Led bulb replacement for T5 fixture

LED is still extremely expensive, I would wait another year or so before the price starting to drop and eventually becoming affordable.
 
They were. They are not that expensive when you compare it to the price of halides over time. Energy consumption ect.


The key is "price over time" ... Time will also tell the longevity of these new type of lights, the same was said about the longevity of the twist flourescent bulbs when it first came out and how much you would save but those bulbs die all the time. Initialy those bulbs were expensive too but now the price has dropped drastically. I think the same thing will happen with LED

Also with the current LED, when it dies you have to buy the whole thing over again so if the LED die half way through the estimated time you are screwed. If Kessil sells the same light, but have a low cost way for the users to replace the LED when it dies without having to buy the whole system again then most people don't mind the initial cost.
 
I have similar reservations as Tom does. I think the cost will come down, but I also don't totally buy into the point of view that "over time" the LEDs make up the cost. I am sure they will, but the time frame mentioned is generally in the 5+ year mark. I'm not entirely convinced that the LEDs maintain thier full intensity over this span of time. Also, I can't see myself having a system up for that long and not wanting to tinker with the lighting. It seems like this is easier to do with bulb-based lighting than LED based.
 
I'm certainly interested in LED lighting, and if prices have come down more than I remember, then I'll have to revisit this.

Tom, maybe this would be a good theme for a future club meeting? Get a rep from an LED lighting manufacturer (or two or three) to come out and give a presentation on LED startup cost, operating cost, lifetime performace of fixtures, advantages of particular products, etc? I'm more inetersted in fixtures than spotlights or DIY (although I think these are the only affordable solutions currently), but would be interested in hearing about multiple types of lighting. It could even be something that spans a couple meetings. Caesars sells Kessil lights (I think), and Coral Reef EcoSystems sells the AI fixtures, which are very popular right now (but pricey).
 
James as a way of testing their effectiveness and promoting the product Your Kessil rep could donate or drastically discount 1 unit for my/the club frag system.

tankpics00081.jpg


If donated we could promote their use and prove the work well when compared to a full blown MH and T5 main display. :wavehand: I will be adding water in 2 weeks when I get back from my LA trip. Grant
 
Ben and Grant, I think you guys got great ideas, I have the contact info for the Kessil sales rep so I can contact him. We are not big enough to have them come to our meetings, but they might be interested in a deep discount to advertise their products.
 
Tom, pm'ed regarding led workshop and a led vendor for diy.

Grant, Hurry up and get that tank loaded. =)
 
I have two of the exact same tanks Grant is using for his frag setup. I was planning to setup a display with them, but am not going that way anymore. If the club is interested, and Grant wants to house two frag setups, they can be used as a side-by-side comparison using a Kessil light vs the T5 light that Grant already has. This would of course require other additional equipment/stand/etc.
 
I personally am a metal halide guy. I wouldn't use T5's to light my spider plant in my living room. But that being said I think that we should keep an open mind. Because There are a lot of bright (no pun intended) people working on LED's and other types of lighting like Plasma or even solar. Who knows what will the latest and the greatest in lighting the next few years. But it definitely looks like LED's are where it's going. I have been in this hobby long enough to know what's in today is gone tomorrow. All I know is i put those lights on my 29 three months ago and the coral growth has increased*especially on The Sympodium sp., and on the Sinularia sp.. With no other changes to the system. Same water change, dosing and feeding schedule. Plus the tank shimmers better than any other 29 bio-cube out there.
 
I'm curious why you feel so negative about T5s? Preferring halide is one thing, but this sounded like more than that. I sense a general consensus in the club that T5 is inferior to halide.

I agree that the kessil light looks pretty good over that biocube. I suppose I'm not too surprised about the growth increase, given that the kessil replaced the stock biocube lighting, but it is still nice to actually see it in practice.
 
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