T5HO overpowering MH Lights

[Gti_Leo]

also the above frag tank is a 250 watt MH, look how dim it looks compared to the 150

 

[ryshark]

i agree
but take a look at this, theres no way the little bit of shimmer a halide gives will look nearly as good as this Mr.Xs old 150g. the way the corals glow is just so [moderator edit] good looking

Any actinics and most 20k 250/400 watt bulbs will do that. Where are the colorful SPS? That is the true test as they are the hardest to keep colored.

 

[ryshark]

Click on a few of these. You will find a T5HO mixed in every once in awhile, you'll have to look pretty hard though.
Previous Tanks of the Month

 

[Gti_Leo]

no actinics in his fixture

3 -- ATI Blue Plus
1 -- UV Lighting Super Actinic
1 -- ATI 12000K Aquablue
1 -- GE 6500K Daylight
1 -- UV Lighting 10000K AquaSun
1 -- UV Lighting 75-25 Aquablue

 

[ryshark]

That looks like a maricultured piece. Lets see the growth/color progression shots of that coral. Maricultured pieces look awesome when then first come in under any lights, but it is also very hard to keep the color under any lights.

 

[Gti_Leo]

lol did you really doubt mr.x?

 

[ryshark]

no actinics in his fixture

3 -- ATI Blue Plus
1 -- UV Lighting Super Actinic
1 -- ATI 12000K Aquablue
1 -- GE 6500K Daylight
1 -- UV Lighting 10000K AquaSun
1 -- UV Lighting 75-25 Aquablue

no actinics in his fixture

3 -- ATI Blue Plus Great Bulbs, I have run them as supplements instead of actinic/very blue
1 -- UV Lighting Super Actinic
1 -- ATI 12000K Aquablue
1 -- GE 6500K Daylight
1 -- UV Lighting 10000K AquaSun
1 -- UV Lighting 75-25 Aquablue

 

[Gti_Leo]

no actinics in his fixture

3 -- ATI Blue Plus Great Bulbs, I have run them as supplements instead of actinic/very blue
1 -- UV Lighting Super Actinic
1 -- ATI 12000K Aquablue
1 -- GE 6500K Daylight
1 -- UV Lighting 10000K AquaSun
1 -- UV Lighting 75-25 Aquablue

oops i didn't even noticed the UV sure the blue plus is very blue, but still not a pure actinic lamp

 

[ryshark]

You might have missed this post of mine since we responded the same time.

Those look like a maricultured pieces. Lets see the growth/color progression shots of tthose corals. Maricultured pieces look awesome when then first come in under any lights, but it is also very hard to keep the color under any lights.

 

[Gti_Leo]

i couldn't find any growth shots i saw it and was looking

 

[ryshark]

i couldn't find any growth shots i saw it and was looking

That was my point. You won't find any because most likely, those corals came in (imported) looking that good and don't look that good anymore (typical of mariculture). I like to see colonies that size or larger grown from frags.
I am not debating that LEDs or T5HO work good, look good and are efficient, but nobody at this point in time can say they are better than halides in every aspect as you are trying to claim.

 

[Purevil21]

You guys are still missing the point. Both T5 and MH will support anything when setup properly. You two could sit here until the end of time debating and never agree. On a more informative question, I have a question Leo. I am thinking about doing two of these over my 220, do you think it would provide sufficient light to keep anything, clams included?
Aqua Medic Ocean Light T5 Light Fixture with LEDMoonlights, 36", 8 x 39W - AquaCave

 

[Purevil21]

I would prefer halides, but not the cost associated with them. lol

 

[Sarcothelia]

Tell that to nineball, who has switched 100% to Orphek LEDs from halides on his 1350 gallon tank. He measures PAR, and a bunch of other things I didn't know existed. I think LEDs are superior in every aspect, efficiency, brightness, heat output, etc.

You don't dump $10k+ on a lighting system, taking down thousands of dollars worth of halides if you don't have a reason behind it.

 

[Gti_Leo]

they were actually browned before he upgraded to T5s

plus T5s have been around for years and have proven to be good and still improve in PAR output

 

[Sarcothelia]

Really Leo? Did he have PCs or halides before T5s?

 

[Gti_Leo]

4 halides 14000k 150 watts

 

[Maya]

In our research LEDs came out superior
in PAR and PUR. PAR is photosynthetically useful radiation
And is different than PAR which is photosynthetically active radiation. It's all about color spectrum and which uv lighting is usable by the plant or animal. Zooanthella needs a 400- 550
Nanometer range in color spectrum. 620- 720 is the red bandwidth which is the
range of the upper spectrum necessary. Flourescents and compacts produce a lot of greens and yellows which aren't usable. Halides produce good PAR & PUR but quickly begin to fail as bulbs age. Here is a
Pretty good Link to explain the needs of the color Spectrum.

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Lighting.html#kelvin

 

[Sarcothelia]

Wow, and they were browning out under that? I'm assuming he wasn't buying the bargain brand kind, so that's quite impressive. If I could cough up the money I'd go for some Orpheks on my next tank, but looks like I'll be going with T5HOs. Was going to go for halides on my cube, but I'd rather not deal with the heat (tank is hovering around 80 with PC bulbs/LED strips)

 

[Sarcothelia]

I use 50/50 PC bulbs so I guess that makes up for the lack of blues otherwise. I also have a 420nm LED strip which must help somewhat. But yea, I'm 100% sold on LEDs being the best for sustaining corals and replicating sunlight.