Best lighting for optimum coral growth??

[Ryan Moeller]

Hello all,

I am new to the hobby and I am in the process of trying to figure out what equipment will best suit my needs. I am wanting to do a 100gal rimless tank that will be 48" x 24" x 18". I am seeking advice on which lights would be best for that type of setup and what lights would look great on a rimless tank. I'm not rich by any means, but I'm not struggling either. I really like T5 lights, and I know good LED's are frickin expensive. Haha. Just trying to get some advice from seasoned coral keepers! Thanks!

 

[TaylorPilot]

LOL, you just jumped right in on the most divisive question ever. Might as well ask if Ford or Chevy is better! Long and short is they all have their pluses and minuses. I still don't care for the look of LED only lighting solutions. Either mixed with T5 or MH is my choice.

 

[Ryan Moeller]

LOL, you just jumped right in on the most divisive question ever. Might as well ask if Ford or Chevy is better! Long and short is they all have their pluses and minuses. I still don't care for the look of LED only lighting solutions. Either mixed with T5 or MH is my choice.

Whoops. Haha. I've heard really good things about T5 and LED combos. I've heard MH can get extremely hot too. Didn't mean to open a can o' worms! ( By the way, I totally want an F-250 with a 7.3L Diesel engine and Banks Power upgrades.)

 

[TaylorPilot]

They do get hot, and are expensive to run/replace the bulbs. However many, myself included, think they give the best look. You should go look at allot of systems in LFS or local club member system and see which ones "pop" to you.

 

[Ryan Moeller]

They do get hot, and are expensive to run/replace the bulbs. However many, myself included, think they give the best look. You should go look at allot of systems in LFS or local club member system and see which ones "pop" to you.

The LFS I've been too I think they're only running Kessil Lights. I think the 350 series. There is a reef shop pretty close to my house, but I've heard the owner isn't very nice to new people in the hobby. I've talked to people that have been there and they all said he treated them like "idiots". I wish we had a selection of stores like Los Angeles, Dallas or Orlando. I live in Moore, Oklahoma.

 

[hybridazn]

To break it down all of the big 3 types of light work (led, halide, t5). It should boil down to what you are looking for and what is your budget. Initial cost on second hand equipment the cheapest to get into would be halides. It's been around the longest and there are enough pieces out there to piece a system out to your liking. The drawback would be heat.

Leds and t5s also have their ups and downs. Leds are great for their program ability but downside is upfront costs.

T5s are very customizable by changing bulbs but downside is heat and a quality fixture and good bulbs cost a decent amount.

 

[Ryan Moeller]

To break it down all of the big 3 types of light work (led, halide, t5). It should boil down to what you are looking for and what is your budget. Initial cost on second hand equipment the cheapest to get into would be halides. It's been around the longest and there are enough pieces out there to piece a system out to your liking. The drawback would be heat.

Leds and t5s also have their ups and downs. Leds are great for their program ability but downside is upfront costs.

T5s are very customizable by changing bulbs but downside is heat and a quality fixture and good bulbs cost a decent amount.

I also like that T5's are longer than LED's and I wouldn't need multiple units for the tank. Thinking about spending a couple grand in lights makes my wallet cringe.

 

[hybridazn]

An 8 bulb t5 unit would be pretty baller on that tank

 

[Ryan Moeller]

An 8 bulb t5 unit would be pretty baller on that tank

You sure you don't live near Moore, Oklahoma?? I'm pretty good at grilling! I make really good chicken, grilled salmon, steak, or anything! Haha.

 

[Bpb]

I'll sum up the argument for you. There are a few types of people out there. Here they are

Type 1: I'm a total noob and just got into the hobby and LEDs are all the rage, I love technology, never used MH or T5HO before, too young to have, and LOVE all the pretty led colors and tweak ability. LEDS RULE!

Type 2: seasoned reefer, experienced all the way back to only VHO lighting and 6500k metal halides, switched to LEDs and never looked back, love how cool and energy efficient they are

Type 3: seasoned reefer, sticking in there with either Mh or T5ho. Either tried LEDs and found them to be underwhelming and went back to my tried and true, or not interested in trying LEDs, my corals grow so well under bulbs and their replacement cost is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of corals I buy and sell.

