Lighting questions

[Fishkeeper92]

I know there's always a big debate between T-5 and LED lights. Im setting up my 90 FOWLR soon and im wondering which one would be better for viewing, possibly cost a little less, better in the long run, etc. Any stories or comparing pictures would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[uscamaro]

Just type in LED in the search, this has been discussed a lot.

It's all about PAR numbers, and what you will stock. Most people who start with FOWLR eventually want corals of some sort down the road. In that case, the cheaper LEDs (ex. Marineland Double Bright) won't support corals; the LEDs that do are like $500 and they cover about 20sq/in.

I would go with (and I did) T5s. My light is the 48" Current Nova Extreme Pro and I love it. I did research for months since $400 is a good chunk of change and found T5s to be the best buy. Also, I didn't notice any dramatic spike in my electricity either. Probably the only things I won't be able to keep are certain clams and SPS corals. I know FOWLR is what you have... but I'm betting it's "for now".

 

[Fishkeeper92]

Its a possibilty of "for now" i want to do corals in the future but being young and only making so much money its going to be quite some time. I know petsmart sells single bright marineland LED lights and i use one for my 20 freshwater and its amazing. My dad has a similar tank and uses an LED and i thought it looked great. I may go with the LED and save for a T5 over time so when i can get corals i can get the light as well. Hows that sound?