# LED or T5HO?



## Elisa (Jan 5, 2016)

I'm deciding on lights for my 55 gallon setup. I want to be able to grow a decent variety of mosses and other plants, without spending hundreds of dollars on a fixture.

The two options I'm leaning towards are a Beamsworks LED of some sort (e.g., http://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-Series-0-50W-Aquarium-Freshwater/dp/B00XKLDVPM) 
Or a couple Sunblaster T5HOs from the local hydroponics store.

Once I factor in shipping to Canada for the Beamswork, the two options are very close in price.

Does anyone have any advice/experience?


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

T5HOs put out a lot of light but also put a good amount of heat. You will need to have them hanging or mounted above the vivarium and probably need some type of fan to keep things cool. Sunblaze or Sunblaster fixtures are the best you can get for the money. I have used a half dozen different ones and never had a unit fail. You just have to factor cost of the bulbs every 12-18months. The pros are you could easily customize the spectrum by selecting individual bulbs. Penetration would be better than the beamsworks.

I would suggest a beamsworks fixture with more LEDs than that unit you posted. Something like their PENT or ELF series lights or their 3w evo or quad fixtures if you have a taller tank. I love my beamsworks LEDs. They do get warm but nowhere near a t5ho. Judging by plant growth and brightness to my eye I'd say a hi-lumen 0.5w beamsworks fixture is equivalent to a 2-bulb t5ho with less penetration.


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## vachyner (Aug 10, 2013)

I've got a beamswork and an evo led, both from topdawg off of eBay and they're great. The evo has less leds on it, but they have lenses so the light focuses downward a bit better than the beamswork that doesn't have lenses. I've got great growth with both over the year they've been on there though. Hard to beat for the price, performance, and low profile.

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## Mohlerbear (Feb 20, 2014)

I have a beamswork 36"
6500k and I love it. 


Loading bowls and building vivs! Braaap!
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## dtown (Jan 5, 2011)

If you want green , bright, healthy moss.. Go with a T5.


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

dtown said:


> If you want green , bright, healthy moss.. Go with a T5.


This will depend a lot on which bulbs you are using in the T5. dtown, which bulbs are you that are giving you the good results on the moss? Regardless, as FrogTim said, be sure to factor the bulb replacement cost over time into your decision, OP.

Thanks,

Mark


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

dtown said:


> If you want green , bright, healthy moss.. Go with a T5.


Beamsworks fixtures will grow moss just fine too. With LEDs you have to be more conscious of the fixture's specific optics, coverage, penetration distance and plant placement. T5ho are an easier 'plug and play' if you want intense light and can handle the heat.


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## Elisa (Jan 5, 2016)

What about the Finnex Fugeray Planted? It's a bit more expensive (especially once I factor in currency conversion, yikes!) but seems to get decent reviews from the planted-tank people.


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

You get more light output with a beamswork fixture and I would recommend 2 led fixtures in a heavily planted tank of your size beamsworks or fugeray planted plus. 

I used a 12'' finnex planted plus on a 12x12x18 that kept the bromeliads within six inches of it colored really well up top but the plants at the substrate level and other bromeliads grew very little and didn't stay colored up until I switched out the light. They don't put out powerful light past 6-10inches, but the light will be plenty sufficient for viewing or growing low light plants farther away. 

Keep in mind lights behave differently in aquariums vs. vivariums. Light travels through water more efficiently so the same light won't penetrate as far in a vivarium as it would in an aquarium.


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

I agree with most of what Tim said here. My Beamsworks (especially EVO) fixtures are brighter than the only Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 that I have. I paid more for the Finnex and it is not nearly as bright as the cheaper EVOs. This difference is also reflected in the growth of the plants - better with the EVOs.



FrogTim said:


> Keep in mind lights behave differently in aquariums vs. vivariums. Light travels through water more efficiently so the same light won't penetrate as far in a vivarium as it would in an aquarium.


This, however, I am not at all sure about. Are you saying that there is a big difference between how much light reaches the same distance in air vs. water? So, lumens will be greater in water than air at the same distance given the same source of light? My understanding is that distance is much more important than the medium in which the light is traveling. Maybe I am mistaken.

Mark


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## MasterOogway (Mar 22, 2011)

FrogTim said:


> Keep in mind lights behave differently in aquariums vs. vivariums. Light travels through water more efficiently so the same light won't penetrate as far in a vivarium as it would in an aquarium.



There's virtually no way this is true. Light travels slower once it hits water, it's a less efficient medium for it to travel through. Water also reflects and scatters light due particles in it and just the general properties of water itself. Almost all visible light in the ocean for instance is mostly absorbed after a depth of 33 feet, that's simply not the case in air. As is evidenced by the fact that you can see light from the sun, after traveling miles through 'dense' air.


