Hybrid Reef Lighting: How interested are you?

[X-37B]

My 120 was a halide orphek light bar hybrid and it worked well.
After 30+ years of running halides im all led now.
I do run xr15 blues with 16hds on one system so an led/led hybrid, lol.
My old 120.

 

[Yates273]

Hybrid here with 2 Hydra 26 and a Kessil AP700. More than enough light

 

[Eric81]

I ran a ATI 8x36, with two 36” Reefbrites mounted on each side, over my 120g for years and had great success with it. Once I upgraded to my 300g, I went with 4 Radian G5’s mounted in a Aquatic Life 61” Hybrid with 4 Blue Plus ATI Bulbs. Been super happy and get great growth and color. I have considered switching out my Hybrid Aquatic Life, for the Reefbrite Quad Strip, but can’t find a solid reason to drop the money on that if my tank is happy with what I got. Constantly battling my OCD to change, tweak, and make my tank 1% better vs “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

 

[W.mares]

Well not sure if anyone did this but i built a custom light out of a grow light added 4 t8s and a smart strip light lol. Amazing color i can change bulbs for different colors but I would never do it again though lol next light im buying it just wasn't worth it. Nevermind my twin ten gallon coral quarantine setup lol.

 

[HBtank]

Well not sure if anyone did this but i built a custom light out of a grow light added 4 t8s and a smart strip light lol. Amazing color i can change bulbs for different colors but I would never do it again though lol next light im buying it just wasn't worth it. Nevermind my twin ten gallon coral quarantine setup lol.

Wear gloves!

 

[Fishy888]

I kind of disagree with the sentiment that "we are about as far as they can go". LED technology (not specific to reef lighting) is growing and maturing still to this day. Look at microLED as one example. Check out the ultra-low pitch LED walls making large event screens displaying animated graphics and video as another. Single wavelength LEDs are also growing in number. Once these newer frontiers become cost-effective to mass-produce, we may end up seeing them creep into the reef lighting category. Imagine a 36" x 24" microLED panel where every 0.82mm you have a different single wavelength LED that when combined in varying intensities gives you a blanket of homogenous light similar to a T5, and then pop in 2 Dense matrix LED arrays that provide the MH look and shimmer on top of that. I think we're just at the beginning of where LED tech can eventually take us personally.

I see where you're coming from. I think we're a long way from seeing that technology used in reefing but it is certainly possible. I'd love that honestly.

 

[littlebigreef]

I have 3 systems, a DT 125 (standard), a trough/farm (96x30x18) and a dump tank/aiptasia farm/qt and I run a t5/reef right combo over all three. I keep a decent amount of everything and can get sps/acans, etc to color correctly anywhere. I keep wolverines, flaming Mohicans and just about any other zoa (albeit in different areas) in the farm.

The problem with LEDs is not unlike those with metal halides. Outside of testing for par there’s no way (I know of ) to test for spectrum. So you’re assuming you’re getting what it says you’re getting. I had metal halide ballasts burn in bulbs badly etc back in the day. I also use ecorays exclusively over me old display and couldn’t keep chalices or acans to save my life.

IMO T5’s are the steady hand that (when regularly replaced) grow your coral and LEDs give them the ‘pop’ we all love in a good DT.

 

[galantra]

I had aquatic life hybrid T5 and leds. But I upgraded to Neptune’s sky which I like. But idk I been recently thinking of adding some T5 strips onto my current setup to see if it will provide a difference.

 

[NotoriousDMC]

The part of the hobby that confuses me right now is the combinatiion of minimalist rimless tanks with realistic lighting options. These beautiful rimless tanks end up being covered in several separate light fixtures suspended and mounted on it, and I am left thinking, what’s the point?

I think my next large tank will definitely have a canopy, because that allows for all sorts of solutions, like hybrid, without what ends up looking like a mess to me on rimless tanks.

This. I am shocked companies like RS and WB don’t offer separate canopies or that folks have created them. Done right, I bet demand would be high. Cover wires and mounts and stop that ridiculous light spill. I’ll never buy another tank without a canopy again.

Add to this that many (myself included) put a mesh lid on their “rimless” tank anyway…

 

[HBtank]

This. I am shocked companies like RS and WB don’t offer separate canopies or that folks have created them. Done right, I bet demand would be high. Cover wires and mounts and stop that ridiculous light spill. I’ll never buy another tank without a canopy again.

