T5/LED vs T5/Metal Hallide

leepink23 · Jul 27, 2018

I currently have 2 radion xr30 gen3 pro with diffusers running ab+ with the aquatic life t5 hybrid with 2 coral + and 2 blue + for 6 hours per day, I get an even 290-320 par across my SPS and now getting tremendous growth, my question is how and why would halide/t5 be considered better for my corals?

Crabs McJones · Jul 27, 2018

leepink23 said:
I currently have 2 radion xr30 gen3 pro with diffusers running ab+ with the aquatic life t5 hybrid with 2 coral + and 2 blue + for 6 hours per day, I get an even 290-320 par across my SPS and now getting tremendous growth, my question is how and why would halide/t5 be considered better for my corals?

Halide emits perfect spectrum. All the colors are perfectly blended right from the bulb, whereas LEDS have individual led chips per color, and then has to blend the colors together using lenses or diffusers. metal halide also in my opinion does a better job of par layout whereas leds focus the light down more which is why alot of people add in the T5's for the blanket coverage to help spread it par more and avoid hot spots. Just my thoughts and opinion

Retro Reefer · Jul 27, 2018

I have to laugh.. It all started with metal halide and fluorescent Phillips actinic o3’s, now after 30+ years of innovation and the proliferation of high tech lighting I’m seeing more and more people going back to halides.. they are not a option for me because of operating cost and heat but there is no doubt they will preform as well or better than any modern lighting systems available.. old school rules

jda · Jul 27, 2018

Did you notice a difference when you put the T5s on the tank? If so, the difference in dropping the Radions and going to Halide is even more pronounced. Some people never notice. My guess is that since you are asking, you noticed. You can do Ok with Radions, but there is a ceiling that is not there with all T5 or with MH. Basically, you lose a bit using LEDs, but it might totally be worth it if you like the other things like ramping, thunderstorms or screwing with the colors from the couch on a phone app.

There are new bulbs out now that have less heat - there has actually more new MH tech in the last two years than LED tech. Demand has outpaced supply.

leepink23 · Jul 27, 2018

jda said:
Did you notice a difference when you put the T5s on the tank? If so, the difference in dropping the Radions and going to Halide is even more pronounced. Some people never notice. My guess is that since you are asking, you noticed. You can do Ok with Radions, but there is a ceiling that is not there with all T5 or with MH. Basically, you lose a bit using LEDs, but it might totally be worth it if you like the other things like ramping, thunderstorms or screwing with the colors from the couch on a phone app.

There are new bulbs out now that have less heat - there has actually more new MH tech in the last two years than LED tech. Demand has outpaced supply.

I have noticed a difference, I like with the radions the ramping, mounting options and lack of heat in that order. I am open to switching but was curious as why the halide is better and is it a huge difference considering I like what I have. Thanks for the input

hybridazn · Jul 27, 2018

Honestly if you are happy with what you have I wouldn't switch. I too was in your shoes years ago with the g1 radions came out. Switched to those from halides, I had great success with the radions but everytime I looked at the tank it was like something was missing. I went back to halides (250w radiums this time) and haven't looked back.

Of course when I ran the leds it was just leds, no other supplements. Who's to say that I wouldn't have stuck with the leds if I supplemented with t5s, the world will never know lol

jda · Jul 27, 2018

The difference that you already saw can then be realized again if you get more T5 bulbs and do away with the Radions. There is yet another level with MH, but this is not always realized by many since you kinda need a larger tank and it depends a lot on what you are keeping... but with SPS you can get there.

Whether it is worth it or not is totally up to you. Balance what you love about the Radions against even more of what you noticed when you added the T5s. I do think that there are a few more level that you can get to, but it totally might not be what is best for you.

Do under-rate happiness with what you have.

Acroporaaddict · Jul 27, 2018

I switched from arguably the best t5 hyrbid to a metal halide hybrid and couldn't be happier. I'm currently running a Giesemann Spectra with a 250w Radium, 2 blue+, 1 purple+ and an Actinic. I attached a Reefbrite XHO to the front for that Coral pop we all love. The powermodule I had was nice, but doesn't compare to the accelerated growth and better coloration I now have.

Reefcowboy · Jul 27, 2018

I agree, have used all hybrids and almost all leds on the market. Have been running a Spectra for a little while in an almost full sps tank and I smile everyday when I closely inspect the coral colors developing.

leepink23 · Jul 27, 2018

jda said:
The difference that you already saw can then be realized again if you get more T5 bulbs and do away with the Radions. There is yet another level with MH, but this is not always realized by many since you kinda need a larger tank and it depends a lot on what you are keeping... but with SPS you can get there.

Whether it is worth it or not is totally up to you. Balance what you love about the Radions against even more of what you noticed when you added the T5s. I do think that there are a few more level that you can get to, but it totally might not be what is best for you.

Do under-rate happiness with what you have.

I have a mixed reef , 48x30x24. I appreciate all the feedback. My curiosity started on this because I am seeing a lot of people switch back to MH/T5 and has no experience with it.

helljack6 · Jul 27, 2018

I like the discussion, however is it possible to see some of these light setups for point of reference?

