LED VS T5, Which do u prefer?

[adrian_ych]

I do not think this strip LED is good for reef and marine tank.

You need a high power,high flux and high PAR LED for reefing.

So far creditable LED is Cree,SSC, Nicha, Philip and Osram

Just to name a few.

Bro...very sorry...I really do not meant as a punt....but can you kindly share what you meant by :

- high power (as in lumens or other units)

- high flux

- high PAR

As for pricing....I am more into DIY Light sets....copying ideas from the commercial ones (BTW, my tank is only 2 ft cube....and low budget)

[sherman]

High power led are usually those that is 3 watt and above per LED. And they run at minmum 0.5 A to 3 A.

High flux is the amount of light create base on the current run.(Lumen/watt)

High PAR is the amount of usable light for phootosynthesis

Does not matter what is your tank size but what is keeping and intending to keep

[gymbvolka]

I do not think this strip LED is good for reef and marine tank.

You need a high power,high flux and high PAR LED for reefing.

So far creditable LED is Cree,SSC, Nicha, Philip and Osram

Just to name a few.

Yup i agree, those strip led uses 5050SMD bulb, it is for normal shelf display and create lighting effect. ( some even come with RBG controller)

I think Cree and Nicha are good LED emitter maker, Osram not for me.

My 2 cents

[gymbvolka]

Bro...very sorry...I really do not meant as a punt....but can you kindly share what you meant by :

- high power (as in lumens or other units)

- high flux

- high PAR

As for pricing....I am more into DIY Light sets....copying ideas from the commercial ones (BTW, my tank is only 2 ft cube....and low budget)

selecting any light for corals for led , the PAR Value is important.

But most important is the PUR value,

Extract from the site:

" PUR differs from PAR because the basic definition of PAR is any light in a specific frequency range of 400 to 700 nanometers that is needed by plants & symbiotic zooanthellic algae.

PUR is the usable portion of PAR, and different photosynthetic species will have a different PUR range to which they respond.

Useful Light Energy/PUR has become the most important aspect of choosing an aquarium light since the advent of high end Aquarium LED Light Fixtures (by high end I mean better emitter bins, advanced drivers/circuitry versus low many low end LED fixtures still available that essentially not much better that household LED emitters daisy chained together). "

Just sharing here.

[gymbvolka]

My views :

i like LED lighting effect than T5, but T5 can better enhance the colour of some corals. ( T5 is better for SPS than LED)

For simple corals, LED can do the work.

I would run both for SPS , afternoon T5 and when late evening i turn to LED for eye pleasure.

I would not run my LED at 100% ( this will shorten their life span) likely 95% for 4-5 hrs.

I think most reefer prefer MH, than T5 and LED for good colour and growth results.

If this is the case, i choose normal sun light if there is an option,it is even better than MH.

Is hard to choose or compare between T5 and LED, as they have different benefits.

It also depend what you intend to keep and what results you want.

my 2 cents

[adrian_ych]

Yup i agree, those strip led uses 5050SMD bulb, it is for normal shelf display and create lighting effect. ( some even come with RBG controller)

I think Cree and Nicha are good LED emitter maker, Osram not for me.

My 2 cents

Bro...just a FYI, there are LED strips that uses CREE, Nicha, Samsung, Sharp LED chips. But the $$$ is quite different...

[adrian_ych]

High power led are usually those that is 3 watt and above per LED. And they run at minmum 0.5 A to 3 A. High flux is the amount of light create base on the current run.(Lumen/watt) High PAR is the amount of usable light for phootosynthesis Does not matter what is your tank size but what is keeping and intending to keep

I do really hope that I do not cause any misunderstanding, but I just wanna look at the science behind the MH vs T5 vs LED (tubes or strips).

In terms or PAR (400nm to 550nm)

The spectrum given off by MH seems to be spiking at certain levels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Metal_Halide_Lamp_Spectrum.jpg

But the white LEDs seem to be lacking at 483nm

http://protonsforbreakfast.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/light/

http://www.eneltec-led.com/LED-Lighting-Blog/led-white-light-created-by-led-chips-and-fluorescent-powder/

In terms of power & flux

Sadly I think LED wins probably due to its energy efficiency. Less energy is wasted on heat creation (Einstein - "Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.")

My own twisted conclusion

- Using MH is like dosing the spectrum required with brightness. More like human eating multi-vitamins, if u need more Vitamin C, just take a few more tablets.

- LEDs are known for their short throw (in water), but from what I have read, this might be due to lesser use of reflectors and lower lumens (as compared to MH).

But can we install white LEDs and add-on like 453mn LED bulbs (if can be found). Something like drinking lots of fruit juice, if u need more Vitamin C, just go suck on a few lemons.

