MH vs T5 vs LED

[danthenewreefman]

MH are generally thought of as "more efficient" in terms of lumens per watt etc...

 

Are T5s that much less efficient once you transition to "high quality" bulbs & you're using single light reflectors?

 

I have basically 250w of T5s lighting my 75g using high quality bulbs (ATI). Would that be close to the par of a 250w MH?

 

--

 

The LED fixtures are about 140w and are said to be stronger than 250w metal halides -- but would it really provide the same coverage area?

 

i'm specifically looking at that $400 mu light from boostled. And wondering if that 135w would provide the same coverage and intensity that i'm getting from my 6x39w 36" T5 fixture.

 

I'm pretty sure it would give me the same/more intensity...but the coverage is my concern.

 

Doesn't seem like 1 of those would light my entire 75g like my T5s,

[snip84]

MH are generally thought of as "more efficient" in terms of lumens per watt etc...

 

Are T5s that much less efficient once you transition to "high quality" bulbs & you're using single light reflectors?

 

I have basically 250w of T5s lighting my 75g using high quality bulbs (ATI). Would that be close to the par of a 250w MH?

 

--

 

The LED fixtures are about 140w and are said to be stronger than 250w metal halides -- but would it really provide the same coverage area?

 

i'm specifically looking at that $400 mu light from boostled. And wondering if that 135w would provide the same coverage and intensity that i'm getting from my 6x39w 36" T5 fixture.

 

I'm pretty sure it would give me the same/more intensity...but the coverage is my concern.

 

Doesn't seem like 1 of those would light my entire 75g like my T5s,

 

i have seen lumen measurements of bout the same t5 vs. mh in price on another site, cant remember where. And in some cases T5 lightning had even more lumens than mh. A lot of people over here use T5 over MH. And not that they couldn't afford one. Some believe they arent nothing less eficient. Another advantage of T5 is you can select virtualy any spectrum setup. So individual reflectors and good T5's arent nothing wrong in my opinion

[stmccool]

i have seen lumen measurements of bout the same t5 vs. mh in price on another site, cant remember where. And in some cases T5 lightning had even more lumens than mh. A lot of people over here use T5 over MH. And not that they couldn't afford one. Some believe they arent nothing less eficient. Another advantage of T5 is you can select virtualy any spectrum setup. So individual reflectors and good T5's arent nothing wrong in my opinion

 

It also comes down to heat and life of bulbs. T5s are normally replaces sooner than MH. Neither T5s or MH comes close to the life of an LED (should be 10+ years) and LED push no heat to an aquarium. They do create heat but it is to the backside and should be vented off instead of into the water.

 

Another important aspect to some people is the "shimmer" effect. LED and MH produce it and T5s don't.

[bioload]

In the end, as long as the lighting you pick can support the growth and health of the corals you want to keep,it's what lighting YOU personally like the best. If you have a good LFS they probably have multiple lighting set ups you can view, mine does, and you can take a good look at what lighting systems look best to you.They do look different. I personally still like MH the best. I love the sparkling, shimmering effect and just the overall look of the tanks with that lighting. But thats just me, you ( and others) may prefer leds,t5's whatever.Just make sure your gonna be happy with it before you buy.

[evilc66]

It also comes down to heat and life of bulbs. T5s are normally replaces sooner than MH.

Eh, not quite. Accepted replacement schedules for MH is around 12 months. T5HO is about 12-18 months.

 

Efficiency between T5 and MH is about equal. That basically means that for the same power, they emit about the same amount of light (notice I'm not putting a metric in there). The big difference comes with the reflectors used. Most of the time, MH can get away with relatively poor reflectors, because the bulb package doesn't interfere with the light (also known as restrike). T5 bulbs (and PCs to a greater degree) have a major issue with restrike. As such, the reflector plays a much greater role in the light that actually gets into the tank. That's not to say that MH can't take advantage of a properly designed reflector.

 

The intensity comparisons between MH and LED are typically all about peak intensity. My PAR38's are equivalent to 250W MH's with the right configuration, but we all know they can't cover the same area. All LED fixtures have a hard time with equaling the coverage of a MH with a decent reflector. You need to refer back to the manufacturer to see what the recommended coverage area is for a particular product. Coverage is affected by the optics used (primary or secondary), and the spread of the LEDs over the fixture.

