What Halides Are Best?

[Kehaulani]

OK so after a lot of thinking between Hydra HD 52s and Halides, I think I've decided to go with the halides for my 180 gallon build. Now the question is, which type of fixture is best?

I've never ran halides before but hear that they are what's best for sps. I've also seen some tanks under radium bulbs and love how crisp the lighting looks. I'd like to go with this type of bulb also.

Can you guys give me some advice on what halide fixtures you like or don't like?

Pictures are always nice to see too.

Thanks.

 

[themcnertney]

You can buy mine old ones...

 

[themcnertney]

They are adjustable 250w/400W. I ran them for two years. Ran Radium bulbs @400W each and the growth from my sps was amazing.

 

[USMC4Life]

Lookin to Coralife 24 Inch Aqualight Pro, 1x250W HQI Lamp + 2x65W CF Lamps Sq. Pin + 2x1W LED you can get 2 or 3 of them but so you know, they put out a lot of heat. I have one and am looking to sell it. But they are not cheap if you get them new. I am talking over $800 up to $1300. I have no idea why they are so dang expensive.

 

[Bpb]

Get something like the above posted units used. The standalone lumenmax elite or the olde Lumenarc large pendants would be ideal as 3 would cover and spread over the tank beautifully. Any of the adjustable electronic ballasts would be fine for the Radium 400 watt bulbs. Another option would be the 5-6 foot 3 bulb Hamilton Cebu sun fixture which includes 4 t5ho bulbs as well. The halide reflectors in that unit aren't quite as good as the modular pendants, but it's an all in one unit sporting WAY better materials and ballasts than the cheaper Current or Coralife units. Hope that helps

 

[themcnertney]

Get something like the above posted units used. The standalone lumenmax elite or the olde Lumenarc large pendants would be ideal as 3 would cover and spread over the tank beautifully. Any of the adjustable electronic ballasts would be fine for the Radium 400 watt bulbs.

Couldn't agree more...also why I offered mine up to sell.

 

[mcarroll]

OK so after a lot of thinking between Hydra HD 52s and Halides

It's too bad those were the only choices you were considering. The benefits of LED are pretty well nullified in that option.

If you are OK with the budget it takes to keep the hell I'd system running – that includes a lot of wasted light (see back room pic above), higher electricity bills, twice a year bulb placements, and heat management – then I do not think you can beat a radium system similar to the one being offered.

(Objectively, I do think they're easy to beat with different options though. Things lik "pop" and "look" are subjective....nobody can tell you what you think looks good, or whether what you think looks good is important.)

 

[Kehaulani]

It's too bad those were the only choices you were considering. The benefits of LED are pretty well nullified in that option.

If you are OK with the budget it takes to keep the hell I'd system running – that includes a lot of wasted light (see back room pic above), higher electricity bills, twice a year bulb placements, and heat management – then I do not think you can beat a radium system similar to the one being offered.

(Objectively, I do think they're easy to beat with different options though. Things lik "pop" and "look" are subjective....nobody can tell you what you think looks good, or whether what you think looks good is important.)

Hydra HDs and halides weren't my only options to start with. It's just what it really dwindled down to. I also looked into kessils since that's what I have running on my 75 gallon now. Another one I looked into was t5s. In the end, it would cost me more money to run LEDs because I would need so many of them clustered together to give my tank the light it needs for good Sps growth. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought halides would be a better alternative since I'd need a minimum of 3 (one for every spacing on the 180) vs 6 hyrdas or 6 kessils We (two for every spacing).

 

[Kehaulani]

They are adjustable 250w/400W. I ran them for two years. Ran Radium bulbs @400W each and the growth from my sps was amazing.

