How many of you have went back to halides or t5s

acrofragger

Non-member
i wanna know why everyone is selling off there leds

am i correct to suspect a big hype on these 300 + $$ fixtures


please share why you got ridd of them :)
no debate here just wanna know if it was hard times or not good enuogh
 
Only selling my second because I don't need two units. I got great growth under mine. My cube is running out of room with them hence the upgrade.
 
Only selling my second because I don't need two units. I got great growth under mine. My cube is running out of room with them hence the upgrade.


i wanted a radion or something like that whenever i had the chance or fund to buy one but then people started selling off there leds ..
 
I really like the fact that with the controller I can have a nice light cycle other than just on and off. Plus I didn't even notice a difference in my bill. Ok I won't high jack your thread anymore.
 
I really like the fact that with the controller I can have a nice light cycle other than just on and off. Plus I didn't even notice a difference in my bill. Ok I won't high jack your thread anymore.



i love the way you def can control all the scenarios as far as thunder storms and what not, but i cannot get over the nice halides turning on with some blue plus and purple figi bulbs as atinics it is like the sun coming up
 
I also noticed that aqua addicts ditched all leds (Radion and AI) and went back to t5 on all his coral tanks
 
I never left. Actually just recently switched from 250w to 400w 20k radium. Cant beat it in my opinion!
 
I'd personally never go back to T5s. I got horrible heat with them, hard to keep clean, the fixtures look bulky and ugly IMO, and I don't like the lack of a dimming function.

I love the customization options of LEDs. My coloration is amazing, the light cycle is perfect, it NEVER gets hot. In fact the fixture is usually specifically cool to the touch.
Water doesn't mess with the reflectors as they are sealed. Fixture can be placed higher up away from water and still penetrate deep.
Uses minimal amount of electricity. I don't pay the bills, but this setup total including pumps and heaters and RKL uses less wattage total per day than my old 29g set up even with the old setup not having a sump full of electronics.

I get great growth. IDK I honestly never have, still don't, and do not anticipate, ever having any complaint about LED units. Paid $495 total tax & shipping for mine and love it.
The fact the bulbs don't change spectrum to grow algae and that they don't need constant replacing is an epic win too.

And did I mention the push-of-a-button adjustment of white/blue balance to get the exact coloration you desire? That fact alone is priceless to me and I could never live without it.
 
I'd personally never go back to T5s. I got horrible heat with them, hard to keep clean, the fixtures look bulky and ugly IMO, and I don't like the lack of a dimming function.

I love the customization options of LEDs. My coloration is amazing, the light cycle is perfect, it NEVER gets hot. In fact the fixture is usually specifically cool to the touch.
Water doesn't mess with the reflectors as they are sealed. Fixture can be placed higher up away from water and still penetrate deep.
Uses minimal amount of electricity. I don't pay the bills, but this setup total including pumps and heaters and RKL uses less wattage total per day than my old 29g set up even with the old setup not having a sump full of electronics.

I get great growth. IDK I honestly never have, still don't, and do not anticipate, ever having any complaint about LED units. Paid $495 total tax & shipping for mine and love it.
The fact the bulbs don't change spectrum to grow algae and that they don't need constant replacing is an epic win too.

And did I mention the push-of-a-button adjustment of white/blue balance to get the exact coloration you desire? That fact alone is priceless to me and I could never live without it.



you should be a salesmen hahahaha .no really stitch i can say you have been the only person so far to have me sold

skelley i know what you mean i never had metal halides till my recent 90 build ,i dont think anything compares to it and i just had 150 watts


but to really top it of i have had the chineese led fixtures too.... not the best of leds but it was nice also

they cant be compared if you ask me ,thats why they are different lights
just pros and cons as to everything else
 
Just switched from T5s to 3 radions. If I were to switch, it would be back to halides. I haven't had the radions long but like them so far.
 
If you keep SPS especially acro, it is much better to use halide and t-5.
Better growth IMO. I can see SPS growth by day.
 
I had a custom, maxspect, and radion... they turn red lps to orange it takes longer for the color to turn orange but takes only couple days to get back the red in my acans under MH! (also heat is not an issue for me since I live in a condo with central air and since I will have the central air on to comfort myself it also equals out the heat being pushed from my 250w halides)
Also I wasn't amused by all the different colors I see in the shimmer on my sand bed.
then went back to my Halides nothing beats it and i almost forgot how well they are!!! I see more colors on my SPS and my LPS even the slightest pink tints, which I never had seen running any LEDs. Theres something thats not all there yet in LED's until someone finds out why than I will make the switch back.
I had T5's as well and I was very pleased by them and how they colored up on my zoa's and paly's but damn! the shimmer!!!!!

LEDs are not for me! :)
 
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If you keep SPS especially acro, it is much better to use halide and t-5.
Better growth IMO. I can see SPS growth by day.