[Darrin1246]

I would definitely go with M.H and T5 over led.I've had good experience with all lighting formats and from my experience m.h is still the most relieble.

 

I've owned a few reef led lighting fixtures(reefbrites,current usa tru lumen,etc..)They work good at first but seem to dim out somewhat rather quickly and or a led light goes out or becomes very dim in comparision to the other lights.And the flaw? you can't change the bulb out only the entire fixture.I think the potential is there for led,but considering the price and fact that the lights are not replacable, at this time i would stick with the already proven lighting formats avalible.

 

.I highly douby an led light fixture used under reef lighting circumstances would last more than a year making them more expensive than the other choices,just my opinion from what ive experienced.Hey even my led X-mas lights are done after a year or so.

[NanNewB]

The Best of both. I have the Par's for Morning and Evening lights w/timers. The left turns on in the morning then the center 250w Lumenbright then late afternoon the right turns on and left turns off and the right is the last to turn off. Works great and looks good.

[markandstaci]

The Best of both. I have the Par's for Morning and Evening lights w/timers. The left turns on in the morning then the center 250w Lumenbright then late afternoon the right turns on and left turns off and the right is the last to turn off. Works great and looks good.

 

That's awesome!

[danthenewreefman]

I would definitely go with M.H and T5 over led.I've had good experience with all lighting formats and from my experience m.h is still the most relieble.

 

I've owned a few reef led lighting fixtures(reefbrites,current usa tru lumen,etc..)They work good at first but seem to dim out somewhat rather quickly and or a led light goes out or becomes very dim in comparision to the other lights.And the flaw? you can't change the bulb out only the entire fixture.I think the potential is there for led,but considering the price and fact that the lights are not replacable, at this time i would stick with the already proven lighting formats avalible.

 

.I highly douby an led light fixture used under reef lighting circumstances would last more than a year making them more expensive than the other choices,just my opinion from what ive experienced.Hey even my led X-mas lights are done after a year or so.

 

Evil can you please speak to this -- I'm confused, I've read so many places they'll last without degradation for up to 60,000hrs with 30,000 a minimum?

[GiantBen]

I'm not Evilc, but I'd guess that LEDs that fade within a year are cheap and run at too high a current.

[JBM]

I highly douby an led light fixture used under reef lighting circumstances would last more than a year making them more expensive than the other choices,just my opinion from what ive experienced.Hey even my led X-mas lights are done after a year or so.

 

So then my led fuge light thats been running for 13 months without ever being turned off is a freak of nature? Or maybe my actual light fixture thats been running for over a year in a reef setting is not putting out enough lumens?

 

I think your noob & have no idea what your talking about. You more than likely know 1% of what i know about them, which in turn is about .05% of what evil knows.

[danthenewreefman]

thought so....

[Mustang Boy]

I would definitely go with M.H and T5 over led.I've had good experience with all lighting formats and from my experience m.h is still the most relieble.

 

I've owned a few reef led lighting fixtures(reefbrites,current usa tru lumen,etc..)They work good at first but seem to dim out somewhat rather quickly and or a led light goes out or becomes very dim in comparision to the other lights.And the flaw? you can't change the bulb out only the entire fixture.I think the potential is there for led,but considering the price and fact that the lights are not replacable, at this time i would stick with the already proven lighting formats avalible.

 

.I highly douby an led light fixture used under reef lighting circumstances would last more than a year making them more expensive than the other choices,just my opinion from what ive experienced.Hey even my led X-mas lights are done after a year or so.

 

so you are basing your LED experience for LED fixtures off of cheap lighting that is almost entirely used for color supplementation not for main lighting, Evil has had reef tanks running for several years now under LEDs and i am not positive but i would be willing to bet atleast one of his tanks has had the same LEDs over it from day one, i know i have seen pictures of his 40g breeder with PAR38 bulbs over it and they looked like the same exact bulbs in every picture i remember seeing that were from different times through out the thread. Do a little more research on the lighting you are talking about before downing any specific lighting because you decided to cheap out and get cheap LED supplementation that wasnt meant to grow corals and think that all LEDs are like those. Try some high powered high quality LEDs and you will be amazed

[Darrin1246]

Just stating my opinon,that is what forums are for.Perhaps you do know more,and that's fine.That is how we all learn.

