best led fixture

im wondering what the best led fixture would be for a 125 gallon tank that will be all sps?

 

Assuming you have an extra $4700 lying around, the Vertex Illumina SR260 6' fixture would be hard to beat. Or two 2' fixtures at $1700 a pop.

 

IMHO there are so many variables and so little time-proven information on LED's that it is difficult to provide a recommendation for one over another as "the best".

If you have no budget then the Orphek's seem amazing as well do the AI SOL units - but they are pricey ( and there are many others I am excluding that are in the "higher end" of the pricing tier.

For "most bang for the buck" I along with other 3reefers stand behind BOOSTLED's products. I own three of their Par38 Lamps and I also own 6 MU135 fixtures (2 on my 120 and 4 on a 430 gallon tank at my office). All three tanks excel. There are softies, LPS, and SPS in the systems and all corals do well - just have to be careful not to burn lower light LPS and soft corals under the INTENSE MU135 fixture.

I have purposely left out nearly every manuf. of LED lights as I only have experience with one manuf. hands on. I am not saying the other do not work but just that I have found the BOOSTLED option to fit both my plans and my budget so there is a good match for me. I have had the PAR38 lamps from the first shipment they were available in the US (nearly a year ago) and I can easily see that they will hold up to years of use being mounted directly above an open top 30 gallon cube.

I have also owned the MU fixture from the first available shipment and can also see how it too can and will be around for years to come.
By the time I am ready to replace these fixtures they will have long paid for themselves in terms of ZERO maintenance, no heat output, and sustained growth of corals across the realms of the three major categories of corals we keep in our tanks (soft, LPS, SPS).

Again, to definitively say "the best" would be premature at this time. I bet it took a long time for Radium and Icecap to gain their footholds in the business - we are seeing the same predictable cycle here.

There is almost certainly an LED fixture that you will find that can fit both your budget and your plans for your reef.

 

^ That pretty much sums it up.

To reiterate, there is no single answer to this question, especially how it's framed.

 

ok i was thinking around 400 or 500 as a budget. i would t5s be better?

 

You might be able to get a decent T5 fixture for that much (not really up on T5 fixtures/pricing). But I can tell you that it might warrant some comparing of projected costs to see if the extra electricity and bulb changes along with heat output would make the T5's worthwhile to save $200 or $300 now only to end up spending twice that on bulbs and electricity over the life of the fixture.



Rapid LED DIY kits can be obtained for about that much and would illuminate your 125 (which I am guessing is a standard 125 @ 6' in length?) If so, you might have to reconsider being able to do SPS corals. If you are really getting into SPS corals, consider downsizing the tank (if not purchased already) if not then perhaps examining if you are really set on SPS corals. If so, you might have to budget out a little more money or change your stocking goals. . .

 

On a 6' 125, you'd need 72 LEDs if you go the Rapid LED route (2 36 LED kits).

 

would 2 36" 6 bulb Sunlight Supply TEK Light T5 Fixtures be?

 

This guy is willing to bargain and I think it's a very awesome offer if your tank will fit this fixture: http://www.3reef.com/forums/sale/f-s-current-extreme-pro-t5-ho-72-12x-39w-121771.html

Should fit right in your budget, also he claims brand new light bulbs

 

yeah but that is where leds would pay off faster, having to buy 12 bulbs every year, thats like 300 a year on bulbs, plus your upfront cost of the fixture.