A hybrid fitting that runs LED and T5 tubes together over a freshwater tank. The idea is to get the efficiency and controllability of LED while keeping the broad, even spread that fluorescent tubes give — LED alone can produce hard shadows and visible shimmer on a shallow tank.
Sizes
- 60cm
- 120cm
This is a planted-tank fitting. It is built around the Vivid Day spectrum for freshwater and plants. Over a marine or reef tank you want the Deep Blue units instead — the spectrum is the whole point, and a freshwater fitting over corals is money spent on the wrong light.
Running it
Put it on a timer and start short. A fitting this capable over a tank that is not yet densely planted will grow algae first and plants second. Six hours a day is a reasonable place to begin, extending once the plants are established.
T5 tubes in the combo section still need replacing about annually even though the LEDs do not.