I ran T5's for three years...they are OK, but coral is brighter and grows faster "especially stony" with MH. That has been my observations. That alone makes T5's not my "style" I want to put what I want, where I want. If I find a brilliant clam, and want to shove it deep in my sand, I can. I think the zooxanthalea is able to photosynthesise better under MH. I would debate depth vs 10 to 20K on MH though. The better the photosynthesis, the better the coral. How is photosynthesis best achieved? Light, the stronger the better. I am a MH pusher, unless you are doing a 12" tank with softies, then the T5's are fine. I like what you post, and are a fan. Question: What do you think of LED lighting?
Basics of Lighting for Reef Systems
- Thread starter Clownfish518
- Start date
I ran T5's for three years...they are OK, but coral is brighter and grows faster "especially stony" with MH. That has been my observations. That alone makes T5's not my "style" I want to put what I want, where I want. If I find a brilliant clam, and want to shove it deep in my sand, I can. I think the zooxanthalea is able to photosynthesise better under MH. I would debate depth vs 10 to 20K on MH though. The better the photosynthesis, the better the coral. How is photosynthesis best achieved? Light, the stronger the better. I am a MH pusher, unless you are doing a 12" tank with softies, then the T5's are fine. I like what you post, and are a fan. Question: What do you think of LED lighting?
I am a HUGE fan of LED (check out my LED thread in my signature). The only thing I would change about my LED fixture is that it took me so long to make the decision to do it! I want EVERYTHING to be LED!!
I agree with some of what you mention but will openly debate part of it. In coral adapted to highly intense light yes more is better. But other coral actually slow down photosynthesis with intense light. It's called "photoinhibition" and long-term is detrimental to the coral.
Another point if that some coral do BETTER under T5 rather than MH. I can't find the link at the moment but there was a study done a couple of years ago with several different LPS and SPS coral. Some of them had BETTER growth and color under T5's rather than MH. Really in the end there are just too many variables to be able to blanket statement one light is completely better than the other for all coral and really it mostly comes down to what makes you and your EYES happy in your tank. It's all up to you
I agree with some of what you mention but will openly debate part of it. In coral adapted to highly intense light yes more is better. But other coral actually slow down photosynthesis with intense light. It's called "photoinhibition" and long-term is detrimental to the coral.
Another point if that some coral do BETTER under T5 rather than MH. I can't find the link at the moment but there was a study done a couple of years ago with several different LPS and SPS coral. Some of them had BETTER growth and color under T5's rather than MH. Really in the end there are just too many variables to be able to blanket statement one light is completely better than the other for all coral and really it mostly comes down to what makes you and your EYES happy in your tank. It's all up to you
vion
Member
I have a question regarding MH and T5 combinations.
I have a 4 foot x 1 foot x 1 foot starting reef and I at the present have a coralife 36" compact lighting. I am wanting to upgrade asap and have been battling the idea of MH vs T5s vs Combos.
I saw a "Aquatic Life 48" Fixture 2 x 150W MH, 2 x T5HO + Lunar LED's", are they good? Do I need MH? perhaps a 6 xT5HO instead?
Any suggestions or thoughts would be fantastic.
Thanks
I have a 4 foot x 1 foot x 1 foot starting reef and I at the present have a coralife 36" compact lighting. I am wanting to upgrade asap and have been battling the idea of MH vs T5s vs Combos.
I saw a "Aquatic Life 48" Fixture 2 x 150W MH, 2 x T5HO + Lunar LED's", are they good? Do I need MH? perhaps a 6 xT5HO instead?
Any suggestions or thoughts would be fantastic.
Thanks
stiffler70
Member
since this thread is all bout lighting, i have a 250w MH 15,000k and 4 HO T5's 96w ea that i believe are 10,000k.
Looking to do SPS corals, but i want the best colouration of my corals, but at the same time i dont want to limit growth (i would much rather colour over growth, but dont want to see NO growth either)
Do i have the right lights for my wants? if so, how many hours should i run my T5 and MH? (ex// T5 from 8a.m-9p.m and MH 9a.m-8p.m) ??
