Reefbreeders Photon V2 or 250 watt metal halides?

MarvinsReef

Non-member
What is every ones thought on switching from three 250 watt metal halides to two 48 inch Reefbreeder photon V2 leds on a predominantly SPS tank that is 8 feet long 36 inch deep and 24 inch wide. At this time most SPS are in the mid to upper region in the tank. Just not sure if the reefbreeder leds are adequate to grow SPS in this size tank. I am also looking for more blue color and the 14K metal halides do not provide that for me.
 
Dz6t would have some good answers for you. He uses them. I got the 16inch version from him and works great.

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I went back to halide after 4 years with ai sol blue. They were disappointing. The newer led units are better but they still do not spread light like a traditional light source.

If I were to use led I would always do more than what the manufacturer recommends. Meaning I'd put 8 hydra26hd in my tank were I to go back and run them at lower power to make sure all areas weren't shaded out.

Have you tried the radium 20k bulb? I like it better than the Hamilton 14k
 
I thought about running radium 20K bulbs but they require the select a watt electronic ballasts to run them on High Output which means even more electricity also from things I read they loose spectrum sooner then other MH bulbs. I am running 2 XM 20K bulbs and one reeflux 14K. The 20K bulbs gives a decent blue but growth is slow. The reeflux 14k seems to fade some of my sps corals. Not sure if switching to the LEDs would give me better color overall without the shading effect?
 
I don't want to discourage you from trying LED lighting. Just be aware of some of its shortcomings. I think the best solution is buying quality fixtures and having many of them running at a lower percentage rate
 
An alternative would be supplementing the metal halide lights. There are some nice LED strips that would complement them well
 
Your right Sb is definitely more affordable and it comes dimmable without having to buy a separate dimmable ballast. Does anybody have any thoughts or recommendations which 250W SE metal halide bulbs other than radiums are worth trying?
 
You need 4 photon v2 48 to cover 8 feet x 24 inch area. Especially such a deep tank.
But you will get a lot more PAR than 3 250w halide.
I think 4 250w halide with large reflectors are needed for this tank for SPS dominated.


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If you use Radion or Hydra 52, you need 6 to 8 of them to cover the tank.


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I have had everything from metal halide, T5, to LEDS. I had the China LED fixtures, AI sol, hydra, and Vegas. I am currently running 2 of the reef breeder photon V2s over my 125 gallon mixed reef and couldn’t be happier. Highly recommended, you will not be disappointed. I run mine around 50% at max and I have LPS and SPS in my tank as well as leathers and zoas.
My personal opinion about metal halides, as much as they are great for coral growth, they are not worth the money they cost to run and the heat that they generate when running.
 
My personal opinion about metal halides, as much as they are great for coral growth, they are not worth the money they cost to run and the heat that they generate when running.

My electric bill went down ten bucks after I switched back to metal halide. That's because my 3 250 watt heaters weren't cycling off and on all day anymore.

My tank never goes above 79 degrees. But I have central air
 
My electric bill went down ten bucks after I switched back to metal halide. That's because my 3 250 watt heaters weren't cycling off and on all day anymore.

My tank never goes above 79 degrees. But I have central air

Yeah I don’t have central air, my tank would be cooking and I would need a chiller which I currently do not need. Also I love the shimmer effect of the LEDs.
 
Those running chillers might see a decrease in electric use.

Shimmer comes from any point source lighting: Led, mh, or any incandescent light bulb really. Linear source lighting will not shimmer: t5, vho, any fluorescent bulb.
 
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