lighting debate - T5 vs LED on frag tank

[jolson10450]

ok so i am in the works of upping my frag tank from the 5.5g (16x8x10 tall) to a 7.5g (24x12x6 tall) tank and i am having a debate with myself on which lighting system to choose for it. i currently have LEDS over the 5.5g tank.

The 5.5g tank with leds is nice for temperature control and keeping things steady but there are some frags i just can't keep under the LEDS, they either do not grow good or stay closed for some reason. on the other hand my main tank is t5's and it seems the ones that do not grow will grow in my main tank so i have to keep a frag rack in my main tank to cope with this issue.

so the debate is on the new tank do i go with LEDS, just more of them. Probably 12 or maybe 18 LEDS spread across the area equally for optimum lighting or do i go with a 2 bulb 24" t5 fixture and just do 2 blue + bulbs?

the t5's i know for sure will grow everything and with 2 blue + bulbs everything will look good but i have a yearly cost involved with the lights but i have a harder problem controlling heat with it, more so than LEDS at least.

Any input on what you think i should do would be great!

[whitetiger61]

it depends on what corals your having trouble with growth on..i know you had problems with your acans in your 2.5 gal..but if i remember right it was because the top ones were getting to much light..I think with the right bulb combination you should be able to get growth out of any coral with the right heigth over the tank. i have also noticed alot of vendors have gone to led's at all the swaps.. T5's on the other hand you will have a temperture control issue unless you hanf your fixture up over the tank..Im getting ready to put a par 38 bulb over my pico soon, but my hex has T5's over it..so i guess i will see what i like best..I hope this helps you some..

Rick

[MizTanks]

Simple. Go with what works :)

[Sir Patrick]

Depends of a couple things, mainly- is this a growout frag tank or a frags for sale frag tank?

If its a growout frag tank, to grow corals big enough to add to your display, then the same type of lighting should be used on your frag tank and display tank, for acclimation purposes.

If the frag tank is for frags to sell, then I recommend the lighting that grows the corals you are keeping fastest. Shaded areas and different levels are very helpful in a small tank with high lighting, if you are having issues keeping certain corals happy due to lighting.

[jolson10450]

it will be a grow out and frag tank, i grow out frags in it for my main tank and i will also have grow out frags that i will be selling and trading.

currently i am leaning towards t5's because like you said chris it keeps things steady between my main and the frag tank, the light acclimation going from other tanks to the LED tank might be what is harsh on the coral and i think that is why some do better in the t5 main tank.

i guess another question is if i did go t5, would a 2 bulb fixture be enough for a 24 x 12 x 6-7" tank if i hang the light high enough over the tank (probably 10" away from the water level)

[larryandlaura]

Go with T5's. Better coloring and proven. I switched back from my 120w 20k evolutions back to T5's. Growth was great then they bleached the corals and then the blue leds quite working. Always had good results with my T5's!

[Sir Patrick]

2 bulbs might work- but I would do 4 if possible.

Are you keeping any SPS in this frag tank?

[jolson10450]

no current plans for sps, if i do and i have trouble, i can always put them on a frag rack in the main tank until they are sold but as of right now my sps i just want them to grow big and bulky so no future plans for them unless i accidently break them off lol.

i did do some modeling and i could do fine with 12 leds over the space with a certain heat sink i can get right at rapidled.com and get good coverage over the 24x12 area. i used 60 optics at 13" above the water level and attached is the picture of what i came up with. ** the gray box is the 24x 12 area**

on the t5 side, i currently only use a 4 bulb on my main tank, but the coral in that tank does not even start until 6" under the water level, which will be the full depth of the frag tank i want so i think if i put a 2 bulb high enough to get full coverage i could grow sps in the center then z's p's and acans wherever else on it.

i would like to not go 4 bulbs due to excessive heat that it will generate over a 7 gallon total volume tank.

[binford4000]

IMO it really comes down to light spectrum and par.If your leds are not the correct mix then the coral will react to this.Some will open,some won't and others will just wither and die or bleach out.That's the hardest part of a DIY led fixture.T5's have the advantage of a company that has designed and tested this factor.Par and pur from quality LED's is hard to beat and cost less to run and bulb life is really not an issue and as you stated there's no heat issue either.On the other habd if your not useing a par meter to set LED's up chance are's you'll experience some problems.We run our 40 gal frag system on a led fixture and have sps,lps and softies with a par level of 325 on the shelf. I would recomend testing your led fixture to see if your not over powering the corals.LED's are the way to go in my book. :redneck:

[jolson10450]

thanks for the input binford, i really do like the LEDS and i know in my mind that is the way i want to go but in the back of my head sits the few corals i cant get to grow so that is why i am thinking t5's

if i had a par meter i would for sure test it, do you have one i can borrow? :snorkel:

also, how many leds do you recommend judging that the tank will probably only be 7" deep and the coral about 4" under the water surface. tank size 24 x 12. i can graph it out but i really dont want to spend a ton i want to see if i can get by with 12-15 leds.

