LED vs T5

[dlarocca231]

I am setting up my first tank - it is a 125g reef tank that will have soft corals in it. My LFS says to use T5's because they are cheaper and more reliable than LED. They told me that LED's are prone to problems. I have a 6ft long tank. What do you guys recommend? I do not want to spend more than $400 total for all of my lights.

Thanks

 

[Northstar24]

With a budget of $400 you're limited to t5's unless you can find someone looking to get out of LED's or the hobby. You would need 3 of the AI Sol's or EcoTech radions or something similar, and even used might be a stretch @ $400

As far as being problematic, I love mine and wont be going back and haven't really heard of issues with the established name brand fixtures but there are a lot of cheap ass Chinese knock offs on the market right now trying to capitolize on the popularity

 

[fastrd400]

At 400 total for lights, you are limited to T5. However, they mis-informed you about the LED's. Good quality fixtures are not prone to problems. They run much, much cooler, and a heck of alot cheaper than any other bulb out there. They also have a much longer life span than other bulbs.

 

[Smitty]

+1 North and Fast

 

[R3verb]

+1 all. I have 2 AI Sols over my tank and can't say enough good about them. With $400 you may be able to get a cheap Chinese knockoff but you are better off going T5. LEDs are a big investment in the beginning but will pay for themselves when you only have to replace the LEDs once over 5 years as opposed to T5 bulbs every year and your electric bill for the lights is about 1/5 that of a T5 and even more if you have to run a chiller because of your lights.

 

[dlarocca231]

What is a decent LED (not high end) and how much does it cost?

 

[JustinsReefTank]

Go to Finsanity.com. They have a 6ft led fixture another member just showed me! It has 96 3 watt LEDs. It is $599. That is a steal I think anyway. I will be ordering this light for my 125. Good luck and I sure others will chime in and give u some help!!

 

[Raina]

obviously, the led lights is better than T5, Generally , Led use the 1w or 3w chip as the light sources which are more high efficient and long long lifespan than T5. the led light is far more expensive than T5, but in the long term, investing Led light will be more economical than T5.. actually, you can go to a lot of B2B site, you may find out the cheaper Led lights:D:D

 

[Northstar24]

LED's are not necessarily 'better' than T5 - this is especially true when talking about most of the cheap Chinese knock offs currently flooding the market. LED lit tanks have a a dimmer, colder look to them than MH/T5 lit tanks which many people may not prefer

 

[fragit23]

I have a 30" 2 t5 lightfixture from slormax great light just bought 120watt led fixture from two tronics........15 gal nano...

 

[fragit23]

will this be an over kill

 

[Northstar24]

If you are referring to your 120W LED unit on a 15 gallon tank, I would say yes, you will either have to hang it a mile above the tank, or dim it significantly