LED or Metal Halide

[stephj03]

If you're open to a hybrid T5 setup that's a common path at this point for reefers who's journey actually ends up being 90% or more Acros spread across all width and height in the tank for more than a yr or 2.

Very good setup. I prob would have gone that route if I hadn't stashed my 22" lumenax reflectors in the rafters.

 

[jda]

You won't save any money if you light the tank the same way - you need about the same wattage for either.

I would balance initial cost with about 5 years of bulb changes (all MH bulbs will last for a year and some for 24 months) - do not fall into the fools errand of thinking that LEDs last forever. For day-to-day, focus on your desire to change spectrum with LED versus pure performance of MH... some lean VERY hard one way or the other on this one.

For a typical 90g, ish, tank, 3x xr30s will do what 2x 250w MH can... so that is more apples to apples with coverage, lack of shadowing and intensity. If somebody suggests and wants to compare 2x primes to 2x 250w MH, then walk away from that fantasy land.

They are different. You can have success with both, but each will require some sacrifice. For me, I want the pure performance in the tank, ability to keep any acropora at any time and cheaper startup and running (I have a large tank where MH are less electricity), so I don't care about programs, dusk/dawn (even though I could have it with a few strips), or any of that. Many want the thunderstorms, rainy days, and heavy blue look but there are some acropora that won't do well with that and they just chalk it up to "oh well" which is really smart since they like the other things.

In the end, this needs to mesh with your expectations and personality. The most important thing is that you are happy since this costs too much not to be.

 

[Opes]

I got much better growth with halides. Better colors but still decent growth with the Radions. I love the fact that I don't have to worry about heat with LED.

 

[Kfactor]

I love my xr15s but there’s just somthing about mh that I just love. For me am going with mh I think there’s a lot less to go wrong and to be replacing a bulb is minimal if anything goes wrong with a led your pretty much screwed after warranty most warranty is a year witch I find is a joke for the money you pay

 

[michael giordano]

MH all the way, TSA still has a grow out Acro tank with Metal Halides. A lot of the employees when answering honestly will tell you nothing growes acros like halides. I have had both types of lights for many tanks over the years, and you can’t beat halides you just can’t for growth.

 

[jda]

If anybody thinks that color is less with MH, take a look at my rebuild thread. Photos are not the best since I don't edit them, but colors are pretty true. Sure, you have to know what you are doing and have a solid and stable tank, but what fun is it to blue-up some otherwise crappy looking corals?

 

[sticksreef]

MH all the way, TSA still has a grow out Acro tank with Metal Halides. A lot of the employees when answering honestly will tell you nothing growes acros like halides. I have had both types of lights for many tanks over the years, and you can’t beat halides you just can’t for growth.

Mind me asking. Are you running mh? Just wondering because of the colors on your sps

 

[michael giordano]

No I run ati t5’s units on my tanks now, with supplemental led’s. They are the next best thing to MH. I live in Florida and the heat from MH I’s too much for my tank and marriage lol.

 

[Kfactor]

i just like the fact you plug in mh and they work theres no messing with sliders intesity nothing just turn them on and worry about other stuff . changing out a bulb every year is minimal and the things i have been seeing and have had happen to my leds i just want less headaches

 

[Jeffcb]

LED. Very programable.

 

[Bgmrc]

14k MH and T5 for frag growout tank....
20k MH and LED for display to bump up color output....

Luv it!

 

[Kfactor]

14k MH and T5 for frag growout tank....
20k MH and LED for display to bump up color output....

Luv it!

is 20k pretty blue?

 

[SamMule]

is 20k pretty blue?

Sort of...
I found this very informative

The Color of Light - Reef Brite

This post was actually prompted by a hobbyist question. The question was; “how blue is the Reef Brite 20.000k metal halide lamp compared to a Radium lamp”? What is really disturbing is that considering the hype that usually surrounds aquarium lighting this is a very legitimate question. Quite...

www.reefbrite.com

 

[lemonade]

is 20k pretty blue?

Not really blue at all when compared to most aquarium lighting these days. Maybe blue for MH standards, but won’t look blue to the eyes

 

[t5Nitro]

I started this hobby maybe 15 years ago with 3x 250 watt halides. When I restarted my current tank I went with orphek LED panel and then changed that out to an 8 bulb T5 fixture with an OR3 supplemental blue bar.

My preference of visual appearance is MH > T5 > LED. Can't say much about growth rates. SPS have been tough for me always. You can really pull in some crazy coloration with LED settings though, but the overall tank does not look near as good as with halides or T5. The halide shimmer can't be beat either, the perfect amount.

 

[A. grandis]

Metal halides, period.
Metal halide will give you results very close to sunlight when you keep your water parameters stable and use with the right reflectors. You change for LEDs and you will see weird colony formation and shading affects though the growing process. They still look ok, but you are asking for the optimal, right? Not only for SPS, but ANY coral, zoa, clam, etc.. Halides!
LEDs grow corals just fine, halides will grow them profusely.
6500K halides are the best to grow them out IMO. You can also use 10Ks or 14Ks. Some love the growth under 20Ks too. Love them all!!

 

[TerraFerma]

Halides if you can handle the heat. You can stick things very close to the bulb (like T5) and not bleach corals (like LED). I’ve found the growth under halides to be superior to modern leds.

 

[mandarin417]

MH has always worked better for me but I switched to LED a few months ago. MIss the MH that I had with a super actinic LED light bar. I am working on a new tank and considering going back to MH with the light bars. What is the best approach to hang a MH over a tank and not have to see the glaring light spill? This is going to be a 36x36 or 30x30 shallower gig species tank. I don't want a hood over it but I also don't want to be blinded by the light. I remember MH fixtures used to come in a bell shape fixture but they don't seem available anymore.

 

[rossco]

Does anyone know the cost difference in Halides vs LED on the electric bill? I’m sure LEDs win but by how much would be interesting to know.

My summertime electric bill went down $150/ month after switching from 8x80 watt T5 to 3 x Radion XR30 +2x80 watt T5. But....I had to use a chiller with the T5’s and a lot of that electricity was powering a 1/3 HP chiller and the resulting increase in house AC use due to the chiller heating the house. When I ran MH I needed a chiller too so I assume it would be similar results.

 

[panic]

I have both and sps grows much faster under 2 400w Radiums than another tank in the same system with the same footprint using 3 g4 xr30 Radions with t5 supplement. Also I can grow sps on the bottom of the 36" deep tank with halides and cannot on the bottom of the 30" deep tank with LED - well I can keep them alive down there but without any growth or good color