Should i do T5's 6500k ea? or should i keep the 10,000k? (if they are, im unsure, ill have to double check)
thanks for all input
Looking to do SPS corals, but i want the best colouration of my corals, but at the same time i dont want to limit growth (i would much rather colour over growth, but dont want to see NO growth either)
Do i have the right lights for my wants? if so, how many hours should i run my T5 and MH? (ex// T5 from 8a.m-9p.m and MH 9a.m-8p.m) ??
Should i do T5's 6500k ea? or should i keep the 10,000k? (if they are, im unsure, ill have to double check)
thanks for all input
jonmiilton
New Member
Approach and the specific ballast. Hydrogen is all about the ballast and lamp combination. Match a specific ballast bulb will give a specific concrete results. A factor in these changes, you will get completely different results.
eager2Learn
New Member
thanks a lot it really helped
Andy21
New Member
ok well im new so pleas be helpful. i just set up a new 20 gallon high FOWLR tank and im thinking about buying some soft corals. I would like to know what lighting fixture would be the most adequate.
I currently have a Deep Blue t5 fixture it has two bulbs one white and one actinic they are both 14 watts and it has a night mode led lights. is this fixture fine or not. i just bought it . i want to know if i made a good choice pls help
I currently have a Deep Blue t5 fixture it has two bulbs one white and one actinic they are both 14 watts and it has a night mode led lights. is this fixture fine or not. i just bought it . i want to know if i made a good choice pls help
Andy it depends on WHICH coral you pick? Some coral like low light, some medium and or course some require High (Intense) light. Also the deeper the tank the more light it needs to penetrate. I'd "guess" that if you were to categorize your current fixture it would be in the "medium" range or so.
Andy21
New Member
well i want to keep only soft corals like anemones and maybe some mushrooms that's about it . my tank is a 20gallon high so its not too big and depth is about 2feet. so will this lighting fixture do ?. If not which one do you recommend ?. Also are the 14 watt bulbs ok because i read in an article that you need 2 watts per gallon of water.if so im very under watted lol
For reference my light says T5 HO lighting system so does that mean that 14 watts of an ho light equal more or not ?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but an anemone isn't considered a "Softie". Unfortunately they are some of the of the HIGHEST light requiring of animals we keep in our tanks.
2 feet is indeed a fairly deep tank for it's proportions but that just means you'll need to be precise when you mount your coral in the future. Higher light demanding will go closer to the top. I wouldn't say you need to buy another light fixture unless you are heart set on higher light demanding coral. If that's the case then later on down the road we can investigate that.
WPG rule is very antiquated with today's technology. It was "Ok" back in the VHO day when that was the only real choice. Now we have many light choices and they are not created equal. If you go by WATTS the only thing you know for sure is how much electricity they will consume in a given time. Here is how "lighting" plays out in a very generic terms:
PC - least intense but good for softies, LPS and some have gotten away with SPS but it's not readily suggested. Not efficient and not intense. Not good for medium to deep tanks. A Tried and proven true method to light medium light needing tanks. Bulb selection is alright and need to be replaced yearly.
MH - VERY intense but also fairly inefficient and produces a lot of heat "into the tank". Tank temps need to be considered. Great for getting high intense light into the bottom of deeper tanks. A tried a proven method for lighting tanks with good selection of bulbs to chose from. Bulbs can be a bit expensive and need replaced yearly.
T5 - Very efficient and fairly intense in shallow to medium tanks. If designed and built correctly with correct components can grow just about anything in the tank from low light to high light needing coral. Bulbs relatively inexpensive and a HUGE selection of bulb choices. This makes it easy to create a very unique and eye pleasing "light scape" in your tank.
LED - Latest and greatest of the batch. Can be VERY intense but the components need to be evaluated carefully because you can end up with a very expensive moonlight if you're not careful. VERY efficient in fact the most efficient of the group. Heat is a factor but it's not directed into the tank. HEATSINK required in assembly. Bulb last years and years and if "controlled" by a Dimmer or Tank Controller your color combinations are mind blowing for that WOW factor.
Let's do some examples:
It's like this.. if you was landing a jet on a runway at night ... would you rather have a few extremely bright lights shining on the runway or 1000 birthday candles? LOL! I'm being overly sarcastic but at the same time it puts things into a more realistic perspective for us.
