Cody
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Thanks! That’s the only coral I have that isn’t thriving. I’ve been turning down my lights slowly to see if that helps. It was getting 550 par for seven hours per day. Back when it was in its prime, it was getting maybe 300-350 for seven hours per day. I’ve talked to other people that have that colony as well and theirs gets a similar par. I also might start dipping it again too to make sure the flat works are gone. There’s no tissue loss for maybe 4-5 months now, so I’m guessing they’re gone. Who knows though.@Cody it’s been over a year now I still want my asd Mille maybe in the next few months ill
Come get it if I get my tank in order.. again
Anyway your tank looks amazing!
@reeftopia said he used to dry it out then feed it to them. That’s the only way they’d eat it. I might be misremembering though.They wont touch bryopsis. It isn't palatable to them unfortunately.
@ReefahholicSo I've said to myself for a long time that the part of the day when my tank looks prettiest is when the T5s cut off and it's just the LEDs. I think I'm going to build a new floating canopy with just LEDs. I think that the LED/T5 combo is probably the smartest combination for growing corals, but at the end of the day, the entire hobby is ornamental, and if I don't like the look of T5s then what's the point. I currently have 3 black boxes oriented left to right with two T5s on both sides. I will build a new floating canopy with the black boxes oriented front to back, with 2-3 more of them than I currently have, and leave the option for one T5 bulb on either side of the black boxes. Plus, the T5s blind me while I'm sitting on the couch in a way that the LEDs don't.
So I've said to myself for a long time that the part of the day when my tank looks prettiest is when the T5s cut off and it's just the LEDs. I think I'm going to build a new floating canopy with just LEDs. I think that the LED/T5 combo is probably the smartest combination for growing corals, but at the end of the day, the entire hobby is ornamental, and if I don't like the look of T5s then what's the point. I currently have 3 black boxes oriented left to right with two T5s on both sides. I will build a new floating canopy with the black boxes oriented front to back, with 2-3 more of them than I currently have, and leave the option for one T5 bulb on either side of the black boxes. Plus, the T5s blind me while I'm sitting on the couch in a way that the LEDs don't.
Interesting take. I am somewhat the opposite, though maybe not using the best LEDs I could for comparison. I had 2 AI prime 16's on my 4 foot tank and it really just looked like two spotlights on my tank that I didn't like much. Adding 4 T5s to my tank really helped the tank visually. Though I can't argue the coral pop at night when my tank turns bluer does look really good.So I've said to myself for a long time that the part of the day when my tank looks prettiest is when the T5s cut off and it's just the LEDs. I think I'm going to build a new floating canopy with just LEDs. I think that the LED/T5 combo is probably the smartest combination for growing corals, but at the end of the day, the entire hobby is ornamental, and if I don't like the look of T5s then what's the point. I currently have 3 black boxes oriented left to right with two T5s on both sides. I will build a new floating canopy with the black boxes oriented front to back, with 2-3 more of them than I currently have, and leave the option for one T5 bulb on either side of the black boxes. Plus, the T5s blind me while I'm sitting on the couch in a way that the LEDs don't.
Interesting take. I am somewhat the opposite, though maybe not using the best LEDs I could for comparison. I had 2 AI prime 16's on my 4 foot tank and it really just looked like two spotlights on my tank that I didn't like much. Adding 4 T5s to my tank really helped the tank visually. Though I can't argue the coral pop at night when my tank turns bluer does look really good.
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I think the absolute best combo with be MH/T5/LED
Yeah, like I said, I will still leave the option, and will still probably use t5s, but I want to lean more into leds. My previous tank was one of my all time favorites. It had a 36”x18” footprint. I had two black boxes with two t5 bulbs. The two led units were right next to each other and completely covered the tank from left to right. The t5s were just there for supplementation. The leds were doing maybe 80% of the heavy lifting, but my current setup has them about half and half. I don’t think I’ll completely get rid of the t5s, but will just switch to leaning heavier on the leds..
I also believe the best combo is T5/LED
I think the absolute best combo with be MH/T5/LED
Second best MH/T5
Third T5/LED
The problem is that MH are bulky, put out a lot of heat, require a chiller or fans, and bulbs are getting hard to come by. So I scratched MH’s off my list.
So now I personally prefer the 3rd option of T5/LED as the best option. The problem with my new build is that it’s gonna cost a lot of money to run this combo. So I’ll need to get one light source at a time. At first i planed on getting a DX18 fixture and running just 4 T5’s for the first 6 months until I could buy some LEDS to throw in there with them. Now I’m shifting gears and going to do the opposite. I’ll buy the LEDS 1st and then buy the DX18 2nd since it requires a controller to ramp up/down. Then add T5’s later. Or depending on who people like that fixture, I may end up retro fitting some T5’s.
For me it’s all about proper spread and spectrum. I hate peaky LED’s or any lighting that lacks the spectrum I’m looking for.
Since you will probably ask which LED’s...I’m going with Radion G5’s because I’m convinced they finally have the spread I’m looking for. Orphek’s would be my second LED choice, but the customer service seems to be lacking and Gregg Carrol pulled one apart and said they are simply not a premium light.
The only thing about the G5 is that EcoTech designed the fan in house, and it’s a really goofy design IMO. $20 says they redesign it with the G6.
To answer your original question...Go with what makes you happy. I love the look of T5’s and they create awesome pictures and video. Although LED’s give more color pop if you’re into that. I’m into coral health which is why I prefer both. Each has its own advantages.
How long are your t5s on every day?Man I’ve been thinking the same thing for a while now...
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The difference is that I’m using black boxes. They’re 16”x8” of leds. The color doesn’t blend as well as those AIs but it’s not terrible. The trade off is less of a spotlight, however they’re still leds and create somewhat of a spotlight. Because they’re so much cheaper, you can blanket your tank with them then turn each unit down.Interesting take. I am somewhat the opposite, though maybe not using the best LEDs I could for comparison. I had 2 AI prime 16's on my 4 foot tank and it really just looked like two spotlights on my tank that I didn't like much. Adding 4 T5s to my tank really helped the tank visually. Though I can't argue the coral pop at night when my tank turns bluer does look really good.
How long are your t5s on every day?