Led or T5's

[Galwaydellboy]

Hi Guys

I have a jewel vision 180

With 2 x 35 w blue and White marine

Just wondering what's the better choice

LED or T5

Thanks

 

[Gti_Leo]

T5 are cheaper and penetrate deeper from what i've seen LEDs lose alot of PAR as it penetrates to 12" you can have 600 at the surface and drop to under 200 at 12", but LEDs give a shimmer effect and energy efficiant. as well the LEDs last about 15 years while T5s shoudl be chanegd out once a year

 

[Flake]

AI SOL LEDS have 700 PAR at 18".

 

[Gti_Leo]

but what is it at the surface

 

[Flake]

1650

 

[Gti_Leo]

see my point was there is a huge drop in par rating from LEDs, not sayign they are no good by any means.

whats the total wattage of this fixture with how many LEDs

 

[leftyfish]

I just ordered the AI sol LEDs! I have a current nova pro on my smaller tank, it is a lot of light for a good price, didn't raise my temps in the tank very much compared to MH.

My main reason for switching to the LEDs was less maintenance and room to grow/shrink without having to invest in another fixture and trying to sell existing fixtures that won't work on a different tank size.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I love my LEDs, have had them a year and have found the only downside is underestimating how bright they really are. Wouldn't the PAR value be a function of the reflector as much as the source? My reef was lit with metal halides for years.

 

[Galwaydellboy]

Hi all

Thanks for the replys

I was under the impression that in had to change my T5 bulbs every 4 Months which I though was going to get a bit expensive but if it's just once a year that's not too bad

This is prob a stupid question but is PAR

Thanks guys

 

[uscamaro]

see my point was there is a huge drop in par rating from LEDs, not sayign they are no good by any means.

whats the total wattage of this fixture with how many LEDs

More importantly, what's the price? Unless you DIY, LEDs are going to be way more expensive than T5s; it will probably take a couple of years to be worth a T5 fixture (energy and bulb savings).

 

[Gti_Leo]

in the long run the LEDs would be cheaper t he inicial cost no

 

[leftyfish]

I was also under the impression that T5 bulbs have to be replaced around 4 months.

 

[Galwaydellboy]

Hi Guys

Costs aside

Which is better for my coral ???

Plus should I change bulbs every 4 months

Thanks

 

[Chisel]

The AI Sol Blue's are the way to go if have the funds. You would be looking at (average) between $500 and $600 per 12" unit. You can get one with a controller and daisy chain others to it. With that controller, you can adjust to any color temp you want. You also get your choice of optics which are interchangable as well. I personally do not have them yet on my 75 due to the baby but I will. I have seen these set up on numerous tanks and can't wait to get them. There are cheaper LED fixtures out there but most don't have any options to them. Or timers for that matter.

 

[Flake]

I have the AI SOl Blues and I love them. They're worth every penny for me.

AI recommends that you use one pod per 12" of tank but I am using 2 on a 48" tank. The four would be if you want an acro tank or something.

The especially nice thing about the AI's is that you can always add more later, the upfront cost of lighting only has to be what you can afford.

 

[Chisel]

I have the AI SOl Blues and I love them. They're worth every penny for me.

AI recommends that you use one pod per 12" of tank but I am using 2 on a 48" tank. The four would be if you want an acro tank or something.

The especially nice thing about the AI's is that you can always add more later, the upfront cost of lighting only has to be what you can afford.

Mine is 48" as well. I will start with two and bump it up to four when I can afford it. If it wasnt for the center brace, I would just get three.

 

[leftyfish]

I ordered two sol modules with the intention of later adding two more...perhaps I can wait longer?

Like I said, the T5's have been good to my 29 gallon.

 

[Chisel]

I ordered two sol modules with the intention of later adding two more...perhaps I can wait longer?


Like I said, the T5's have been good to my 29 gallon.

Don't wait if you can. What size tank are you putting the Sol Blue's on? If it's that 29, you don't need that many.

T5's are great. I'm using 6 over my 75. Two of which being overdriven by icecap 660 ballast. Replacing the bulbs just once a year is pushing it. I replace mine around the 6 month mark. Once that spectrum starts to fade and change, that's normally when algae shows it's face.

 

[leftyfish]

It's a 48" 72 gal bowfront. I want to see how the whites are as I may order the other two in blues.

 

[Chisel]

It's a 48" 72 gal bowfront. I want to see how the whites are as I may order the other two in blues.

You should have checked them out somewhere before ordering. I have seen both and the ones that got the whites wish that they got the blues instead. I agree that the blues had a better look to them. The whites seemed to wash out everything. Thats just my opinion though.