Lighting suggestions

[Dearth]

My Aquamedic 48” T5 lights are slowly starting to die out I am looking for suggestions on good T5 light replacement as I will be buying lights this summer

I am also interested in ideas on LED lights but I have a deep tank 30” and am worried that in order to get light to the bottom I will end up burning the top is this just irrational fear or ?

I asked on Facebook but got very little useful info hoping I can get better info here I’ve done a lot of research but I’ve worked myself into a corner over thinking everything looking for a fresh perspective

[WarDog]

ATI 8 bulb with 2 Reefbrites.

[straightrazorguy]

ATI 8 bulb with 2 Reefbrites.

This. Or a t5-LED hybrid. Like the Powermodule that is on sale at BRS....

[vanreefer]

ATI 8 bulb with 2 Reefbrites.

What he said.

[mike31154]

Staying on the T5 bandwagon will continue to get increasingly costly & tube selection more difficult to source. If you have deep pockets & don't mind adding spent tubes containing traces of mercury to the landfill every 6 months or so, carry on.

Do you have light hungry coral on the bottom of your deep tank? Yes, I reckon you're overthinking that aspect....

[Dearth]

Staying on the T5 bandwagon will continue to get increasingly costly & tube selection more difficult to source. If you have deep pockets & don't mind adding spent tubes containing traces of mercury to the landfill every 6 months or so, carry on.

Do you have light hungry coral on the bottom of your deep tank? Yes, I reckon you're overthinking that aspect....

That has been my exact thinking on the T5s and while initially the up front cost is relatively palatable but the long term costs and getting rid of old lights are becoming more of a concern. Also because I live in the north it is a cost to get everything shipped here and there are times I envy the big cities ability for convenience.

LEDs on the other hand are tough to justify the upfront cost and can be a tough pill to swallow but you get what you pay for too. At the same time I am more and more drawn to them but worry that I will burn my coral high up to get light to my coral down low and because my knowledge of LED is limited I am left with a spinning head

Decisions decisions

[WarDog]

Radion G4 pro

[mike31154]

Price drop on LEDs has been substantial in recent years. Plenty of options with optics to customise light patterns, spotlight a given area, controllabillity etc. I don't see a downside but you do need to know your coral.