Did you run a chiller with these? I'm assuming it got pretty hot. My 180 is in the basement and it's stays pretty cool down there. Someone told me I wouldn't need a chiller at all but I'm not sure that's true if I'm running halides

 

[Kehaulani]

Get something like the above posted units used. The standalone lumenmax elite or the olde Lumenarc large pendants would be ideal as 3 would cover and spread over the tank beautifully. Any of the adjustable electronic ballasts would be fine for the Radium 400 watt bulbs. Another option would be the 5-6 foot 3 bulb Hamilton Cebu sun fixture which includes 4 t5ho bulbs as well. The halide reflectors in that unit aren't quite as good as the modular pendants, but it's an all in one unit sporting WAY better materials and ballasts than the cheaper Current or Coralife units. Hope that helps

I was looking into the Hamilton fixture as some guy in my area is selling his for $500. It has T5s and LEDs built in. Just not sure if that's the route I want to go yet. Thanks for the options though

 

[pirate2876]

I have both. I run 250's on my 120 with a AI26 in the center and two T5's. Honestly, I think the halides are too hot and inefficient. Im planning on going T5/LED retro here in the future. The AI's are great for making corals "pop" and you cant beat T5's for growth and color.

 

[themcnertney]

Did you run a chiller with these? I'm assuming it got pretty hot. My 180 is in the basement and it's stays pretty cool down there. Someone told me I wouldn't need a chiller at all but I'm not sure that's true if I'm running halides

I did not run a chiller. My tank is 220 w/110 sump. It is in its own fish room. I ran a window fan in that room. As long as I kept my house consistent temp, water temp stayed about 78-82

 

[Kehaulani]

I did not run a chiller. My tank is 220 w/110 sump. It is in its own fish room. I ran a window fan in that room. As long as I kept my house consistent temp, water temp stayed about 78-82

OK thanks that really helps

 

[Kehaulani]

I have both. I run 250's on my 120 with a AI26 in the center and two T5's. Honestly, I think the halides are too hot and inefficient. Im planning on going T5/LED retro here in the future. The AI's are great for making corals "pop" and you cant beat T5's for growth and color.

The Al hyrdas are nice and I actually thought of doing those with T5s. But I still think I'd need 6 hydras and if so then that's still really pricey

 

[pirate2876]

The Al hyrdas are nice and I actually thought of doing those with T5s. But I still think I'd need 6 hydras and if so then that's still really pricey

You'll recoup that back in energy savings. Seriously.

 

[Ike]

Go with 3 x lumen bright 3's lumatek or coralvue variable watt ballasts and run 250w bulbs on the hqi setting. No need for 400's and dealing with shorter bulb life, the 250's will be plenty. You can check out my tank that ran these in the reef keeping totm from April of last year. The only reason I'm not still running them is because the room where my new tank is isn't cooled very well due to it being an addition. If you don't mind the extra expense and heat there is nothing better for SPS color and growth than radiums in my opinion.

 

[USMC4Life]

Just get one that's about 250w or 300w but don't get it new because depending on the brand it can be expensive.

 

[zoomonster]

Well I started this current tank on MH/TH (also used many years previous) and eventually went to 5 x Kessil A360WE on a 6ft 200g. It really needed the extra lights to tone down the shimmer and reduce shadowing. It does ok but compared to MH/T5 a little disappointing. Colors are great but growth leaves a lot to be desired and like all LED's you get die off/brown out underneath on many acro's. After it cools down here I'm considering going back to my Hamilton MH/T5 fixture at least for a while. It's even crossed my mind the gut the MH, internally mount the Kessils (or other modules) and add an extra row or two of T5. IMO there's no LED unit that really cuts it w/o T5 supplementation (with good reflector). LED's may be the future but that route really needs to be a hybrid with T5. IMO most of the people that preach about how great LED only units have never experienced MH/T5 (and most of those that have eventually go back). For a newer tank I prefer 14k bulbs for the best of both worlds with color and growth. When they need to be replaced then is a good time to go to 20k (or stay 14k) with great color and less growth. 3x250w bulbs is more than adequate for a 6ft tank and IMO 400w is overkill and you really suck power and generate heat. As far as MH/T5 fixtures not a lot of choices left. Hamilton Cebu Sun is the Chevy and Giesemann is the BMW with price tags to match. I had a lot of issues with quality on my Hamilton Cebu and if I was to do it again I'd spent ~600 more for a Giesemann Infiniti 250w Double Ended 4x80w Metal Halide T5 Fixture although it does not include MH ballasts or bulbs so really closer to $2600 overall. The Aurora hybrid would be a great choice but what irks me is they don't make a 72" fixture in that line (nor does ATI Powermodule). Granted T5 only goes to 60" but no reason to not stagger a 72" fixture. I don't do hoods or ceiling mounts so I want a light with at least optional legs for on tank mounting. They could also be suspended from tank back mounted arms (and 60" would be ok) but for most established tanks that's not an option.