There may be one or two other unique cases out there but by and large the lighting debate will be represented by one of those three camps. And everyone swears what they use is best and you will not convince them otherwise. I would advise you find some of your favorite tanks online and mimic what kind of lighting they use. There's more to a tank than light but it's a good place to start.

Me personally I'm type 3. I've used LEDs, mh, and t5ho, as well as about every combo of the 3 you can do, and ranged from top end to bottom end. And I can say without a doubt, for just about every type of coral out there, I've had the best response in color and growth from t5ho. With metal halides my growth was a bit more explosive, but the colors didn't quite have the same vibrancy

 

[Ryan Moeller]

I'll sum up the argument for you. There are a few types of people out there. Here they are

Type 1: I'm a total noob and just got into the hobby and LEDs are all the rage, I love technology, never used MH or T5HO before, too young to have, and LOVE all the pretty led colors and tweak ability. LEDS RULE!

Type 2: seasoned reefer, experienced all the way back to only VHO lighting and 6500k metal halides, switched to LEDs and never looked back, love how cool and energy efficient they are

Type 3: seasoned reefer, sticking in there with either Mh or T5ho. Either tried LEDs and found them to be underwhelming and went back to my tried and true, or not interested in trying LEDs, my corals grow so well under bulbs and their replacement cost is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of corals I buy and sell.

There may be one or two other unique cases out there but by and large the lighting debate will be represented by one of those three camps. And everyone swears what they use is best and you will not convince them otherwise. I would advise you find some of your favorite tanks online and mimic what kind of lighting they use. There's more to a tank than light but it's a good place to start.

Me personally I'm type 3. I've used LEDs, mh, and t5ho, as well as about every combo of the 3 you can do, and ranged from top end to bottom end. And I can say without a doubt, for just about every type of coral out there, I've had the best response in color and growth from t5ho. With metal halides my growth was a bit more explosive, but the colors didn't quite have the same vibrancy

The T5HO you mention is that a hybrid?

 

[Bpb]

I used a hybrid setup for a while but sold the LED portions to fund other gear. I currently run the 8x54 watt ATI Sunpower. Previous lights used have been BuildmyLED, Ocean Revive LEDs, 250 watt Radium MH, and 250 watt XM 10K MH. Out of those I did MH/led hybrid, T5HO/LED hybrid, T5HO only, MH only, and LED only. My favorite colors so far have been under T5HO only, and the best growth/polyp extension I had was under XM 10k metal halides, which explosive growth is an understatement.

 

[Ryan Moeller]

I used a hybrid setup for a while but sold the LED portions to fund other gear. I currently run the 8x54 watt ATI Sunpower. Previous lights used have been BuildmyLED, Ocean Revive LEDs, 250 watt Radium MH, and 250 watt XM 10K MH. Out of those I did MH/led hybrid, T5HO/LED hybrid, T5HO only, MH only, and LED only. My favorite colors so far have been under T5HO only, and the best growth/polyp extension I had was under XM 10k metal halides, which explosive growth is an understatement.

Is there a big difference between T5HO and MH?

 

[Bpb]

Yes there are pretty major differences between those two forms of light.

MH = small compact bulbs that need large reflectors, burn very hot. High wattage, lots of true UV (as in below 400nm) output, bulb life much longer than t5ho typically, but bulbs are more expensive, you must be careful matching certain bulbs with certain ballasts. Not all ballasts and bulbs are compatible despite looking identical on the exterior. Metal halides create shadows and shimmer due to their point source nature.

T5HO = obviously long narrow tubes with long skinny reflectors. Run cooler and use less wattage, bulbs are cheaper but don't last as long, coverage and spread are unmatched and you can literally nail every inch of the tank with light and create an environment with little to no shadows, no shimmer.

Color is subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some people think the pinnacle of reef colors are solid Royal blue LEDs only, others prefer a natural high noon non-supplemented 10k appearance.