Led vs T5
- Thread starter EddieV0008
- Start date
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Clayalaleona
Well-Known Member
I was going to quit radions but this is looking quite promising.Thank you young Lady
mcarroll
10K Club member
Sorry for me?
I appreciate the thought, but I'm not sure what you're referring to. Can you be specific?
Do you mean the point is that your Hybrid fixture is working, or that their marketing program is working? (Or that @EddieV0008 's T5 is working?)
Hm.
EddieV0008
Community Member
I haven't started my t5 venture yet I just sold my radion this morning so I need to purchase my t5 fixture just wasn't sure which one I wanted but I am leaning to the 8 bulb t5 sunpowerSorry for me?
I appreciate the thought, but I'm not sure what you're referring to. Can you be specific?
Do you mean the point is that your Hybrid fixture is working, or that their marketing program is working? (Or that @EddieV0008 's T5 is working?)
Hm.
mcarroll
10K Club member
Leaving trendiness and anthro-aesthitic lighting choices aside (unrealistic colors that some people just think looks cool) aside...
(lots of other posts and example tanks to look at for those things....and, of course, you should be looking at lots of other related threads and zoanthid tanks)
I think you can judge what light profile to shoot for somewhat by knowing where your corals come from - lighting-wise. Having a handheld [HASHTAG]#Spectrometer[/HASHTAG] can be instructive in evaluating specific lights.
Here's me comparing a regular cool white LED to a (well-used) Radium with a ProjectSTAR Spectrometer (about $30):
(the camera crops IR, so the spectrum in person is a little wider than this)
For example, if you consider that there's a strong chance your zoanthids are from shallow water, you can tell that a stereotypical blue reef isn't probably ideal.
Check out this chart:
Most reef lights give you an approximation of that first chart, somewhere around half way down the "Photic Zone".
For a shallow reef, you'd want to consider the two smaller charts to the right. There's a blue component, but it's dwarfed by the green yellow and red components at most depths, and it is only equal to the other colors - not dominant - at the very surface. (Estuary = brackish, more or less; a sub-environment of "coastal")
You can also consider the intensity of light corals at this depth encounter - sometimes even being exposed to direct sun at low tide!
This kills most corals, and is probably still stressful to the ones that live there, but they have coping mechanisms.
Some of the colors (by far, not all of them) you are wanting to display are part of that coping mechanism.
EddieV0008
Community Member
Well it's a 3ft by 2 ft I think it might be 18in high is a 8 bulb over kill?
mcarroll
10K Club member
Well, not for coverage, like I said. I've seen coral tanks 4 ft deep run off a 4-bulb T5...but even so I don't know that I'd say 8-bulbs is by definition overkill. You could possibly get away with less, would be more accurate.
Thing is the potentially acceptable range of intensity is from around 10,000-20,000 lux up to around 80,000 lux - a very wide range. (aka 200-400 PAR up to 1600 PAR)
I have two stony coral tanks with roughly the same corals. One peaks at about 50,000 lux (a typical "bright" tank intensity) but the other (which is just on/off, no dimming) runs at a constant 14,000 lux.
If you know or can find out what peak lux or PAR the 8x ATI runs at*, you'll know in advance whether it's too much...around and above 80,000 lux and you will have a hot spot in the tank to avoid for many corals.
Or if the 8x is dimming, you can adjust intensity with a [HASHTAG]#lux[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#meter[/HASHTAG] after you hang the fixture to get the proper spread without wasting too much light into the room.
* you may have to interpret as not too many people post surface measurements for some reason. It seems like they either specify no distance for the measurement, or measure unerwater...leaving us to speculate a little how their number will apply to us. But post any numbers you know or find!
Thing is the potentially acceptable range of intensity is from around 10,000-20,000 lux up to around 80,000 lux - a very wide range. (aka 200-400 PAR up to 1600 PAR)
I have two stony coral tanks with roughly the same corals. One peaks at about 50,000 lux (a typical "bright" tank intensity) but the other (which is just on/off, no dimming) runs at a constant 14,000 lux.
If you know or can find out what peak lux or PAR the 8x ATI runs at*, you'll know in advance whether it's too much...around and above 80,000 lux and you will have a hot spot in the tank to avoid for many corals.
Or if the 8x is dimming, you can adjust intensity with a [HASHTAG]#lux[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#meter[/HASHTAG] after you hang the fixture to get the proper spread without wasting too much light into the room.
* you may have to interpret as not too many people post surface measurements for some reason. It seems like they either specify no distance for the measurement, or measure unerwater...leaving us to speculate a little how their number will apply to us. But post any numbers you know or find!
mcarroll
10K Club member
All bad photos with cellphone color...but you can see spread and get an idea.
Maxspect Razor over my 50 gal:
DIY GU10 fixture over my 38:
A photo of the GU 10 fixture itself - this is mounted higher than the standard 12 inches:
LostInTheDark
Active Member
The issue with these lights is that they do not last. I had four of the Ocean Revive lights and they did not last 2 years. They slowly shifted spectrum and lost par until the blue channel burned out completely. OR sent me replacements but they started to do the same thing within 18 months. I know the local guys around here consider fixing lights like this and the Mars Aqua part of their maintenance program. It does not appear that the higher quality(expensive) lights have this issue to the same degree.
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cmac330
Active Member
You could go with an 8 bulb sunpower and use 2 of the euronautics e5 blue pop led bulbs to give you that same LED color and then run your 6 t5 in combo to give you your growth, spread and natural look, or you could go with the 6 bulb sunpower with 2 reefbrite xho blue actinic strips. I have a tank of similar dimension (36" x 24" x 20") external overflow starphire custom from planet) and I only use a 6 bulb sunpower t5. My rock stack is very light and it is bare bottom so I might be getting some amplification but my sps and nems seem to be fine.
If you go the first route I suggested your cost will be about $600 for the fixture + difference in cost of LED bulbs vs regular, then the added cost will be roughly $20 x8 ($160) for the bulbs. You could go dimmable but I personally see know need for this as long as you acclimate your corals to the light properly.
If you go the first route I suggested your cost will be about $600 for the fixture + difference in cost of LED bulbs vs regular, then the added cost will be roughly $20 x8 ($160) for the bulbs. You could go dimmable but I personally see know need for this as long as you acclimate your corals to the light properly.
cmac330
Active Member
Should also mention I have no spread issues with a 6 bulb hanging 6" off the water over my 36" x 24". I definitely feel you could get away with a 6 bulb, but if you have a heavy rock structure and really want to push sps and use LED bulbs the 8 bulb would be the "safe" answer. The "money is no object answer" is dimmable 6 bulb ati with 2 reefbrite xho, or the geismann aruora.
EddieV0008
Community Member
Thank you for the information. Yes I know thinking that 8 bulb might be a bit over kill
so maybe to be in the safe side I should just go for the six and order some reefbrites? I've never heard of the euronotics I will do some research on that. I haven't heard to many people talk about those bulbs as part of the t5 bulbs
rossco
.
I have lots of zoas in the lower third to half of my SPS dominated but mixed reef and they are doing very well both in color and growth.
Currently I am using 5 Blue Plus, a Coral Plus, a Purple Plus, and an actinic for a 7.5 hours photoperiod. I have a Reefbrite blue strip that I run before during and after the main photoperiod mainly so I can still view the reef when the T5 bulbs are dark.
I am actually running a LET retro mounted in the canopy of my display, but do have a 6 bulb sunpower with a Reefbrite over my 24x22x8 frag tank.
