LED VS T5, Which do u prefer?

[stevenchia]

Some LED just cant bring out the colors out of the zoas..

I will be changing mine to T5 for 3 nano tanks.

I will give a +1 to T5.

Its a big difference.. My purple death from brown turn purple immediately when i shine with T5 lightings..

Pls vote for ur views.

[Harlequinmania]

I feel both types of lighting has it pro and cons. But a combination of both High pwer LED together with T5 tube would be the best . Too bad, there isn;t much option on this at the current moment in the market.

[stevenchia]

I feel both types of lighting has it pro and cons. But a combination of both High pwer LED together with T5 tube would be the best . Too bad, there isn;t much option on this at the current moment in the market.

Why would you add LED and T5? T5 alone not good enough? You mean white Led + actnic blue T5?

[stevenchia]

Currently T5, 3 votes and led, 1 votes.. Hmm..

Can the voter of LED give some comments.. Share with everybody here?

[oldrookiesjeremy]

everything looks better under led lighting and u only change the blub like 3 years if u use them for 8 hours everyday

[finbir]

Currently T5, 3 votes and led, 1 votes.. Hmm..

Can the voter of LED give some comments.. Share with everybody here?

I'm for leds 'cos the broken lights will not pollute the environment with mercury vapour (used in tri-phoshor lamps), it's also value for money

in terms of electrical bills, the bigger wattage leds can also be dimmer controlled and I definitely think the heat generated as compared to

T5s is negligible.

[stevenchia]

I'm for leds 'cos the broken lights will not pollute the environment with mercury vapour (used in tri-phoshor lamps), it's also value for money

in terms of electrical bills, the bigger wattage leds can also be dimmer controlled and I definitely think the heat generated as compared to

T5s is negligible.

How about the colors of ur LED able to compare with T5?

[Harlequinmania]

Why would you add LED and T5? T5 alone not good enough? You mean white Led + actnic blue T5?

In appearance wise, LED is definitely the best since it give you the same shimming effect like what a MH does without all the heat and high power consumption along with it;s brightness and lux. However , i feel that some of the element like the color light spectrum which the T5 tube can provide to enhance coral growth and coloration is still lacking in some of the LEDs.

[Zoa guy]

I would prefer t5. First, the initial cost is quite cheap compared to those high-end leds and its only those high end leds that can illuminate a tank decently. Second, i find that t5 brings out the colours in corals better than leds. Third, there are many different types of t5 bulbs on the market that is readily available. The bulbs also come with the chart telling u which wavelength it peaks at. This can tell u how much of the light that is emmited is actually PAR. Another confusing thing is the heat output. LEDs still produce heat, but in unlike MH or t5, the infrared radiation is very low. That means that when u put your hand a distance away from the led fixture, your hand doesnt feel hot...unless its from the singapore sun. However, when u do the same for a MH fixture, your will feel heat. BUT, when u touch the led fixture, it'll feel hot. Because the leds conducts heat. Im sure those lumenaqua rgb or ultra brite users will know that its hot to touch. Thats also why u need those four fans to cool the fixture. The leds can also still heat up the water through convection. But it heats up the water much less than MH or t5 fixtutes

[Terryz_]

Both have its pros and cons...

I have used both..

T5,

Pros, Initial setup is cheap and DIY is relatively easy and with the different color temperature you are able to come up with combination that you are going for, the PAR is enough and proven to be able to color up corals and promote corals.

Cons, Heats is quite high if you are using a lot of tube, Used 10 tubes for my cube tank last time and it is hot!!! Maintenance cost is high as you require to change the tube every 6 - 9 month if not when the spectrum shift, you will have algae problem. High running cost.

LED,

Pros, Heat dissipate from the heatsink and not from the bulb itself. Bulb life is very very long. Low running cost compared to other lighting.

Cons, Initial setup is quite high, DIY is difficult if you have no electronic background, Usage of the LED is too short to prove its ability to sustain corals and also if the bulb will maintain its PAR and spectrum without 5 years.

This is what I come up with..

[dr evil]

Both have its pros and cons...

I have used both..

T5,

Pros, Initial setup is cheap and DIY is relatively easy and with the different color temperature you are able to come up with combination that you are going for, the PAR is enough and proven to be able to color up corals and promote corals.

Cons, Heats is quite high if you are using a lot of tube, Used 10 tubes for my cube tank last time and it is hot!!! Maintenance cost is high as you require to change the tube every 6 - 9 month if not when the spectrum shift, you will have algae problem. High running cost.

LED,

Pros, Heat dissipate from the heatsink and not from the bulb itself. Bulb life is very very long. Low running cost compared to other lighting.

