lighting: LED vs MH vs T5 vs ???

[kBellas]

Greetings !! :D

I need help from all you experts out there. I'm a beginner with a 60 gallon tank (48w" x 13d" x 24h"). Currently I have live rock, live sand, (9)hermit crabs, (10)turbo snails & (1) cleaner ship in there(image attached). Water conditions were tested and everything is stable, my tank is cycled and ready for fish. The only thing im missing is lighting. :frustrat:

I have no idea what is the best lighting. I plan to have corals in there ( SPS/LPS ). I'm unsure of whether to go for the LED's, Metal Halide, T5 or ??? >>>>:shock:<<<<

In your experiences/opinions what do you think is the best lighting to use? What do you use & why?

Your feedback is GREATLY appreciated!! xoxo

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

First off, welcome aboard. I would go with led. They are most expensive, but you dont need to replace the bulbs every year at 130 bucks for a 4 bulb t5ho. Metals also run alot of heat like what t5's do, so now you may need to run a chiller to lower tank temps. The crisp look of the leds with the amount of shimmer is stunning and you cant get that out of t5s or metals. You also can dim your leds to best suit your corals

 

[salt_for_brains]

Hi and welcome to the site! I am no expert as there is always something to learn in this hobby. I have had a lot of success growing corals with all the lights you mentioned and IMO it comes down to personal preference. I am currently running LEDs. I really like being able to control the light intensity and spectrum. I also like the fact that I don't have to replace the bulbs every year. A good LED setup really makes the coral colors pop and promotes really good growth. They do give you a shimmering effect but so do Metal Halides. MH's doesn't have as much option on color. You can run whiter or bluer depending on the brand and kelvin rating. They also burn hotter but I have never had to run a chiller because of heat issues even with 400w. The t5 have some color variations you can setup depending on your taste. If I didn't go with LEDs I would run two 250w MH's and supplement with t5 since you want SPS. Whatever you decide to do don't skimp on the lighting only to decide you need to upgrade later. Good luck!

 

[kBellas]

Hi and welcome to the site! I am no expert as there is always something to learn in this hobby. I have had a lot of success growing corals with all the lights you mentioned and IMO it comes down to personal preference. I am currently running LEDs. I really like being able to control the light intensity and spectrum. I also like the fact that I don't have to replace the bulbs every year. A good LED setup really makes the coral colors pop and promotes really good growth. They do give you a shimmering effect but so do Metal Halides. MH's doesn't have as much option on color. You can run whiter or bluer depending on the brand and kelvin rating. They also burn hotter but I have never had to run a chiller because of heat issues even with 400w. The t5 have some color variations you can setup depending on your taste. If I didn't go with LEDs I would run two 250w MH's and supplement with t5 since you want SPS. Whatever you decide to do don't skimp on the lighting only to decide you need to upgrade later. Good luck!

Thank you both so much for your reply! Nick you are great! Your response Really gave me a bit more confidence for the LEDs. My local aquarist is recommending this wavy point brand: Wave Point T5 HO Lighting Fixtures

Again, I'm totally new and don't know anything about light. But I was looking at this LED lighting set : EVO Quad 48 LED Reef Bright

What do you think??
I'm not too interested in the MH bc I don't want to have to deal with the water temperature/chiller.

 

[salt_for_brains]

If you go with t5 lighting make sure they have individual reflectors on each bulb. I looked at those LEDs really hard a little over a year ago but then I found numerous bad reviews that made me go a different route. I don't know if they are any better now or not. There are so many brands out there now with AI and Ecotech being on the higher end. Reef breeders makes some really good LEDs on the mid to lower end cost. Take a look at some of those and see what you think. You are doing the key things right now asking questions and research.

 

[kBellas]

If you go with t5 lighting make sure they have individual reflectors on each bulb. I looked at those LEDs really hard a little over a year ago but then I found numerous bad reviews that made me go a different route. I don't know if they are any better now or not. There are so many brands out there now with AI and Ecotech being on the higher end. Reef breeders makes some really good LEDs on the mid to lower end cost. Take a look at some of those and see what you think. You are doing the key things right now asking questions and research.

Ok so now, diverting from the EVO quad.....those Al & Ecotechs are amazing, and SOOO pricey! Nick, i'm sorry to keep bugging you but what LED's do you use?

What are your thoughts on this:
BeamsWork 3W Quad Power 48" LED Light Fixture
Fixture Size: 46.50" x 7.00" x 1.38" (Add 0.65" in height with bracket installed)
LEDs Count: 72
9720 Lumens
Super energy efficient 3 watt high output LEDs
54x 10,000K LED
18x Actinic 460nm LED
Use 216 watts


? Or can you recommend one for me? I'm just dying to buy my light around and am so hesitate because i dont want to be disappointed in the end. I've read so much, thats its just all overwhelming and confusing:frustrat: :shock: :Cheers:

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

Also look into if you are planning on running logic on your tank, ie reef keeper or apex sysrems. Check to see if lighting and pumps are compatible. Look at the hole picture right now because those are expensive systems. I just got my apex system running and love it. If you are gone alot, these systems warn you if something is wrong and will shut things down if temp is to high or flooding.

 

[kBellas]

Also look into if you are planning on running logic on your tank, ie reef keeper or apex sysrems. Check to see if lighting and pumps are compatible. Look at the hole picture right now because those are expensive systems. I just got my apex system running and love it. If you are gone alot, these systems warn you if something is wrong and will shut things down if temp is to high or flooding.

