Lighting question

[Mderheim]

I'm looking for lights and I can't decide between LED lighting or t5 lighting..I want coral which is best?

 

[melosu58]

Moved to General Hardware and equipment discussion.

 

[mr_X]

both are good. what size tank is this, and more importantly, what are you willing to spend?

 

[Mderheim]

Well the tank is 125 gal 60" tank are there any good brands you would suggest on the led side?

 

[Mderheim]

Cost wise I would like to stay somewhere in the 200 to 400 range

 

[mr_X]

400 total? you aren't going to get a good LED fixture for that. i would go with a 60" t5HO fixture. what are the total dimensions? 60" x ? x?

 

[Mderheim]

Ha ha yeah it's not for my tank it's a friend I believe it's 60"L x 18"W x 24"D

 

[mr_X]

what corals does he want to keep. sunlight supply tek lights come in 60". maybe a 6 lamp one...

 

[JesseMessykinn]

If your planning on a Reef, youd probly be better witha t5ho. Im not 100% Sure on it though. Ask some of the Salties and see what they tell you.

 

[SWSCJ]

T5s and MHs

Hamilton Cebu Sun fixture.

 

[mr_X]

you don't need metal halides. IMO, Hamilton technology is as cutting edge as this cell phone-

 

[SWSCJ]

My 450 gallon, 96"L x 30D x 36"T tank is thriving with that Hamilton technology....sometimes old school just keeps kicking ***.....IMO

 

[Fish-guy]

But again you won't find halides for his tank for 400. At the moment my corals are doing fine under t5 bulbs. I added led to get the shimmer effect tho

 

[SWSCJ]

No, you're right. A 60" fixture w/ MHs, HO T5s, and LEDs/moonlights runs about 800.00. Still, running the MHs 4-6 hrs a day blows up certain corals, anemones, and clams.

 

[mr_X]

the reflectors and design of those fixtures is obsolete. i can but a metal halide shop light and keep corals under it- it doesn't mean it's the best bang for the buck.

 

[SWSCJ]

Nor is your advice. I ran this by 4 different shop owners, whom I know personally, while researching combo fixtures. They had nothing to gain to advise me that this was a lot of light and craftsmanship for the money. My comments are based on what this fixture is doing for my tank which is 36" deep. 72" 3 - 400W MH, 4 - 80W T5s, 18 LEDs

....thanks for the OPINION

 

[mr_X]

research fixtures and PAR numbers instead of slandering me. you'll realize you are incorrect. Incorrect in saying that the information i gave above is opinion. it's not. there are much better fixtures with much better reflectors available. and that's a FACT.

 

[Fish-guy]

Leave the personal attacks out of this thread guys. It all comes down to personal preference, one light might be stronger or have a different color but that's it. PAR is important for many corals but for most corals t5 do the trick.

 

[mr_X]

For all corals T5s will do the trick. It's a matter of depth top to bottom. I've never use T5s over a 3 foot deep tank, but i'm using them over a 30" tank right now, and i can keep whatever i want.

 

[deepseadan]

For all corals T5s will do the trick. It's a matter of depth top to bottom. I've never use T5s over a 3 foot deep tank, but i'm using them over a 30" tank right now, and i can keep whatever i want.

Mr. X, you are dead on. I've been there, done mh for years, t5's and ai sol leds. Ultimately, the t5's are by far the best, especially when I use good bulbs like ati's. I would never do mh again, especially when t5 works better in my experience. I been able to keep any coral I want on my 27" deep custom tank. Last, after experiencing all three technologies, I chose t5's.