But I thought LED chips are more focused thats why the do not need those larger reflectors....

Sorry...with some update as I just went to Sim Lim Tower, they do not have the 24V LEDs yet....but I have seen them and they are BRIGHT !

Their avg lifespan is approx 20,000 hrs, so approx 1100 days if u use for 8 hrs (almost 4yrs).

And I may not pay for those "built-in" LEDs as the LED prices have really dropped and might not be worth paying for prices set 2 yrs back....

[gymbvolka]

Bro...just a FYI, there are LED strips that uses CREE, Nicha, Samsung, Sharp LED chips. But the $$$ is quite different...

Not a guru in LED but i have done some research.

yes i have personally asked LED supplier for nichas and the price is like 20 x the price compare to China or Taiwan made led strips. (flexible type)

in led market, nichas and cree claim to produce more light spectrum colour and the colour are richer and clearer ( example the blue are more blue), for flexible type normally come in 1w or 1.5w , the 3w and above normally come with a bigger transformer normally use for wall or stage colour decoration.

all these products are mainly use for Display lighting for product and signage.

Flexible type also mean there are no focus lens to it, unless we are talking about LED bar.

But beware of the colour temperature for strip, as they are likely to give 7k, which also means they are not idea for coral growth but use as decorative purpose.

even some reputable reef led maker come out with LED strip that say to enhance coral colour (marketing strategic)

pls read more about LED before buying one, as it is not a cheap investment.

[CY2010]

LED does give the shimmer effect, promote growth n bring out the fluorescent color of some corals. However, personally i feel that as a full spectrum light, T5 is the better choice to be used as main light source while LED can be used as a supplement.

My 2cents only

[Shadow]

LED is good but price still at the high side, I will wait few more years before jump in to the wagon.

[adrian_ych]

LED does give the shimmer effect, promote growth n bring out the fluorescent color of some corals. However, personally i feel that as a full spectrum light, T5 is the better choice to be used as main light source while LED can be used as a supplement.

My 2cents only

With much apologies....I did not think of using T5....its either old skool or new Gen....but there were tons of "MH vs t5" on Google since 2006 to 2011

[zonerx]

for main factors I'll go for whichever gives me low initial investment cost & low long term operational cost

Personally I feel LED for aquariums is still way over priced...

[justrc]

LED still the best

[Evolutionz]

Actually come to think of it, since both T5 and LEDs have their own pros and cons, and it appears that a mixture of both is the best. why i don't see much (or even any) people doing that?

[sunny03]

Actually come to think of it, since both T5 and LEDs have their own pros and cons, and it appears that a mixture of both is the best. why i don't see much (or even any) people doing that?

There are but not in sg or they dont post. .. those that invest hundreds in led why they want to add in t5 again.. it is an additional cost..

[HW33]

Actually come to think of it, since both T5 and LEDs have their own pros and cons, and it appears that a mixture of both is the best. why i don't see much (or even any) people doing that?

i'm runing my 2feet tank with t5 and diy led,use to have t5 and 150w MH but really to hot so swap it with a led instead.

been using for a yr liao,so far still ok:)

[Evolutionz]

i have an upcoming 90x60x36cm tank which i might consider using a 4x39w T5 housing, remove the middle 2 tubes and use 3Ws DIY LEDs.. so far what i've gathered upon my research is that, color of corals is better on t5, but t5's light is flat.. led wiill solve this part with its beautiful shimmer.. only need to replace 2 tubes every 6 month instead of 4.. seems like best of both worlds...

[dnsfpl]

you can consider t5 led tube

[brojj]

From ATI. Powerful T5 & LED hybrid.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[David5077]

I will vote for LED instead of T5. Led show shimmer effect and save elec bill too.

[housereef123]

LED tech has improved over the years. its comparable to t5 and also save electricity!

[youdontnowm]

i vote LED

[mafacifa]

Over the years, reefing technology has shown good and evolved. LED technology is one of them. Save electricity and better for the environment. Good for starters and normal reefers.

[alplakat]

I vote led but have to admit initial cost too high Sent from my SH530U using Tapatalk 2

[shoelevy]

Actually come to think of it, since both T5 and LEDs have their own pros and cons, and it appears that a mixture of both is the best. why i don't see much (or even any) people doing that?

I did see LEDs supplemented with blue T5 at Iwarna and Aquamarin main tank. Whats interesting is aquamarin is using/testing this combo on SPS corals; there's quite a fair bit on youtube about soft corals and LPS fairing better than SPS under LEDs. I would like to find out more from them when the time comes.

For visual difference, their left main tank is running LED+T5 combo while right is just T5 and I have to say LEDs shimmer nicely