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Led vs. T5


CJohnson

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So I have been contemplating this for a few months now and I decided I want to get rid of my BIG UGLY MH because I got tired of replacing bulbs. But I am stuck between metal halides and T5s. I know I will have to replace bulbs on the T5 fixture but It seems like a cheaper option than going led. The Ocean Revive s026 is my first option but I don't want to hang it from the ceiling and a Kessil seems pretty expensive with limited customization. So are there any other mounting options for an ocean revive? Do you recommend a good T5 fixture for a 60g cube that I don't have to hang?

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I personally can't stand changing bulbs so I went with an led fixture, I have an aqua illuminations fixture and love it. If you are concerned about price have you looked into a diy led fixture I know that rapid led sells everything you could possibly need to make a fixture and if soldering is not your thing they make solderless kits. However that being said if you really want t5s I have heard really good things about ati fixtures and believe that they have some that don't have to hang.

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What would be the correct wattage for a T5 to work on a 60g cube for all coral types (Sps, lps, softies) I am getting mixed answers. I have a 250w metal halide on mine right now. If I was to get an ocean revive s026 could I just get one for a 60g cube?

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I think either of those lights in your previous 2 posts would be good. Not sure if the t5 light comes with bulbs so if it doesn't don't forget to add that to cost when comparing.

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I think either of those lights in your previous 2 posts would be good. Not sure if the t5 light comes with bulbs so if it doesn't don't forget to add that to cost when comparing.

Thanks for the advice! I have been looking at bulb combinations, it's never ending!

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Get the new Ocean Revive T247-B. It's on sale right now and has digital lighting control instead of the manual switch knobs like the S026 (great because it's only one AC plug instead of 2).

http://www.oceanrevivellc.com/goods.php?id=21

The new "B" fixture has expandable legs so you can mount off the tank rim and not have to hang it.

The color reproduction is great over my tank. I'm not going to ever turn anyone away from T5s as I think they have the greatest color rendition on SPS but tell me I don't have to change bulbs, worry about heat, and save electricity without sacrificing too much color and I'm sold.

I've had great success with them with softies, LPS, and most importantly to me, SPS.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

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ATI X6 bulb 24" fixture. $400 but worth it, and will grow everything at 144 watts and gives you lots of wiggle room to work with the spectrum. ATI bulbs for this unit are ~ $20 a pop or $120 to change all six every 8 -16 months. I change at 12 months; so $120 per year to operate them. There are cheaper bulbs and fixtures that do a fine job for less $$$. But the long run LEDs are the cheapest to run by far. But I believe to run LEDs you must have some T5 backlight. to get a complete spectrum. Be sure to include UVA in your spectrum on a LED set up.

Andre'

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Get the new Ocean Revive T247-B. It's on sale right now and has digital lighting control instead of the manual switch knobs like the S026 (great because it's only one AC plug instead of 2).

http://www.oceanrevivellc.com/goods.php?id=21

The new "B" fixture has expandable legs so you can mount off the tank rim and not have to hang it.

The color reproduction is great over my tank. I'm not going to ever turn anyone away from T5s as I think they have the greatest color rendition on SPS but tell me I don't have to change bulbs, worry about heat, and save electricity without sacrificing too much color and I'm sold.

I've had great success with them with softies, LPS, and most importantly to me, SPS.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Thanks! It looks like your tank is doing great (As always). Do you run any supplemental lighting with them?

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The aquaticlife fixture is great. Used it for years. Their stock bulbs don't look nice though so I would remove those and only keep those as a spare for an emergency. Even if you bought that fixture and it included bulbs, I would replace them with ATI

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The aquaticlife fixture is great. Used it for years. Their stock bulbs don't look nice though so I would remove those and only keep those as a spare for an emergency. Even if you bought that fixture and it included bulbs, I would replace them with ATI

Wow now I am stuck between The Ocean Revive T247-B and the Aquatic life fixture! I'm leaning towards the T5 fixture though. Will 4 bulbs be enough though? How many watts do I need for a 60g cube?

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Less about watts more about dimensions. What are the measurements of your tank?

I'll add to this. I cannot comment on the effectiveness of the growing power of ocean revives. I own a set myself but they're still in the boxes. I'm waiting to mount them until my brand new MH bulbs have spent their useable life.

I know Ty is happy with his, and Vu's tank looks spectacular with them but he also uses a lot of t5ho supplements too. There are enough good reviews of them that you can pretty much know they will at least work. Even the former forum member JPowell who was the biggest Kessil and Radion advocate on the planet ended up selling off all of his kessils and radions in favor of the ocean revive units and has had good results with them as well. For the price you can't go wrong. The construction alone makes them seem like they should cost 2-3x as much as they do. Nice big heat sinks and powerful fans. And just a very solid feel.

Being said, I honestly think if you cover the footprint with t5ho lights that will literally give you the best results of anything. I had faster growth of acropora under my aquaticlife fixture than I have under my radium metal halides. I just hate how fast and far they drop their par values. Something like 30% inside of 9 months. Sure they may not burn out, but while I'm not poor, I don't like the idea of reloading bulbs every 6-9 months just to maintain a stable par. Even though they don't actually burn out, if you let them go a year before reloading you're constantly in acclimation mode it seems like. I don't like placing online orders that often.

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Less about watts more about dimensions. What are the measurements of your tank?

I'll add to this. I cannot comment on the effectiveness of the growing power of ocean revives. I own a set myself but they're still in the boxes. I'm waiting to mount them until my brand new MH bulbs have spent their useable life.

I know Ty is happy with his, and Vu's tank looks spectacular with them but he also uses a lot of t5ho supplements too. There are enough good reviews of them that you can pretty much know they will at least work. Even the former forum member JPowell who was the biggest Kessil and Radion advocate on the planet ended up selling off all of his kessils and radions in favor of the ocean revive units and has had good results with them as well. For the price you can't go wrong. The construction alone makes them seem like they should cost 2-3x as much as they do. Nice big heat sinks and powerful fans. And just a very solid feel.

Being said, I honestly think if you cover the footprint with t5ho lights that will literally give you the best results of anything. I had faster growth of acropora under my aquaticlife fixture than I have under my radium metal halides. I just hate how fast and far they drop their par values. Something like 30% inside of 9 months. Sure they may not burn out, but while I'm not poor, I don't like the idea of reloading bulbs every 6-9 months just to maintain a stable par. Even though they don't actually burn out, if you let them go a year before reloading you're constantly in acclimation mode it seems like. I don't like placing online orders that often.

24x24x24 60g cube

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A good rule of thumb for t5ho lights is one bulb per 6 inches front to back depth, spanning the length of the tank. 24" 6 bulb fixture in your case would be ideal

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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So after some research I think the OceanRevive T247 Is the best route. I can only find good reviews on it and everyone seems to steer me towards them. Im convinced! Goodbye metal halide thank you for doing your job. Thanks everybody for your help I will try to post some pictures when the are setup.

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Each one of mine is lighting roughly a 24" x 24" section of my tank. There's lower par on the edges of the area but nothing terrible. I'd imagine one would suffice for you.

I'm running two T5s on either side of mine eventually put purely for color control. If I chose not to do the T5, it would work just fine as is.

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