LED vs T5

[DLAROCCA231]

I am setting up my first tank - it is a 125g reef tank that will have soft corals in it. My LFS says to use T5's because they are cheaper and more reliable than LED. They told me that LED's are prone to problems. I have a 6ft long tank. What do you guys recommend? I do not want to spend more than $500 total for all of my lights.

 

[RtReef]

Go with T5's then. Sorry to say but your won't light a 6' tank with LED's for under $500. Your LFS seems to have the cold shoulder against LEDs. They are very reliable infact I beleive more relaible then T5 or MH bc lifespan is a lot longer and no need to replace expensive bulbs.

Your initial cost for LED will be more expensive but depending on how long you keep the tank LEDs may come out cheaper in the long run.

 

[rtparty]

They are very reliable infact I beleive more relaible then T5 or MH bc lifespan is a lot longer and no need to replace expensive bulbs.

I am an LED fan but your statement has NEVER been proven over our tanks. Until LEDs have been used for over 5 years, we will not know how they perform over an extended period of time.

Sure, CREE can tell us that they have LEDs lasting over 50,000 hours but that is in a completely controlled situation in a lab. NOT over our humid, salty tanks.

We also don't know the degradation of LEDs. T5s last a year if they are properly cooled but won't burn out for quite some time after that. We have no idea how the PAR drops with LEDs at this point. Again, it is going to take 5+ years to record all the data from real world experience to verify if LEDs are actually more reliable long term.

 

[rtparty]

I am setting up my first tank - it is a 125g reef tank that will have soft corals in it. My LFS says to use T5's because they are cheaper and more reliable than LED. They told me that LED's are prone to problems. I have a 6ft long tank. What do you guys recommend? I do not want to spend more than $500 total for all of my lights.

You are going to be hard pressed to find a good T5 light in that price range. A 6x80w Tek is $645.

The 4x80w Tek is like $410 at Reefgeek right now because it is a clearance item. The 4 bulb system will limit what you can keep though but should be enough for softies.

 

[RtReef]

I am an LED fan but your statement has NEVER been proven over our tanks. Until LEDs have been used for over 5 years, we will not know how they perform over an extended period of time.

Sure, CREE can tell us that they have LEDs lasting over 50,000 hours but that is in a completely controlled situation in a lab. NOT over our humid, salty tanks.

We also don't know the degradation of LEDs. T5s last a year if they are properly cooled but won't burn out for quite some time after that. We have no idea how the PAR drops with LEDs at this point. Again, it is going to take 5+ years to record all the data from real world experience to verify if LEDs are actually more reliable long term.

I agree I meant the claim of 50,000 hours in terms of reliability. I should have been more clear. I have read of a few tanks that have had LED over them for 3 years now so we will be getting that mark sooned or later.

 

[sirreal63]

I agree with going with the Tek 4x80 from ReefGeek, you will do well with it. As far as LED's one thing overlooked is durability. The Solaris came out in 2006 or 2007? How many of those are still working 100%? All of them I have seen in person or online have failures in one or more banks of LED's. With the technology growing as rapidly as it is, it is hard to justify buying one based on keeping it for years, you will want to update it as your tank grows and that negates any long term savings plan you may have to justify the high upfront cost.

Go with the T5's, you can always go with a better fixture down the road as your experience and desire for more light demanding corals increases.

 

[Phishguy]

I'm not trying to derail this thread at all but I'm curious why people think LEDs are some brand new technology that hasn't been tested or proven yet. LEDs have been around a very long time. More than a few decades I believe, although I'll admit not in our hobby, but they have been used in products more demanding and technological than our tanks.
Anyhow, I started out with t5 and they are a solid choice especially for a beginner. A lot of flexibility, reasonable price and easily replaceable. I then went to mh when my tank mates required more light. I have just pulled the trigger on LEDs and I fully believe they will do the job and save me bulb replacement and electrical costs.

 

[RtReef]

I'm not trying to derail this thread at all but I'm curious why people think LEDs are some brand new technology that hasn't been tested or proven yet. LEDs have been around a very long time. More than a few decades I believe, although I'll admit not in our hobby, but they have been used in products more demanding and technological than our tanks.
Anyhow, I started out with t5 and they are a solid choice especially for a beginner. A lot of flexibility, reasonable price and easily replaceable. I then went to mh when my tank mates required more light. I have just pulled the trigger on LEDs and I fully believe they will do the job and save me bulb replacement and electrical costs.

Very true! I just stopped arguing that point with people. It's like trying to convince someone the sky is blue when they think its purple. You just won't win. In 5 years from now when some of us still have our spectacular tanks and the same LEDs up, we will then see!
To me it's probably the same when MH were introduced some years back to the hobby. I'm sure at first it was a frowned upon technology, but look now many people are still using them. Seriously though, If my corals are growing today under LED than what's gonna be the miraculous upgrade in LED technology in 5 years, that makes them grow any different from today?

