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Reverend Reefer
11/03/2012, 09:41 AM
so about a year ago, i decided to go all LEDs. i bought used Reefbrites (not the XHO) 3x 48" strips: 1x blue, 1x 50/50, and 1x white. i found it just wasn't enough. so to supplement, i added 2x PAR 38 bulbs. in terms of the look, i really liked to colors i got with this all LED setup.

however, after about a year or so, i noticed i wasn't really getting much growth. so today, i decided to add 1x T5 strip with an ATI blue+ on it. man, you can really tell the difference in observable light this one T5 puts out. anyways, i'm hoping i'll get some more growth with the added light.

i don't know how my LED setup compares to all these new thousands of dollars LED fixtures out there but i have to say, when i decided to go with LEDs, at the time, people were saying that one reefbrite LED strip was equivalent to one T5 strip. i really don't think its a fair comparison. i love the shimmer i get with the LEDs compared to the flat all T5 look but there's just something missing i feel with only LEDs.

cap032
11/03/2012, 10:15 AM
The Reefbrites dont seem to put out much in the way of spectrum. They probably are more useful as supplementation to T5s or MHs as opposed to being a primary lighting source. You are probably on the right track adding T5s. My LFS uses the blue as supplementation on a couple of tanks and they look nice this way.

myreeflife
11/03/2012, 10:18 AM
In my opinion, led is not there yet. I know some people that switched back to Mh and T5.

that Fish Guy
11/03/2012, 10:31 AM
so about a year ago, i decided to go all LEDs. i bought used Reefbrites (not the XHO) 3x 48" strips: 1x blue, 1x 50/50, and 1x white. i found it just wasn't enough. so to supplement, i added 2x PAR 38 bulbs. in terms of the look, i really liked to colors i got with this all LED setup.

however, after about a year or so, i noticed i wasn't really getting much growth. so today, i decided to add 1x T5 strip with an ATI blue+ on it. man, you can really tell the difference in observable light this one T5 puts out. anyways, i'm hoping i'll get some more growth with the added light.

i don't know how my LED setup compares to all these new thousands of dollars LED fixtures out there but i have to say, when i decided to go with LEDs, at the time, people were saying that one reefbrite LED strip was equivalent to one T5 strip. i really don't think its a fair comparison. i love the shimmer i get with the LEDs compared to the flat all T5 look but there's just something missing i feel with only LEDs.

I could really use another T5 on my Tank but only have room for 1 Bulb. Who makes the single bulb fixture that you are referring to as I have never seen one before?

cap032
11/03/2012, 10:40 AM
In my opinion, led is not there yet. I know some people that switched back to Mh and T5.

I wonder if those people were running newer leds addressing a broader spectrum or older blue/white leds? I know of several who ditched the blue/white leds as well.

cap032
11/03/2012, 10:45 AM
I could really use another T5 on my Tank but only have room for 1 Bulb. Who makes the single bulb fixture that you are referring to as I have never seen one before?

Check the RC sponsors websites out. Im sure somebody has one. If you have a canopy, you could get a single retro fit kit from plenty of places.

mrbigshot
11/03/2012, 06:31 PM
hagen makes single t5ho fixtures a believe.

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hk855
11/03/2012, 07:25 PM
Broad spectrum is an issue for LEDs. A characteristic of LEDs is that they are fairly narrow in spectrum, even if you use a few different ones you still have several spikes and many low spots on the spectrum. Something to note is white LEDs have a relatively low par value compared to red or blue LEDs, red and blue activate chlorophyll while white is a heavy green with some red and blue that appears white to the eye. It makes a very good light to see things with but not so much to make plants grow. Look at led grow lights and you'll see white LEDs are a very minor contributor(again trying to fill in the gaps of the spectrum) while red and blue are used for par. Some people manage to get great growth out of LEDs and some don't. Metal halide and fluorescent bulbs have been designed to be used on reefs to mimic the sun, produce growth and color while LEDs are not. Reefs are an accidental use for LEDs, the bulbs are built with other purposes in mind and companies are taking what's available and mixing the correct ratios to make it LOOK like that 400w radium to the human eye. Believe it or not the $1200 fixtures that came out 3-4+ years ago and tanked because of build quality and poor growth are almost the same fixtures that are built today. They are more rugged and can sustain being 4" from saltwater a lot better than the old ones and the bulbs run at 700ma instead of 500ma producing more light. In the end they use the same bulbs by the same manufactures just updated versions, or worse cheap knockoffs. I think LEDs are great to add that pop that used to be actinic 03 and vho bulbs but are no substitute for general growth, the wide spectrum just isn't there. I remember thinking back in the day that LEDs would replace metal halides by now but they still cost 2x as much and are much less reliable for the general user.

jwoyshnar
11/03/2012, 07:45 PM
Well my LEDs have replaced my halides and I couldn't be happier. Natural sunrise/sunset, color and electrical savings. I've been running apollo LEDs and the color is great. And also it is adjustable with my apex

Reverend Reefer
11/03/2012, 08:38 PM
well i did a bit of research before going with a basic T5 from some company called sunlught supply, i think its called a sunblazer, a 54W T5 (48"). its marketed towards the low end hydroponics crowd. it was 25$. its an all in one in the sense that the ballast is inside the thing, which means it probably won't last too long but, it was 25$

the next step up if i had the cash was Hagen's Glo series, which has a retrofit you can attach up to 2 T5 bulbs. you can buy it for around 50-70$ online, but my LFS had them for around 100$. this option seems like its better step up cuz the ballast is external, but who knows. seems better quality overall but i didn't have the cash.

then you can go with better ones from other reef companies where you can attach up to 4+ bulbs per ballast for 150$ and more.

but i was impatient and 25$ seemed good enough for now. oh yeah, there's a in-between option i read about which sounds like sunblazer, i think maybe sunblaster, and they can be bought with something like nano-tech reflectors. seemed kinda cool but again, LFS and local hydroponics shops didn't have them in and since i can be impatient i just bought the cheap ones without reflectors and screwed them into my hood, plug and play.