LED to T5

Riddler05 · Jul 13, 2015

Hey,

I am thinking about switching to T5s from AI Hydra 26s. My tank is mostly LPS but I am trying to get into SPS. I also have several clams, BTAs and a carpet anemone. My tank is 75 gallons, so the same footprint as a 90 gallon just a couple of inches shorter.

I have a few questions:

1. How many bulbs should the fixture have?
2. Can anyways give advice on a brand that is good but not crazy expensive?
3. Do I need to worry about heat? I have a canopy but the back is completely open.
4. Do you think it is a good idea to switch to T5s?

booth2010 · Jul 13, 2015

1. How many bulbs should the fixture have?
- I would say 6+ bulbs
2. Can anyways give advice on a brand that is good but not crazy expensive?
- I was gonna say ATI but then you said not crazy expensive. Im not sure what other reputable brands are out there but I decided to go with the best on my new build.
3. Do I need to worry about heat? I have a canopy but the back is completely open.
-The better fixtures will have fans on them, but my ATI came with a note saying not recommened for canopy enclosure. Maybe if an extra fan was added im sure it would be fine.
4. Do you think it is a good idea to switch to T5s?
-Thats a personal preference. You get people saying yes, saying no, saying dont bother go Metal Halide. I would say yes, I have never used LED but lots of people say growth isnt the greatest with them and I think metal halide run too hot.

Riddler05 · Jul 15, 2015

Anybody else?

lyscer · Jul 15, 2015

I recently went through this same exact debate. I switched from a DIY led build to the ATI fixture because it is what everyone on the forums recommends and the people that have them seem to absolutely love them. I ran MH back in the day and they do run hot.

1. If you use ATI as a reference point you will find that they will give you a recommendation for how many bulbs you need (http://www.atinorthamerica.com/sunpower_dimmable.php?tabbedtabs=0) and then click on the specifications tab. So according to that you should do a 8 bulb 24" or a 6 bulb 36". I have a tank that is 35.5" long x 19 inches wide by 23" deep and went with a 8x24w and think that the 26" would have been massive overkill for my tank.

Another interesting thing is that I was running a 60w LED fixture prior to this and found that at 100% it was pulling 2.5 amps of power and the 8x24w fixture at full power pull 1.7 amps of power so it actually uses less power in my situation.

When you start looking for bulbs and what you should get, ATI has that figured out for you already depending on how many bulbs are in your fixture 4,6,8, etc..

http://www.atinorthamerica.com/faq.php - What Bulb Combinations do you recommend

I just want to put it out there that I in no way work for ATI, I just finished doing a TON of reading about T5 fixtures, bulbs and am trying to share the most important pieces of what I found. Good luck with your choices.

Riddler05 · Jul 15, 2015

lyscer said:
I recently went through this same exact debate. I switched from a DIY led build to the ATI fixture because it is what everyone on the forums recommends and the people that have them seem to absolutely love them. I ran MH back in the day and they do run hot.

1. If you use ATI as a reference point you will find that they will give you a recommendation for how many bulbs you need (http://www.atinorthamerica.com/sunpower_dimmable.php?tabbedtabs=0) and then click on the specifications tab. So according to that you should do a 8 bulb 24" or a 6 bulb 36". I have a tank that is 35.5" long x 19 inches wide by 23" deep and went with a 8x24w and think that the 26" would have been massive overkill for my tank.

Another interesting thing is that I was running a 60w LED fixture prior to this and found that at 100% it was pulling 2.5 amps of power and the 8x24w fixture at full power pull 1.7 amps of power so it actually uses less power in my situation.

When you start looking for bulbs and what you should get, ATI has that figured out for you already depending on how many bulbs are in your fixture 4,6,8, etc..

http://www.atinorthamerica.com/faq.php - What Bulb Combinations do you recommend

I just want to put it out there that I in no way work for ATI, I just finished doing a TON of reading about T5 fixtures, bulbs and am trying to share the most important pieces of what I found. Good luck with your choices.

So are you happy with the switch to the ATI T5 fixture? How did your coral respond and has it affected growth rate? Did you acclimate your corals to the T5 fixture and if so how? Thanks for all of your help!

booth2010 · Jul 15, 2015

Riddler05 said:
Did you acclimate your corals to the T5 fixture and if so how?

There are really only 2 ways to acclimate corals to T5 if you dont have a dimmable fixture

a) place corals on sand and slowly raise them to their final place
b) place coral where you want it and raise/lower the light.

