Anyone still into T5?
- Thread starter RegalMark
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lancesmith1
Well-Known Member
it will work great
MRodrigues1991
Active Member
Check my build thread, lots of T5 going on there for an SPS build!
Brew12
Electrical Gru
Let me find my Fax Machine so I can send you my thoughts...
While I don't like the look of T5's there isn't any reason that fixture wouldn't work, and work very well. Especially if you are a tinkerer. It's way too easy to change LED settings so coral never adjust.
Joel B.
Community Member
I have that exact fixture (6-bulb version) over my 4'x2'x2' 120G mixed reef. PMK says it nets me 140-180PAR at the sand 20" under water with the light ~4" above the water line. I really like it. Just need to remember to go ~60hrs 100% on new bulbs before using the dimmer.
I supplement with a pair of Kessil 360WE's for shimmer and color control and let the T5 handle most of my PAR and eliminate shadowing.
I supplement with a pair of Kessil 360WE's for shimmer and color control and let the T5 handle most of my PAR and eliminate shadowing.
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The amount of LED's required to produce the same results on a SPS tank as T5's just breaks the bank. IMO t5's for coral biology, supplemented with almost any LED for shimmer and color is the best.
There are other reasons to go LED only and you can get the same results, it's just money that achieves it.
There are other reasons to go LED only and you can get the same results, it's just money that achieves it.
I'm keeping a ritteri anemone under a 4 bulb T5 setup...I never thought it would be possible...thinking about a 6 bulb ATI fixture the OP mentioned for a 75 gal tank when the Nem outgrows it's current tank..(soon)
Albertan_Reef
Active Member
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Im a die hard t5 fan. Plug and play, theres no fiddling with the perfect settings, just plug it in and go.
Land Shark
Valuable Member
T5’s grow corals and you really can’t go wrong. I have used the same ATI 4x8x54” fixture for 8 years now. Simple on/off, no dimmers and saved a small fortune over the years with it. Very happy.
Have you narrowed your decision down to a choice between two T5 fixtures yet?
MJC
Well-Known Member
IMOP go with T5's
Think of it like this LED bulbs degrade year-by-year when you're using a T5 light and replacing the bulbs once every year it's like you're getting a new light every year.
I still also use LED reefbrite's to supplement for Dusk and Dawn.
Ps save your money unless you're home to see your lights rise and fall you'll corals don't care if the light pops on and off. People have used these fixtures for years before dimmable was available it's purely for your enjoyment
Think of it like this LED bulbs degrade year-by-year when you're using a T5 light and replacing the bulbs once every year it's like you're getting a new light every year.
I still also use LED reefbrite's to supplement for Dusk and Dawn.
Ps save your money unless you're home to see your lights rise and fall you'll corals don't care if the light pops on and off. People have used these fixtures for years before dimmable was available it's purely for your enjoyment
Retro Reefer
Slow and steady wins the race!
Rode the LED train for the last few years and I really like them but missing my t5’s so I’m working on putting together a t5/led hybrid for my new tank... as has been mentioned in this thread and something you don’t see a lot of talk about but LED’s especially ones that are run hard are only good for a few years, a friend just lost all the blues in four different black box fixtures he had running for a couple years, just like clockwork they went one after the other only weeks apart.. my nanobox after fading for the last few months just just lost its royal blues at the 2.5 year mark, I did run the RB at 90% and the rest of the colors around 20-30% or less
Scorpius
2500 Club Member
Nice thing about the ATI T5 fixture is that you can buy replacement parts for practically ever part of the fixture. Try doing that with LED, oh wait, that's right, you just go buy an entire new light...
