dz6t
Acro Garden, BRS Sponsor
Corn field? when you built it, they will come...
do people still consider buying Metal Halight for their new setup ?
- Thread starter FishNooB
- Start date
Corn field? when you built it, they will come...
It might not have been the most efficient option, but sometimes I really miss my old 400W 10K flanked by Quad VHO actinics. And I agree, I even got used to the 65K with some actinic supplement, nothing shimmers like those iwaskis 
Then again, I don't really miss coming home to the heat, humidity and electric bill... I'm content with my currrent T5 cop out.
Then again, I don't really miss coming home to the heat, humidity and electric bill... I'm content with my currrent T5 cop out.
Reefless me
Knucklehead
I've lucked out. Electric is included in my rent.
Alex
Non-member
I think it is all personal preference and what you really want out of your tank. Some want to recreate a natural envireoment, some want growth for huge colonies and lots of frags to sell, some want a living black light poster with crazy colored chalices. I don't think anyone should be telling anyone what is best for them.
Personally I can't wait to have a smooth transition from a nice 6500k morning as not just the color but the intensity of the light ramps up to a 10k afternoon to a 20k evening. I'll end it with a royal blue/red combo for a purple sunset of florecing corals. If that doesn't grow coral I'll change it but that's what I'm starting with and the flexibility of LED will let me do that. Maybe I'll end up adding some 420nm supplementals if it turns out they have the positive effects that people think they do. Or maybe ill get to switch out the pucks in my fixtures for pucks that have the 420s if echotech makes them available.
That sounds like a perfect light to me because that is what I want out of my tank. Others can figure out what they want out of their tanks and their perfect light set up.
Halides aren't dead by any means there are just more options for reefers than there has ever been. Who knows what will happen with plasma. Maybe we'll have even more options not to far down the road.
Personally I can't wait to have a smooth transition from a nice 6500k morning as not just the color but the intensity of the light ramps up to a 10k afternoon to a 20k evening. I'll end it with a royal blue/red combo for a purple sunset of florecing corals. If that doesn't grow coral I'll change it but that's what I'm starting with and the flexibility of LED will let me do that. Maybe I'll end up adding some 420nm supplementals if it turns out they have the positive effects that people think they do. Or maybe ill get to switch out the pucks in my fixtures for pucks that have the 420s if echotech makes them available.
That sounds like a perfect light to me because that is what I want out of my tank. Others can figure out what they want out of their tanks and their perfect light set up.
Halides aren't dead by any means there are just more options for reefers than there has ever been. Who knows what will happen with plasma. Maybe we'll have even more options not to far down the road.
Aquaman_68
too many gadgets to fail
the options will always get larger...Which will also fuel the debates at various reef forums....Led's have not been out long enough to have the jury find a true concrete verdict...that is all I'm really trying to get at... It's not far off though!!! maybe another 1.5 years away!!!!( I do think when it is all said & done...most will find they r going to b more as a suplimental light source...) in the percentage of reefers who have them & will end up running them that way that is...
There r plenty reefers out there who run t5 only systems...(remember when those first came out & how much buzz & debate they caused on the forums ) those running strickly t5's r successful.....but they r not crammed with stone sticks from top to bottom!!! couple sticks & majority of softies & lower light lps... That is where I see led's in the hobby...(unless u r running a nutrient poor system with zeovit or vodka dosing or something on those lines) but that is a major tightrope to walk in this hobby!!!
Not trying to pour water on the fire by any means....I would really love to see them b successful in the ways everyone who bought them are hoping.....But...(Big j-lo but) I really don't see it.... I just don't see it!!!!! & so goes the story for me......Hot house in the summer from the indoor sun....chiller sucking juice & a crazy electric bill....One plus....A tank full of sticks!!!!
Do any of u remember when vho's first came out...They boasted they would last 2.5 years before needing to be replaced... Hog wash....I switch mine out every 7.5 months to 9 on a max. (depending on how lazy I get)
so here is my question for the creator of this thread....You sorry u started this thread?...I think its all good....options...advice....make ur own decision....plenty of pros & cons for u to be even more confused about!!! Happy Thinking....Then...Happy reefin!!!
B
There r plenty reefers out there who run t5 only systems...(remember when those first came out & how much buzz & debate they caused on the forums ) those running strickly t5's r successful.....but they r not crammed with stone sticks from top to bottom!!! couple sticks & majority of softies & lower light lps... That is where I see led's in the hobby...(unless u r running a nutrient poor system with zeovit or vodka dosing or something on those lines) but that is a major tightrope to walk in this hobby!!!
Not trying to pour water on the fire by any means....I would really love to see them b successful in the ways everyone who bought them are hoping.....But...(Big j-lo but) I really don't see it.... I just don't see it!!!!! & so goes the story for me......Hot house in the summer from the indoor sun....chiller sucking juice & a crazy electric bill....One plus....A tank full of sticks!!!!
Do any of u remember when vho's first came out...They boasted they would last 2.5 years before needing to be replaced... Hog wash....I switch mine out every 7.5 months to 9 on a max. (depending on how lazy I get)
so here is my question for the creator of this thread....You sorry u started this thread?...I think its all good....options...advice....make ur own decision....plenty of pros & cons for u to be even more confused about!!! Happy Thinking....Then...Happy reefin!!!
