Led vs. T5 vs. metal halide

[johnnymisty]

Ok I have a question for everyone I just switched to a 70 gallon reef ready tank its a 36X18X24 and Im going to upgrade my lighting and not sure what to use so everyone give me your feed back on whats best to use and I want to keep all types of corals and eventually get some clams. Now I'm thinking LED possibly the Maxspect Mazzara lighting but not sure with all the debate over will it handle sps or not so whatcha all think??????

[tntdsol]

From what I have seen and can tell they all will do the job. LEDs tend to be a little more expensive up front, but give off little heat, use less power, the bulbs don't have to be replaced and if you get dimmable drivers you can really play with the colors to get the look you want. T5s are a little less expensive, but you have to replace the bulbs every 8 - 12 months. These also, have a lot of bulb color choices, but they are not dimmable and they do not give the shimmer effect of LEDs and MH(I just bought some 6 bulb T5s). MH have been around so long that it is hard to go wrong with them. They give the shimmer effect and great light. However, the heat, power usage and cost of bulbs make people shy away from them. I have seen different tanks with all three types and they all looked great and had great SPS/Clam growth. I think the most important decision when it comes to lights is to decide the look of lights you want(Shimmer, color etc) and buy a good quality fixture with high end bulbs. This is just MOP. Any one else feel free to correct me if I am wrong. If you are a DIY person and want LEDs Rapid LEDs sales some good kits. If not just ask around there are lots of good brand out.

www.rapidled.com

[fishboyt]

I went with the 72 LED kit from AquastyleOnline.com for my 75 gallon reef and am very happy with them.

[soymilk]

There no debate anymore. High quality LEDs can handle sps no problem. It's more about growth and coloration. I had better growth and color with mh IMO, but saving money on electricity (less wattage, less heat, no chiller, ability to dim) drove me to stick with LEDs.

[eklikewhoa]

Ime nothing compares to MH with the available options. MH+T5 ime is the best.

[semper]

I prefer Halides, but have T5 and just got leds as well to try out. Most people fail with leds, while I will admit a few have success. The numbers are not even close. More success stories with T5 and MH


I have 400 watt x 2 radiums on my 200 cube

250 x 2 on 95 wave & 4 x 54 T5

150 x 2 on 65 Rimless

6 x 54 T 5 on 92 corner

Have awesome growth and look good for those that have seen my tanks

Considering my setups are basic . No reactors. and only two have skimmers

[tntdsol]

^^^^ semper's tanks are amazing!!

[johnnymisty]

Ive seen your tanks a few times semper and they always look great and with the corals I put in I want them to grow good but I also want good color in them I still have some research to do. What are some good Mh/t5 combo fixtures to look at getting? Also with my tank what would be better (tank 36x18x24) 2 x 250watt Mh or possibly 2 x 150 Mh I dont want to over power the tank. I'm just not sure which wattage to get

[semper]

If you have a mixed tank 2 x 150 should be enough. Sps more on the middle to top although I have sps frags on the sand bed growing with my fixture

If it's predominant sps , I would go with 2 x 250

If you find a fixture with 2 halides x 150 and 2 t5's that would be perfect

[goldfisher]

I just took down my 180g reef tank (mostly SPS).If I have to set it up again right now I will still use MH lighting.