Lighting Decision

[tbarnes8908]

Hello guys. I am in need of a little advice. I currently have a 4 bulb T5 light fixture on my 46 gallon bow front. All four bulbs need replaced.
I have thought about replacing the T5 fixture with a LED fixture from Reefbreeders (120 watt Bridgelux Value LEDfixture).
My question is, which option would be better for my tank, growing coral (some SPSr: rgb(241, 241, 241); ">, mostly softies), and be the most cost effective in the long run? Is this LED fixture worth changing to and will it sufficiently cover my tank? Or should I buy 4 new ATI bulbs for my T5 fixture and continue having to buy new bulbs each year?
Another option I had thought about would be to find a metal halide fixture on craigslist. I am not sure how each compare to each other and how much lighting from each fixture I would receive.
Any advice would be great! Thanks!

 

[acrylic51]

IMO not to much to compare MH's.....Basically a ballast is a ballast.....The difference more or less comes down to the bulbs you choose, but then you have to weigh in the cost of replacing bulbs and electrical cost to swap to MH's.......Heat might be another consideration in your decision as well depending how your canopy is constructed and ventilation........
LEDs have been used and have been able to successfully support a reef tank.....That really isn't questionable IMO....The biggest question I think out there is are the claims of the life expectancy truly accurate......Even with the real "big guns" of the LED industry you see LEDs going out prematurely.....This could be caused by a number of things, and no one can truly pinpoint what they are. With that said the electrical cost and heat are minimal to a degree using LEDS.....I'm still thinking; under the impression that even though LEDs have progressed as far as they have in the hobby, they are still missing something, or better yet were missing or not understanding it all......The old add age of just whites and blues can run a tank, but we have learned that this bulb combination is missing; lacking in spectrum which the advent of adding different blues, whites, uv, reds, etc.....have come into play. Really can't comment on the fixture your referring to, but specs on the unit might be helpful as well.......
As far as staying with T5's......A big question is how is the tank responding to your lighting.....At times my logic or thinking is why change what is working....If your happy with your progress, and coloration why mess with things.......

 

[acrylic51]

Another fixture you could look at is Apollo Reefs......Not entirely sure if you really need (2) reds and greens though......The unit you listed can be manually dimmed, but if your spending $200, I'd opt to spend a little more on a unit that either has a controller or has the ability to be hooked to a controller to be dimmed through the controller.....Basically more flexibility IMO......

 

[snakeblitz33]

I'm with acrylic on this one.
I personally think that you should consider what your tank is doing... growth and color wise. Your T5's may be more appealing with different bulb combinations. Look into ATI brand and UVL brand bulbs - and play around with it. It has taken me a while to find a combination that I really enjoy that is appealing to my eyes.
Metal halides, too, would be awesome.

 

[gemmy]

The reef breeders are decent units (IMO) and you can spend a little more to get one that is dimmable. I have seen a few tanks with these units that have these fixtures and I thought the tanks looked pretty good and had great growth.