PC vs. T5?

[Myka]

^ You don't necessarily attach your lighting to the canopy. It depends on what you get.

[skylord]

What do you base your LED experiance on? The manufacurer, not PFO/Solaris says the bulbs will last 50,000 hours. The math says thats over 11 years. If they are exagerating and inflating the numbers....lets say by 20%... then they will last over 9 years.

Here is a link that you might have a look at...

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...ixed-reef.html

The colors she is getting are very good.

Here is a pic of my Brown Clam with some BSP about 36 inches from the light...



And a couple more pics of various LPS, SPS, and softies. Photos are'nt the best shooting through a glass bowl instead of a camera boat. None are enhanced with photoshop like a lot of photos I see are.









This is a frag I got from Jason Mck. The lights are so dull they burned the tips. I have reduced the lights to 75%.



I have bleached several corals and their colors are just starting to come back.


Scott

Originally Posted by Myka

Does your cylinder looks like these?



If so, I'm wondering if you could retrofit something to work in that canopy...maybe even a pendant MH will squish in there. I'm not sure.

What kind of corals are you planning on keeping? MH and LEDs are the only light that will penetrate the 28" depth of your tank. Depending on your water clarity; T5s are only good for about 18", and PCs are only good for about 12". 250w MH is good for 24-30", and 400w MH is good for about 36" no problem. Don't be thinkin you have great water clarity though, as most people don't.

LEDs put off very little heat...like VERY little. They're awesome that way. They don't last 10 years though. If one bulb goes out you have to replace the whole "pack" that it is in, and if I remember correctly each "pack" is 5x5 bulbs. Also, if I remember correctly, each pack will last an average of 3 years, but you won't have to replace them all in one go...just one here, one there.

I'm not sold on LEDs at all. The reason corals have color (particularly SPS corals) is to protect them from UV rays. This is why generally, the brighter corals need stronger lighting. LEDs don't put out UV rays at all, so it's quite possible that you're gonna get a tank full of "brownipora". I have yet to see a brilliantly colored setup lit exclusively by LEDs. If someone knows of one, do post links/photos!