Led To T5 Move

[Canadianeh]

I am currently using Nanobox LED, and after looking at pictures of tanks with T5 and testimonies on coral growth under T5. I now have interest in exploring the possibility switching to T5.

Here are my questions on T5 as they seem to be more "complicated" set up than out of the box plug & play LED like Nanobox:

• Is initial set up on T5 cost much more than LED?
• which one is easier on electricity cost, LED or T5? Is it a big difference?
• How do I choose which wattage for each T5 bulb and which color?
• Is there a out of the box and plug and play T5 fixture that very good?
• Is T5 light intensity also controllable as LED?
• what are some of the good manufacturers for T5 bulb and fixtures?

 

[Janice]

I am interested in this topic too. Thanks for asking teed questions.

 

[shamous113]

• Is initial set up on T5 cost much more than LED? depends on the fixture
  
• which one is easier on electricity cost, LED or T5? Is it a big difference? LED is typically cheaper and you have to consider bulb replacement cost too.
  
• How do I choose which wattage for each T5 bulb and which color? the wattage is determent by the length of the bulb, the colour combination is endless and depends on your preference.
  
• Is T5 light intensity also controllable as LED? as far as i know no but I could be mistaken re the high end fixtures
  
• what are some of the good manufacturers for T5 bulb and fixtures? I've used ATI in the past

Why not do a hybrid/diy light fixture and supplement with t5? I love my Dsuny LED's but I've been looking at adding 2- 60" t5 bulbs to supplement.

 

[TORX]

T5 is approximately 4 times the cost of LED for hydro. You also have to replace the bulbs every 6 months. T5 can be cheaper to set up, however replacing bulbs starlets to add up when LED will last 8-10 years.

Wattage is set up according to bulb length. If you need a fixture that is 24". Then get the ones noted for a 24" tank. I believe it is 36w. Color is up to you, what fixture you get and how many bulbs are in that fixture. They are no where near as programmable as LED. There are dimmable ones if you have a lot of money to throw at it. Most of us go for ATI bulbs.

Long story short...

There is an everlasting debate on LED vs T5 when it comes to coral growth. Both sides win in my opinion and both do an amazing job when set up right. At the end of the day, I saved well over $60 a month on hydro when I went to LED and I save over $350 a year in replacement bulbs.

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[noobwithatank]

I've had t5 before. I really enjoyed it as it was the best option out there at the time. The thing that kills t5s for me is honestly the bulb replacement cost. I didn't enjoy spending close to 250 ( at the time ) to replace 6 bulbs every 9ish months.

 

[Canadianeh]

Thanks guys! Wow the potential of much higher cost alone already kinda keeping me on the LED side LOL

which LED fixtures that you guys are using or know people using that give them awesome growth on corals?

 

[TORX]

I use 2 RAPIDLED Onyx fixtures. I believe they are discontinued now though. I also use a Maxpect Razor that I love for over my frag tank when it was running. EcoTech will blow your mind if you have the cash. But DIY LED does amazing too. Just check out @Salty Cracker

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[Canadianeh]

I use 2 RAPIDLED Onyx fixtures. I believe they are discontinued now though. I also use a Maxpect Razor that I love for over my frag tank when it was running. EcoTech will blow your mind if you have the cash. But DIY LED does amazing too. Just check out @Salty Cracker

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any opinion on Nanobox?

 

[TORX]

any opinion on Nanobox?

Just that it is good for a shallow nano or pico tank. There is next to no PAR on their DUO once you get past the water level. Could be good for some softies and LPS so long as they have low light requirement.

Compared to RAPIDled Onyx at 24". At 20" on the Nanobox Duo you are around 100, but the Onyx is still over 250 at 24"

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[Canadianeh]

You are right @TORX

My LED is mounted at about 20" height. Either I change my LED, or move my coral up on the rocks

 

[Salty Cracker]

I have added 2 - T5's to my new tank, just to supplement the LEDs. I wanted a bit better colour in the sps for "white light" times of the day. My tank is unbelievable in the evening under blues, but is quite meh during the white daylight period. Am hoping to pull more colour.

that said I will never go back to T5 or MH over led...

 

[Luke.]

Love my leds will never switch to anything else

 

[Canadianeh]

I notice that on ATI fixture, you can get one with 4 bulbs, 6 bulbs, and 8 bulbs. How do I know which one I need?

 

[Canadianeh]

Love my leds will never switch to anything else

which LED you guys are using?

 

[Luke.]

Kessils I have 2 A160we tuna blue with kessil controller and seriously I'm not one to recommend things but kessil has to be one of the best on the market and can't beat the price (there is a "knock off" brand) cant remeber the name and never looked into them .

 

[Nonuser]

I have the ecotech radion xr15w pro v3 over my 60 gallon cube. The issue with LED's is getting the correct layout and having it tuned for your system. They do have pre- programed layouts. The great thing about T5' is you plug em in and blamo you have the correct lighting (depending on your colour of bulb selection) all the cool reefers have T5's and off set the cost by selling the corals that have grown out on their tanks for the replacement bulb cost.

 

[ALowe]

Start off by giving my tank background for those of you that are unaware:
- 6 bulb tekk T5 fixture
- reefbrite xho LED supplementation
- SPS dominant

The things you need to look at when thinking of switching:

- What corals do you want to keep? if its not SPS dominant, I wouldn't suggest switching. If it is SPS dominant, I personally have found that the increased growth and colour of my corals (esp. high end designer frags with a higher price tag) make up for the costs associated with running and maintaining a T5 unit. On top of that, I like the spread of lighting on T5 as opposed to LED but missed the POP in colour (hence the addition of a reefbrite xho). Ultimately, at $30-$35 per 48" ATI bulb being switched out every 8-12 months depending on run time, it can be quite costly. But if you frag and sell a lot it is a no brainer to use T5 of MH as you get that increased growth and colouration. Or just add in a few T5 bulbs to supplement as Glen did.

 

[Canadianeh]

what bulb colors you have it on @ALowe?

Also, is it okay for the fish if you turn off the light at night completely without gradual dimming? I find fish get scared if you just shut off the light with no transition.

 

[Luke.]

what bulb colors you have it on @ALowe?

Also, is it okay for the fish if you turn off the light at night completely without gradual dimming? I find fish get scared if you just shut off the light with no transition.

I used no transition with my lights up till dec 2016 (got a controller) and I never seen any issues on the fish for about 3 years they did get spooked but did no harm .

 

[kapelan]

once try LED no way back to T5.
2 reasons:
1. Money: for LED it is one time investment, not cheap but this investment for 5-10 years.
2. Full spectrum control, I love to watch corals during color changing.