About to make the switch, another LED / T5 thread

RyanCSGO · Oct 26, 2017

From the beginning I've used LEDs on my tanks
I'm seriously contemplating making the switch to T5

Who has made this change recently and how happy are you?

or

Do you wish you stayed with LED ?

scuzy · Oct 26, 2017

Why not wait for the Aquatics hybrid that you can use your existing led on?

Jimbo662 · Oct 26, 2017

When I started my 66g a year ago I went with a T5/LED hybrid and love it. I prefer the way it makes the tank look. I also had only used LEDs on previous tanks. I just ordered a new tank and will be using the Aquatic Life fixture that's just coming out with some XR15 Pro Gen 4s. I'd been mostly doing LPS and to me acans and blastos really did better.

RyanCSGO · Oct 26, 2017

scuzy said:
Why not wait for the Aquatics hybrid that you can use your existing led on?

I've actually been considering this. fixture looks really clean.

Jimbo662 said:
When I started my 66g a year ago I went with a T5/LED hybrid and love it. I prefer the way it makes the tank look. I also had only used LEDs on previous tanks. I just ordered a new tank and will be using the Aquatic Life fixture that's just coming out with some XR15 Pro Gen 4s. I'd been mostly doing LPS and to me acans and blastos really did better.

this is my first sps heavy tank, and I'm hooked, which is the real motivation behind making the switch.

Jimbo662 · Oct 26, 2017

My new tank will be much more SPS this time too. I'd almost sold the radions but glad I held on to them.

Mirkus · Oct 26, 2017

RyanCSGO said:
From the beginning I've used LEDs on my tanks
I'm seriously contemplating making the switch to T5

Who has made this change recently and how happy are you?

or

Do you wish you stayed with LED ?

I just went the other way. From T5 with reefbrites to 100% LED. It's too soon for me to tell how well the LEDs perform, but upon initial installation the LEDs made the same corals look better.

Jimbo662 · Oct 26, 2017

Mirkus said:
I just went the other way. From T5 with reefbrites to 100% LED. It's too soon for me to tell how well the LEDs perform, but upon initial installation the LEDs made the same corals look better.

Mirkus makes the perfect point. Each person has to decide what looks better to them and the fact that different corals will look different under different types of light. Deciding on lighting is probably the hardest decision to make.

RyanCSGO · Oct 26, 2017

Jimbo662 said:
Mirkus makes the perfect point. Each person has to decide what looks better to them and the fact that different corals will look different under different types of light. Deciding on lighting is probably the hardest decision to make.

I'm not so much concerned with look as I am growth and health.
no doubt LED's look great and yes, they grow coral. However, I've seen tanks explode using T5's. Very healthy looking corals.

Mirkus · Oct 26, 2017

RyanCSGO said:
I'm not so much concerned with look as I am growth and health.
no doubt LED's look great and yes, they grow coral. However, I've seen tanks explode using T5's. Very healthy looking corals.

I have heard that argument in many forms..

I use xyz..(supplement, zeovit, vinegar, vodka, reef chili, acropower, coral vitalizer, reef roids, metal halides, t5s, leds, u name it) and growth took off.

T5s have their advantages and disadvantages, don't expect too much.

RyanCSGO · Oct 26, 2017

Mirkus said:
I have heard that argument in many forms..

I use xyz..(supplement, zeovit, vinegar, vodka, reef chili, acropower, coral vitalizer, reef roids, metal halides, t5s, leds, u name it) and growth took off.

T5s have their advantages and disadvantages, don't expect too much.

I get what your saying.
I have a bad habit of tinkering with the spectrum more often than I should because its so easy to. kind of like the idea of the plug n play again with a t5 fixture.

saltyfilmfolks · Oct 26, 2017

Ime, Both methods work equally well. But variety is the spice of life. I think learning and experiencing is the food.

A. grandis · Oct 26, 2017

I had T5s for many, many years and decided to search and try LEDs after seeing some of my friends attempts in 2014.
My mistake was not to follow their system's progression for a longer period of time!!
The first 6 months of LEDs were "ok", but after the colonies started to spread we saw many artificial shapes and formations. I also saw some tissue recessions in some of the colonies and changes in colors showing a visible stable weakness. They could grow and not thrive, as they were only surviving and their growth rate would be kind of suffocated by the lack of quality from the light source.
By "artificial shapes and formations" I mean different than found in their natural environment.
I also didn't like the shades and small multiple shimmers delivering a total artificial look to the tank.
The main motivation I had to try LEDs was the possibility to bring my electricity bill down, skipping my chiller. That didn't happen anyway, but even if I could save some money I wouldn't, because of the effects the LEDs gave to my polyps. I was blessed because my older system still had T5s and everyone at home could see the difference.
All my friends changed back to halides or T5s, accordingly to what they need. The ones that didn't change yet are almost there. All my fresh water planted tank friends also didn't like LEDs at all and are sticking to their T5s for high end light lover plants.
I also tried LEDs for my planted for about a year and went back to the T5s. It makes a huge difference for the plants that need strong light and CO2.
This is just my personal opinion/experience and I don not wish to discuss not flame this thread!!
Grandis.

Mirkus · Oct 26, 2017

We need to bring back the t5 vs. metal halide debates. T5's can't grow sps for whatever reason.... Remember those? I think all tanks can suffer from the conditions noted above (issues with growth formation, growt rate etc).

A. grandis · Oct 26, 2017

Mirkus said:
We need to bring back the t5 vs. metal halide debates. T5's can't grow sps for whatever reason.... Remember those? I think all tanks can suffer from the conditions noted above (issues with growth formation, growt rate etc).

LOL!
Grandis.

saltyfilmfolks · Oct 26, 2017

A. grandis said:
LOL!
Grandis.

hahahaha. Yup!

Mrx7899 · Oct 26, 2017

I start my tank with t5s then switched to LEDs for about a year had ok growth with LEDs but didn't like the light spread. Then did led t5 hybrid for a while. Then went back to all t5s just like the even spread from t5s. Probably never use anything but t5s from now on

Bronx19 · Oct 26, 2017

I went from LED to T5. You just cant get light to hit the sides of frags or anywhere under the slightest of edges.

Mirkus · Oct 26, 2017

I might be dreaming, but I feel like I might actually have better coverage than my t5's. I had a 48 inch fixture on 60 inch tank.

Bronx19 · Oct 26, 2017

Thing with LED, its not about how many. You can cover every inch of your tank, but the light is all coming from the same direction.

Bruce Burnett · Oct 27, 2017

I went from MH/T5 to Orphek Atlantik leds 4 years ago and never looked back. It seems no matter what type of lighting someone has they always want to change. I had thought about going back to MH/T5 so I have a fixture I put on my tank for a couple of days took it off decided I like my leds.
One of the things about having a fix income is you don't run out and buy something just because you feel like.