T5's & Led Combo?

asmodyus

asmodyus

New member
So I currently Have 8 48" 54w T5's on my 120 Gallon. Corals are doing amazing but I want that pop I am missing. I currently have a 24" Reefbrite HXO on there now but that not enough.

I was thinking about taking 2 T5's off so I would have 6 T5's, And either get anothe 24" and 48" Reefbrite or 2 to 3 Kessil 150 Ocean Blue or Deep Ocean blue.

What your guys thoughts on those combo.

Also another option would be remove 4 T5's and replace with a 48" reef breeders photon LED with 4 T5's. But I really like my T5's and the way the corals grow under them.
 
Those all sound like pretty good options, I think it depends in budget and what you like esthetically. I'm running a photon and 4 t5s and I love and so do the corals
 
toddmau5 said:
Those all sound like pretty good options, I think it depends in budget and what you like esthetically. I'm running a photon and 4 t5s and I love and so do the corals
Click to expand...

I think the kessil route would be the cheapest. Question is how many 150w Kessil do I need on a 48" 120 Gallon 3, or 2, or 2 and the 24" Reefbrite XHO
 
asmodyus said:
I think the kessil route would be the cheapest. Question is how many 150w Kessil do I need on a 48" 120 Gallon 3, or 2, or 2 and the 24" Reefbrite XHO
Click to expand...
I am borderline obsessed with kessils, I just can not every bring myself to cough up the coin for them. They have a calculator on their website. I.I.r.c the 150 still has the 24" spread but at a much lower par. I would say two would do it if you get the 150w and your just looking for some color.
 
I am having awesome luck with my Chinese photon, but the leds are my primary, and I'm using the t5s us supplemental growth. If your t5s are you primary and your looking for leds ( I am assuming all blue ) for your color pop, might just want to stagger in a couple more xho or ecoxotics. The big farms are running 2 t5s with two reefbrights on the outside.
 
I currently run 8 t5 on my 48 inch 120 with a 48 inch blue led strip. Honestly I do simalar on 2 different tanks. One with a cheep ebay 3w led strip and 1 with a mid level brand led stip both look great. I do plan on going with 1 reefbrite 72in xho on my new tank. Honestly I will be shocked if I c mush difference from my cheep led strip. If the led r 3w and enough to cover the tank u will be good. What u need to find out is if u like the blue more in the 420nm range or the 470nm range.or somewhere in between.


Are u looking for the pop all day when ur t5 r on or just in the morning and night time?

The blue to r eye will not over power the t5 enough to give u the pop all day. R eyes just don't c the spectrum of light as being bright. No matter how much blue u add. The white from the t5 will always over power the blue. To r eyes anyways. The coral that's another story.
 
asmodyus said:
So I currently Have 8 48" 54w T5's on my 120 Gallon. Corals are doing amazing but I want that pop I am missing. I currently have a 24" Reefbrite HXO on there now but that not enough.





I was thinking about taking 2 T5's off so I would have 6 T5's, And either get anothe 24" and 48" Reefbrite or 2 to 3 Kessil 150 Ocean Blue or Deep Ocean blue.





What your guys thoughts on those combo.





Also another option would be remove 4 T5's and replace with a 48" reef breeders photon LED with 4 T5's. But I really like my T5's and the way the corals grow under them.
Click to expand...



I will be doing 6xt5 + 2x a360we when I get my light redone. Working on the canopy now, but things are slow going with an infant. The primary reason for this setup is the halide like shimmer on the kessil. I'm hoping they release a new model before I upgrade...
 
risin said:
I will be doing 6xt5 + 2x a360we when I get my light redone. Working on the canopy now, but things are slow going with an infant. The primary reason for this setup is the halide like shimmer on the kessil. I'm hoping they release a new model before I upgrade...
Click to expand...

I would love to do 2 360, but 2 of them are more than my wallet can take. That why I was going to with 2 160w tuna Blue or 2 150w Ocean Blue not sure which on would be better. I know the 160w is full spectrum and Controllability but do I need that with 6 T5?
 
Couple of things you could do here just depends on what you want to spend, your DIY skills/free time, and what your wanting to accomplish. Here are a couple ideas:

1. Remove 2-4 of ur current T5s and replace them with DIY LED strips. You could use the standard 3w leds in your choice of colors, or you could use some of the more powerful 5w or 12w ( The 12w Luxeon M RB are awesome). Here is a link of the basic idea I am referring to.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1899885

2. Remove the center 2 T5s and 2-3 of the new AI Primes in the center. I just purchased one and they are tiny but very powerful. You would be getting a full spectrum fixture in the center of your T5s with Wifi contol ability. The cost of the fixture is only $199 and you can contol with your phone. In addition you can buy 3 of the Primes for just a little more than you would be paying for 2 of the Kessil 160w and you would have better coverage, spectrum options, and wifi controls. Just a couple options to consider that won't break the bank.
 
I would do the reefbreeders, then add 2-4 T5, with at least two of them being actinic. Same price as two kessils and cheaper than three primes.
 
its Hard Choice but I think 6 t5's and LED should be a great combo just got to figure out the right ones to go everything is stupid expensive when it comes to LED's
 
Since all your lighting is already retro fit I would go the DIY route. You could run 2 or 3 of the Aurora Pucks in the middle of your 6 T5 bulbs and that would be pretty sweet!! The DIY route is normally much cheaper and since you don't need a fancy enclosure that would probably be your best bet. Just a thought.
 
Id skip the aurora pucks and go with the 4 NanoBox V3 pucks then 2 or 4 54w T5s. Run the pucks on LDD drivers, a meanwell CLG or HLG PS and add a bluefish mini controller so you can control the LEDs via wifi.
 
So I went with 2 Kessil 150w Ocean Deep Blue 20k Actinic Special Blend blend to accent my T5's
So I am now looking at 6 T5's and 2 Kessil 150w

Front

Purple +
KZ Super Blue
Aqua Blue Speical
(2) Kessil Led 20k Actinic Special
KZ Super Blue
Giesemann Lagoon Blue
ATI Blue +

Or

Purple +
KZ Super Blue
Giesemann Lagoon Blue
(2) Kessil Led 20k Actinic Special
KZ Super Blue
Giesemann Lagoon Blue
ATI Blue +

What do you guys think of that combo?
 
I run an ATI sunpower (6 bulb T5) and I affixed a BUILDMYLED strip to the front for that pop that you describe.
 
So here is my current project

lights-Model2.jpg


here is another Idea I might go with

lights-Model_1.jpg
 
Just my 2cents:

I have been running 4 T5 and 2 4' ecoxotic panorama pros over my 120 and can grow SPS on the sand (frags and mini-colonies). The problem is I don't get the vivid colors that I see in tanks with more intense lighting.

I am currently on the fence with weather to add 2 additional T5 bulbs or just bite the bullet and put to use 2 250MH fixtures that I have.

My tank is SPS with a very solid collection of coral. Growth and color are OK but I know that lighting is a limiting factor on my system.

The LED's provide great dawn/dusk and great shimmer. I cant speak to the kessels as I have never used them.

Hope this helps!
 
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