I have to strongly disagree there as I myself and many others I know have seen superb SPS growth with LEDs. I think it depends greatly on the type of LEDs, intensity, spread, and colorations though for sure.
I know it's an easier SPS, but I have a birdsnest frag thats about 2 months old and has grown 3 new branches already each at about 1/4 inch and my calcium is low to boot.

I think basic LED fixtures are indeed complete useless garbage for sure.

But mine has two forms of whites, two blues, and a 420nm UV. Maybe even more colorations, I forget.
Regardless, I most definitely have a red acan in my 40g that is still as red as ever.

I DID however have a red/teal acan in my 4g pico with cheap LEDs have the red turn orange.
Have yet to put it in the 40g and see if it turns red again, simply because I like the fact I have a neon orange acan now... Lol.



EDIT: If you like taking photos of your aquarium however, be wary of LEDs.
It is EXTREMELY hard to photograph a tank lit by LED. MH or T5 you can point and shoot with any camera and get focused, proper colored photos.
With LEDs, photography is a challenge at best.
 
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I have to strongly disagree there as I myself and many others I know have seen superb SPS growth with LEDs. I think it depends greatly on the type of LEDs, intensity, spread, and colorations though for sure.
I know it's an easier SPS, but I have a birdsnest frag thats about 2 months old and has grown 3 new branches already each at about 1/4 inch and my calcium is low to boot.

I think basic LED fixtures are indeed complete useless garbage for sure.

But mine has two forms of whites, two blues, and a 420nm UV. Maybe even more colorations, I forget.
Regardless, I most definitely have a red acan in my 40g that is still as red as ever.

I DID however have a red/teal acan in my 4g pico with cheap LEDs have the red turn orange.
Have yet to put it in the 40g and see if it turns red again, simply because I like the fact I have a neon orange acan now... Lol.

sorry Stitch but thats where your wrong... I had a cheap fixture made with just creex royal blues and cool whites and it grew my SPS faster than the $500 radion I used with the ugly green and red lights on. My radion was maxed 100% intensity and color adjusted to 14k and it was still not bright, also tried the fixture with TIR lense and still the same crap lol. Also give it a bit more time on the acan it takes awhile to lose the red color, you should see how fast an orange acan turn back to red and I am not exaggerating it took a day lol the next day I see pink mouths on them as well. when i ran my radion over my acan garden I had to use my imagination and pretend that they haven't turned an ugly orange LOL!!!!
 
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Its going to take a lot to convince me to ditch the 250w MH thats lighting my corner tank...... With that being said I am trying a Reefbreeders value LED over my frag tank, and its a decent little fixture so far. Has two white temps, two blue temps, UV, green, and red.
Also not to seem objectionable, but it has been my impression that SPS does well under LED, that its more so the LPS and lower light requirement families of coral that are more sensitive to LED as far as color shifting.
I posted a thread a while back regarding lighting spectrum and its effects on corals colors, and its generally accepted that certain spectrums do alter colors in corals over time. This would lead me to believe that there is an element in the spectral output in a majority of LED fixtures that still needs some tuning.
 
i guess its halides halides or halides ,i have seen not kidding ....about 20 leds for sale and im not trying to go pay 500 for a light i will get 350 for if im lucky , keep it coing any others reasons
 
i get crazy growth out of my radions! i dont have red acans tho, so i really dont care to much about that hahaa!

if i was to buy a light right now i would go with a used gen1 radion and up grade the pucks to "the pro" when the upgrade becomes available.
 
sorry Stitch but thats where your wrong... I had a cheap fixture made with just creex royal blues and cool whites and it grew my SPS faster than the $500 radion I used with the ugly green and red lights on. My radion was maxed 100% intensity and color adjusted to 14k and it was still not bright, also tried the fixture with TIR lense and still the same crap lol. Also give it a bit more time on the acan it takes awhile to lose the red color, you should see how fast an orange acan turn back to red and I am not exaggerating it took a day lol the next day I see pink mouths on them as well. when i ran my radion over my acan garden I had to use my imagination and pretend that they haven't turned an ugly orange LOL!!!!

Well maybe its the radion that was crap. But generally speaking other than you being the one exception, i've heard the majority of people with LED issues having issues with cheap units. Not the name brand ones.
Even more issues with DIY.

Also, my red acan has been red since August of last year so idk how long I need to wait for it to color change? IDK everyones tank is different, but maybe i'm the exception. Regardless I have LEDs, no issues, and love them.

Acrofragger did mention he didn't want a debate though so that's not where i'm trying to head with this. Just trying to bring Pros into the conversation as too many people on BRS are anti-LED but many of us are having great success with them and I wanted to mention that side.
 
I did the math and I wont be saving any considerable amount of money if I switch from 150W T5 to a 150W LED. And with T5 I get the peace of mind of a proven light.

I use an $80 Ebay cheapo T5 fixture that grows clams on the sand bed. I didnt go with a $600 fixture. I included that in my costs.

Do the math, depending in the size of your tank your savings might not be as great as websites make them sound.
 
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