LED, or LED with T5?

R

Roolick

I am in the process of setting up a 100 Gallon (60") tank.
I want to be able to set up a mixed reef, including some SPS.
I plan to implement a DIY retrofit solution.
I have read a lot about the use of LED, but I was hoping to get some local opinions on LED for coral growth.
For a tank of this size does anyone have any recommendations on LED color balance?
Do you feel it is better to mix LED with T5s for broader spectrum of color?
I realize that a lot of this is all opinion and the light needs will vary by tank and the type of photosynthetic invertebrates kept. It is for those same reasons that reason I am looking for some opinions from experienced marine aquarists on what they think works best.
 
T5's are proven to work great and the color is unmatched. IMO LED technology is still new and their are some issues they need to fix. LED works for lots of people but Im going back to good old T5's.
 
I personally love my LEDs and did my best to hit the full spectrum possible with a mixture of cool white/warm white/neutral white/blue/royal blue/red/green LEDs. But when I purchased my new tank it came with 4 T5s and theya re on the tank right now, but there are 2 blue and 2 white bulbs with it. I am considering going down to just 2 T5s instead of 4 and putting in a UV bulb or something. All that to say...I have had great coral growth with just LEDs but I can not comment on how they are doing with LED/T5 yet as the new tank has only been up 2 days! The dimmability of the LEDs aloowing you to tweak them to your liking is awesome and the lack of heat produced is also a major plus. I would recommend checking out some peoples tanks who have just LEDs and LEDs/T5s and seeing what you think along with their coral growth.
 
I would go led with t5's if you are gonna keep sps.





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Yeah I saw the member's video with Pete's tank and T5/LED combo. They sure seem to be working for him ;)
The more I am thinking about it, the more appealing the hybrid approach seems.
 
Right now I have 2 Actinic Blues and 2 Actinic Whites but am considering changing the bulbs to ensure I covered any spectrum that wasnt hit by the LEDs. So if you dont mind me post hijacking/adding to!! What do you guys think would be good supplemental T5s for the LEDs?
 
I run straight LEDs on my sps tank with NO issues and the color spectrum is correct I can not match with T5s to what these LEDs can do!
By the way a have AL SOL Blue LEDs
 
In my experience with both kinds of tanks, you get the best results with a hybrid combo of either T5's and LED's or Halides and LED's. In my personal opinion, LED's are great as supplemental lighting. You can do all actinic or a blue/magenta led strip that will bring out the beautiful colors we all want to see. Yes, you will have growth with all LED's and the corals will look great while in the tank but when you go to frag them or you get tired of a colony and want to trade it for something else, in my experience, the colors just aren't as good. Some are even bleached when coming out of an all LED tank and then put under T5's or Halides. On my 75g, I have 4 T5's and 2 Ecoxotic Panorama Pro Actinic modules. While I want to change at least one of my T5 bulbs in order to achieve a more blue look in my tank( I like a lot of blue), all of my corals are happy and growing and look great. In my 120g, I have 2 250w halides with Phoenix 14k bulbs and 2 Ecoxotic Panorama Actinic modules. The color is just beautiful and aside from a few set backs, the SPS is going crazy. The set backs are not a result of the lights, we added a couple of angels that decimated the sps. :( Anytime we have fragged the sps out of our tank, the colors are still amazing, even in regular light in a bag. So with all that said, I think you would be better off going with a hybrid set up. :)

Haven
 
Thanks, I am definitely leaning towards a T5 with LED configuration.
Has anyone used the Hagen GLO 2x54w retrofit kits? I was thinking of doing two of those for the T5 component.
 
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