Brian_Nano12g
Aquarium Advice Addict
Not all t5ho or LEDs are created equal. Yes this statement is starting to sound cliché, but truth be told. If you're looking at $50 t5ho fixture, your either buying a very cheap cheaply made one with a single poor reflector over all bulbs (cheap ballasts to boot) , or you're lucky to find a decent good quality one 'used' with parabolic high polished German-grade reflectors over 'each' bulb... which good quality t5ho fixtures are going to cost you way more than $50. Plus, if you decide to buy cheap bulbs, there's goes your optimum full spectrum. You'll just get less than optimal growth and color development.
So to make a fair comparison, you should be considering a decent fixture like an AquaticLife or Catalina for instance. A 36" dual AL is $100+ and a quad is $279 (as of today on Amazon). How much are geissmann bulbs? Close to $20 a pop. You'll be spending $40 to $80 annually for bulb replacements. No need to change bulbs on LEDs. I think they're rated for 50K hours or more.
Here are other cons to t5ho. They run hot, which can be problematic in the summer months if you're ambient temp isn't AC'd. Not to mention, the heat can crack a glass top, so it should be topless. This of course results in increased evaporation and potential for fish to jump out. The bulbs contain mercury, which you'll be contributing to the toxic waste in our landfills. And lastly, which some will argue the merits of it, energy cost and consumption.
To me the "form & function" of a sleek and modern LED fixture wins and is worth the investment. They run cool so you can sit them right on a glass top if you'd like.
Now the pros of the Ecoxotic E-Series. It takes all the aforementioned advantages over T5HO, then adds unique pros on top of that. For one, you can control the intensity output without having to reduce your photoperiod or suspend the fixture any higher to "tame" the light to combat algae. No separate dimmer needed. Two, you can control your color temperature output on a whim by using any of the presets or by mixing any of the RGB values to create a customized color output or CRI (color rendering index) to your liking. Three, there are dynamic modes which some can be viewed as 'bells and whistles.' But hey, you can choose to use them or not -- I'll take it. These include, moonlight, clouds, sunrise, and lightning. Moonlight is cool because don't have to buy a separate moonlight kit if your T5HO doesn't come integrated with one. And last but not least, an inline controller in which you can set the ramp up and down function. IME, in using a ramp timer on my Sat+ LEDs on an open top rimless, is that I have no more dead fish to pick up off the carpet. Basically the gradual introduction and turning off of light, eases the fish and reduces their stress level, which results in no more "jumpers." Most of this all controlled wirelessly with a remote.
Here's a cool graphic on the e-Series.
Well that was my 2 cents on how innovative and exciting these LEDs are.
So to make a fair comparison, you should be considering a decent fixture like an AquaticLife or Catalina for instance. A 36" dual AL is $100+ and a quad is $279 (as of today on Amazon). How much are geissmann bulbs? Close to $20 a pop. You'll be spending $40 to $80 annually for bulb replacements. No need to change bulbs on LEDs. I think they're rated for 50K hours or more.
Here are other cons to t5ho. They run hot, which can be problematic in the summer months if you're ambient temp isn't AC'd. Not to mention, the heat can crack a glass top, so it should be topless. This of course results in increased evaporation and potential for fish to jump out. The bulbs contain mercury, which you'll be contributing to the toxic waste in our landfills. And lastly, which some will argue the merits of it, energy cost and consumption.
To me the "form & function" of a sleek and modern LED fixture wins and is worth the investment. They run cool so you can sit them right on a glass top if you'd like.
Now the pros of the Ecoxotic E-Series. It takes all the aforementioned advantages over T5HO, then adds unique pros on top of that. For one, you can control the intensity output without having to reduce your photoperiod or suspend the fixture any higher to "tame" the light to combat algae. No separate dimmer needed. Two, you can control your color temperature output on a whim by using any of the presets or by mixing any of the RGB values to create a customized color output or CRI (color rendering index) to your liking. Three, there are dynamic modes which some can be viewed as 'bells and whistles.' But hey, you can choose to use them or not -- I'll take it. These include, moonlight, clouds, sunrise, and lightning. Moonlight is cool because don't have to buy a separate moonlight kit if your T5HO doesn't come integrated with one. And last but not least, an inline controller in which you can set the ramp up and down function. IME, in using a ramp timer on my Sat+ LEDs on an open top rimless, is that I have no more dead fish to pick up off the carpet. Basically the gradual introduction and turning off of light, eases the fish and reduces their stress level, which results in no more "jumpers." Most of this all controlled wirelessly with a remote.
Here's a cool graphic on the e-Series.
Well that was my 2 cents on how innovative and exciting these LEDs are.
Last edited:
