Mitras LEDs vs ATI t5 led combo

[jdamon]

Hello friends,

I am finally going to set up my 150 (60" x 24" x 24") eurobrace! Haven't had a reef set up in a while, so I have to get a lot of new equipment... Have been reading about LEDs for the last year on here, and I would love to jump on that band wagon. I like the longevity, less heat, and customizable aspects of them. Can't help but notice that LEDs may be the future, but may not be 100% ready though. I would like to have SPS for sure, is my money better spent on the new ATI T5 LED combo (prob 48" 4 t5 2 x 76w led) or on two mitras fixtures? Thanks in advance for your help!

Jeff

 

[kc350twin]

Mitras LEDs vs ATI t5 led combo

There is a set of Mitras on the FS threads now. I have not owned either of them but I'm sure both would be a killer addition to your tank.

 

[rodneyri]

I have run both, both great lights but very different. My corals looked really good under the Mitras, couldn't get nice red and pinks to pop but other colours were great. I'm using the hybrid now and all my corals are awesome. The T5 fill in the gaps and highlight the subtle colours of the corals where I didn't notice it with any led fixture I've owned.

 

[jdamon]

Thanks Rodneyri! That is what I thought it might be like...

How would you rate the LED's that are part of the ATI hybrid unit? Can you do any of the fun things that are possible with the mitras? Are all the LED's individually controlable, or just dimmable as a whole? And what colors did you use for the T5 bulbs, all actinic/ blue plus?

 

[jdamon]

Just discovered your ATI hybrid powermodule fanclub thread Rodneyri... I will continue reading through, thanks for posting all that nice info! Admittedly I have been researching only LED's, as t5 and MH have great track records, and last time I was looking at the ATI hybrid it hadn't become available here in the states yet...

 

[brubakron]

I narrowed it down to these two fixtures too for my 265 tank in the end I decided to go with the mitras for several reasons over the ati hybrid I needed it to provide enough coverage for my 7 foot tank, so I would have needed two fixtures for ati, or 3 mitras. When I figured the cost out the mitras werent that much more, and the fixtures communicate with each other. I also have limited space above the tank, and was worried about heat, so the mitras won there. Also, I am excited about not needing to change bulbs. The only caution I would give is do some research about the operating system on your computer, and the compatability of the mitras software. I could not get it to run properly using wimdows 8, even with support from ghl. I now use an old laptop with windows 7 to run the software.

 

[jdamon]

Thanks for the reply brubakron!

For my 60" tank I can get away with a single 48" ATI fixture, so def a little less expensive than two mitras. I also am a Mac user, and the one PC I have is windows 8, so that pretty much seals the deal. Pretty sure the ATI has its own control module? And you can control it with a rke or apex, yes?

 

[flamron]

I have run both, both great lights but very different. My corals looked really good under the Mitras, couldn't get nice red and pinks to pop but other colours were great. I'm using the hybrid now and all my corals are awesome. The T5 fill in the gaps and highlight the subtle colours of the corals where I didn't notice it with any led fixture I've owned.

What combo do you run for the T5s?

I just bought the 24" version to replace my Radion G2.