hotnickz07
Active Member
I second this.. went 24" 6 bulb last week from leds and would not look back. T5 for sure
Might be thinking about switching from led to t5??
- Thread starter Jonathan blackwood
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Ryengoth
I wish I was in St John USVI
I would only switch to T5s if I needed a large amount of UV-B. You should definitely have a PAR monitor if you need that much. The Hydra 52s are amazing. I have 2 of them running on my 90G long and controlled by Apex Fusion through the AI wireless module. They can put off enough full-spectrum to make it uncomfortable to put your hand under them when they are at 80%. I'll get some PAR readings at the bottom of my tank and post them and tank measurements.
edit:
My main concern with mercury bulbs is the phos coating wear. They produce lots of UV compared to LED but they wear gradually and the UV-B and low spectrum will fade quicker than the more visible wavelength. If you don't have a PAR monitor your tank could suffer unless you replace them on a schedule based on the "wear" driven by your lighting schedule.
edit:
My main concern with mercury bulbs is the phos coating wear. They produce lots of UV compared to LED but they wear gradually and the UV-B and low spectrum will fade quicker than the more visible wavelength. If you don't have a PAR monitor your tank could suffer unless you replace them on a schedule based on the "wear" driven by your lighting schedule.
G8trBait16
Well-Known Member
I have 2 Hydra 52 HD's. I love them. The below picture was taken when the lights were ramping down. But my peak is whites at 65% Royal blue: 115%, Blue: 105%. I am still trying to find the right combo for the lights/spectrum. Just a work in progress.
JMacedo
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LED´s, T5 or MH all are fine for any type of reef. Just think about what kind of light spectrum and intensity the tank inhabitants need not how we like to see the tank. Just my two cents.
My tank exclusively under Hydra52:
My tank exclusively under Hydra52:
cjd
Well-Known Member
I'd say go with an ati T5 set up. I jumped on the LED bandwagon , had AI sol blues on my 60 cube for years , yes I grew corals but not like a good t5 fixture . I know the leds I had were an older model, so I'm sure the newer stuff might be better. I'm setting up a new 75 gallon rimless and going with ATI 6 bulb fixture with ati bulbs , why?......because it works. Ya, I'll miss the shimmer and the ramping but in the end I just want things to grow and color up nicely. I've been in this hobby long before leds were even thought of and for me its going back to what I'm used to. A lot of people have success with leds , with my experience and my ai sol's I was keeping things alive. with a good t5 set up I see things thrive. I would love to set up a combo with t5 and leds so you would get the best of both worlds.
Salty1962
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Why not go with the LEDs and the T5s, hybrid? I use both on my tank and the growth is very good. LEDs give me high light for my acros and T5s fill in the shadows of the LEDs.
john.m.cole3
cyclOps
I switched form Ornit LED's to T5 yesterday. I think it will have good results based on my past year of researching different lighting fixtures... Sooo many customer reviews and full tank shot before and afters pointed towards the ATI sunpower 48" 6 bulb dimmable t5 unit. This thing lights up my whole living room. Probably next week @jsker and I will start our comparison thread. I'm waiting til then so I can have some SPS, LPS, and softies in there. The only difference is how we run our tanks and how long they have been established. I'm thinking it will take at least 6 months before Noticeable differences, if any, will be seen.
buzzword
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I run an 8 bulb unit with ATI bulbs.
Bulbs from back to front:
Blue+
Blue+
Actinic - soon to be a E5 Blue Pop bulb
Coral+
Coral+
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+
If I had the money I would go with LED-T5 combo. Pacific Sun fixtures are really nice but $$$.
Best would be halide- T5 but don't have the money for nor do I want a chiller.
Bulbs from back to front:
Blue+
Blue+
Actinic - soon to be a E5 Blue Pop bulb
Coral+
Coral+
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+
If I had the money I would go with LED-T5 combo. Pacific Sun fixtures are really nice but $$$.
Best would be halide- T5 but don't have the money for nor do I want a chiller.
cb684
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LEDs grow corals, there is not a question about it. Now, there are many people going back from LEDs to T5s and MHs. If you look at all tanks of the months you will see that about 80% + do not use LED as main light source.
My 400 g system has 2 display tanks a 300 g and a 125 g. The 300 g uses two ATI 8x54w T5 fixtures, the 125 g uses 2 Radion Gen3 . Color and growth patterns are superior on the 300 g and it is very clear. I am not saying the colors are bad or that I do not have growth in the 125; it is good, but it is better on the 300 g. With all that said I will not get rid of the Radions I really like how I am able to program it. I decided to add T5 to the canopy and have a combination of LEDs and T5s.
I can't see how you could go wrong adding T5 to your setup, but I would keep the LEDs.
Good luck!
