Ati 8 bulb vs 6 bulb vs AI hydra26

[jaguars4263]

I have a 100g reef tank with LPS SPS. My lighting as of now is 2 AI hydra 26. I don't think this is enough light! some of my Sps look good but some have really bad shadowing where it's colored on top and pale at bottom where branches shadow. All LPS look good. Im thinking about changing light. Should I go 8 bulb t5? 6 bulb? Or do you think my current lights is enough? The T5 fixture is ATI. Also the tank specs are 47"X23.5"X 19.5" Any suggestions will help.
Thank you.

 

[Shep]

8 bulb for sure

 

[reefhobby]

Go with 8 build ATI

 

[whatchamacallit]

8 bulb

 

[reefhobby]

8 bulb

 

[Fattytuna]

8 bulb. no shading in your corals that you will get with leds.

 

[jaguars4263]

I've had T5's in the past. This is my first time with LED's and I just can't seem to get the lighting intensity right. I don't know if I'm giving to much light not enough. I just love how the T5 is plug and play. No messing with 50% here 20% there.
Thanks for the responses. Lol looks like the 8 bulb by a mile.

 

[Fattytuna]

t5 is the new led

 

[whatchamacallit]

t5 is the new led

Lol

 

[borgie]

I retrofitted a tek 8 bulb fixture with my two hydra 26 it's amazing and my SPS are taking off!

 

[PedroYoung]

I have been thinking about switching, I am also running hydra 26, but I think I would miss the "shimmer" you get with LED that is missing on T5. Thinking about the LED powermodule from ATI.

 

[JMMJ13902]

I've had hydra 26 too and recently switching to t5s 8 bulbs dimmable fixture. Just gotta love it.

I'll find some pics for comparison to ya.

 

[jaguars4263]

I have been thinking about switching, I am also running hydra 26, but I think I would miss the "shimmer" you get with LED that is missing on T5. Thinking about the LED powermodule from ATI.

Yeah that shimmer is nice! Those Ati hybrids are really nice.. And expensive! I think I would get a reef brite strip for the T5's down the line to get a little of that blue LED look back in the tank for dawn dusk.

 

[jaguars4263]

I've had hydra 26 too and recently switching to t5s 8 bulbs dimmable fixture. Just gotta love it.

I'll find some pics for comparison to ya.

Yeah I'd love to see the pics.

 

[JMMJ13902]

Yeah I'd love to see the pics.

Here you go:

 

[jaguars4263]

Very nice!! How big is your tank? And are you using just T5's? How long since the switch?

 

[jaguars4263]

And bulb combo?

 

[JMMJ13902]

Thanks. Tank is around 60gal. 36x20x18.

I switched it around 5 months ago and as you can see I had ton and ton of growths and of course I've added more corals but still...big changes.

Front to back:
Blue plus
Purple plus
Coral plus
Super actinic
Blue plus
Purple plus
Coral plus
Blue plus

 

[JPK]

Have you looked at nanobox retrofits?

I just had an 8 bulb ati retrofitted with 8 led arrays (in place of 2 of the t-5s). So far verything seems happy.

Just another option if you want to have both.

 

[whatchamacallit]

What did you paint the fixture with!