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

Maybe I am mistaken let me try and find the article. It was specific about PAR levels in water vs. air at the same distance. Sorry ahead of time if I'm mistaken.


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## vachyner (Aug 10, 2013)

Encyclia said:


> I agree with most of what Tim said here. My Beamsworks (especially EVO) fixtures are brighter than the only Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 that I have. I paid more for the Finnex and it is not nearly as bright as the cheaper EVOs. This difference is also reflected in the growth of the plants - better with the EVOs.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Distance of light passing through the water column plays a large role. The more water the light has to pass through, the less powerful it will be. Not only that, but as you move further down the water column you lose certain parts of the spectrum. That is why lights on larger aquariums will have stronger variations of bulbs in fixtures to get what they want in there. Now, I can't speak a lot on lighting really for aquariums, but I used to do a fair amount of photography underwater while diving when in living Hawaii. I would need different filters depending on the depth I was shooting, as well as additional flashes if I was deep enough in order to capture the tropical colors you see when you look at that stuff. Without more light even at 20 feet, those reefs were pretty drab looking.

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## vachyner (Aug 10, 2013)

vachyner said:


> Distance of light passing through the water column plays a large role. The more water the light has to pass through, the less powerful it will be. Not only that, but as you move further down the water column you lose certain parts of the spectrum. That is why lights on larger aquariums will have stronger variations of bulbs in fixtures to get what they want in there. Now, I can't speak a lot on lighting really for aquariums, but I used to do a fair amount of photography underwater while diving when in living Hawaii. I would need different filters depending on the depth I was shooting, as well as additional flashes if I was deep enough in order to capture the tropical colors you see when you look at that stuff. Without more light even at 20 feet, those reefs were pretty drab looking.
> 
> Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk


Also, what really helped drive all of that home for me was taking the sub tour on Oahu. You sat in the sub and literally watched the color of everyone's clothes change around you as different portions of the spectrum were filtered out. I remember I got on wearing a green shirt and looked down at one point to see my shirt had turned a bright yellow.

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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

There's a handful of aquarium forum discussions where people with PAR meters post similar results. If you don't want to read through all his measurements I just copy and pasted an excerpt:

"When light shines into an aquarium the air-water interface slightly focuses the light. Beams off center are refracted towards the center. This is why the PAR around the center of the tank goes up when you add water. Near the glass at the front, back, and ends, there is considerable reflection of light back into the tank from the glass-air interface, which increases the PAR near the glass."

Here's the link with his results(there's a lot of numbers):
Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts - The Planted Tank Forum

This seems to be specific to aquariums, not light passing through water in general. Sorry to thread hijack....


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## Elisa (Jan 5, 2016)

Hmmm...so it comes down to something like a beamswork quad 3w (



) for $300+ shipped or two T5HOs with reflectors for probably about $100-120. It's a considerable difference but I'm concerned about the heat. Do the T5s create major heat problems?


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## Elisa (Jan 5, 2016)

Or the same fixture but with two rows insteda of 4 for just under $200 - but I'm worried that it won't be enough light and I'dll end up having to spend even more


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## vachyner (Aug 10, 2013)

FrogTim said:


> There's a handful of aquarium forum discussions where people with PAR meters post similar results. If you don't want to read through all his measurements I just copy and pasted an excerpt:
> 
> "When light shines into an aquarium the air-water interface slightly focuses the light. Beams off center are refracted towards the center. This is why the PAR around the center of the tank goes up when you add water. Near the glass at the front, back, and ends, there is considerable reflection of light back into the tank from the glass-air interface, which increases the PAR near the glass."
> 
> ...


I wouldn't say hijacking at all. For vivs, I've had success with cfls, leds, t8's, and t5's. I've come to like the results and small footprint of the leds better, plus can't argue with the price/results from the beamswork and evo. I do have both fixtures on one tank now (17x17x22) and put the beamswork at the rear and the evo toward the front. The lenses on the evo help it hit the stuff at the bottom better, and the other one does great for the stuff higher up in the back. I did try doing a planted aquarium once, but it was a disaster. Working with vivs is soooo much easier. Way fewer variables to deal with. I've just stuck with blast a ton of 5500-6500k in there, and make sure the plants are in a spot where they get what they need and haven't had any issues (over than heat and stuff depending on the fixture, but that can be easily mitigated). Those aquarium guys get craaaaaazy with lighting.

