Ok, let's hear it!

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by mike31154

No no, now just hold on a minute. One more thing. If you're currently using Halides or T5s (or considering ditching LEDs), consider this.... in a few years you'll more than likely have a hard time finding replacement bulbs/tubes & if you do, they'll be very costly, especially the ones specific to our hobby. There's going to be a period of time where halides & T5s are going to be dirt cheap because all the distributors will want to purge their stock. In time, LEDs will take over. You read it here first.

... not have posted this! I've read through this thread almost all the way once again & is it just me, or are we repeating ourselves over and over and over and over? Like sphelps said, just do whatever you decide & get it over with. I think we've flogged this to death, no?

Here's what I did, I like it & won't change back. I'll just keep improving/modifying this.... or not! DIY, relatively low cost, not too many bells & whistles, been running almost two years with no issues other than the cheap fans which are starting to go. I have plenty of spares & could probably run the LEDs without fans since I'm underdriving them. Don't have the budget for $1000 light fixtures.



almost forgot, I added a couple of strips of these SMD5050 RGBs...

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by mrhasan

+1

... should....

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

That pretty much covers it

so what kind of MH you going to go with? got the T5s for your sunrise/ sunset, now you need to pick your real light.

Steve

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

so what kind of MH you going to go with? got the T5s for your sunrise/ sunset, now you need to pick your real light.

Steve

No, gonna try full T5. MH gives me to much humidity and rusts the lock on my front door, locking me out in the rain and then I'm not happy.
anyway, ya, power module 8 bulb fixture. Should be fun

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

No, gonna try full T5. MH gives me to much humidity and rusts the lock on my front door, locking me out in the rain and then I'm not happy.
anyway, ya, power module 8 bulb fixture. Should be fun

(didn't want to use the big one!)

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

No, gonna try full T5. MH gives me to much humidity and rusts the lock on my front door, locking me out in the rain and then I'm not happy.
anyway, ya, power module 8 bulb fixture. Should be fun

can't you just add smaller fixtures around your LEDs to suplement the LEDs (being serious now) would be a shame to get rid of the leds

Steve

[brotherd]

Originally Posted by sphelps

To me T5 only tanks look great in pictures but washed out in person. While the camera loves the uniform light distribution my eyes prefer the shadows and contrast created by other options. T5 and LED combinations offer a solution that makes sense in some ways but contradict most of the advantages I've come to appreciate with LEDs. Mixing T5s with LEDs introduces these problems to a fixture which was originally sold based on the fact they didn't have such problems. Then there's the control aspect that T5s just don't compare to. Yes you can dim T5s but it doesn't make it a good idea, dimming florescent bulbs is not the same as dimming LEDs and it never will be, if you've done this before you know.

I'd say for a budget on off style fixture a T5/LED is a decent option for those who prefer a more uniform light coverage with some added shimmer. Something more related to a direct replacement for a MH/T5 fixture with lower heat and electricity requirements. However for a higher end fixture it's not something I would recommend, a mitra looks pretty close to a 250W+T5 combo without any of the drawbacks, IMO it's looks even better.

That said this hobby is, for the most part, expensive and time consuming so do whatever you can justify and keeps you motivated. But for the love of god just do it already . If you hate LEDs then run Halides, T5s or whatever, don't cry about spending thousands on LEDs because you had to. Electricity isn't that expensive, even with chillers and typically HRV units cost less than $1000 and are easy to install in most applications. LEDs won't always solve your heat, power consumption or humidity problems, usually they just reduce it. Payback periods are long if you can even make it without changing something. So run LEDs if you like them and something else if you don't, justify your decision solely on your personal preference.

Well said. What motivates me most is getting the result that I want from a light . While I'm still a newbie to reefing, so far I like the results I'm getting from led's. I have not tried mh or t5. Yet.