# Led vs T5



## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi werner.smit1,

Welcome to TPT!

A couple of quick questions, have you done any water parameter testing? If so what can you tell us about PH, dKH, dGH, and nitrates?

Do you have T-5 or T-5HO light fixtures? What is the wattage of the lamps and have you changed the lamps in the last 12 months?

Also, pictures do help us analyze what may be happening with your plants; an overall picture of the tank and close up pictures of plants you feel are not doing well.


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## DaveK (Jul 10, 2010)

werner.smit1 said:


> ... Wil the full spectrum LED be a better option for light? ...


You already have good light on the tank. Before you invest in LES lighting, make sure your really going to gain something.

I would say that good T5 lighting is better than lousy LED lighting, and that good LED lighting is better that lousy T5 lighting. There is no "one size fits all". There is no right or wrong answer. It's more what is best for you.

Both will work, but have different advantages and disadvantages. Also, LED lighting is the hot new lighting, so you get some bragging rights.

Here is a summary -

LED

-much higher initial investment
-a lot of possible selections of fixtures, some are better than others
-no annual bulb replacement
-depending upon the wiring and controls, LED can do a lot of fancy tricks
-less heat produced and less power consumed

T5

-low initial investment
-bulbs need annual replacement
-repairs can usually be made with off the shelf parts
-higher cost to run

If your happy with the results you now get, you sure are not under sny pressure to go with LEDs. You could save your money and do just fine.

If you don't mind the added initial investment, LEDs can be a really nice kind of lighting. 

Lastly LEDs keep getting better all the time. If you wait a year or two, you may see LED lighting systems that are a much better value.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

You could have anything from 20 PAR (very low light) to 80 PAR (high light) depending on if you have a T5NO or T5HO light fixture, and whether the light fixture has very good reflectors or very poor reflectors, and whether the light fixture has a full power ballast or a low power ballast. That is why we have to know a lot more about your light fixture before any useful advice is possible.


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## werner.smit1 (Jul 8, 2016)

Sorry for late reply. 
Lights: 4 39W t5 HO
Nitrate 25mg/l
Nitrite 0.3mg/l
GH 8
KH 3
PH 7.5
Ammonia 0mg/l
I have not replaced the bulps, About 16 months old now. 

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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

It's fine to run T5 bulbs until they shoot. It is a myth they have to be replaced yearly. Some brands more than others will lose a bit of PAR over time (become dimmer) and fluorescents have a tendency to degrade towards the red side of the spectrum. This can be a problem for sw reef tanks, but not FW plants 

Nothing wrong with replacing them every year but certainly not a necessity. I have a couple running now that are over 2 years old, still within 5-10% of their original PAR. Durability can vary greatly from one brand to the next, however. Ive had some Coralife bulbs go to crap after only a few months, not that they were very good to begin with. Then some off brand hydroponic 6500Ks last a couple of years + 

You may currently have too much or too little light, but otherwise any problems are not related to the TYPE of lighting. 

If anything, T5s will grow plants better than the average LED, and look a lot better in the process. /Hate shield engaged :red_mouth


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

Is that tank 29" deep and 40" long? What length lights are you using, how are they arranged? How high are they from the substrate?


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## JsTanks (Jul 9, 2016)

In regards to your algae 

*GLASS*

this looks like greenspot a combination of your regular water changes along with a razorblade will handle this then help battle it with a large nerite snail / bristlenose pleco/mystery snail

*rockwork *
*

take a toothbrush or stainless steel brush and scrub the crap out of it then slow it down with the above mentioned larger nerite / bristlenose /mystery snail

Plants*

come at them gently with a toothbrush then combat with ottos/small nerites(horned nerites)

*Other algae tips*
*
Soaking up nutrients*
add some pothos to your hang on back filter if you run a hang on back
add floating plants don't go with duckweed as it sux to maintain
add some fast growing plants like wysteria

Your always going to have algae its all about getting it down and keeping it down



Onto the plants
looking at your plants what is that Bacopa? and some kind of sword/val to be honest if all things are well example your dosing right and your co2 is in check i'd just try lower light your running 4 bulbs take 2 out and see what it does in a month


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## Fissure (Jun 29, 2014)

I would think more light is the last thing your tanks needs from looking at the pics. 
You would be better of seeing over your fert regime and your CO2 setup.
I see you have a diffuser in there and if your KH and PH readings are correct you have somewhere around 6ppm of CO2 in your tank. If that's the case that should be the first thing you should fix.
The bacopa looks lost and you might as well replace that one or atleast cut it all down and replant just the tips (after you fixed the other stuff I mentioned!)
Then cut off all the damaged leaves from the Helanthium(?) and let it restart, does not matter if there just is a couple of leaves left


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## jordie416 (Jul 1, 2016)

Looks like you are running too much light (run 2 bulbs if directly on top of tank) and not enough ferts (Algae is thriving off amonia from plants due combination of lack of ferts and abundance of lighting). 

Looks like you are using a V difuser, aim for around 2-3 bubbles a second. Of course this is an estimate and a dropchecker or ph/kh kit should be used for accurate co2 readings.


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