help me pick! led vs t5

[PeteTheGreek89]

hey everyone!

so i am about to be in the process of putting together a 90gal mix reef.
i love leds but they seem to be a little to pricy at the moment. i also like t5 i have them now. considering i guess best bang for my buck besides DIY what do u all recommend towards either led or t5 and then what unit?

thanks!

 

[kres1024]

Led vs t-5 oh sh*t here we go again....

 

[jaa1456]

I'm getting rid of my LEDs, they don't compare to T5's as far as growth and color, although I'm going back to MH/T5 combo

 

[E.intheC]

I'm getting rid of my LEDs, they don't compare to T5's as far as growth and color, although I'm going back to MH/T5 combo

What fixture did you go with, Jaa?

 

[SanmanReefer]

LED's. I have AI Vegas, great so far.

 

[JonnyJ]

In my opinion...

Mixed reef = go with whatever you want. They will all work.

if you get into sps/harder to keep corals then decide what makes you happiest. after 3 years of running leds i have finally decided to drop them and just picked up a 6 bulb ATI sunpower and will supplement with a reefbrite for shimmer.


only you can answer what you like.

 

[PeteTheGreek89]

wat about being on a budget wise?

 

[Lostinthedark]

Why Choose?

http://www.prestige-led.com/gamma.html

 

[PeteTheGreek89]

Why Choose?

http://www.prestige-led.com/gamma.html

wow i want! but its so much $

 

[piranhapat]

I don't understand why would you back to T-5 over LED . Did you find LED not up to par? I'm running T-5 and two stripes of LED lights. I just bought new bulbs so was thinking in 8-9 months see what option are in LED. I find this interesting.

 

[garys reef]

ill buy the sol blues when you sell them

 

[Omlar]

hey everyone!

so i am about to be in the process of putting together a 90gal mix reef.
i love leds but they seem to be a little to pricy at the moment. i also like t5 i have them now. considering i guess best bang for my buck besides DIY what do u all recommend towards either led or t5 and then what unit?

thanks!

I will be go with LED lights. They are bright and efficient.

 

[jaa1456]

What fixture did you go with, Jaa?

Bought a new marineland 2x150 with 4 T5 all internal ballasts. Has led moonlights as well. Don't remember how many I think 18 of them. Went with 150 because the 4 T5's will add plenty of extra light to keep pretty much anything.

 

[jackson6745]

IMO commonly used LED fixtures put out a poor spectrum for SPS. Colors are washed out compared to other lighting. This fixture looks great but I'm not spending $1200 to light a tank that a $500 fixture kicks a$$ on.
http://reefbuilders.com/2012/07/03/ghl-mitras-refined/
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20760291#post20760291
If I had a reef with mostly LPS and zoos I would go LED all the way. I like the florescence that blue leds bring to certain corals.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I don't understand why there is still the impression of the LED being pricey.

If you are to compare expensive brand of LED vs expensive brand of T5, LED may be only a little bit more money. There couple T5 fixture more expansive than the LED counterpart.

If you go for the lower priced LED, they are actually cheaper than comparable T5 and the LEDs can grow coral easily. There is a big thread in Reefcentral that people use low cost LED and do the same as the big boys. The only difference is it does not have the cool automatic gradual dimming. It still has the manual dimming.

Tell me for ~$180 you get LED with power of about ~300W T5 , do you still think that's expensive?

 

[jackson6745]

Wingo, the problem is that some of us are looking to do more than just grow coral. In my case I want peak color from SPS corals. I almost bought a Radion fixture because it's popularity and all the people raving about it on ReefCentral. When I actually got to play with one in person I was very disappointed. Colors were muted on SPS corals that did have color. I'm not a DIY guy. I like to buy a finished product with resale value. So far nothing in a realistic price range fits my needs.

Like I said, if I had a tank full of zoos and LPS I would have LED's over my tank.

 

[Imbarrie]

Agreed LEDs are actually cheaper now than T5 lighting.
If I were you I would go with the Wingo LED D120 on your 90 Gallon.

You will get great color, almost no heat transfer and they have a local warranty.
A comparable T5 lighting will cost more after two years of use and with bulb replacement cost it will keep rising.

 

[tosiek]

Jackson, putting corals from under MH/T5/LED to another type fixture does change/mute their colors. It takes time under a certain fixture to recolor those coral. Put a coral grown under LED and pop it under MH and the colors will be different and muted at first. Although I do like the way corals color up and look under a good MH setup with supplementation that you can't get off of T5's or LED's without looking too 20kish.

Anyways, it took 2 weeks for a chalice I bought to "color up" from the MH/T5 they were under to my AI Vega fixture. Its just now looking as good as I bought it under a 14k spectrum as it was under a high actinic setup. Im impressed so far with the LED's.

Buy whatever type of fixture you like that works for you. Its definitely a personal preference between maintenance, K rating output, ect that make you buy one fixture over the other, all have pro's and cons and are highly debatable. They all work. IMO, nothing beats not having to swap bulbs or worry about them, and the low added heat is a huge bonus.

 

[ecvernon]

I'm getting rid of my LEDs, they don't compare to T5's as far as growth and color, although I'm going back to MH/T5 combo

this is exactly what i experienced. i am doing the same going back to my outer orbit pro fixture. Some people have luck with leds. i am just not one of them.

 

[ecvernon]

ill buy the sol blues when you sell them

your tank is what made me decide to give my AI sol blues another try! after almost a year of trying i am convinced the problem is just Me!