Add to this that many (myself included) put a mesh lid on their “rimless” tank anyway…

And the list grows, auto feeders, maybe doses directly into the display with coral nutrition/food, a canopy allows for creativity like that. I would rather just have a frame and maybe really solid braces on the sides, and not the center, seems stronger to boot with a frame.

 

[MIke Wood]

This is my tank with red sea rl90 paired with the aquatic life t5 fixture. Actinic, blue plus, led, giesemann super purple, blue plus. Love the color of the t5s. And the pop of the leds when t5s turn off.

 

[editour2]

I started with all T5's many years ago. Then transitioned to a hybrid LED & T5 setup. Now....all LEDs.

 

[Tranquility Bay]

Recently switched from hybrid t5/led to stratons. I thought it was great and I had fantastic growth with both t5 & led but with the stratons I get the same blanketed coverage without the added heat and my corals are doing great; coloring up better than my combo. I love love love my stratons. I think these larger led panels that spread out the light are the ticket for replacing t5s.

 

[Tranquility Bay]

I'd never heard of these Stratons until I read your post. I'll give you that they seem very impressive & seem to do an amazing job, but OMG for THAT kind of money, they'd dang well better! $1,200 bucks is a TON of money in MY world! I guess it must be rough to be that rich! Good for you, I guess!

 

[silvernblackr35]

I use an ATI Sunpower with reefbrite xhos, nice shimmer and color combined with all the benefits of t5. My favorite combo is still MH+T5 though, they just heated up the small room my tank is in too much. Not a huge fan of LED standalone tanks, they look way too dim to me even in person and the shimmer has an unnatural look if it isn't toned down by t5s.

 

[DJF]

I'd never heard of these Stratons until I read your post. I'll give you that they seem very impressive & seem to do an amazing job, but OMG for THAT kind of money, they'd dang well better! $1,200 bucks is a TON of money in MY world! I guess it must be rough to be that rich! Good for you, I guess!

Thanks I think. They are pricey but so is replacing bulbs every 9-12months, running an AC to keep your house cool and a couple of fans to remove heat during summer months. Comparing them to radions, they do more and cover more than the xr30 which a tad cheaper but in the ballpark price wise. Par for par and coverage, you could make an argument they are cheaper. Color wise- they bring out the best in my high end sps and have made my homewrecker & wd acros color up better than I ever saw running t5s with hydras for last 4 years. It has made all my expensive and cheap corals happy and has brought out their best. If you sell coral, having them look their best helps your bottom line. All of that makes it worth the price tag the me. I am fortunate to have the extra income to put towards a hobby I enjoy- Let’s face it- anyone with the money to run a reef is blessed, yourself included.

 

[RichReef]

I am using a T5/LED hybrid on my current build so I have not formed an opinion on whether or not I'll like it.

 

[Dakota_reef]

Spectra 1600mm with 2x 250w halides and 4x 80w T5s. I have the 14K halides, but I'm thinking I should have gone with the 20K. SO much light in this tank (it's still being setup).

 

[NotoriousDMC]

I use an ATI Sunpower with reefbrite xhos, nice shimmer and color combined with all the benefits of t5. My favorite combo is still MH+T5 though, they just heated up the small room my tank is in too much. Not a huge fan of LED standalone tanks, they look way too dim to me even in person and the shimmer has an unnatural look if it isn't toned down by t5s.

Whatever you’re doing, it’s working. Wow.

 

[Reefacist]

I ran a ATI 8x36, with two 36” Reefbrites mounted on each side, over my 120g for years and had great success with it. Once I upgraded to my 300g, I went with 4 Radian G5’s mounted in a Aquatic Life 61” Hybrid with 4 Blue Plus ATI Bulbs. Been super happy and get great growth and color. I have considered switching out my Hybrid Aquatic Life, for the Reefbrite Quad Strip, but can’t find a solid reason to drop the money on that if my tank is happy with what I got. Constantly battling my OCD to change, tweak, and make my tank 1% better vs “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

How long is your 300g? Is the 61” aquatic life enough coverage for it? Im contemplating on using the 61” on a 72” tank.