led and t5

[scjpll]

I have a led light on my tank and want to keep corals. should i use a t5 to? Is a 420 blue going to be enough or should i use something else. there are to many types to choose from. I know i need to have the full spectrom for corals to grow and as far as i know the led wont put out that. am i right .. Any input will be greatly appreciated thanks Sp

 

[phg1960]

You're about needing full-spectrum bulbs. Most LEDs just don't cut it. I recommend something like the ATI aquablue special or coral plus bulbs.

 

[mpsteve]

I run radion gen4 pros and I just started using 2 blue+ and 2 coral+ I like the look a lot. Can't comment on growth or colors of corals as it's only been up a week

 

[Nanoreef15]

You're about needing full-spectrum bulbs. Most LEDs just don't cut it. I recommend something like the ATI aquablue special or coral plus bulbs.

without knowing the person's tank dimension and how big, how tall...., and without knowing what type or kind of corals the person is growing.
Base on what facts that made you said LED just don't cut it?

 

[dione]

I use both and I like the combination of T5 and my gen3 pros Great color and growth is coming along great


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[reefstarter]

truth is , at this time the technology being used with Led , T5 and halides all work . The difference between a black box led and a "high end " one is significant however . I tried the black box leds and they do work , but they didn't last long for me . even an older AI sol blue is far better . what you really need to know is how much PAR you are getting in the tank . Shooting for say 275-300 for sps 250-150 for almost everything else and then the lower light lovers like some acans , softies and non photosynthetic corals . After getting my Hydra 52's my sps took off like wildfire . then I decided to move and broke the tank down . Hope this helps

 

[johntan]

If you have a decent LED set up you should be able to grow. You will do no harm supplementing with T-5's though, they're tried and true. I've used ati blue plus as a good boilerplate supplement for years.

 

[cilyjr]

I've been using 4 aqua illumination SOL blues with 2 t5 over my tank for 4 years. Originally I ran a uvl superatinic and an atinic white. But a while I switched to 2 ati purple plus. I like it very much. The purple plus is a very ugly color stand alone but it picks up very nicely where the SOL blues leave off resulting in a very nice (not too blue) tank color.

I would suggest that lighting is not the place to be frugal when setting up a tank. look for bargins and consider used (the turnover rate in reef keeping being what is) but I would not buy the cheapest new fixture on the market. The quality of electronics in a rather harsh operating environment is going to be important. Though I do believe many of the eBay lights will grow coral for a time. I could imagine many potential problems that might require repair/replacement sooner than later.

I like aqua illumination products due to their modular design. Meaning even my 4 year old SOL are fully upgradable to the most recent product (though I will keep my light as is) also the board the lights are on (a small round disc) is easily replaced because it's held on the driver board with a pin connector (the replacement only costs 20bucks). Meaning I can replace burnt out/damaged led without soldering in minutes rather than hours.

Good luck in your search

 

[Jim Tansey]

I must agree with your assessment of Purple Plus it is a very ugly color, I had one in a six bulb fixture and still didn't like it I moved it to the very back hiding it. I think they need to rethink the name Orange or Trump plus would be more like it.

Jim

 

[Nanoreef15]

I must agree with your assessment of Purple Plus it is a very ugly color, I had one in a six bulb fixture and still didn't like it I moved it to the very back hiding it. I think they need to rethink the name Orange or Trump plus would be more like it.

Jim

I think the purple+ is a nice color, it adds good amount of red or pink to the tank and makes corals such as red planet, red digi, pink birdnest and many other red corals pop.

 

[cilyjr]

I think the purple+ is a nice color, it adds good amount of red or pink to the tank and makes corals such as red planet, red digi, pink birdnest and many other red corals pop.

By its self it seems almost "muddy" to me. It however adds very nicely to the SOL blues. I would run this combination indefinitely

 

[Puff Daddy]

T5 supplement is a good way to reduce shadowing. Almost all LEDs grow coral but if they are too concentrated it can cause shadowing. The other option is to buy a bunch more LEDs to reduce shadows and run them at lower power. T5 supplement is generally more affordable though. My hydra 52s grew sps like crazy over my 29 gallon. There was very little shadowing since the span from edge to edge on that small tank.

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