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## vachyner (Aug 10, 2013)

Elisa said:


> Or the same fixture but with two rows insteda of 4 for just under $200 - but I'm worried that it won't be enough light and I'dll end up having to spend even more


This is beamswork









And here is the evo









The evo has two rows of 3w leds with the lenses and is much more focused. The beamswork I believe is 1.5. The beamswork looks a bit more blueish. These were both on separate 17x17x22 tanks and had them growing just fine. I think you'd be OK with two rows of 3w diodes, especially with optics. Take a look at sellers on eBay, as when I got these I think I paid $25-30 each a year ago. The Amazon price seems pretty steep.

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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

Elisa said:


> Hmmm...so it comes down to something like a beamswork quad 3w (Amazon.com : Green Element EVO Quad 48"-52" LED Aquarium Light Fixture - Plant 64x3W : Pet Supplies) for $300+ shipped or two T5HOs with reflectors for probably about $100-120. It's a considerable difference but I'm concerned about the heat. Do the T5s create major heat problems?


You will still need a cooling fan or two for the beamswork quad 3w. They get pretty warm. If you can mount the T5HO fixture above the vivarium and have a fan the heat shouldn't be too bad if you live in cool temeperatures. Isn't Canada cold?  At that price difference I would consider a t5ho set up. 



Elisa said:


> Or the same fixture but with two rows insteda of 4 for just under $200 - but I'm worried that it won't be enough light and I'dll end up having to spend even more


I would only be worried about coverage or lighting footprint with this fixture. My Beamswork Dual 3w Evo has a bright footprint only 12'' wide at 18'' of height. It may not spread the light evenly to the front or back of your tank.

Sorry it's so expensive to get LEDs to you


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## vachyner (Aug 10, 2013)

Elisa said:


> Hmmm...so it comes down to something like a beamswork quad 3w (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rue&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=APGLUTFSIU1LH) for $300+ shipped or two T5HOs with reflectors for probably about $100-120. It's a considerable difference but I'm concerned about the heat. Do the T5s create major heat problems?


The one thing I've noticed since switching to leds from florescent bulbs is that the leds have been constant for a year so far. Every fluorescent I've used (t8,.t5, cfl) start to look dim after about three or four months and growth would start to slack and I'd change them out. These fixtures look the way they did on day one.

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## Elisa (Jan 5, 2016)

The heat could end up being a problem - it gets really cold, but we have great heating so I'm not at all concerned about that. In the summer it can shoot up to the high 80s and I don't have a good A/C unit since it doesn't seem worth it to cool things down for just a few weeks a year. I guess I could switch the lights off during the heat waves...

Sigh...the exchange rate is killing us up here 

Thanks everyone for your advice!


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## Elisa (Jan 5, 2016)

I think I may go for the dual 3w EVO and supplement it with the two 24" t8s that came with the tank if necessary.

If it doesn't end up being enough, I guess I could always get a Sunblaster from the hydro store sometime down the line.


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## vachyner (Aug 10, 2013)

FrogTim said:


> You will still need a cooling fan or two for the beamswork quad 3w. They get pretty warm. If you can mount the T5HO fixture above the vivarium and have a fan the heat shouldn't be too bad if you live in cool temeperatures. Isn't Canada cold?  At that price difference I would consider a t5ho set up.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, maybe for the quad. My 18" dual fixtures get a little bit warm, but nothing to write home about. I have them sitting right on the glass and a temp gauge at the top of the tank and it sits at about 70F with the ambient room temp of 69. I did notice when I had t5 lights that the temp skyrocketed until I adjusted the ventilation to allow more heat to escape. You could definitely feel the difference when you would open the lid (felt like a jungle in there)

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## vachyner (Aug 10, 2013)

Elisa said:


> The heat could end up being a problem - it gets really cold, but we have great heating so I'm not at all concerned about that. In the summer it can shoot up to the high 80s and I don't have a good A/C unit since it doesn't seem worth it to cool things down for just a few weeks a year. I guess I could switch the lights off during the heat waves...
> 
> Sigh...the exchange rate is killing us up here
> 
> Thanks everyone for your advice!


Ah, didn't notice the Canada part. Maybe try alibaba or eBay. These things come straight from China anyway. Mine had zero English on the paperwork in the boxes.

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## Darrell S (Jan 9, 2011)

I have not had a chance to try any LED's other than the jungle dawns on small tanks. I have a 48 inch 8 bulb t-5 HO that was left over from the reef tank days , its over two terrariums , I have it about 8 inches above the tanks to control the heat . 2 bulbs are not quite bright enough , 4 bulbs is great for mosses and plant's at 10,000 k , But forget 6 or 8 bulbs on , the frogs go hide and the heat gets ridiculous to control. I really want to go with the 3 watt beams works . As another member stated the t-5 bulbs need to be changed frequently which basically adds to the overall price of operation . But the plants do love them .


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