Stupid Question
- Thread starter johnsonj
- Start date
OkR33Fer
New member
That comes down to personal preference and what you want to keep in the tank.
LEDs are the new rage and show very good results so far if you plan the sceduling/intensity right.
T5s are great and will provide good groth and color.
Metal halides are still a staple in marine lighting too so in the end it comes down to you.
For the long run, LEDs seem to be the way to go though, you could diy a good set for about the price of a good T5 or halide fixture. To buy a LED fixture is still pretty pricey when you get a known good one.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Depends. What are you going for with your aquarium? Most likely you'll end up going with T5HO or LEDs. They tend to give the most bang for their buck in regards to heat and ease of setup. Metal Halides are a viable option, but I tend to stay away from them unless you can handle the heat they create and are going for a very light-intensive tank. While there are tried and true methods of the past, they're typically outshined (pun intended) by today's lighting systems. Other options are easily T12 VHO and Power Compacts. I, personally, prefer T5 HO but I am growing fond of LEDs.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Well, maybe I'm misunderstanding you. But T5 is a fluorescent bulb similar to what you have now. LEDs are a completely different matter. They're quite literally Light Emitting Diodes. Little ol' things, they is.
You may also want to consider what you're going to do with the top of your tank. Are you going with an open top or have a canopy? With an open top, most people typically buy pre-build fixtures and either have them sit on the rim of the tank or hang them from the ceiling. These fixtures can typically cost a lot more than the parts alone. That's because not only are you paying for the housing that holds the parts, you're also purchasing a name brand. But, if you're planning on getting a canopy for your tank, you can look in to a DIY project often called a Retrofit Kit (Sometimes shortened to just Retro). This typically becomes quite cheap and an effective way to get lights. You just mount the parts on the inside of the hood. You don't have to worry about them being on stands on the rim and bumping the fixture in the tank. Or have to worry about hanging it from the ceiling, either.
You may also want to consider what you're going to do with the top of your tank. Are you going with an open top or have a canopy? With an open top, most people typically buy pre-build fixtures and either have them sit on the rim of the tank or hang them from the ceiling. These fixtures can typically cost a lot more than the parts alone. That's because not only are you paying for the housing that holds the parts, you're also purchasing a name brand. But, if you're planning on getting a canopy for your tank, you can look in to a DIY project often called a Retrofit Kit (Sometimes shortened to just Retro). This typically becomes quite cheap and an effective way to get lights. You just mount the parts on the inside of the hood. You don't have to worry about them being on stands on the rim and bumping the fixture in the tank. Or have to worry about hanging it from the ceiling, either.
cjilge
New member
Are you talking about the replacement LED's that are in a T5 tube? Or a mix or both sepreately. I run 6t5ho bulbs and another 30wtts of leds mostly for color. I have thought about the led replacements but havent tried them yet.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Well, that leaves us back at square one. What do you plan on keeping in your tank that requires light? Soft corals? Clams? Small Polyp Stony (SPS) corals? etc, etc
danielbui23
New member
Save for a 4 or 5 bulb T5 High Output Fixture that fits the length of the tank. When you buy it be sure and change out the stock bulbs for 10,000K and 15,000K bulbs as the stock bulbs are white/yellow.
As they said, there really is no best for most tanks. MH and T5s are tried and true lighting options that we know work in almost any situation. LEDs are almost there, but there have been several accounts of people having coral (SPS most commonly) not survive the switch in the long term. There are NUMEROUS accounts of people bleaching coral due to the high, concentrated PAR values when they switch, but that's just poor planning. It is not a fault in technology. The problems I mentioned are described on RC by a few people and they mention poor coloration, little or no growth and sometimes coral death after a switch. Again, this is mostly (from what I've read) an SPS problem and not a very wide spread one. I know there are several people on this board running LEDs with plenty of success.
