Any opinion on lights

[juliesfish]

Well, my standard florescent light went out on our aquarium. We tried changing the bulb but it's still not working. I'm looking into getting something a little better if we have to replace the whole fixture and I was looking at the Marineland LED lights on this site. We have a 90 gallon fish only tank going through the first cycle right now. We would like to eventually have an anemone and possibly some soft coral. Would an LED light be sufficient for that?

 

[meowzer]

IDK a lot about LED's, BUT the ones here are not enough for corals or an anemone.....from what I have read from the experts anyway LOL

 

[2quills]

The reef capable ones can handle softies up to an 18" tall tank. They won't keep sps or anemones though. And the color they put out is pretty drab.

 

[nikesb]

for a 90 gallon, the cheapest option i can think of is 2 units of Evolution LED 150w. They would definately be able to keep an anemone if you're interested in LEDs. the best though is to go DIY, but if thats not your thing the Evolution LED would be good.

 

[juliesfish]

I'm guessing that the T5 would be better then? Are those the same as metal halide? And do they get as hot? Sorry, I don't know as much about the lights. I'm trying to decide if it will just be better to keep the florescent fixture right now and try to fix it and invest in a higher quality light later. If we do add an anemone it will be quite a ways down the line.

 

[1guydude]

U want a stable tank of AT LEAST 6 months before an anenome so good job there!
The t5s are a flourecent bulb just a bit smaller and chemical reaction that goes on in em is diff than a standerd flouresent! Not as much heat as Mh but deff gives off heat. Especially if its a 4, 6, or even 8 bulb fixture!
Id go LED if u can afford it! Great colors, coral and fish color actually pops more, 50,000 hrs on the bulbs! Not nearly any heat transfer, and more im sure!
Just dont go cheap, cuz cheaps wat ull get!

 

[juliesfish]

Thanks for the info. I'm still doing research. I'm leaning toward the LEDs right now though. It seems that some people don't like the way they look, so I want to check it out a little more before buying something.

 

[juliesfish]

Went ahead and ordered the Marineland Reef Capable LED's. Started to see that some people DIY it, but that is WAY beyond our capabilities at the moment.

Maybe some day.

 

[swalchemist]

T-5 or metal halide are your options for a reef system. LEDS are an option but not the cheap 1-2 watt ones you see flooding the market trying to get in on the green movement to sell something they know wont do what everyone wants it to do. If you want LEDS I suggest something like ecoxotic's cannon LED fixtures, Eco-tech is also coming out with a new reef worthy LED fixture. You asked about heat issues with T5s, yes there are heat issues with all lights even LEDs at least bright ones. Are they as hot as a halide? No, does it really matter? Only if you have small systems or poorly ventilated areas. Will you get as much light with a T5 as a halide? Depends on how many bulbs you use, 6-8 is ideal for a deeper tank IMO. Will you save money with an LED or T5 as compared to a halide? Not really, the money you save on energy is usually quickly lost when you have to do a bulb replacement. In the end it all comes down to this, do some real research , see as many successful tanks as you can in person and not some show tank that was just set up to demo a new product and get the light your animals need to stay healthy and alive for years to come.

 

[a&a2]

I heard Marineland has come out with "double bright LED's" I don't know anything about them compared to the halides though

 

[juliesfish]

Well, I just got in the LED light and put it up immediately. I had really high hopes, but it is frankly horrible. It is the Marineland Double Bright LED's. My plain old single bulb fluorescent was brighter than this. I'm packing it up and sending it back tomorrow. I've already ordered the T5 x4 fixture instead. I think that will end up being much better. Kind of disappointed that I have to wait another week for lights on the aquarium.

 

[1guydude]

sry to hear that...the marineland LED units are crapola from wat i hear! Not good for coral or anything.
Quote:
I've already ordered the T5 x4 fixture instead.
I hope ur unit came with the bulbs! If not ur gonna want those lol

 

[juliesfish]

Yep, it's coming with bulbs, lol. Sorry, my newbness doesn't always post things correctly. It is coming with 2x T5 HO lamps 10000K, 2x T5 HO lamps Actinic Blue, and 4x Blue Moon LEDs. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

 

[1guydude]

wat brand? I have oddsyea and the reflector is not very great, either are the bulbs. So since ive purchased the fixture ive upgraded to ATI bulbs. The g-g grunsiemens are good too. Now however I want a tek light but it'll run me about $250 for the fixture only! Unfortunately i have to repair my car! Does it ever end!!!!! sry just venting lol

 

[juliesfish]

Tell me about it my car is in the shop right now.
The brand name is Odyssea. I saw that it got mixed reviews. Didn't think it was the best, but it's a starting point. I'm sure it will get upgraded somewhere down the line. No matter what, it has to be better than those LED lights. From what I've heard the only way to get good quality from LED's is to build it yourself and we just don't have those skills.

 

[1guydude]

thats true and not lol
Par38 bulbs screw into ordinary sockets...such as track lighting!
they are equiped with 3w cree leds and 40deg optics....this is the ecoexotic bulb. Theres one ive never used called orphek and they have 60deg optics so the spread would be a lil better. The problem is they are like $120 a bulb lol....im getting a second one here soon! If u have the money, theres a way!

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by juliesfish http:///forum/thread/386070/any-opinion-on-lights#post_3389631
Tell me about it my car is in the shop right now.
The brand name is Odyssea. I saw that it got mixed reviews. Didn't think it was the best, but it's a starting point. I'm sure it will get upgraded somewhere down the line. No matter what, it has to be better than those LED lights. From what I've heard the only way to get good quality from LED's is to build it yourself and we just don't have those skills.
There are some very good LED fixtures out there, the issue is, the ones that are well made, are going to cost you a heck of a lot more than a DIY will.
The PAR bulbs are alright, good if you have a nano setup, but not practical for most other applications.
Odyssea's are okay. Like you mention, they're a starting point. There's definitely better out there, but there's also a lot worse. Look into a local reef club, many people sell of their equipment through reef clubs when they're upgrading or getting out of the hobby and you can get some really good deals that way. You can probably find a decent used fixture for your tank without breaking the bank. Where are you located?

 

[juliesfish]

I'm in Louisiana. Just joined the Louisiana Reef Club Forum. Thanks for the suggestion! Seems to have a lot of good deals. Going to keep my eye on that. I still haven't bought a protein skimmer yet.