T-5 vs LED vs Halides.. Picture thread

junio melo · Jan 13, 2016

I have upgraded my tank lights to 4x Hydra 52HDs.
Loving SPS colors.
A few upside down pictures:

revhtree · Jan 14, 2016

Very nice! Beautiful job! Do you have a tank thread here at R2R?

junio melo said:
I have upgraded my tank lights to 4x Hydra 52HDs.
Loving SPS colors.
A few upside down pictures:

Gamma · Jan 17, 2016

I'm trying to find pics but here is my opinion...
first I have two tanks 75g with 4 T5ho and some cheap blue LED for night light.
Second is a 29g Biocube.
I originally had a magnetic frag rack in 75g but when got biocube moved frags over to it but frags started going downhill so moved back to 75g.
Next removed original hood from biocube and replaced with Lumina system LED and moved frags back into biocube...color was nice but have not seen the growth like under the T5's.
IMO...best situation is a combination of T5HO and good LEDs.
I am desperately trying to find a T5HO 2 lamp fixture 20" so I can add it over my biocube along with the led fixture.

Chrisfish · Jan 17, 2016

ritter6788 said:
2 x 120w LEDs. Been running over 3 years now. Everything in there grown from small frags.

FTS 1/26/14 by ritter6788, on Flickr

Beautiful tank

hotnickz07 · Jan 17, 2016

junio melo said:
I have upgraded my tank lights to 4x Hydra 52HDs.
Loving SPS colors.
A few upside down pictures:

OMG please share more info on this gem. Wow

B22 · Jan 17, 2016

I love the growth and shimmer of MH but hate the heat. So for me LEDs are the best compromise.

reefndude · Mar 3, 2016

6 bulb t5 with diy led strips. 125 display with 55 sump. 40 frag with 40 sump all plumbed together. About 4 years now

d2mini · Mar 3, 2016

This shows the difference between LED only, and the MH/T5 combo.
3 months between pics.
Note the difference in growth pattern and the PE/color underneath the coral.

reefndude · Mar 3, 2016

I personally think they look better under the mh/t5

vertigo01 · Mar 3, 2016

d2mini said:
This shows the difference between LED only, and the MH/T5 combo.
3 months between pics.
Note the difference in growth pattern and the PE/color underneath the coral.

Did you match the LED spectrum to that of the T5/MH?

d2mini · Mar 3, 2016

reefndude said:
I personally think they look better under the mh/t5

of course.

vertigo01 said:
Did you match the LED spectrum to that of the T5/MH?

visually, yes. Both were a crisp white. The difference imho is not really spectrum but coverage. This is why the tighter growth pattern and the color/growth under the coral.