T5 HO vs LED

[laurenrocksth]

I'm in the process of starting a planted 40B and have yet to purchase lights. I've previously had T5HO, but never LED. I like the idea of LEDs in that they stay cool and usually have night light options, but am not sure how they do with plants. I found a 1200 lumen fixture that I liked. I'm going for low light, no CO2. Would that be OK to grow these types of plants, or should I stick with normal bulbs???

 

[jpappy789]

If you're going low light, skip T5HO on a tank with that depth. I don't know enough about LEDs and plants though to recommend what to look for...

 

[laurenrocksth]

Something along the lines of this?

http://www.petco.com/product/111939...od.aspx?CoreCat=MM_FishSupplies_HoodsLighting

 

[jpappy789]

Something like that could work well since you can run bulbs independently and can raise the lighting a bit. Would also give you the option of upgrading to a higher tech setup down the line. Not a horrible price either.

 

[jjbtexas]

A finnex Ray2 should work and is really inexpensive. I have one lighting up my 29 gallon which is the same height and it works great. The Current Satellite LED+ is also a good option but a little weaker in strength. Both are a little more expensive up front but you'll never have to change bulbs and the LED+ gives you a wide range of color options as well. On my 29gallon with the Ray2 I added some cheap red LEDs to bring out some more color in the fish and my red plants.

http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Ray2-A...8&qid=1374187038&sr=1-1&keywords=finnex+ray+2
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=26107

If you sign up for an Amazon Prime trial you can get it 2 day shipping for free and dr. foster and smith have free shipping as well.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Those fixtures listed above look promising.

In the past IMO, to get the equivalent plant growing potential out of an LED fixture, it's going to cost you many times the cost of a T5HO. For instance, you can get a low cost twin-tube 6500K T5HO for ~$60, vs. ~$300+ for an LED with the same plant growing potential.

 

[jpappy789]

T5HO prices have certainly gone down drastically the last few years. But then again I have zero experience with LEDs and wouldn't even know which fixtures are comparable.

 

[stephcps]

I have the ray2 on a 55 after reading some reviews on other forums. I have low to medium light plants and no Co2. I use fert tabs. My plants do quite well with it. I have been happy with the purchase.

 

[laurenrocksth]

I think I'm going to go with the 36" ray2. If I don't plan to have any reddish plants, do I need to supplement with separate LEDs?

 

[TL1000RSquid]

I think I'm going to go with the 36" ray2. If I don't plan to have any reddish plants, do I need to supplement with separate LEDs?

40b is pretty shallow should do plants upto near the medium/high borderline area without anything extra.