Cons, Initial setup is quite high, DIY is difficult if you have no electronic background, Usage of the LED is too short to prove its ability to sustain corals and also if the bulb will maintain its PAR and spectrum without 5 years.

This is what I come up with..

Currently building a light set with have a LED and T5 combo. Having a higher watts White LED to have the rippling effect of MH and the beautiful color of T5. Also including fans, controller and moonlight as well.

Personally, T5 have nicer colorations.....but not forgeting, LED have more color options too....

[tunicate]

It would be good if future LED fixtures allow customers to pick & choose the kind of colour they want, like on a multi-tube T5 fixture. Then customers can buy & install LED bulbs like "Aquablue Special", "Blue Plus", "Actinic", or "Purple Plus" into their LED fixture like in a T5. Give us the FREEDOM to mix & match to find one's favourite combination.

If we're able to achieve the coloration this provides, then will LED have a chance to retire T5 in this reefing industry.

[finbir]

How about the colors of ur LED able to compare with T5?

Let's just say I'm giving some feedback on light usage after having played with T12,T8,T5 and metal halides. Time and again I follow written

articles by the experts on reef keeping and make adjustments to remain active in this hobby.

Nothing personal.

Finbir.

[dr evil]

It would be good if future LED fixtures allow customers to pick & choose the kind of colour they want, like on a multi-tube T5 fixture. Then customers can buy & install LED bulbs like "Aquablue Special", "Blue Plus", "Actinic", or "Purple Plus" into their LED fixture like in a T5. Give us the FREEDOM to mix & match to find one's favourite combination.

If we're able to achieve the coloration this provides, then will LED have a chance to retire T5 in this reefing industry.

Maxspect LED can replace the LED easily with connectors. As for the new generation Mazarra, the replacement of LED is just 2 screws.....and without any connectors. U can swop LED easily

[Jameshong]

Maxspect LED can replace the LED easily with connectors. As for the new generation Mazarra, the replacement of LED is just 2 screws.....and without any connectors. U can swop LED easily

Mazarra is interesting...care to share wat the price like?

[tunicate]

Some info on Mazarra:

http://reefbuilders.com/2011/05/27/maxspect-mazarra-led/

[Harlequinmania]

Currently building a light set with have a LED and T5 combo. Having a higher watts White LED to have the rippling effect of MH and the beautiful color of T5. Also including fans, controller and moonlight as well.

Personally, T5 have nicer colorations.....but not forgeting, LED have more color options too....

Wow.. that would be the best combination i feel . I always wanted to supplement my tank with two single tube T5 HO on both side of my LED, but the cost of customizing it is not economically at all .

[Thexder]

I did that by modifying my Solite.

[stevenchia]

Result seems like T5 still very popular than LED.

[dirk_brijs]

Both have its pros and cons...

I have used both..

T5,

Pros, Initial setup is cheap and DIY is relatively easy and with the different color temperature you are able to come up with combination that you are going for, the PAR is enough and proven to be able to color up corals and promote corals.

Cons, Heats is quite high if you are using a lot of tube, Used 10 tubes for my cube tank last time and it is hot!!! Maintenance cost is high as you require to change the tube every 6 - 9 month if not when the spectrum shift, you will have algae problem. High running cost.

LED,

Pros, Heat dissipate from the heatsink and not from the bulb itself. Bulb life is very very long. Low running cost compared to other lighting.

Cons, Initial setup is quite high, DIY is difficult if you have no electronic background, Usage of the LED is too short to prove its ability to sustain corals and also if the bulb will maintain its PAR and spectrum without 5 years.

This is what I come up with..

Lets compare the best of both worlds will we. People who claim that T5 out perform LED clearly have never seen the high quality LED on the market right now. Yes if one compares the best T5 on the market with the cheap no good LED coming out of mainly China yes you are right you should go for T5 all the way. The LED in question are not even LED but semi conductive LED which clearly do not have the power nor the performance of the high quality LED on the market now from Cree and Philips who is gaining hard on the almighty Cree for the moment.

3W LED are that powerfull that running them at 100% would basically destroy any coral bleaching it instantly. The color range of the LEDs is so phenomonal that any color created by any other kind of light source becomes pale.

Due to this power and having them run at lower percentages basically extends the life and color it might reflect go well over 5 years in life span. (Againm people claim to change LEDs after 3 years talk about the semi conducting bulbs which have to run at 100% to barely reach the right performance)

So again the title of the forum should be clear and compare the best of LED with the best of T5 and then people would see there is no comparison actualy as they are not even in the same league.

Cree LED are unlike anything else on the market right now and can not be compared with anything if it comes to PAR, Performance, Life span, Environment, Lumen per Watt, etc.....