I really really wish i new what logic/apex system was :shock: I never really thought about if the lighting and the pumps are compatible.

 

[salt_for_brains]

Ok so now, diverting from the EVO quad.....those Al & Ecotechs are amazing, and SOOO pricey! Nick, i'm sorry to keep bugging you but what LED's do you use?

What are your thoughts on this:
BeamsWork 3W Quad Power 48" LED Light Fixture
Fixture Size: 46.50" x 7.00" x 1.38" (Add 0.65" in height with bracket installed)
LEDs Count: 72
9720 Lumens
Super energy efficient 3 watt high output LEDs
54x 10,000K LED
18x Actinic 460nm LED
Use 216 watts


? Or can you recommend one for me? I'm just dying to buy my light around and am so hesitate because i dont want to be disappointed in the end. I've read so much, thats its just all overwhelming and confusing:frustrat: :shock: :Cheers:

I am currently running two reefbreeders LEDs on my 48" tank. They make a photon series now that will cover a 48" tank with one fixture. It has a lot more control over the lighting spectrum then mine do. Whether you choose AI, Ecotech, Kessil, reefbreeders or some other Chinese version of lighting it is your decision. Get the best lighting you can afford b/c it is a main ingredient to a healthy reef.
I don't know anything about the beams work light you are looking at but I would recommend trying to find reviews that are not posted on the manufacture's site.
It can be very overwhelming in the beginning as there is a lot of information out there. There are also a lot of different opinions about everything. My advice is get all the information you can to help you make a better decision about what is right for you and your setup. LFS are in business to make money off of you even though there are some good ones out there. Sites like this one make no money off of you and are trying to help you and the livestock you put in your tank. Keep asking away and myself as well as others will help you as much as possible. :D

 

[kBellas]

I am currently running two reefbreeders LEDs on my 48" tank. They make a photon series now that will cover a 48" tank with one fixture. It has a lot more control over the lighting spectrum then mine do. Whether you choose AI, Ecotech, Kessil, reefbreeders or some other Chinese version of lighting it is your decision. Get the best lighting you can afford b/c it is a main ingredient to a healthy reef.
I don't know anything about the beams work light you are looking at but I would recommend trying to find reviews that are not posted on the manufacture's site.
It can be very overwhelming in the beginning as there is a lot of information out there. There are also a lot of different opinions about everything. My advice is get all the information you can to help you make a better decision about what is right for you and your setup. LFS are in business to make money off of you even though there are some good ones out there. Sites like this one make no money off of you and are trying to help you and the livestock you put in your tank. Keep asking away and myself as well as others will help you as much as possible. :D

Thank you Nick, :)

Yesterday i discovered the reefbreeder photon's just like you mentioned. I did research and they seem to have good reviews. The only negative thing I found was that some people had switched out some of the 4500k white that it comes with. another thing i read on a thread is that you dont want to put a 48' fixture on a 48' tank because it will throw light out the ends of the tank, which is just wasted light, 32' will give me better PAR and alittle cheaper. Also the 32' has the same amount of LED's as the 48'" so your getting the same about of light as the 48 anyways. - I dont know how much of that is true, but thats what i read.

Photon32' Light Specs:
contains 99 x 3 watt LEDs. The exact color combo is as follows: channel 1; 24 4500K neutral whites, 4 480nm blues, 4 450nm royal blues, 4 660nm reds, and 12 410-420nm violets. Channel 2; 48 450nm royal blue, Channel 3; 3 480nm blue moonlights,

Evergrow IT2080 Light Specs:
contains 99 x 3w LEDs. It includes 28- 12K White, 4- 6500K White, 6-420nm Purple, 46- 450nm Royal Blue, 4- 480nm Blue, 4- 520nm Green, and 4- 660nm Deep Red LEDs

With that being said, i think im going to go with the IT2080 would be better just because i think the photon MIGHT give off more yellow light. (24-4500k neutral whites in photon VS. 28-12k white, 4-65k white in the it2080)

What do you guys think?

 

[salt_for_brains]

There is some great information here on the Evergrow Reefbreeders/(Evergrow OEM) Fixtures D120/IT20** series - Reef Central Online Community

 

[Greenman]

I use T5's on my 55 gallon and I swear by them. I have 1 12000k 2 actinics and a purple and the color pop i get on my corals are amazing.

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

I use T5's on my 55 gallon and I swear by them. I have 1 12000k 2 actinics and a purple and the color pop i get on my corals are amazing.

Wait until you get leds. Its like the next trip of acid, or so i hear! I thought the same thing, i too has success with them, but its the contuned price upkeep on bulbs. They are non controlable besides on and off. The fine adjustments one can get out of leds and the amount of time its in that spetrum is amazing. I have a thunderstorm run in my tank everorher day, not much for the corals but makes it interesting. In the last 2 months, ive had a 6% increase in my corals from the change of t5's. Pretty outstanding numbers imho.

 

[kBellas]

so, i ended up buying the evergrowIT2080...should be here in a week. I'll keep ya posted!:Cheers:

 

[MitchReef]

The reefbreeder systems are made with appropriate optics so that not much light is wasted out the edges. He can do customization of the LED colors for you also. A friend has the new Photon 48 and it is awesome....

I run 2 of the ReefBreeders ValueLED fixtures over my 120....