 

No need to get nasty or personal now tough guy.

 

So then my led fuge light thats been running for 13 months without ever being turned off is a freak of nature? Or maybe my actual light fixture thats been running for over a year in a reef setting is not putting out enough lumens?

 

I think your noob & have no idea what your talking about. You more than likely know 1% of what i know about them, which in turn is about .05% of what evil knows.

[danthenewreefman]

my whole point of this thread was to get real world numbers on how much an LED is gonna cost for my 75g.

 

And if their 400$ mu series is "close" could I build something stronger for the same amount of $.

 

It just seems like the MU has too many LEDs to be high quality ones.

[NanNewB]

I was looking to do the same and after doing a lot of reading you would need at least 2 of them for coverage edge to edge and then you're at 270w of lighting and a lot of money. Best way to go is build your own with anywhere from 48-56 led's and on a 2 heatsink setup. I was looking to build a 4 heatsink setup with a 13 led (9 blue) (mix RB w 2 blue) and 4 XML-T5 and (maybe a couple of violet) the new XML are extra bright and efficient. Cost would be below $400 and with separate fixtures you could give a better spread and simulate a sun rising and setting across the tank.

 

just my idea...

[Mustang Boy]

you would need 2 of the Mu Series 135w LED lights for a 75g tank, i am not positive about exactly which LEDs they use but i know they use quality LEDs in their PAR30 bulbs so i would be willing to bet that the LEDs in their Mu LED light are more than likely the same brand. I checked the specifications of the Mu Series LED light and according to their description it has an "Excellent coverage for a 24″x20″ area." and that is quoted directly off of their site. So you would have to do 2 one over each half of the tank.

[danthenewreefman]

I know that's what they say.... the 24x20 thing.

 

but I don't intend on having SPS on the sand!

[Mustang Boy]

well either way you look at it i dont think you would be able to use just one especially with the center brace because the center brace would block a ton of light because the fixture would be directly over it if it was in the center of the tank

[snip84]

I would definitely go with M.H and T5 over led.I've had good experience with all lighting formats and from my experience m.h is still the most relieble.

 

I've owned a few reef led lighting fixtures(reefbrites,current usa tru lumen,etc..)They work good at first but seem to dim out somewhat rather quickly and or a led light goes out or becomes very dim in comparision to the other lights.And the flaw? you can't change the bulb out only the entire fixture.I think the potential is there for led,but considering the price and fact that the lights are not replacable, at this time i would stick with the already proven lighting formats avalible.

 

.I highly douby an led light fixture used under reef lighting circumstances would last more than a year making them more expensive than the other choices,just my opinion from what ive experienced.Hey even my led X-mas lights are done after a year or so.

 

yeah, LED is power saving, but the tank look like 80's cocktail bar to me.

[JBM]

No need to get nasty or personal now tough guy.

 

my statement couldn't have been further from being a tough guy. I do agree that a forum is for learning, guess what. I educated you, plain & simple.

[Mustang Boy]

yeah, LED is power saving, but the tank look like 80's cocktail bar to me.

 

can you describe what you mean by the tank looking like an 80's cocktail bar?

[danthenewreefman]

spicy!

[snip84]

can you describe what you mean by the tank looking like an 80's cocktail bar?

 

i can spot a LED system from a mile. and i dont like the colors they bring in. That's just not T5 or Mh.

[Natural71]

I use MH now and love the output and shimmer that 150w of 20k creates. I have never seen LED in action up close but the DIY nature of them is a turn off for me. Nothing I've seen that is prefab is attractive to me so I'll stick with MH until someone produces a LED array that suits my needs by way of dimension and looks. Also, I don't think T5 looks good at all (like most fluorescent bulbs) but I do appreciate the 'pop' some actinic range bulbs produce in my corals. My .02.