On the other hand switching to LED did in fact reduce heat, lower E consumption and of course bulb replacement. Don't be fooled by some places that are aqua culturing that are said to have gone to LED. One I know in particular uses LED's but its really a mix of LED/T5/MH lighting. T5 only is also probably a overall better option than LED, limits heat, less power consumption than MH but I would probably want an 8 bulb system and the bulb costs add up quick.

 

[Kehaulani]

Well I started this current tank on MH/TH (also used many years previous) and eventually went to 5 x Kessil A360WE on a 6ft 200g. It really needed the extra lights to tone down the shimmer and reduce shadowing. It does ok but compared to MH/T5 a little disappointing. Colors are great but growth leaves a lot to be desired and like all LED's you get die off/brown out underneath on many acro's. After it cools down here I'm considering going back to my Hamilton MH/T5 fixture at least for a while. It's even crossed my mind the gut the MH, internally mount the Kessils (or other modules) and add an extra row or two of T5. IMO there's no LED unit that really cuts it w/o T5 supplementation (with good reflector). LED's may be the future but that route really needs to be a hybrid with T5. IMO most of the people that preach about how great LED only units have never experienced MH/T5 (and most of those that have eventually go back). For a newer tank I prefer 14k bulbs for the best of both worlds with color and growth. When they need to be replaced then is a good time to go to 20k (or stay 14k) with great color and less growth. 3x250w bulbs is more than adequate for a 6ft tank and IMO 400w is overkill and you really suck power and generate heat. As far as MH/T5 fixtures not a lot of choices left. Hamilton Cebu Sun is the Chevy and Giesemann is the BMW with price tags to match. I had a lot of issues with quality on my Hamilton Cebu and if I was to do it again I'd spent ~600 more for a Giesemann Infiniti 250w Double Ended 4x80w Metal Halide T5 Fixture although it does not include MH ballasts or bulbs so really closer to $2600 overall. The Aurora hybrid would be a great choice but what irks me is they don't make a 72" fixture in that line (nor does ATI Powermodule). Granted T5 only goes to 60" but no reason to not stagger a 72" fixture. I don't do hoods or ceiling mounts so I want a light with at least optional legs for on tank mounting. They could also be suspended from tank back mounted arms (and 60" would be ok) but for most established tanks that's not an option.

On the other hand switching to LED did in fact reduce heat, lower E consumption and of course bulb replacement. Don't be fooled by some places that are aqua culturing that are said to have gone to LED. One I know in particular uses LED's but its really a mix of LED/T5/MH lighting. T5 only is also probably a overall better option than LED, limits heat, less power consumption than MH but I would probably want an 8 bulb system and the bulb costs add up quick.

Thanks this really helps. I appreciate your opinion.

 

[Kehaulani]

Go with 3 x lumen bright 3's lumatek or coralvue variable watt ballasts and run 250w bulbs on the hqi setting. No need for 400's and dealing with shorter bulb life, the 250's will be plenty. You can check out my tank that ran these in the reef keeping totm from April of last year. The only reason I'm not still running them is because the room where my new tank is isn't cooled very well due to it being an addition. If you don't mind the extra expense and heat there is nothing better for SPS color and growth than radiums in my opinion.

Thanks for your advice. I've notice that many people I talk to who are all about LEDs, haven't had MH and I really wanted to opinion from someone who has MH.