Why isn't there more LED/T5 combo fixture?
 

I know Sfiligoi has one but they are pricey. The LED/T5 seems to be the best combo with the best of both world; low heat and cover all the spectrum.

No wonder. Nobody cares.

Made one myself. 4 AIs with two 5' T5s.

Honestly, most people want modular with LEDs and the shortest T5 is 24". Yes, there are 12" and 18" T5s as well but none of the big names make them in that size.

I think it is a great idea but doubt you will ever see them mass produced.

i believe hamilton has one as well.

Also.. if you are mqking the investment on leds then why would u want to add t5 that you have to replace every few months. Leds last soooo much longer. Just get the right ratio or dimmers and ur set for years.

Going DIY...

MH & LED actinics!! I need the extra heat from the MH's, but can use te savings of bulbs and watts for the acctinics with LED's and build for a comparable price!

Also going to add some XM-L's for a intense HIGH Noon punch as well for a few hrs for my corals. That will get the growth going....I hope.

In general I'd say that if most are going to go LED, why then would you add the T-5 cost of bulb replacement and all, lack of dimming and color shifts??? Just add a few extra B and or R, NW or even get CW LED's from lower K color bins to round out the color spectrum

T5s provide a more full spectrum that LEDs miss. Also T5 bulbs can be run for 12 months, not a few. You just have too cool them properly.

To say LEDs last longer has no basis either. I have seen more than a few threads where people have first gen LED fixtures and all have failing LEDs after just a year or so.

Just playing devils advocate here. I own LEDs myself but I expect them to fail by the 2 year mark. NOTHING has ever lasted as long as the manufactures state when it comes to our aquariums. This is especially true for lighting.

I think the best color combination would be MH and LED actinics, but then you have the heat issue. T5's are ok, but lack the intensity unless you have a lot of them. I do like their color availability a lot though.

T5s certainly do NOT lack intensity. An ATI fixture can keep up with almost every 250w MH and even keep up with 400w halide systems. My 4x24w ATI Sunpower had PAR numbers of a 250w halide but with better spread and better color options.

There are 4 major keys to a good T5 setup:

1) Good bulbs
1) Good reflectors
1) Proper ballasts
1) Proper cooling

If any of those lack, you hinder performance by up to 50% in some cases. Also, if you have 3w LEDs you aren't worrying about intensity. You are probably more worried about spectrum.

Quite nice.
http://imagineanocean.com/pacific-su...tank-7-months/

The Sfiligoi Genesis is pretty nice and perfect on what I'm looking for but the price is really out there.

http://www.aquaticselite.com/Sfiligo...is_T5_s/64.htm

I have the aquatic life fixture its t5 with 2 blue atenic bulbs and 2 10k bulbs and 4 sets of moon lights that are leds. They have there own program to set up how long you want each set of lights on. Mine is a 36"fixture.

I think they are looking for a fixture with high power LED and T5s not a T5 with moonlights.

After getting over the shock of the price - and trying to find other suitable options that would give me everything I was looking for - I gave in and ordered a sfiligoi genesis t5. Hoping that it will finally be here this week ...... sure hope it impresses me! :D

I agree its weird that there aren't more T5 LED fixtures out there. I also agree that it's the best possible mix there is. I have T5s and DIY LEDs and think its the PERFECT color combo. My only problem with my light set up is how hideous looking it is and because of that I have to have it in a canopy. I want a big rimless sooooo bad but would want a sexy looking fixture to hang over it but as of now I don't want to go just LEDs or just T5s.

I would LOVE an ATI LED/T5 hybrid.

i did a lot of research as well for my upgrade. i ended up going with the sfiligoi genesis all led with rgb leds added for a more complete spectrum. its pricey but hoprfully worth it!!!!! i should have it the end of jan.

Steve

Anyone thought of adding LED to the ATI fixture? Orphek offers T8 bulbs that fit in any fixture but requires the removal of the ballast and wiring for those 2 bulbs.

I was also thinking of adding 24" ReefBrite blue leds to a 4,6, or 8 bulb 24" ATI Sunpower.

Any thoughts?

Dp dp dp dp dp dp dp

DIY for the win people. If you have either an LED setup or a T5 setup, you can easily and cheaply add more lighting via the one you're lacking with a couple hours of your time and an extra $100-150. With T5 retrofit kits and DIY LED packages one can do this quite simply! If it lasts as long as those aforementioned LED fixtures that you pay $500 for and it falls apart after a year or two it will be well worth it, although it probably won't.

DIY is highly customizable, so you can make it look whichever way you want. IMO this the best option out there. Hell, I am thinking of gutting my 48" Nova Extreme to supplement my LED's. This combo, however, is not just yet available by any legitimate company, and I feel the best color would probably come from an LED/T5 setup, seeing as both make corals pop to the extreme.