This led or T5? My 2 choices!! please help.

D

dalyreef

New member
I am in need of lighting for my 210. I have been really wanting led's. However when I found this T5 on ebay I kinda like this as well. Both have pos. and neg. So my pros and cons are as follows, any information would help.

Choice 1) http://www.ebay.com/itm/LCD-Timer-3...707&pid=100015&prg=1006&rk=1&sd=140861089833&

Pros are: one plug (awesome) built in timer and moonlight. price. proven T5 work great. easy mounting, need only 2.
Cons are: They are T5 not led. color may not be as vibrant as led? need to change bulb often. Can change color intensity by changing bulbs(not a knob). Not adjustable for brightness. Older technology and some heat

Choice 2) http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Dimmabl...787?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43b70721e3

Pros are: It's led, dimmable, can adjust color and brightness by turning knob, less heat, new technology, makes colors of corals pop more than t5.
Cons are: Need 3 maybe 4 for 8 foot tank. Does not have timer, no moonlight, 2 plugs per unit(will end up with 6 cords) Not such a simple setup. Could be lot of work making fit my application with extra timers and cords and moonlights.


Im sure I missed some more pros and cons of both these lights. The biggest cons are probably the price.(ya get what ya pay for) as of the moment cash is not in the best of flow. As is for almost everyone im sure. These are the 2 options I am planning on going with. My biggest concern with T5 is im not sure i will get the same pop out of corals as with the deep blue leds? I looked at led in fish store the other day and just the blue were really dark blue. Even with the white they were still really blue. I really dont like the fact of leds that i need to buy 2 timers and moonlights on top of initial purchase. Undecided for me. I am open to all the input i can get. Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it.
 
Unfortunately, neither will provide what you're ultimately looking for. The LEDs are cheap Chinese stuff and only have blue and white. The T5s are honestly very low end and will need new bulbs from the get go so plan another $300 or so for that.

Reefgeek had some awesome sales on Tek fixtures over the holidays. You should check those out. If you want LED, you have to pay to play.
 
AS I stated above. Yes my budget is low right now. My wife is pregnant so I have to watch how much money i spend right now or i would buy whatever I wanted. So for the next year or so this is kind of a temporary situation. I will upgrade along the way. Its not cheap lighting a big tank. I do not want to get rid of my tank and fish..Sorry I am on a budget. Donations are welcome!! Discriminating my budget tho is not helping me decide either way. The money I can spend wont change. The product in my budget can change.

Nikesb: Thanks for the input as i looked at the light. Do you think it will still provide good color with all the different color leds in there? Do you think it is worth the hassle of the led with having to install timers and the extra plugs for the extra fixtures needed? Thanks for your input
 
Working within your budget i think the coverage of the T5 unit will be the winning factor for you atm. T5's are proven and you can upgrade the bulbs as funds permit. If you want to go with LED check out the large Chinese LED fixture thread as you will get better for the same dollars as the blue/white unit you are looking at but you will spend more dollars to cover the same surface area. When the bubs is born you won't care what's over your tank, you will be too tired to care lol. Good luck matey with your tank and your new baby. :)
 
Thanks. Right now I am thinking of just getting the T5 and when i get a chance change the bulbs to better bulbs. Also I can supplement with led strip as I think this is getting a more common way to approach led color with T5 and much more cost effective for us low budget tanks. Thanks for your input.
 
love what rtparty said, pay to play :D, But seriously go on aliexpress and look up evergrow, they have fixtures for 165 full spectrum, pick up 2 or 3 and your fine. That ebay light is junk, just blue and white, noooooo! The t5 is freaking awesome looking for 150! but 20x6 for ati bulbs is 120 so your at 270$, but we dont how that will put out the par....
$270 to run t5
$380 to run leds
 
Get the LED's but don't get the ones in your link and I think you are going to want more light than either of those fixtures will give you. What types of corals are you keeping anyway so we can assess your lighting needs?

If you are on a serious budget consider running FOWLR.

Best of luck!
 
Go with the LEDs. As mentioned the D120 is a great unit for what it cost. I like mine and was able to customize my layout for full spectrum. I went away from T5s due to the high cost of bulb replacement. I didn't order a reefbreeder unit but they all afe manufactured by evergrow

Sent from my MB611 using Tapatalk 2
 
unfortunately the T5 light you mentioned is a scam, they show a pic of a Aquaticlife fixture but really sellinf you a Oddysea fixture for more $$$. I read a few of his feedbacks and they mentioned that in there feedback.
 
I own a couple of odyysea fixtures and here's what I think. As for T5s from them they are complete junk. The bulbs grow great algae. And when I went to replace the bulbs with decent bulbs it cost me more than I paid for the whole light. The reflector is the biggest key with T5s and there real bad on these lights. The MH/T5 light I have is ok but the ballast are crap on the MH. And also there's no individual reflector for the T5s so the HQI bulb is open to them just getting them hot. Id say go with a TEK(I like mine) or ATI or aquatic life with built in timer

Sent from my MB611 using Tapatalk 2
 
As mentioned, both units are junk. It is not to insult you. They are marginal units and probably better to use home depot light bulbs.

In your same budget, you can get a nice used ATI Sunpower, giesseman infinity or other LED.
 
I was thinking the samething. Im going with rapidleds onyx fixture so far. After reading people's opinions and seeing individuals with numerous post say Chinese LEDs are junk. I decided to side with paying $80 more to get the onyx. Can anyone chime in on your thoughts on that fixture?
 
T5 retro from reefgeek. You can build it yourself for half the price. You can also do it in stages. Let me know if you have any questions. I've built a few retros. With the right reflectors its better than any fixture.
 
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