I would go with (A) as to not disturb any existing corals but for an established tank having the light high and then lowering it is probably the only solution. Or you could always spend the extra money and get a dimmable T5 but I dont see the point myself lol

lyscer · Jul 15, 2015

I am very happy with the switch. I am use to my tank being bright and I wasn't getting that look with the LED. Yea it sucked to drop $600 on a new fixture and bulbs but based on what I read and found doing it as a retro kit I feel like the resale value on the fixture will help recoop some of the costs down the road if I ever sale it, and it looks awesome. I dont have many corals in my tank yet so I didn't acclimate them to the new light. I just hung it 10" above the water and called it a day. I have only had it setup for 2 weeks so I haven't been able to notice a growth difference but my polyp extension is awesome, my BTA is fat and happy with bubble tips and I have noticed that my rockwork is showing new coraline algae growth spots so I would consider all of those to be positives.

hart24601 · Jul 15, 2015

Great to hear you are happy with the switch! I really dig hydra 26s, but you gotta run what you like or there is no point!

WetWhistle · Jul 15, 2015

Anytime I have switched lighting or replace a MH bulb I leave all my corals in place and just raise the new lights up a little higher then the old. If you are really worried you can place a piece of glass on the tank as well. Then over the next few weeks slowly lower the lights down carefully watch for signs of distress or bleaching.

If you are going to switch and your current lights are working why not save up for the lights you want? Instead of just getting something you can afford right now. The ATI seem to be some of the best fixtures at this time but are not the cheapest to buy. People that have them seem to love them for the most part.

Why are you wanting to switch lights? Are they not growing your corals the way you think they should? Or you just want something new. When it comes to lighting it really is personal preference.

hart24601 · Jul 15, 2015

I got the posts confused, I thought you already switched over! Hydra 26s are fantastic lights, I sure wouldn't switch. I am sure people are sick of me sharing my tank lit with them by now though, lol.

Mike in CT · Jul 15, 2015

How about adding supplemental T5's? I just added 2 to my Taotronic LEDs to see if it helps with coral color and growth.

WetWhistle · Jul 15, 2015

Mike in CT said:
How about adding supplemental T5's? I just added 2 to my Taotronic LEDs to see if it helps with coral color and growth.

That would be a cheap option for sure with good results.

hart24601 · Jul 15, 2015

FWIW here is a thread with FTS and acro growth with hydra 26s. Any room for improvement is not because of the light, but because of me!

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/led-coral-growth-hydra-26-or-other.206741/

Akida17th · Jul 15, 2015

I went from Radion g3 pro's to an ATI 24" 8 bulb on my 30x30x24 cube. As stated above, I've noticed much more coraline growth and my tank is much brighter. I also have my fixture raised more than most people at 13" off the water surface. I was only running my radions at 40% so I wanted to make sure everything acclimated ok but still lost a few frags. I personally love them and can't wait to add some reefbrites on my fixture to complete the perfect combo imo. Good luck man!

runzwithscissors · Jul 15, 2015

Aquatic Life has decent t5's that Ive used for some time. I also have a canopy and the fixture fits perfectly on top (removed the flip lid). It also has built in fans and timers. Available in different combination of types of lighting if you want to mix t5/MH/LED.

Bps619 · Jul 15, 2015

I went from 2 hydra 26s to a 6 bulb ati. Lovin it

Chaz D · Jul 15, 2015

I'm of the opinion that people who fail with leds do so because they don't have enough of them above their tank. Adding more fixtures or supplementing with t5s is an easier solution than getting rid of them altogether.

James Miller · Jul 15, 2015

I seen on the ati web site the 4 bulb setup with 3 blue plus and 1 purple plus. I didn't see a timing setup for them. I have a t-5 odyssea fixture with a timer that you can time 1 set of 2 bulbs and other set plus the leds.
right now I have 1 6500 with a blue atinic from 8 am to 7pm (day light) next set is 2 10k's set for 10am to 2 pm. (high noon) blue led's are from 530 am to 10pm . Each set you can set for different times so how would I set up the ati 4 bulb setup to the timers I have? I try to use the lighting for actual daylight the ocean would be like if that helps.

Akida17th · Jul 15, 2015

My wwc bounce loves the T5's. I'm seeing alot more bubble promotion although it did fine under LED's also just didn't seem to grow as quickly.

Bps619 · Jul 15, 2015

Chaz D said:
I'm of the opinion that people who fail with leds do so because they don't have enough of them above their tank. Adding more fixtures or supplementing with t5s is an easier solution than getting rid of them altogether.

The leds were growing my sps and they worked great. The reason I switched to t5 was because of the shadowing I was getting on my acros. Other than that they were great plus less expensive to run.