of the day. The fish and corals really couldn't care less!
We don't need to consider the savings in electricity or bulb replacement. BTW, my leds paid for themselves in under 2 years when I switched from MH & t5 to leds.
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Sounds Fishy
New member
I still like using T5ho ,in addition to my LED lighting.I prefer the colour that T5's make,in certain colour ranges,particularly purple.Strictly astetically speaking.The LED fixture uses less hydro,changes colour all day long and produces less heat...and cost a lot of money,to purchase.There are less expensive LEDs being sold that are spoken about here on RC that get some good reviews .Comes down to your own preference and needs.
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shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
Im gonna say the right is led, with that said i like the left tank better
Ron Reefman
Active member
That says it all, right there. An experienced reefer can't even tell for sure which is which. I've used both (and MH) and I'm not sure which is which either. But I'd agree that the right is led, and that's almost as much a guess as really being able to tell. Although I can't say that I like the light from one more than the other.
t5
pro:
lower initial cost
little chance of bleaching or burning corals
better scattering of the light (softer shadows, less dense darkness)
cooler than MH but still warmer than most leds
bulbs are fairly inexpensive and come in a wide variety of spectrum
con:
you should replace bulbs regularly (6 months to 1 year on average)
difficult to change the look in the tank other than turning entire bulbs on or off
on average they use a bit more electricity
leds
pro:
on average use less electricity
less heat than t5 and WAY less than MH
dimmable in 2, 3 or more channels
sunrise, midday,sunset, moonlight ability
ability to change the look in the tank thru dimmers that allow almost infinite combinations from warm white to very cold blue/white
almost never (or never) replace any bulbs
con:
higher initial cost , however my built-in controller led fixtures paid for themselves in 2 years compared to my MH/t5 fixtures
.....due to less electricity per fixture, less chiller run time, less house A/C, no bulbs to replace
.....inexpensive led fixtures don't have all the same bells and whistles as the more expensive fixtures
very focused light due to lenses which cause more shadow or darker shadows
enough intensity to bleach or burn corals with most fixtures
cheap junk led fixtures are worse on average than cheap junk t5 fixtures (not enough PAR, cheap components) buyer beware
All that said, I switched all 4 tanks and 2 refugiums to all led in Dec 2012 from 2/3rds MH and 1/3rd t5. I wouldn't consider going back even if somebody offered me new, high end t5 fixtures for free! And I'd laugh at an offer of MH fixtures. They all work, I just like the color and intensity flexibility, cool running and energy savings from led fixtures.
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They all work but everyone blames LEDS for any and every failure.
As Ron said...they all work. Some live stock will favor one light over another, and some users will screw up LED usage or even an application with T5s or MH (although harder to do and impressive if accomplished)...they all work.
As Ron said...they all work. Some live stock will favor one light over another, and some users will screw up LED usage or even an application with T5s or MH (although harder to do and impressive if accomplished)...they all work.
