LED or T5...?

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JAX3000

Aquarium Advice Regular
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Oct 24, 2014
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58
Hi guys, I was sold the idea of LEDs on their long life (and low energy consumption), but I'm now hearing that they don't put out as much light, so T5s would be better...!

For an approximately 4' x 2' x 2' planted tank, what do you think would be better please...?

Thanks


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That's a tricky tank.. there's really only a couple leds out there that will give you high par in that tall of a tank. A build.my led will take you anywhere you want to go. A Eco exotic eseries will give you medium light. A pair of finnex ray2 and planted plus will give you low medium light. What are you wanting to grow? T5 will be a cheaper initial star up for higher light, it will add up over time though..

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Thanks Brookster, I'm starting to realise this is a pretty deep tank and that LEDs will struggle to penetrate.

What will I grow? I'm not sure, but I'd like to keep my options open. Something hardy and easy to care for that will give my little guys somewhere to hide and some colour. That's kind of my next challenge, but for now I don't want to limit myself to only low light plants, in case that's not what I end up with... I'll look up those suggestions, but I'm in UK, so hope they're available...

I'm starting to think, I may just go T5s. The guy in the shop suggested 4 x 39w duo bulbs...? I just don't want to have to deal with the size, heat and replacement bulb costs if there's a suitable LED solution...!!!


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I would do metal halides with t5s


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The t5 would probably be the best bet given your circumstances. I know another member in the forum ordered a bml to the UK and it seems to have been a bit more trouble than its worth thus far..

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Metal Halides to reach the depth cause they're more powerful...? But they are also more expensive and hotter right?

Would 4 x 39w T5s be sufficient?

I don't think I need super bright, but don't want to go to all this time trouble and expense, only to fall short on lighting... The LFS guy suggests the above, (4 x 39w T5) but I've learned to question what I'm told by those guys...

And would I need a cooling fan

Sorry, lots of questions.


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My fixture houses 4 t5s and a metal halide I payed 135 for the fixture and you can run all the lights separately mine I use for a reef aquarium but since they can be ran separately if there's to much or to little lighting u can just turn one off. The metal halides might be over kill on a planted aquarium but if that's the case just keep it off and you will always have the option if you ever decided to do a reef aquarium. I personally don't like LEDs, they look nice but I had problems with mine not being bright enough and the light only hit directly under the fixture just my personal experience with LEDs


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To me there's nothing worse then buying a 200 dollar or more light and it not being bright enough


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The ray2 gives ~50 par (open air test) at 24". Given that you'll have a few inches of substrate in there, that # is still a good estimate imo. A single one won't give very good front to back coverage.

Metal halides use a lot of power and generate a lot of heat. I would avoid them if possible, on a FW tank.
 
I think I'll go for T5s. I have no intention of switching to marine, so I think they sound like the ones for me.

Thanks again for all your advice. It backs up what I heard elsewhere. I'd hoped for LEDs to be a good idea, but at least I feel like I know what I'm doing now.


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Leds are a good idea if you have $400-$600 to throw in the tank;)

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LEDs are the most powerful and efficient lighting we have for aquaria today. As for penetrating, NOTHING in this hobby penetrates better. LEDs totally outperform Metal halides and T5s. You can make your own LEDs if you have some DIY skill, or you can buy ready made fixtures which will do the job. I don't know where you folks are getting that they don't penetrate or aren't strong. You can light that tank for much less than 400 dollars.
 
I was simply stating that plant growing power gets expensive in ready made leds for tall tanks.. i run 4 tanks all with leds...trust that I know that capabilities of leds mr. X.. i cannot do much with $200 on a 24 " tall tank though sir. Diy for sure!

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Ok, so I'm getting that LEDs are the way... IF you do it yourself, but let's say I haven't a clue what I'm doing...? (Cause I don't) I'm not stupid and I can learn, but I'm starting at scratch and this is something I don't want to **** up...! I'm buying a solid oak cabinet and hood, (so the Mrs will let the beast into her living room) at great expense and if I go and waste shed loads of money banging holes in this thing I'll wish I hadn't started... Could a novice do a better job than a prepared set?

Kinda silly question as it depends, but you know..?


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Well seeing as.Mr. X threw out the diy.. hope he'd stick around and elaborate;) I wish I could help but I haven't crossed that bridge yet.. the finnex combo would be my best choice for under ! 300.

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A guy at the lfs said he has t5s (quad HO) on a similar size tank. Co2 injection. He did mention that he notices the plants change growth every time he changes bulbs and that bulb cost adds up. I got the impression it wasn't a major problem but he would like to switch to LEDs.

I think Rivercats gave me a link for similar - will see if I have it.

I went straight to LEDs. They look bright but I don't know PAR levels.
 
Brookster - this is more T5 than LED, so wouldn't I have the same issues as if I just went for pure T5s? Nice option though, I never thought if a bit of both...

Delapool - I'd love to see that link.! It's this short life and therefore high long term running cost you mention that most puts me off T5s. I need to better understand the options out there in fixtures I can use.

Mr X - what do you think bud? I'm prob looking at prepared fixture... I ain't THAT handy and have enough on my plate...!

If the outcome is I'd have to fork out big money for a fixture that puts out the right power or DIY, I'll probably fall back on T5, but if there's a "reasonable" fixture I can buy off the shelf it's a no brained no?




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Here are the links from Rivercats. First is for T5's. Second is for the BML. This was her suggestion for my tank which is 4 x 2 x 2.5ft. Just in case, the third link is where you can build your own. I found it fun/useful to see the light spectrum drop off at depth.

Depends on which way you want to go cost wise I think. I still mumble under my breath whenever I get asked about the cost of doing a planted tank (which is usually just after I say I need to replace my horrible setup of led lights).

AquaticLife 48" T5 HO 4 Lamp Fixture with Lunar Lights Freshwater

Freshwater - XB Series (Very High Output) - Build My LED, LLC

Custom LED Strip - BML Custom
 
Ok. We are talking a 120 gallon, correct? 24" tall. What spectrum do we need?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/120-Watt-Bi...520?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d4ccde930
I have a 105 gallon, which is the same footprint as your 120, and use a pair of these over it (except i don't have red or the lower k whites (the ones that appear yellowish to the naked eye) in my fixtures. I think these will be more beneficial to your plants. I also don't even use the 90 degree optics which come with these units so these will be more powerful than mine. I can grow the most light needy corals on the sand bed with my lights.
They are customizable as well, so You could change the configuration if you liked, but I don't think you are going to need to.

The only downside I see is that you are going to have to get creative with hanging these.
 
You could get a 48" finnex ray 2 for the cost of that panel. It also seems more geared towards the sw setup.. Jax.. I'm going to recommend a finnex ray2 and a planted plus. Together they will give the proper spectrum to grow plants while not washing out the colors of your fish. A little birdie told me they could possibly be on sale this week on amazon.

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