I'm setting up a 420 gallon tank (84x36x32) I want to make sure I have adequate lighting but not too sure how I wanna do it?? Any suggestions???
LED or T5??????
- Thread starter Chris360
- Start date
I would recommend T5HO's for that depth of a tank. I don't think you will be satisfied with store bought LED fixtures for that deep of a tank.
depends on your plans for the tank. id argue for led if you have no intention of adding plants especially with 3w leds becoming more affordable. what are your stocking plans?
I think with fresh water the difference is very little, more what budget you want.
a decent led fixture will do the depth and light the tank up but will cost you 4-5X the amount of t5s
T5s will be fine but you may have to replace bulbs every 9-12 months if you plan on growing plants
MH will be cheaper setup cost and run the whole tank very easy but you may require a chiller depending on the stock and they use more power.
MH>T5>LED is the running cost way else its a single t5 light but you would need a few.
Leds will last longer and wont produce more heat but a decent unit will cost you a bit more. MH would work best but cost a lot to run compared to others and produce a bit of heat.
Saying this I would go for a decent LED fixture or a cheap LED fixture and hope it works to your needs or a MH setup. In the long run they will do a better job lighting the tank. I am certain a decent LED fixture will work some reef growers have the same depth and can grow corals almost at the base!
a decent led fixture will do the depth and light the tank up but will cost you 4-5X the amount of t5s
T5s will be fine but you may have to replace bulbs every 9-12 months if you plan on growing plants
MH will be cheaper setup cost and run the whole tank very easy but you may require a chiller depending on the stock and they use more power.
MH>T5>LED is the running cost way else its a single t5 light but you would need a few.
Leds will last longer and wont produce more heat but a decent unit will cost you a bit more. MH would work best but cost a lot to run compared to others and produce a bit of heat.
Saying this I would go for a decent LED fixture or a cheap LED fixture and hope it works to your needs or a MH setup. In the long run they will do a better job lighting the tank. I am certain a decent LED fixture will work some reef growers have the same depth and can grow corals almost at the base!
I really appreciate everyone's input, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with 2x 36" Quad T5HO fixtures
I was in the same boat as yours but my tank is 96x48x30 and I went with TruLumen LED strips. I only run a 48" and a 36" strip linked together and it lights it up nicely. I gotta say I love the efficiency and super small size.
all fish you posted will appreciate dimmer light id go with 4-36" double bright leds. i really like leds over anything else for the power savings, color and shimmer. but end of the day it is your tank so it will be up to you. one thing you may want to try is toss some smaller lights on there to sample before you go spend a bunch of money on lighting.
