T5 Talk

[Luke.]

so ever since day 1 of having a reef tank I’ve always been about leds . And don’t get me wrong I think very high about them , but it’s just going to be to hard for me to drop some good coin when they crap out and have to buy 2 lights normally floating around $500 each , and you normally can’t work on them your self to fix issues (thanks kessil) any who ,

My thought and will need your guys input because I have 0 kowladge on t5s the only thing I know is how they are just plug in and sit back and watch corals grow and get good colour

So what fixture and bulbs would I need to cover a 120 g tank ? And what fixture to buy ? Not looking for the best fixture out there but definitely not the cheapest either , any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks !

 

[TORX]

I ran a 48" 6 bulb on my standard 120 tank. I cant recall the manufacture, but It was a great fixture.

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[harleymike]

This is what I have. Works great. It looks fine. But no dimming or programming. I also run two led strips on each side of it. They are Actinic and come on first and shut off last. I just use old fashioned timers.
Not fancy , but was least expensive option. Corlals grow fine.

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/88882/SUN-960302.html

 

[TORX]

That is the one downsize people have on T5 is there isnt any ramping on most fixtures. You can get dimmable T5, but that is quite pricey.

I used blue plus, coral plus, and true actinic ati bulbs.

To elaborate on why I did the switch I took into consideration bulb replacement costs every 6 months and increase in hydro use. A decent 6 bulb 48" ATI is almost a grand and bulbs are $35 a peice so $410 a year. T5 is cheaper up front, but a good led will last almost 10 years. That in bulbs alone is 4 grand plus they use almost 3 times the hydro.

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[harleymike]

Here we go.
You don't need those fancy ATI fixures. Like most reef stuff its way over priced.
I once switched to LED, and saw no difference in my hydro bill at all.
All i did was nuke my corals with the LEDS, and when I got them figured out had less growth than T5.

LEDs are nice for dimming and adjusting for sure. But I cant justify the expense and have had bad luck for the most part with them.
Other will disagree with me for sure.

IF you want less expensive, the route above seemed the best option.

Now, would i try LEDS. Maybe again some day. But have trouble justifying the expense.


Now I will admit. I have Reef Brite Strips. They aren't cheap.
And my Bio Cube is LED, it came that way. It grows all corals well enough. But not T5 growth at all.



My 2 cents

 

[Pistol]

This is what I have. Works great. It looks fine. But no dimming or programming. I also run two led strips on each side of it. They are Actinic and come on first and shut off last. I just use old fashioned timers.
Not fancy , but was least expensive option. Corlals grow fine.

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/88882/SUN-960302.html

corrosion might be a factor with that fixture especially since it doesn't have waterproof end caps for the lamps.

 

[Josh]

I run t5 with reefbrites and i love the color the reefbrites give and the growth from the t5. I ramp the reefbrites then just schedule the t5. gives good sunrise sunset w/o the fancy equipment

Edit : I only run my 1 channel for 6hrs and the other for 4hrs. I let the reefbrites do the majority of the work.

 

[Luke.]

@TORX are they really that much per bulb ? ( do they ever go on sale ) and from what I read can you get 8-9 months out of the bulbs ? I just know nothing but what I’ve heard from YouTube vids , and what would you recommend for leds ? Like if I’m going to spend $300-500 per light I would want it to be able to replace leds if they burn out.

 

[Luke.]

@harleymike , @Josh whats your light sceduals ?

 

[TORX]

@TORX are they really that much per bulb ? ( do they ever go on sale ) and from what I read can you get 8-9 months out of the bulbs ? I just know nothing but what I’ve heard from YouTube vids , and what would you recommend for leds ? Like if I’m going to spend $300-500 per light I would want it to be able to replace leds if they burn out.

8-9 months risks burning your coral. By the 9 month mark, especially if you are running a 12 hour light, putting new bulbs in will shock you corals. 6 months is best, especially if you are doing SPS. Bulbs rarely go on sale unless the store is going out of business. Some appear to be cheaper, but they show/advertise the 18" bulb and when you select the 48" the price goes up.

A good LED fixture won't have a diode just go out. If it does it would be very rare situation. The cheap LEDs you can replace the diode. I have personally done several for people.

T5 is a great light. It was made to replace the expensive overheating mH. LED is the new replacement. All 3 have advantages and disadvantages. T5 with the right bulb combo is great. I will try and fine what I ran and I was very happy with the visual.

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[harleymike]

corrosion might be a factor with that fixture especially since it doesn't have waterproof end caps for the lamps.

Its been running for 6 months. Not a mark on it.

 

[harleymike]

I have never replaced bulbs every 6 months. Do your research. Every year has worked for me.
Never had a problem.
4 foot bulbs are 31.95 each. So 191 bucks for 6 bulb fixture.
If you shop around or are able to go state side you can find them cheaper.

Do your research and look at other places on the internet for info.

Mike

 

[Josh]

I change yearly as well, i had already edited my lighting schedule in previous post.

 

[TORX]

I change yearly as well, i had already edited my lighting schedule in previous post.

Yes, running 4 and 6 hours definitely extends the life of the bulbs.

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[Luke.]

I run my leds 8hrs a day so if t 5s were ran 8hrs could they last 8-9 months potentially?

 

[TORX]

I run my leds 8hrs a day so if t 5s were ran 8hrs could they last 8-9 months potentially?

For sure they can. They can also last longer, lots of people do it. It is mu recommendations from what I read when I had T5. The PAR starts dropping as they get older and I liked and suggest bulbs at an earlier time to level out the PAR.

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[Luke.]

For sure they can. They can also last longer, lots of people do it. It is mu recommendations from what I read when I had T5. The PAR starts dropping as they get older and I liked and suggest bulbs at an earlier time to level out the PAR.

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So if I recal arnt you running radions on your 120? How many do you have on the tank ? And do you run other lights with them as a combo ?

 

[TORX]

So if I recal arnt you running radions on your 120? How many do you have on the tank ? And do you run other lights with them as a combo ?

I am running 2 x Radion XR30 Pro Gen 3 that I purchased used. I do not run any other lights. I personally am very happy with them solo. Before that, I was running 2 x RapidLED Onyx fixtures where I had supplemented T5 for actinic. Before that was the 6 bulb T5 unit.

 

[Pistol]

Its been running for 6 months. Not a mark on it.

is it in a hood?

 

[harleymike]

No hood