B
HuuTa
Non-member
it's all about preference and need.i change over to led cause of the heat issues.during the summer time my tank can reach obout 90 degrees.i don't have a basement sump.where the tank is located is in my bedroom on the 4th floor.the ceiling is my roof so it can reach almost 100 degree.even with the AC running it can still get hot during the day.if i can have a basement then i would run MH.like i said before there are alot of option on lighting out there,you just have to think about what would work best for your situation.we can have this conversation again in 2 years time when LED has enough time to prove if it's worth the money or not
pallobi
Neal
i have and still would love to try a 30" x 30" cube with a single 400 watt halide with high quality everything (reflector, bulb, ballast)... imo, halides over a system that has everything else in check, will grow sps the best and fastest... i realize that may not be what everyone else is shooting to keep... but thats my interest, and where my interest in halides still lies...
think it would make a great look on a great cube... but i do think if you need more than one, its probably not practical becuz of the related cost...
but the shimmer and growth imo, is the best bar none...
great discussion!
think it would make a great look on a great cube... but i do think if you need more than one, its probably not practical becuz of the related cost...
but the shimmer and growth imo, is the best bar none...
great discussion!
MikeG
Non-member
That is the exact set-up I have except it ia a 36"x36" tank with a single 400 and it works very well.
pallobi
Neal
well, i still have that ballast i got from you, lol...
but yea, i remember your tank being pretty well lit with growth all over...
dz6t
Acro Garden, BRS Sponsor
IMO, LED may not save energy in terms of reef lighting as the efficency of LED is on par or slightly less than MH.
I think one issue people have for growing coral is replacing MH with less wattage of LED to save electricity. What happen if you replace MH with same total watt of LED? Will that get the benefit of LED (program-able to creat all the effects) as well as keeping coral healthy?
Just a thought.
I think one issue people have for growing coral is replacing MH with less wattage of LED to save electricity. What happen if you replace MH with same total watt of LED? Will that get the benefit of LED (program-able to creat all the effects) as well as keeping coral healthy?
Just a thought.
dz6t
Acro Garden, BRS Sponsor
Let's look at the evolution of lighting technology, such as t-5. T-5 was originally developed to replace MH for high bay lighting (such as warehouse like BJ, Costco etc). But what happened is that there is no significant saving in electricity over the years because people need the similar wattage of t-5 to get the same light intensity of MH. So if you go to Costco today and look up, you will see MH still there.
jeremy052274
Non-member
I'm not sure it has been mentioned, but one of the things I found interesting from the last meetup speaker was that metal halide and LED are very close to the same, in terms of electricity efficiency...except with the blue lights. For some reason the 'normal' white metal halide is more efficient, it's the blue ones that LED provides way more efficiency. He also seemed to think that MH was here to stay, but of course, who knows? I'm not trying to be a MH apologist, just sharing the info for those that didn't make the meeting.
stingythingy45
Well-Known Member
One thing that makes metal halide still appealing is the fact that bulbs have gone down in price as well.
Replacement bulbs that used to cost $70-80 have dropped back to the $50-60 range and even seen them lower.I don't know if this is a direct result of the LED craze?But it would make sense as quite a few in the hobby are buying the LED fixtures.
My biggest issue with halides is the DE bulbs and the difficulty of changing bulbs.I've broken a bulb in the past and it's like throwing $70 right in the trash.
Replacement bulbs that used to cost $70-80 have dropped back to the $50-60 range and even seen them lower.I don't know if this is a direct result of the LED craze?But it would make sense as quite a few in the hobby are buying the LED fixtures.
My biggest issue with halides is the DE bulbs and the difficulty of changing bulbs.I've broken a bulb in the past and it's like throwing $70 right in the trash.
There are way too many variables here. Each anecdote needs a vast amount of contextual information to go along with it.
-I went from 750w of Phoenix 14k DE MH to 150w of xp-e (blue/royal blue) and 150w of xm-l (cool white). It looks as bright, if not a little brighter, to me. On the other hand, if I'd been running 10k bulbs before, maybe it would look dimmer to me.
-I don't know what % of that 750w was going to heat, but I know my new setup puts out ridiculously little heat now.
-In my specific case, my SPS are growing faster and (I'm assuming due to some spectral differences) nuisance algae receded. Can I 100% rule out other factors here? No. I did not do a scientific study. But the correlation is high. And we know that always means causation!
-I went from 750w of Phoenix 14k DE MH to 150w of xp-e (blue/royal blue) and 150w of xm-l (cool white). It looks as bright, if not a little brighter, to me. On the other hand, if I'd been running 10k bulbs before, maybe it would look dimmer to me.
-I don't know what % of that 750w was going to heat, but I know my new setup puts out ridiculously little heat now.
-In my specific case, my SPS are growing faster and (I'm assuming due to some spectral differences) nuisance algae receded. Can I 100% rule out other factors here? No. I did not do a scientific study. But the correlation is high. And we know that always means causation!
My main reason for wanting to go with LED aside from the controllability and ability to program to achieve a more natural environment is that I know I'm going to have heat issues in the summer. My tank is in my bedroom and it gets HOT up there during the summer months. If I went with halides, I know I'd have to run a chiller or run the AC constantly, neither of which I really want to do (and running the AC constantly isn't possible). I like the look of halides, but to me, LED's look equally nice and I think they're better suited to my situation.
Minnow1977
Non-member
Thats funny! I am sure they did! I run 3 175w MH and have noticed about $10 a month increase, of coarse if they are set on timers it helps to not use as much electricity too!
Aquaman_68
too many gadgets to fail
MH DE r awful...The don't spread light in a wide span....Have an extremely hot center spot & r very difficult to change....moguls r the best in MH...(not lets see who wants to argue..............................LOL)
