led lights question

[warlord239]

I am getting my new t5 light fixture Friday and found a led light strip that has a bunch of led on it and was just wondering what added benefit do the leds provide

[sleepydoc]

Hard to say without knowing your T5 fixture and the specs of the LED strip. Maybe a lot, maybe nothing.

[warlord239]

Oh the t5 fixture is just a basic 2 bulb fixture and the ked strip I believe has 20 to 30 lights in it I dot remember...does it help corals at all? If not I could care less lol

[warlord239]

Could I use 2 of the 420 actinics in the t5 fixture and the led lighting for the 10, 000k white lighting

[jdezek]

The led's for reef aquariums are a replacement for halid lights. They grow sps corals. The run cooler and use less power then other lights.

[coral_dog]

And LED lights last longer as well.

[dinthbrgh]

they also give that shimmering, real sunlight on the ocean affect.

[coral_dog]

I love mine, and weren't that expensive to build.

[warlord239]

I only have softies right now and want.to get lps so I guess I don't need em but I want em lol.

[warlord239]

The one I saw says it's 550 lumens, .06w leds...I know nothing about leds but that just doesn't sound like much to me lol

[imolaragazzo]

The one I saw says it's 550 lumens, .06w leds...I know nothing about leds but that just doesn't sound like much to me lol

Not sure which one you're looking at but those definitely don't sound worth it IMO. You haven't stated what size tank you're placing this on, I'm assuming something small with only two t5 bulbs. The LEDs could supplement your t5 and help coral growth if you get the right ones and they will also add shimmer. If you have a hood you could get something like the ecoxotic stunner strips.

[warlord239]

Yea it's only a 45 gallon tank so it's not big at all the leds I saw were cheap...I'm gonna hunt the internet for something better

[Empty Bottles]

Not sure which one you're looking at but those definitely don't sound worth it IMO. You haven't stated what size tank you're placing this on, I'm assuming something small with only two t5 bulbs. The LEDs could supplement your t5 and help coral growth if you get the right ones and they will also add shimmer. If you have a hood you could get something like the ecoxotic stunner strips.

I was under the impression that stunner strips weren't bright enough to shine past any reef lighting? I hope I'm wrong I'd really like to add some red to my chinese leds.

[sponger0]

Yea it's only a 45 gallon tank so it's not big at all the leds I saw were cheap...I'm gonna hunt the internet for something better

Cheap LEDs = not growing corals.

[zoafarm]

The right LEDs can be a great investment, and will grow coral. Unfortunately, in this hobby the 'right LEDs' are not cheap. About the cheapest way to have nice LEDs is to build the setup. If you are interested in building a LED fixture, you could build a fixture that could support SPS corals and down for approximately $250 - $300. I wouldn't waste money on LEDs fixture that put out a total of 550lm...unless they are all blue. Then only maybe...for looks only...NOT to help coral.

But to be honest, you are not going to be growing many corals with 2 t5 bulbs over a 45 gal tank. IMO you need a minimum of 4 t5 bulbs and 6 would be better.

What kind of coral are you planning on keeping?

Happy Reefing

[imolaragazzo]

Yea it's only a 45 gallon tank so it's not big at all the leds I saw were cheap...I'm gonna hunt the internet for something better

Oh wow, for a 45 if you want the LEDs to be effective at all you'd need to buy/build a Cree or equivalent fixture. Not even the two t5 bulbs will be able to grow many corals. If its purely aesthetic (like shimmer) then a cheaper fixture or par bulbs would be okay.

[imolaragazzo]

I was under the impression that stunner strips weren't bright enough to shine past any reef lighting? I hope I'm wrong I'd really like to add some red to my chinese leds.

Depends on how many strips and against what other kind if lights. I would warn you to not get red LEDs unless you're looking to grow algae. There are some threads in the lighting forum on this. If you're talking about the magenta that is different then. Those look nice and I'm getting that colour to add next.

[jdezek]

I got cheap LED's from www.aquatraders.com and my coral(SPS) grow awesome

[abid]

I didn't have good luck with exotic stunners. Yea they were cheap but LEDs started getting dim on strips. If you talk to marinedepot folks they don't recommend it for coral growth either.

[warlord239]

only softies...and they were growing with only the one t5 bulb i had so i just figured an extra one would be good and i got it cheap so just went for it....the actinic one looks really cool, can i leave just the actinic one on longer than the bright ocean bulb one for looks? i like the purple tint it gives off

[chrisfont23]

www.ecoxotic.com