[binford4000]

I have a meter and would be glad to help out.They cost allot so I don't really lend it out.Calm sea quest also has one if you know him.With that shallow of a tank it will be very easy to overpower your frags and suspect that's what's going on.LED's penatrate water very well and are very directional without good reflectors.I'm tied up for the next few weeks but would be glad to lend a hand.How high do have the LED's above the water line?? I would wag you need to be atleast 14 to 18 above that shallow of a tank. My new motto is loose the bulbs!! Ha Ha :jester:

[jolson10450]

Yeah that is what i was thinking thats why i wanna go with only 12 on the new frag tank but idk i can make an 18 led fixture. I did some math n ill do 2 groups of 9 and it covers the tank great but ie 18 to many on a tank 24 x 12 x 7 with frags only 4" under the water depth? I am thinking it probably is but not to sure. And i wont know until i test it n that iw the bad part....

[binford4000]

by setting it with a meter the more bulbs will just ensure better covrage.I'd go the 18 and raise as nedded honestly.

[jolson10450]

by setting it with a meter the more bulbs will just ensure better covrage.I'd go the 18 and raise as nedded honestly.

ok sounds good to me, i figured with 18 i would be fine, i like the 2 groups of 9, they have 6" x 6" heat sinks at the place i am ordering from so i was going to do 9 per heatsink, then space the heatsinks 3 inches apart and attached it all in one with a plate then throw the white LEDS on one power supply and the blues on another.

I do have another question though, i want to put a switch on just the white leds, to do so i actually have to wire it in before the power supply correct? so when i splice the power supply wires together with the plug wires at that point i would add the switch i believe. i want to be able to turn the whites off for viewing pleasures. i might consider getting a RKL but for now this will have to do, the rest is on a coralife timer so it can do day and night, just not a simple way to switch one power supply off.

[jolson10450]

also i forgot to add the 18 leds will be

12x XP-E royal blue leds running on a lpc-30 (i think) the 750mA driver
6x XP-g cool white leds on the other driver 1050mA

so since i am running a 2:1 ratio but the whites are about 30% more powerful output than the blues i am hoping it would almost equal out to a 5:3 ratio because the whites are driven harder.

[jolson10450]

LED's it is!!! just put my order in, paying about $100 more than i wanted to spend on a light but i know it will last a while and i will be happy with it. i just hope its not to much light, i guess if it is i can always raise it up some.

[binford4000]

ok sounds good to me, i figured with 18 i would be fine, i like the 2 groups of 9, they have 6" x 6" heat sinks at the place i am ordering from so i was going to do 9 per heatsink, then space the heatsinks 3 inches apart and attached it all in one with a plate then throw the white LEDS on one power supply and the blues on another.

I do have another question though, i want to put a switch on just the white leds, to do so i actually have to wire it in before the power supply correct? so when i splice the power supply wires together with the plug wires at that point i would add the switch i believe. i want to be able to turn the whites off for viewing pleasures. i might consider getting a RKL but for now this will have to do, the rest is on a coralife timer so it can do day and night, just not a simple way to switch one power supply off.

Not sure about how to wire it.I know the evolution and AI lights can switch the whites off like your describe.I would recomend you shoot motorcity reefer a PM,Brandon built a sweet DIY fixture for his 180 and the lights do as you describe.I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out.Give me a shout when your ready to hang em and I'll swing over with the meter and help you out.

[jolson10450]

Not sure about how to wire it.I know the evolution and AI lights can switch the whites off like your describe.I would recomend you shoot motorcity reefer a PM,Brandon built a sweet DIY fixture for his 180 and the lights do as you describe.I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out.Give me a shout when your ready to hang em and I'll swing over with the meter and help you out.

will do, i could also swing by your place with the fixture if that is easier, i just wont have a tank to test them upon that is the only thing...

thanks again!

[binford4000]

Let's do it over yours when your ready that way it will be good to go.Just LMK when and we'll work it out.