These lights are done for good....or are they?

[revhtree]

Could it be that very good, very productive aquarium lighting types are done for good or were they done a long time ago?

Yep I'm talking about Metal Halide Lighting and T5 Lighting. LED has firmly taken it's foothold and most of the share in the reef aquarium lighting market. But what about for you? Are you still hanging on to your favorite lights that seem to be going the way of the dinosaur?

1. Have you ever used Metal Halide and T5 Lighting on a reef tank?

2. Do you currently have a tank running MH or T5 lights?

I've been in this hobby long enough to remember when LED first hit the market as well all the naysayers who said that they wouldn't work!

3. Do you remember the discussion about LED and about how there wasn't proof that they would work?

@Julian Sprung still has 2 400-watt 14K metal halides on his tank and running them for 12 hours per day

 

[Waters]

There are always going to be people that use all three methods...I don't think metal halides or T5s will ever completely go away due to the fact that they are proven methods of lighting. That being said, there are FAR fewer people using halides now then there used to be. T5 popularity seems to be picking back up, with hybrid LED fixtures.

 

[WVNed]

I hope mine aren't done. They are supposed to come on in a few minutes

 

[3mm3]

I run halides now and will be running them on the new build.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I think a more interesting question would be comparing T5/Halide use to newer/younger reefers. I didn't know these were an option when I was doing my initial search for lighting

 

[AZMSGT]

T-5 & LED are still some of the best for color and coverage.
MH, they do a great job but it comes at a price, heat and power consumption.
T-5s solo are what LEDs strive to be. “The gold standard”
LEDs offer controllability.
Lets be honest manufactures push the latest and greatest.. that’s because that’s what they are making. So we get bomb barded to get the cool new thing. That’s LEDs. Also profit margins dictate what manufactures and stores push..

They all work and work well.

 

[725196]

1. Have you ever used Metal Halide and T5 Lighting on a reef tank?
MH - no. T5 - many times. Compact fluorescents - in the eary 2000s. Regular, plant Florescent bulbs - yep.
Incandescent bulbs - early 90s...

Things have gotten so much better

2. Do you currently have a tank running MH or T5 lights?

I just got rid of what I believe was my last T5s ever. End of an era.

3. Do you remember the discussion about LED and about how there wasn't proof that they would work?

I do indeed. At that point time you could build DIY or get really cheaply manufactured and overpriced LEDs. When Ecotech came out with LEDs I was unsure and believed the hype it would not work. I eventually got some black boxes from eBay, if memory serves. I am so glad that LEDs proved their worth and are now the go to option for reefs.

All the old stuff helped to pioneer modern reefing and I am hay to have been a part of it. But like the computers of old I don’t want a Commodore 64 anymore. Great memories but they pale in comparison to the memories we are making now.

 

[ScottR]

MH aren’t as common these days. T5s are still a staple. I love T5 LED hybrids.

 

[aabjones888]

1. Have you ever used Metal Halide and T5 Lighting on a reef tank?
yes
2. Do you currently have a tank running MH or T5 lights?
Yes, both and still love them
3. Do you remember the discussion about LED and about how there wasn't proof that they would work?
Yes, a lot of the early designs, and most were just blue and white leds

 

[andrewkw]

Still running one 250w metal halide. Covers my 36x24 footprint perfectly. Frag tank runs on a cheapo amazon T5 fixture. I also have 2 T5's on my led lit main reef. Does it absolutely need them? No led alone is fine, especially because I am soft coral dominated but still like to use them. If I didn't use Kessils on my main display I would probably consider MH still. At least for me I look at liking how my display tank as a whole looks, this includes how the fish look under the lights, their shadows, the shimmer ect. To me this is more important than some crazy blue that brings out a hint of a colour otherwise invisible.

 

[Thaxxx]

The past few months reading on here, if anything else they are increasing in use not declining.
The question might be better worded...
"Are Metal Halides making a come back? "

 

[Daniel@R2R]

MH are becoming less popular I think (though I think they'll still be around a while). T5s are still going pretty strong IMO. I know I LOVE a T5/LED hybrid.

 

[kenchilada]

My new 215G build will run 8x80W ATI Sunpower with LEDs as supplements. If it wasn’t for the heat, I’d run halides.

In the early 90s my tanks were all halides with VHO supplements and it was great. Things were pretty yellow until the 10K bulbs came along though.

There’s no way I would spend the $$$ you kids are putting down for LEDs on a large tank, only to change it all out two years later for the “gen 6” model.

 

[Lasse]

3. Do you remember the discussion about LED and about how there wasn't proof that they would work?

You bet and about multichip on another forum.......

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Topekoms]

Running ati t5 now ran led before these are better

 

[X-37B]

Just swithed from T5 to MH.
Most everyone I know run led's and have never seen a tank in person with MH.
I still hear the, they make your tank to hot.
My tank never increased in temp at all.
Oh and the power issue, lol.
Thats not that much considering what we have invested in the hobby.
Could have went with Radions like everyone uses in my area but
I just prefer the look, color, and growth of MH.
If they ever go away I will switch to them no problem as they grow corals very well.
If I had to switch right now I would go with a few Orphek light bars.
Those thing rock and are quality for the price.
I like the look better than Radions but thats just me.
Im glad we have so many choices and it will only get better in the future.

 

[Ippyroy]

It is my understanding that Europe is trying to phase out T5s now so they are on the way out and MH have been in decline for some time. LEDs keep getting better and last longer. They are cheaper and have been proven to do a great job.

 

[Phycodurus]

1. Have you ever used Metal Halide and T5 Lighting on a reef tank?
i got my first saltwater tank (180G) in ‘97 and i was pretty much only exploring a FOWLR set-up. i was aware of metal halides, but didn’t need them and more importantly here in SoCal, didn’t want the heat. power compact lighting was my first set-up. i definitely respected MH being king though.

2. Do you currently have a tank running MH or T5 lights?
yes. after i bought my house in 2004, that 180G set-up moved with me but it kinda petered out a few years after that. then it sat dry up until spring of 2018 (aquascaping still inside lol).

this go-around, i knew i wanted a mixed reef set-up and i knew pc’s wouldn’t cut it. i upgraded my lighting to two XHO led strips and three pairs of T5 bulbs.

3. Do you remember the discussion about LED and about how there wasn't proof that they would work?
vaguely ... about 2006/2007 up until 2017 are my down years, so i had to update myself on the latest technology.

 

[Vette67]

I for one, hope metal halides never disappear. As long as I run a reef, and as long as metal halide is still manufactured, I will run them on my tank. You just can't beat the ease (nothing to adjust). Just turn them on and go... And coral growth doesn't lie, so the corals seem to like halides too. But I'm old school, having been at this game for over 20 years, I like the old school approach. But like most things in this hobby, it comes down to personal preference. It does disappoint me that new reefers would never even know halide lighting was an option, because everything is LED. The marketing machine for LED's runs on overdrive, because obviously, that's where the money is.

 

[X-37B]

It is my understanding that Europe is trying to phase out T5s now so they are on the way out and MH have been in decline for some time. LEDs keep getting better and last longer. They are cheaper and have been proven to do a great job.

I would really like to know how long leds last.
Seems everyone upgrades every couple years.
Are their any studys on leds that plot their output over several years over a reef tank in the real world?
Maybe I missed them.
Anyone have a link?
I really like the orpheks but the Radions on 14k setting look real close to my 14K MH.
Leds are cheaper if you buy cheap ones.
I ran black boxes and they work.
Top of the line leds are not cheap if you run a large tank.
My next upgrade will be 3x my current 120 and will be MH and high end leds, the best of both world, imo.