Dear Grandis,
I am an "old enough guy" to have seen every major lighting systems still "commonly" in use over aquariums. I won't ever argue that halides aren't the most spectrally complete lighting for a tank, only that all of these systems have their pros and cons. The halides, spectrum, but are hot. The T5s, (which I still currently use), have that even blanket of light and are less hot, and the LEDs have controllability, but have shadowing problems and less spectral completeness.
I only write this to say, I understand your position on lighting. But, to say my way or the highway, when all three have produced results, up until the point of reproduction, is a bit much. Stable, growing colonies have been traded and cut and moved between each type of system interchangeably and have grown. You can say one system is "the best" if you want, but that denies a basic truth. All of these options are viable, can grow corals adequately, and have done so for years at this point.
Best of luck with changing the hearts and minds of the masses, but I think LEDs aren't going away in the hobby.
Also, please dont take this as disrespect, I enjoy your commentary and think you have valuable input on a wide variety of subjects that I've seen you discuss on this forum. I just disagree that there's only one way to light a tank. I made a silly comment in response to a question about how this thread got derailed and don't want you to take that as disrespect either.
Thank you,
No worries. This is a good time to say that my problem is not with the users, but with the lies that are published from LED manufacturers/sellers using cheap propaganda to convince that LEDs are actually better than halides and/or T5s. It has been going on for more than an a decade and it is still the core of their strategy. Not the users, who normally just repeat what they have been taught. I appreciate very much all of you in this thread that agreed and can tell the truth about halides being the best. This is actually the first time we can see many of you telling the truth. It doesn't matter what you choose. This way we can understand that the brain washing from so many marketing strategies is starting to melt here. I absolutely love T5s over a shallow tank. A nice ATI T5 only system is absolutely amazing for those shallow tanks. I am a T5 user too! I use T5s over all my fresh water systems, planted or not. I used to use T5s only for more than a decade over my zoanthid systems here. But I've always knew, as anyone should, that metal halides are superior in spectrum and intensity. The
market had set up so many lies about halides so many times with videos just to sell LEDs! That is the big problem.
Again, thank you all for agreeing with me about halides being the very best. That is important for others who want to try or simply understand.
This video shows the guy who actually introduced LEDs to reefkeeping. He just brings the facts of light and from this video anyone can come to the conclusion in regards to the very best we can offer to the reef tanks.
Another video that I like to post is when Jake came and agreed that halides is the very best. Jake loved his LEDs and tried/knew all of them. I'm so glad he said that. He used to say that halides are the past, but some of my friends said that he was planning to set up a halide system before he left us.
This was Jake's halide tank back in the day. Can't beat that! Amazing health of all corals! Great colors and colony structure. Please see this as an example to consider. This is serious SPS reefing right there! Impressive. Totally different than any result he achieved with LEDs. I miss Jake a lot!!!!
I know I'm only one guy in the game to defend halides here the way I do, and I know my words are sometimes hard to swallow. Many see my comments as aggressive and against them. Nope, I'm not against anyone here or anywhere. I also know the lies from the manufacturers and videos are just to sell the LEDs for more profit and I applaud them for their good business. That's their job! When people start to take corals from under LEDs and adapt them back under halides or T5s they will see that it will take a while, but they will look completely different and that is what defines what they really are in my opinion, very similar to how they look and behavior in the ocean. The great majority of SPS corals under LEDs are deformed in many ways. They are not supposed to look like what we see today. Is that acceptable? Does that represent a healthy colony? Humm...
Many people see this as a hobby, I don't. Hobby is normally related to inanimate objects, like cards, cars, stamps, etc.. Why? When we keep live animals the word "hobby" becomes futile in my opinion. The real meaning should be pure activity without the other adjectives followed. Reefkeeping is an activity, not a hobby in my opinion. It's like having pets. Hobby is to pass time, something we do when there is nothing else to do.
The definition of hobby: A hobby is a regular activity that you do in your free time for fun, relaxation, and a pleasure rather than as a job.
The definition of activity: an action, a specific pursuit, or general state of being active and doing something.
Is your dog a hobby to you? What about your cat? Bird? Snake? Pets are connected to humans, not objects. Just my personal opinion. Corals and fish shouldn't be seen as just another object. They deserve our respect as living organisms. The values of life.
Anyway... We've been calling this a "hobby" for a long time and who am I to change that, but I just want to bring the differences of definitions here so we can start to see the animals in the tanks as pets who depend on our best to thrive, not to just survive and show colors, or to collect as objects. LEDs will do a great job in the production of fluorescent proteins and to show those and make the monetary value of the colony higher than normal. That is the truth. The health of the coral comes from a real complete spectrum in terms of light, like it is in nature. How can we prove that? Well... scientists are tired of saying that corals are here "forever" and they adapted themselves to the conditions in the ocean and sun for millions of years and so on... Are those the best conditions for them? The answer is yes. So whatever resemble those conditions is what IN MY OPINION should be the right thing to be reproduced in captivity, not what the
market tell us so! That is the major problem in my vision. Even biologists are following what the
market says! There is no absolutes anymore.
To finish here. Thanks again. This is a great beginning...
Please know in your hearts that I have absolutely nothing against any one of you. My intentions are the best for all of us.
Happy reefing.