 

[BigCountry74]

You should see some of music stage setups running dozens of LED cans......all wired to a single board controller.....where everything is dimmable, pallet swapped etc....this stuff has been around for a long time like RtReef has said.....just new to fish tanks because the tank environments are so small compared to most the existing commercial applications LED have been sold and utilized for.

 

[BigCountry74]

Your kind of in a money dilemma with a 6' tank. If it were 4', T5 all the way (the market both used and new is flooded with good 48" T5 fixtures). 6' fixtures are not cheap, at least the ones that allow you to grow everything. And they are hard to find used (still working at least). That was my problem anyway.

I decided to go LED on my 6', now whether or not that proves to have been the correct decision I do not know yet. But I simply could not find enough negative feedback to go against it, and the price point was excellent.

 

[Phishguy]

And to add to the led defense, in 3-5 years, most of us will want the latest and greatest and be replacing anyhow.
There are some eBay led fixtures that have been getting great reviews so far. Do a search for them on here. You can get 3 120w fixtures for under $500. They aren't dimmable and color choice is only white and blue, but owners so far say good things about them.

 

[Jerine]

Interesting.........I too am looking to setup a reef for the first time. I dont have quite the same budget dilemma, and of course I want to buy the best. Initially I was going to go with T5 lighting because it would allow me to get more tank based on the budget I have set for myself, but I have grown fond of the idea of LED lighting. I plan to have a mixed reef that is LPS dominant but I do want the ability to grow SPS. What it boils down to for me is 60 gallon with Radion LED lighting or 90-120 gallon with T5 lighting. A friend of mine told me to go with the LEDs but I like the idea of being able to have a larger tank. What do you all think?

 

[kmu]

If you will have soft corals in your 125 why not run a 4x54 or 6x54 T5 fixture? In my old 125g a long time ago I used a 4x110 VHO retro and it worked great for softies and lps even some sps right under the bulbs...

 

[power boat jim]

Interesting.........I too am looking to setup a reef for the first time. I dont have quite the same budget dilemma, and of course I want to buy the best. Initially I was going to go with T5 lighting because it would allow me to get more tank based on the budget I have set for myself, but I have grown fond of the idea of LED lighting. I plan to have a mixed reef that is LPS dominant but I do want the ability to grow SPS. What it boils down to for me is 60 gallon with Radion LED lighting or 90-120 gallon with T5 lighting. A friend of mine told me to go with the LEDs but I like the idea of being able to have a larger tank. What do you all think?

I think you should buy the system you will be happiest with a year or two from now. If you get the smaller tank now, I can just about guarantee you will wish you had bought the bigger one later on. If you think you will be happiest with LEDs now get them. It may take you longer to set it up but you will be happier in the long run.

Dont buy into the idea that LEDs are not versitle or dependable, they are both. They are however, not the only or best choice for every application.

 

[RtReef]

I think you should buy the system you will be happiest with a year or two from now. If you get the smaller tank now, I can just about guarantee you will wish you had bought the bigger one later on. If you think you will be happiest with LEDs now get them. It may take you longer to set it up but you will be happier in the long run.

Dont buy into the idea that LEDs are not versitle or dependable, they are both. They are however, not the only or best choice for every application.

Listen to Jim he is correct! You will want to go bigger. I was originally going to get a 29g cube. I decided it was too small and the 65g was perfect at the right price. Now, almost a year in, I want to go at least 150g+

 

[rtparty]

I'm not trying to derail this thread at all but I'm curious why people think LEDs are some brand new technology that hasn't been tested or proven yet. LEDs have been around a very long time. More than a few decades I believe, although I'll admit not in our hobby, but they have been used in products more demanding and technological than our tanks.
Anyhow, I started out with t5 and they are a solid choice especially for a beginner. A lot of flexibility, reasonable price and easily replaceable. I then went to mh when my tank mates required more light. I have just pulled the trigger on LEDs and I fully believe they will do the job and save me bulb replacement and electrical costs.

You're correct, LEDs have been around since the 60s but not in their current state. Just recently did companies start pushing the envelope with more power and efficiency.

How many LEDs do you see fail on Christmas lights, street lights, street signs and other LED fixtures used in the public? It never ceases to amaze me when I see a street light with burnt out LEDs when that street light went up less than 6 months ago.

Also, people haven't been trying to grow coral for an extended period of time with LEDs. We don't know how PAR will be in 2 years on todays LEDs. The experience and reports just aren't there yet.

This conversation is no different then when T5s became more popular. Everyone touted years of usage out of them. What happened to that? The same will happen for LEDs. The real world experience will prove how long things really last. I expect 3-4 years on mine. Just my feeling though.