LED supplement for 60" 8x80W ATI Sunpower??

[kenchilada]

I've been out of the hobby a while but I've got the bug again. I've happily run various MH/T5 combos since 1992 but I'm going T5/LED this time. Brand new tank, can't decide on lighting.

What I know so far:
- Tank is 72x24x27" from Planet Aquariums
- Fully enclosed canopy (light spill not an issue)
- SPS only
- Primary Lighting will be T5 (60" 8x80W ATI Sunpower B+/C+)
- Love metal halide but its too hot for my home :mad:
- I am not interested in LED as a primary light source at all
- I need some kind of moonlight (wife hates lights off)

I'm trying to figure out supplemental LED lighting. The LEDs will be only for shimmer and color pop since I know for a fact the Sunpower on its own can grow SPS like a champ. I also want some kind of moonlight since the tank is in my living room.

Options for supplemental lighting:
- 2x Orphek OR3 150 Blue Plus (or other LED bar?): I haven't seen these in person. I'm worried the T5 would wash out all the shimmer (heard this complaint in several videos). Supposedly good for coral color? Not adjustable in any way.
- 3x Kessil A360W: Should be plenty of shimmer. Adjustable. I'd build a custom mount to attach in front of the Sunpower and angle these towards center. More expensive. Good off-hours light, moonlight, etc. No clue how this will look in reality against T5.

Any input? Really tough when you can't see a comparable tank first but everyone nearby has gone all LED it seems.

 

[Reefer40b]

I think any LED is going to be washed out compared to a 8 bulb T5...
reefbreeder lumen bars are nice and if going pure SPS the high octane ones will add some pop

 

[Gablami]

I’ve used kessils alone, t5/kessil hybrid and now orphek alone. Kessil shimmer is notably better than Orphek. Orphek shimmer, while not as bad a true disco ball given higher mounting height, is kinda ugly shimmer if you’re a stickler about it. Kessil shimmer is the best in the biz.

 

[Gablami]

I think any LED is going to be washed out compared to a 8 bulb T5...
reefbreeder lumen bars are nice and if going pure SPS the high octane ones will add some pop

I had a 4 bulb retrofit, and could still see the shimmer. 8 bulb? I dunno. At least the shimmer will be there for ramp up and down.

 

[Viking_Reefing]

Well, I just bought an Orphek bar and I can attest to that it gives great pop, so good in fact that I just ordered one more. I use it together with my Giesemann Aurora (T5s and leds).

 

[Darrell Brady]

If you want to keep the shimmer i would go with the kessils.

 

[Gablami]

You might need a lot of kessils to get the shimmer to show through. This guy has 8 kessils and a radion with his 8 bulb t5. (Awesome tank though)

 

[rc1626]

I got some shimmer with 3 a160's on my 180 with 8 bulb sunpower. I had to turn kessils a little more white, say 50/50 but it worked. 3 a360's will definitely give you shimmer no doubt.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

With 8 T5 bulbs you do not need any LED supplements. I was a very strong LED supporter then really tried out T5s. I run a LED T5 hybrid setup, but looking back I should have just purchased a larger T5 setup and forgotten about the LEDs.

 

[lemonade]

The ReefBrite xho strips are the best for an ATI fixture. You could get away with just one strip. They are very bright and powerful

 

[kenchilada]

Wow lots of good input so far, thanks everyone. Looks like both options could work.

 

[kenchilada]

You might need a lot of kessils to get the shimmer to show through. This guy has 8 kessils and a radion with his 8 bulb t5. (Awesome tank though)

Wow that’s incredibly helpful. 60” Sunpower (so 100% intensity) and clearly there’s shimmer. That’s the exact look I want... T5 with movement.

Also that’s a 30” wide tank. And there’s a Radion in the front.

I’m really liking the idea that I could add multiple controllable/adjustable pucks anywhere I want them rather than just have the static color/intensity of the bars.

 

[kenchilada]

With 8 T5 bulbs you do not need any LED supplements. I was a very strong LED supporter then really tried out T5s. I run a LED T5 hybrid setup, but looking back I should have just purchased a larger T5 setup and forgotten about the LEDs.

I totally agree! For a display I miss the shimmer and motion of metal halide and want to add that if I can. If this were a frag tank I’d stick with just the Sunpower.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Orphek 150 OR reebrite tech 60"

 

[ReefLab]

I have a kessil/t5 hybrid. 4 T5 bulbs mounted at 9" above the water surface. 2 kessils ran at 10% gives me about 125par at the bottom of the tank (20" down) and about 200 par at the top of my rock work (10" under water surface)

the shimmer is hard to see with the kessils so low, honestly but the sunrise/sunset without the t5's on are incredible.

if I turn the kessils up to 30% with the T5 I get 175par at bottom and 250 at the top roughly - the look of this is ideal to me but a little too much par for my corals.

you're going to be pushing a ton of par through an 8 bulb t5 fixture as it is and you probably won't be able to turn the led's up much before getting way too much par.

for a display I miss the shimmer and motion of metal halide and want to add that if I can.

if you really want to add that motion, I personally would go with a 6 bulb fixture so the t5s don't wash out the leds too much

 

[BurgerFish]

The sun from the window gives a lot of shimmer even with 6 T5.

I don't know if freshwater kessil will give more shimmer.