You have to decide what you want out of your lighting. You can probably get the cheapest lighting by buying some used T5 or MH gear from someone and using it. New MH and T5 lighting isn't terribly expensive, but it can get up there. LEDs hit you with a larger up front cost, but their operational life is much longer than that of MH or T5s, so not only do you save on the electric bill, but you save on bulb replacement costs. Another feather in the LED hat is the lack of heat transfer into the water. MH, and to some extent T5s, tend to cause heat problems on small tanks. It can be avoided with proper installation and use of fans in many cases, but LEDs eleminate the problem all together. If I had to sum it up, this is what I'd say are the biggest thoughts in my mind when determining lighting needs:
MH:
Pros - tried and true, I love the 250w Radium bulb, retrofit kits are relatively cheap and the pendents look nice
Cons - individual bulb replacement cost, heat, high wattage, no dusk/dawn effect w/o supplements
T5:
Pro - More bulbs means you can tweak your color spectrum more than MH, often fixtures are lower profile than MH, can cut back on bulb change cost impact by working out a schedule to do one at a time, less heat than MH, lower power than MH
Cons: no shimmer, bulb replacement at once can be expensive, perfect color can be difficult to attain (trial and error), bulb length is related to fixture length and can be problematic for some tanks aesthetically
LED:
Pro: Low energy use, low heat transfer, blues really make colors pop, fixtures are modern looking and sleek,
Cons: A few corals seem they may have issues with LEDs, lighting can seem cold and synthetic, cost is high unless DIY (but it is falling), LEDs make a properly lit tank look dim to the eye
As people experiment with LEDs, I think the problems will be dealt with and they will eventually be the dominant light in the trade. I think the issues with the SPS may come from the fact that LEDs are very narrow in spectrum and the fixtures used are just missing something. As people tinker and LED tech moves forward I bet this is solved. The cold/synthetic color can be worked around with different LED colors mixed in, and this is the strong point of DIY or the Radion lights newly released.
I'm still running MH, but I'm open minded about LEDs
You have to decide what you want out of your lighting. You can probably get the cheapest lighting by buying some used T5 or MH gear from someone and using it. New MH and T5 lighting isn't terribly expensive, but it can get up there. LEDs hit you with a larger up front cost, but their operational life is much longer than that of MH or T5s, so not only do you save on the electric bill, but you save on bulb replacement costs. Another feather in the LED hat is the lack of heat transfer into the water. MH, and to some extent T5s, tend to cause heat problems on small tanks. It can be avoided with proper installation and use of fans in many cases, but LEDs eleminate the problem all together. If I had to sum it up, this is what I'd say are the biggest thoughts in my mind when determining lighting needs:
MH:
Pros - tried and true, I love the 250w Radium bulb, retrofit kits are relatively cheap and the pendents look nice
Cons - individual bulb replacement cost, heat, high wattage, no dusk/dawn effect w/o supplements
T5:
Pro - More bulbs means you can tweak your color spectrum more than MH, often fixtures are lower profile than MH, can cut back on bulb change cost impact by working out a schedule to do one at a time, less heat than MH, lower power than MH
Cons: no shimmer, bulb replacement at once can be expensive, perfect color can be difficult to attain (trial and error), bulb length is related to fixture length and can be problematic for some tanks aesthetically
LED:
Pro: Low energy use, low heat transfer, blues really make colors pop, fixtures are modern looking and sleek,
Cons: A few corals seem they may have issues with LEDs, lighting can seem cold and synthetic, cost is high unless DIY (but it is falling), LEDs make a properly lit tank look dim to the eye
As people experiment with LEDs, I think the problems will be dealt with and they will eventually be the dominant light in the trade. I think the issues with the SPS may come from the fact that LEDs are very narrow in spectrum and the fixtures used are just missing something. As people tinker and LED tech moves forward I bet this is solved. The cold/synthetic color can be worked around with different LED colors mixed in, and this is the strong point of DIY or the Radion lights newly released.
I'm still running MH, but I'm open minded about LEDs
bobkill
reefer
Johnson - no dumb questions in this hobby for example let's say you used Xmas lights and started a house fire - this hobby can be a sink hole for money and time so ask everything you can bc some one has already did it and got great results or will warn you not to - trust me -
Bump to Cody for the run down
I started with a wavepoint t5 fixture that got super hot but worked good
Now I run 2 AI sol and abs love them - it will really depend on budget and how you want ur tank to look. You can see my tan when first set up http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2088932&highlight=elos
I have no problems with sps and have had great growth (intil cjinge an I wreck it catching a silly tang) but start up cost was a kick in the ...
Bump to Cody for the run down
I started with a wavepoint t5 fixture that got super hot but worked good
Now I run 2 AI sol and abs love them - it will really depend on budget and how you want ur tank to look. You can see my tan when first set up http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2088932&highlight=elos
I have no problems with sps and have had great growth (intil cjinge an I wreck it catching a silly tang) but start up cost was a kick in the ...
Travis L. Stevens
New member
I'm not sure about an LED setup, but holler if you want to know of a DIY set for T5's. Just let me know the length of your tank. 36"?