CB
My 400 g system has 2 display tanks a 300 g and a 125 g. The 300 g uses two ATI 8x54w T5 fixtures, the 125 g uses 2 Radion Gen3 . Color and growth patterns are superior on the 300 g and it is very clear. I am not saying the colors are bad or that I do not have growth in the 125; it is good, but it is better on the 300 g. With all that said I will not get rid of the Radions I really like how I am able to program it. I decided to add T5 to the canopy and have a combination of LEDs and T5s.
I can't see how you could go wrong adding T5 to your setup, but I would keep the LEDs.
Good luck!
CB
Ryengoth
I wish I was in St John USVI
Hydra 52 measurements (these are relatively new modules) with wave modules off.
Bottom of tank, roughly 33" from the bottom of the modules to the top of the PAR sensor in the rock.
PAR at 100%: ~260 in the most open section of the floor and around 200 in a narrow area that has about 50% less visibility to both modules.
Top of tank, water surface, centered between modules at 10.5"
PAR at 100%: ~408 with the sensor top at the water surface.
Best I can do for "middle" at 20" from the lamps centered as best as possible (off center a few inches).
PAR at 100%: ~375
Bottom of tank, roughly 33" from the bottom of the modules to the top of the PAR sensor in the rock.
PAR at 100%: ~260 in the most open section of the floor and around 200 in a narrow area that has about 50% less visibility to both modules.
Top of tank, water surface, centered between modules at 10.5"
PAR at 100%: ~408 with the sensor top at the water surface.
Best I can do for "middle" at 20" from the lamps centered as best as possible (off center a few inches).
PAR at 100%: ~375
john.m.cole3
cyclOps
those are real ggod numbers
cadmanof50s
New Member
I have used Hydra52 over my 370G for the past two years.
I added another 75 g tank to the system and decided to use T5s on the new tank instead of the Hydra ..just to see if it would do better or worst than the LEDs for teh corals.
It took 48 hours before I ripped the T5s out and replaced them with two Hydra26's. I did this for one simple reason..NOT because I felt the T5s were inferior lighting...I simply did not like the inflexibility of the light spectrum and the level of control that I had on the T5s. If you've used LEDs with controllers ..it will be tough (IMHO) to go back to T5s that provide a lesser degree of control on intensity and spectrum.
Just my own experience and preference.
I added another 75 g tank to the system and decided to use T5s on the new tank instead of the Hydra ..just to see if it would do better or worst than the LEDs for teh corals.
It took 48 hours before I ripped the T5s out and replaced them with two Hydra26's. I did this for one simple reason..NOT because I felt the T5s were inferior lighting...I simply did not like the inflexibility of the light spectrum and the level of control that I had on the T5s. If you've used LEDs with controllers ..it will be tough (IMHO) to go back to T5s that provide a lesser degree of control on intensity and spectrum.
Just my own experience and preference.
cadmanof50s
New Member
Jonathon, the T5 unit I purchased was a 36" version of the unit you posted a picture of. I suspended it above my 75g as opposed to using the leg supports . I believe this fixture is made by AquaticLife (?). Even the 36" version was MORE than enough light of this size tank. In fact, it was so bright I had to replace at least one of the Cool whites with actinic blue to tone down the light. As far as I am concerned it is a quality fixture ..and if you decided to go with T5s it is well worth the money for this unit.I need a 48 in fixture for my 72 gal bowfront. I can't decide whether to stay with led or go to t5? And if so what are some good t5 figures to use? My reef tank will have sps, lps, fish, ect... all the above. Would something like this pic below be enough ?
OP
OP
Jonathan blackwood
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Already ordered it yesterday, and then ordered separate "ATI t5 bulbs" to swap out the generic ones it comes with
but thank you! That's really good to know is a great fixture! !!
Bpb
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If you're serious about growing coral and must use led, the ecotech radions or the hydra52 are really what you should be looking at, with 1.5-2x as many units as manufacturer suggests. If you're willing to relax on the led craze and want something that will absolutely allow you to forget about the lighting part of the equation, get an ati sunpower t5ho unit.
This talk about heat is nonsense. If t5ho are enough to cause your temperatures to spiral out of control, you need to seriously rethink your ventilation in your tank room. That should be a non issue. And yes, bulbs cost money, no you don't have to replace them every 6 months in a properly cooled and properly driven fixture. Annually is perfectly adequate. And once you've been able to experience the difference in growth rate and more importantly, growth form, the costs of bulbs are a small price to pay. You'll spend a lot more than that on livestock. May as well provide then the best environment to flourish.
This talk about heat is nonsense. If t5ho are enough to cause your temperatures to spiral out of control, you need to seriously rethink your ventilation in your tank room. That should be a non issue. And yes, bulbs cost money, no you don't have to replace them every 6 months in a properly cooled and properly driven fixture. Annually is perfectly adequate. And once you've been able to experience the difference in growth rate and more importantly, growth form, the costs of bulbs are a small price to pay. You'll spend a lot more than that on livestock. May as well provide then the best environment to flourish.