[braincoral]

I still perfer LED then anything

LED good enought for sps

[sherman]

It would be good if future LED fixtures allow customers to pick & choose the kind of colour they want, like on a multi-tube T5 fixture. Then customers can buy & install LED bulbs like "Aquablue Special", "Blue Plus", "Actinic", or "Purple Plus" into their LED fixture like in a T5. Give us the FREEDOM to mix & match to find one's favourite combination.

If we're able to achieve the coloration this provides, then will LED have a chance to retire T5 in this reefing industry.

LED let you have the color you need at any area in your tank.It is more flexible and the combination is more then your T5.

If you make a wrong choice just remove the LED that you think has the wrong color and put one of the color you need any thing.

[BFG]

+1 on led! With T5, there are maintenance factor to look into such as dirty reflector from salt spray needed to be cleaned or replaced. Rusty metal reflector clip to be replaced and hardened plastic clip that break when you least expected it and that too need replacing. Hot fixture is another factor to consider as I do not like the feeling of my skin feeling burnt just as I was about to add live stock to the tank as I accidentally bump onto the light fixture. Improper handling of the long T5 tube that might damaged the tube itself that you need to return back to the shop to get another tube to replace the one you damaged during transportation. Ballast replacement is another con to the T5, need to be replaced after you go through a few T5 tube replacement. There is a mark difference from an old e-ballast and a new one when using it with brand new T5 tube.

All these points above do add up to the hidden cost of owning a T5 light fixture.

[Jameshong]

Upzzzz for LED lighting... !

So far no maintenance cost incurred after 18 months of average 9 hrs/day usage :lol: !!!

[jackywongto]

Here's my take based on my personal opinions.

Cost: LED has high startup cost. T5 need to change tube frequently. I think LED is slightly more expensive in the long run (you still need to replace LED every 4 - 5 yrs to maintain its PAR output) . (T5)

Colour and Effect : Easier to match colour combination on T5. Many claims T5 has wider spectrum that makes corals looks nicer but the light is more "flat" visually. LED has more shimmering. The higher end LED lightset can adjust light intensity of the blue and white LEDs independently. Imagine you can set any range from 0 - 100% more blue intensity to show the luminosity of the coral and yet at the same time do not distort the colour of the fishes. The Royal Blue LEDs are wicked. LED also has dawn to dusk mode so you do not switch on/off and startle the fishes. Will leave this as a tie (T5/ LED)

Heat: Everyone says LED lightset produces less heat. This is not true. LED generates a lot of heat. The only difference is that T5 radiates head towards the surface of the water but LED lightset has heatsink mounted away from the water surface and usually has a blower fan attached to assist with the heat dissipation. Hence the tank water is not heated up by LED (unlike T5, and worst MH) and the air surrounding the LED lightset is less warm as compared to T5. Using T5, with more heat directly towards the water will cause more evaporation, especially with small tanks. => need more frequent water top up. Will this cause higher parameter fluctuations in Nano tanks?? (LED)

Electrical Cost: Definitely LED lower and if you factor in the chiller kick in savings, the difference is even more substantial (LED)

Aesthetic : Most LED fixture are smaller, less bulky and looks more sleek and modern comparing to T5. Especially on open tanks. (LED)

Optics : Most LED has optics option. So you can change to different optics degree to give you different spread coverage and also intense focal point. T5 is well uniform spread across the length of the tube. For T5, you have to change the colour by tube. If you have a 4 tube set, the colour combination is in terms of 25% for each tube. For LED, you can change to from 1 to all of the LEDs to a different colour. add 5 royal blue LED, 3 UV LED etc.... more micro changes. Again LED has higher level of customization (LED)

Length: T5 has standard length. If you have a 2.5 ft tank, you choose a 2 ft length and it is a little under. you choose 3 feet and it looks weird on a 2. ft tank. Most LED has more flexible length. Example, AI or the new Mazarra comes in modular form. you choose the units required for your tank length. Eco-lamp has lightset in incremental of 6 inches. (LED)

Effectiveness: Personally I think both are on par in terms of effectiveness. LPS are definitely not an issue for either. For SPS, there are some reefers who are using higher end LED to good effect. The RC folks who uses AI LED claims wonders but I think no one can really comment on this until they have switch from T5 to LED or vice versa to make a good judgement call which is better. For now, I would still leave it that T5 is more effectiveness for SPS shallow tanks (T5)

Technology & future state : I am a techie guy. More keen in hip technologies. T5 can hardly offer anything worth exploring but LED... oh man.... so many features - thunderstorm, passing cloud, lunar cycle, built in timer, dusk/dawn mode, colours/optic customization, wireless control, modular expansionability...... there is and will be more research put into LED lightset R&D overf the next few years. (LED)

My Preference : Definitely LED