Acroporaaddict · Jul 27, 2018

leepink23 · Jul 27, 2018

Here is my setup

A. grandis · Jul 27, 2018

Metal halides and T5s have some things to offer that LEDs don't, simply!!!
This is just the way they are and that is never going to change.
Metal halides and T5s offer UV, IR, balanced spectrum, relatively constant output/spectrum, and amazing spread with the right reflectors and the right ballasts. They are the very best lights we can offer to ANY reef system with light loving organisms.
LEDs can be just supplemental lights for visual pleasure, but they are truly unnecessary IMO, because the halides and or T5s will aways overpower LEDs anyway. Even small systems thrive with Halide/T5s.
The excuse of saving power/money with the electric bill using LEDs is old and is mostly to comfort those who spent so much money getting those expensive LED fixtures.
I'm happy for those who are starting to realize the truth about the light options for their reef systems in this forum, choosing and offering the best.
Hopefully the stores will start changing their lights back to halides/T5s too.
Those corals deserve it!
And that is my opinion, for those who don't know me yet.
There is absolutely no doubt that when you change your LEDs for halides and/or T5s you will improve big time!
And I'm not bashing LEDs, only loving Halides/T5s.

Have fun!

BoomCorals · Jul 28, 2018

All of my tanks are now halide. They’re just too good.

tgbaby · Jul 28, 2018

Another vote for the Spectra, truly an awesome fixture. MH/T5 is hard to be IMO, I’m running Radiums, Blue+, and Actinic.

Also believe it comes down to preference, especially if you’re having success with the type of lighting you’re using. My first tanks were MH/VHO, so I prefer that type of look.

Who knows, if I were starting out in the hobby today I may think led is the only way to go. I have seen a few awesome tanks lit by led but it’s just not for me.....yet

A. grandis · Jul 28, 2018

All the amazing tanks I've seen up to this date using exclusively LEDs (including some European systems!) had an enormous amount of money invested with the light fixtures covering almost the entire area above the tank. It can be done well enough, but they are still missing something at the end of the road. Only the people who played with all those types of lights are able to judge the differences of the results in growth and color. The price of the fixtures using lots of LEDs to achieve such results is way more than any MH/T5 investment for any size tank, in comparison. And the electricity bill with those LED fixtures is sometimes much higher than using MH/T5s with the proper photoperiod, fixtures and ballasts for the application.
The ability of ramping the intensity up and down can be also done with T5 fixtures nowadays. Guess what? It's only for our visual pleasure. It doesn't play anything in the hearth of the organisms we keep. But can be done with T5s.
jda is right when he said there is more MH tech lately. I hope to see even more and more halide and T5 fixtures in the market. That is what need to improve for a brighter future!

A. grandis · Jul 28, 2018

leepink23 said:
I have a mixed reef , 48x30x24. I appreciate all the feedback. My curiosity started on this because I am seeing a lot of people switch back to MH/T5 and has no experience with it.

Here:

Reefcowboy said:
I agree, have used all hybrids and almost all leds on the market. Have been running a Spectra for a little while in an almost full sps tank and I smile everyday when I closely inspect the coral colors developing.

Spectra is a tremendous light fixture!!! One of the best I've seen. Amazing distribution and a great look that is hard to bit!
I think it is more important to see the results of those people that are leaving the LEDs and coming to their old MH/T5 fixtures, or buying new halide/T5 systems, than to be worried about their previous experiences with them.

There must be some folks spreading the truth around and, if those results are real, why not?

leepink23 · Jul 28, 2018

A. grandis said:
Metal halides and T5s have some things to offer that LEDs don't, simply!!!
This is just the way they are and that is never going to change.
Metal halides and T5s offer UV, IR, balanced spectrum, relatively constant output/spectrum, and amazing spread with the right reflectors and the right ballasts. They are the very best lights we can offer to ANY reef system with light loving organisms.
LEDs can be just supplemental lights for visual pleasure, but they are truly unnecessary IMO, because the halides and or T5s will aways overpower LEDs anyway. Even small systems thrive with Halide/T5s.
The excuse of saving power/money with the electric bill using LEDs is old and is mostly to comfort those who spent so much money getting those expensive LED fixtures.
I'm happy for those who are starting to realize the truth about the light options for their reef systems in this forum, choosing and offering the best.
Hopefully the stores will start changing their lights back to halides/T5s too.
Those corals deserve it!
And that is my opinion, for those who don't know me yet.
There is absolutely no doubt that when you change your LEDs for halides and/or T5s you will improve big time!
And I'm not bashing LEDs, only loving Halides/T5s.
Have fun!

I am not concerned about it raising the power bill but would be concerned about it raising the temperature. Adding T5 put me up to 79 from 78, would I expect another 1-2 degree increase with halides? When BRS did a video on radions with diffuser they said spectrum was close to perfect so with adding t5 to that I questioned how much and why it would improve. I am getting tremendous growth with my current setup but am not opposed to switching if it’s that much better. Thanks for the input.