t-5, LED or MH

[ReeferBill]

Ok, so I want the answer. What do all of you do for lighting to make those LPS have amazing colors? I have too much LED light, and want to know what you all use? Are t-5 the best? MH that is high off the water? Kessil or Cree LEDs? What do you all use, please help, as I want one of those amazing LPS tanks, but cant figure out what lighting is the best.
Thanks

 

[oceanparadise1]

I love my Mh and i love my t-5s. I prefer MH on a deeper tank and t-5s on the rest. T-5s can be used on deep tanks, i just prefer the way the MHs shimmer.

 

[ReeferBill]

Which do you get better LPS coloration from? I agree the shimmer is awesome. That is why I went LEDs, but the corals are so bleached and the color is faded.

 

[jedimasterben]

Most LPS contain fluorescent proteins - there is nothing that can excite those like royal blue LEDs. You'd need to get a fixture that uses warmer-whites than what are commonly used, though, as any non-fluorescent colors are muted by low-CRI whites, such as the cool white Cree XP-G and XT-E found in nearly every fixture. Even neutral white Cree aren't usually sold in high-CRI variants, the CRI is still in the mid-70s on 'standard' chips.

 

[GHill762]

I have never had MH, but I have had t5 and LED.. excellent color from both, but I think the colors were richer with my t5 setup, especially on LPS. softies actually look better under my LED, SPS also look better under my LED when I don't torch them :tongue:

I think if I were building a tank today (or light, w/e), I'd custom build a t5/led combo..

 

[ReeferBill]

Yeah, it seems like most people have better LPS coloration from t-5, and LEDs cause LPS to turn orange and bland.

 

[Reefing Madness]

I love my Mh and i love my t-5s. I prefer MH on a deeper tank and t-5s on the rest. T-5s can be used on deep tanks, i just prefer the way the MHs shimmer.

+1 Only LED and Halides get the water shimmer.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Which do you get better LPS coloration from? I agree the shimmer is awesome. That is why I went LEDs, but the corals are so bleached and the color is faded.

For color, its 20k Halides using VHO Actinics, that'll pop some colors.

 

[GHill762]

Yeah, it seems like most people have better LPS coloration from t-5, and LEDs cause LPS to turn orange and bland.

my LPS are anything but "bland", they just had a little richer color under my t5 setup. I could see it being an issue if folks are using a crappy cw/cb setup, but with rb, violet, nw, etc.. I have better colors on my corals (lps included), even though the colors aren't as "rich" as they were under t5.. it's kind of hard to explain..

 

[jedimasterben]

my LPS are anything but "bland", they just had a little richer color under my t5 setup. I could see it being an issue if folks are using a crappy cw/cb setup, but with rb, violet, nw, etc.. I have better colors on my corals (lps included), even though the colors aren't as "rich" as they were under t5.. it's kind of hard to explain..

Interesting. Refresh me on what all diodes you're using.



And to answer someone above, the reason red LPS turn orange is because of the use of cool white LEDs.

 

[GHill762]

Interesting. Refresh me on what all diodes you're using.



And to answer someone above, the reason red LPS turn orange is because of the use of cool white LEDs.

RB, CB, DR, CYAN, NW, Violet.. it's the micro-reefs full spectrum fixture.. if I were to go back and do it again, I'd probably go DIY with a couple t5's mixed in.. color and flourescence are great, but colors were deeper/richer under my t5 setup..

per micro-reefs:
Specs: 21 LED's: NW,RB,DR,CY,CB,UV = 4:8:2:2:2:3 Light spectrum: Neutral White: 4000-5000K,
Royal Blue: 440-455nm, UV: 410-430nm, Deep Red: 660-670nm, Cyan: 490-530nm,
Cool Blue: 465-476, UV: 410-430nm

 

[Reefing Madness]

But a cool white LED is closer to 10k than a warm white led, which makes then a bluer colored light. The warm led would be more yellow in color. ??

 

[GHill762]

But a cool white LED is closer to 10k than a warm white led, which makes then a bluer colored light. The warm led would be more yellow in color. ??

cw/cb only fixtures look anemic/bland.. nw balances it back out. that's also why I love having deep red, it gives it a warmer color (still very blue, just warmer).

 

[jedimasterben]

RB, CB, DR, CYAN, NW, Violet.. it's the micro-reefs full spectrum fixture.. if I were to go back and do it again, I'd probably go DIY with a couple t5's mixed in.. color and flourescence are great, but colors were deeper/richer under my t5 setup..

per micro-reefs:
Specs: 21 LED's: NW,RB,DR,CY,CB,UV = 4:8:2:2:2:3 Light spectrum: Neutral White: 4000-5000K,
Royal Blue: 440-455nm, UV: 410-430nm, Deep Red: 660-670nm, Cyan: 490-530nm,
Cool Blue: 465-476, UV: 410-430nm

Ah ok. I designed that one lol. Unfortunately that's the issue with using those generic whites, you don't get any color consistency, and I'll bet those whites are not as neutral as their specs are.

But a cool white LED is closer to 10k than a warm white led, which makes then a bluer colored light. The warm led would be more yellow in color. ??

A cool white LED is from about 5500-8000k, and rarely more. Any higher than that and it has almost no phosphor on it, and is basically a blue LED.

Cool white LEDs should never be used over a marine tank because of their low CRI, especially from Cree chips that need to be ordered specifically to have a higher CRI. Whites in the 4000-5000K range should be the only ones used, in a 1:2 ratio with royal blue at the same current for a 12k-ish look, use 2:4:1 of NW to RB to CB to get a 12-14K look. Toss another royal blue to get a 14-16K look.

 

[eliramos]

imo
halides are better, especially cuz they have remained consistent leds are still new and they are constantly changing, i was going to switch to leds but from what ive read and heard the halides are the best though they require more maintenance if you really want your coral to be the best they can be you cant beat halides!

 

[jedimasterben]

cw/cb only fixtures look anemic/bland.. nw balances it back out. that's also why I love having deep red, it gives it a warmer color (still very blue, just warmer).

I'm losing my hold for deep red LEDs in favor of warm white in their place. Makes it easier to blend together and still adds the same coloration effects.

 

[GHill762]

Ah ok. I designed that one lol. Unfortunately that's the issue with using those generic whites, you don't get any color consistency, and I'll bet those whites are not as neutral as their specs are.

Yeah, I knew that before I purchased it, it was actually an influencing factor..

Unfortunately that's the issue with using those generic whites, you don't get any color consistency, and I'll bet those whites are not as neutral as their specs are.

and this is one of the things I dislike about it, aside from some other features I would like to see on it..

I'm pretty happy with it overall.. I'll do something different when I upgrade to a bigger tank.. I just really loved my T5s, but I also really love LED.. so the next will likely have both..

 

[ReeferBill]

That is what I am trying to figure out. If I can get a t5 fixture and just get better coloration compared to all the LEDs and different colors.

 

[GHill762]

I'm losing my hold for deep red LEDs in favor of warm white in their place. Makes it easier to blend together and still adds the same coloration effects.

the ONLY thing I dislike about deep red is difficulty in taking pictures.. though I can't say I have ever seen ww in a setup in person..


edit: many people say having dr on the display tank causes algae, but I don't have this issue. I think people need to focus on the cause of the algae, not just the light enabling it to grow.