T5 or LED lights

[Jon]

After an 8 year hiatus I have gotten back
into the hobby. I just bought a new 65 gallon aqueon tank with a 29 gallon sump. I want to start with fish only and in time I may get some soft corals. Just the easy stuff though. I quit the hobby years ago because I got tired of watching things die... So here’s my question. I want to buy a light that can handle both fish and soft corals. I don’t want a metal halide light. It needs to be a 36” fixture for my set up.
Thanks

 

[MadReefer]

Welcome back Jon.
It's all your own preference. I have T5 and switched to Led when the fixture died.
I don't truly care for Led and should have stuck with T5.
Most people have a hybrid Led and T5.
Good luck.

 

[diana a]

I started 8 years ago with T5. 5 years ago I went with LED. I am back to T5. BTW welcome back to the forum!

 

[Jon]

Is there a good LED / T5 hybrid fixture that anyone can recommend?

 

[MadReefer]

Hopefully, someone that has one can chime in.

 

[Trio91]

I have an old tek light that I mod'd into a hybrid. Works just fine. I did upgrade the ballasts a while back as one blew out.

I just took out the 2x center bulbs/reflectors etc.

 

[Mrx7899x]

Is there a good LED / T5 hybrid fixture that anyone can recommend?

Aquatic life t5 hybrid

 

[Trio91]

You can always go ATI but to me, they're a lil pricey. Aquatic Life also makes nice affordable hybrids that come in all sizes.

If on a budget, you can also go with a Sunblaze fixture and mod it. BRS used to sell them but now I only see em on Amazon

 

[MadReefer]

I was looking at these for my new build. Question I cannot get answered is can they support the reef bulbs? Meaning will it output 100% of the bulb or less? heard cheap T5 fixtures only output 65%. Just curious.

 

[Sponge]

I have the aquatic life hybrid and I love it But they arnt cheap. A three footer is like 570 bucks. And that doesn’t have the led. You put what you want later when you need it. However the T5 portion is dimmable and that’s nice I also think it looks nice and has spreaders that allow for 18 or 24 inch tanks (front to back). Which is a real plus because it makes the fixture usable on other tanks if you so should upgrade or down grade. The fixture also takes a wide range of leds and has bars for custom mounting. So in short. I like it. But I don’t understand why any fixtures that simply hold a couple of ballast and four bulbs cost so much. Another plus is the two sides have separate plugs. I like this because my lighting schedule turns on one side half hour before the other and turn off the second one a half hour later. Allows for a more gentle lighting change instead of bam. Here is all the SUN. Lol

 

[Raptor777]

Aquatic life T5 hybrid with radion xr15s hands down. This combo is pricey, but worth of every penny

 

[iTzJu]

I was looking at these for my new build. Question I cannot get answered is can they support the reef bulbs? Meaning will it output 100% of the bulb or less? heard cheap T5 fixtures only output 65%. Just curious.

more or less the t5 bulbs will be driven with there max output that they are designed for. the issue with the cheaper fixtures is the type of ballast they use, instant start or programmed start. instant start ballast have a reputation of shocking the bulbs which lead to a shorter life span. programmed start avoid the instant shock as they will slowly ramp up the t5 bulb which will extend the life of it. ATI fixures and most high end fixtures use the HEP programmed start ballast. great thing about cheaper fixtures is that you can usually upgrade the ballast down the road and the SunBlaze is a perfect platform for DIY mods. you can aslo grab them a lot cheaper off ebay without the SunBlaze branding.

 

[iTzJu]

After an 8 year hiatus I have gotten back
into the hobby. I just bought a new 65 gallon aqueon tank with a 29 gallon sump. I want to start with fish only and in time I may get some soft corals. Just the easy stuff though. I quit the hobby years ago because I got tired of watching things die... So here’s my question. I want to buy a light that can handle both fish and soft corals. I don’t want a metal halide light. It needs to be a 36” fixture for my set up.
Thanks

I'd recommend 2 AI PrimesHD, you can usually find last gen used ones for sale that are pretty good. this will set you up for fish, lps and softies. you can add 2 more down the road and you can support SPS.

 

[Sponge]

Aquatic life T5 hybrid with radion xr15s hands down. This combo is pricey, but worth of every penny

I have the five footer with 4 Kessil 360x. Love it. But love yours as well. I just really like the option for lighting. Plus you get shimmer and shadow fill. Works great.

 

[amado]

I am in the led camp.
I also use kessil leds and I like how they look. I don’t have to worry about getting the light right kessil did all the work for me.
Led are the future. I only have led bulbs in my house and the energy saving is huge.

T-5 hybrids don’t really make sense to me.
I look at it as a way for these companies to continue to sell t-5 bulbs. If you buy the right LED you don’t need to supplement it.

 

[jgraz]

I haven't read through everything, but I dont believe it has been mentioned.
ATI T5 with 2x Reefbrite XHO. I have that on my 90 and couldn't be happier.

 

[Sponge]

I am in the led camp.
I also use kessil leds and I like how they look. I don’t have to worry about getting the light right kessil did all the work for me.
Led are the future. I only have led bulbs in my house and the energy saving is huge.

T-5 hybrids don’t really make sense to me.
I look at it as a way for these companies to continue to sell t-5 bulbs. If you buy the right LED you don’t need to supplement it.

I have led all over my house. I love them for the application. And as you know, on my tanks as well. But still love how the T5 fill in and cover everything. The corals seems to like the extra coverage especially the ones that are under overhangs and shadowed now by monties. And since I only run them two to three hours a day (depending on the tank). Cost is negligible and bulbs will last a looong time But like you said. I love that kessil has done the math on the spectrum so I don’t screw it up Hahahaha

 

[Mark_C]

Aquatic life hybrid here with 3 AI 26HDs in the mix. Works fantastic, cant recommend hybrid lighting enough.

 

[diana a]

I started reefing 8 years ago with T5. 5 years ago switched to LED. I switched back to T5 back in Sept and like it better

 

[amado]

I have led all over my house. I love them for the application. And as you know, on my tanks as well. But still love how the T5 fill in and cover everything. The corals seems to like the extra coverage especially the ones that are under overhangs and shadowed now by monties. And since I only run them two to three hours a day (depending on the tank). Cost is negligible and bulbs will last a looong time But like you said. I love that kessil has done the math on the spectrum so I don’t screw it up Hahahaha

For me this is the equivalent of purchasing a
Electric car with a gas tank (hybrid)
It just doesn’t make sense anymore since
Tesla has already proven we don’t need gas.
You can 100% run a car with electricity.

In the same breath we can run a successful tank using only LED. so why support old technology?