LEDs to replace 250W MHs for a 72” x 36” footprint

[oreo54]

CoralCare Gen2 LED Reef Light - Black Fixture

An exceptional LED light, worthy of your slice of the reef. The Philips CoralCare Gen2 rethinks reef lighting, combining the advantages of LEDs with the aesthetic light qualities of T5s to create a light with tunable spectrum and intensity for vibrant, healthy corals, while emulating the even...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Extra 20% is taken off at checkout.

Ahhh.. I see..
Coralcare the Betamax of reef lighting..

 

[stephj03]

I would keep the Halides and add a row of Reef Breeder Photons to the front angled at the back of the tank or over whichever area is experiencing dropoff.

As mentioned above, lumen bright minis will spread much better if you can raise them but it's asking a lot for that reflector to grow non-stag acropora 36" front to back on the sand. I run 22" lumenmax" to get 30" front to back covered and that seems like a sweet spot.


1 row of of photons would cost $1200

2 rows for $2400 if you really want to ditch MH

But keep the MH in the rafters so you can go 2 rows plus MH and have the ultimate setup when you hit the limitations Smite brought up.

 

[RCS82]

For the original post. You have an awesome lighting setup already. I would put that 3k back in my pocket and retro fit 2 pairs of 60" T5s front and back and call it a day. You can't beat metal halides and the reefbrites are killer. My favorite set up would be metal halides flanked by T5s and reefbrites. A page out of Jason Fox's book. And if you wanted to, like mentioned, new reflectors would be great. Some 20" Cozumels or similar.

 

[crvz]

4 months later and I'm a little more serious at swapping out the metal halide system. I know I'm going to have to invest in lights at some point, either replacing ballasts (6+ years old) and continuing to replace bulbs, and then maybe pendants. Rust is becoming an issue on the housing, so while the reflectors still look great, I had to drill out the wing nut on one the last time I had to replace the bulb.

I'm leaning towards neptune Sky lights. They are still relatively new on the market, but they appear to throw a long spread (24"x30" seems quite doable). I might buy one to put over my frag tank and see how I like it, then move towards two more to replace all three metal halides. Someone talk me out of it, though. Anyone have regrets with the Sky thus far?

 

[stephj03]

If you're looking at Sky's it won't matter if you hear good or bad about them, you've prob already decided to get them.

Just do it. They're good enough for what you want. Replace 1w of MH with 1w of sky and you'll be gtg if your focus is non stag Acro dominant.

 

[rtparty]

4 months later and I'm a little more serious at swapping out the metal halide system. I know I'm going to have to invest in lights at some point, either replacing ballasts (6+ years old) and continuing to replace bulbs, and then maybe pendants. Rust is becoming an issue on the housing, so while the reflectors still look great, I had to drill out the wing nut on one the last time I had to replace the bulb.

I'm leaning towards neptune Sky lights. They are still relatively new on the market, but they appear to throw a long spread (24"x30" seems quite doable). I might buy one to put over my frag tank and see how I like it, then move towards two more to replace all three metal halides. Someone talk me out of it, though. Anyone have regrets with the Sky thus far?

The Sky's are good fixtures but lack any shimmer. So if shimmer is a priority, add a couple Kessils somehow