On my 12g NanoCube I'm only running 36W total but they are 3w LED and pushing a TON of light energy into the tank.
Andyl I wasn't picking on you by any stretch of the imagination I just don't want you getting bit by the WPG bug like some of the rest of us have.
2 feet is indeed a fairly deep tank for it's proportions but that just means you'll need to be precise when you mount your coral in the future. Higher light demanding will go closer to the top. I wouldn't say you need to buy another light fixture unless you are heart set on higher light demanding coral. If that's the case then later on down the road we can investigate that.
WPG rule is very antiquated with today's technology. It was "Ok" back in the VHO day when that was the only real choice. Now we have many light choices and they are not created equal. If you go by WATTS the only thing you know for sure is how much electricity they will consume in a given time. Here is how "lighting" plays out in a very generic terms:
PC - least intense but good for softies, LPS and some have gotten away with SPS but it's not readily suggested. Not efficient and not intense. Not good for medium to deep tanks. A Tried and proven true method to light medium light needing tanks. Bulb selection is alright and need to be replaced yearly.
MH - VERY intense but also fairly inefficient and produces a lot of heat "into the tank". Tank temps need to be considered. Great for getting high intense light into the bottom of deeper tanks. A tried a proven method for lighting tanks with good selection of bulbs to chose from. Bulbs can be a bit expensive and need replaced yearly.
T5 - Very efficient and fairly intense in shallow to medium tanks. If designed and built correctly with correct components can grow just about anything in the tank from low light to high light needing coral. Bulbs relatively inexpensive and a HUGE selection of bulb choices. This makes it easy to create a very unique and eye pleasing "light scape" in your tank.
LED - Latest and greatest of the batch. Can be VERY intense but the components need to be evaluated carefully because you can end up with a very expensive moonlight if you're not careful. VERY efficient in fact the most efficient of the group. Heat is a factor but it's not directed into the tank. HEATSINK required in assembly. Bulb last years and years and if "controlled" by a Dimmer or Tank Controller your color combinations are mind blowing for that WOW factor.
Let's do some examples:
- 70w Metal Halide over a 34g tank (RSM 130D) approx 2.06 WPG and a CRAP LOAD of high intensity lighting.
- 130w PC bulbs over 10g frag tank . That tank had over 13 WPG and even with that I could not keep a Seabae anemone alive or any SPS coral. I had a lot of WPG but it was all PC.
It's like this.. if you was landing a jet on a runway at night ... would you rather have a few extremely bright lights shining on the runway or 1000 birthday candles? LOL! I'm being overly sarcastic but at the same time it puts things into a more realistic perspective for us.
On my 12g NanoCube I'm only running 36W total but they are 3w LED and pushing a TON of light energy into the tank.
Andyl I wasn't picking on you by any stretch of the imagination I just don't want you getting bit by the WPG bug like some of the rest of us have.
Check out this site https://sites.google.com/a/asira.org/www2/caresheets
Look for level 1 and level 2 corals... you will also see Lighting Scale recommendations
Sensitivity/Difficulty:
Level 1 - easy to care for, good corals for the novice aquarist
Level 2 - require slightly more attention than level 1 corals, but
still generally tolerant
Level 3 - require stable, established aquariums and care by an
experienced aquarist
Level 4 - should only be kept by the most experienced aquarists
Level 5 - not known to be able to survive in aquariums, even under the
care of the most experienced aquarists
PS - start a new thread here & you will get lots of feedback http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/just-starting-out-sw-beginners/
to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members
scubaguy
Member
Interesting to see an old post about light. This hobby has to do a lot with biology & in this case optics. It's important to know the PUR, Kelvin temperature, & to a lesser extent lumens requirements of corals. It's these principals by which light should be selected. This goes very well into detail about light but, one thing that is important to point out is that the LEDs usefulness in a reef aquarium is measured by the kind of LED diodes it has since the 3w diodes are the only ones that'll produce a broad & powerful enough spectrum... Most importantly in the 400's nm (blue) as many would know. Sad to see how many companies have succeeded in selling LEDs marketed for reef aquariums yet can only support soft corals.