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Thank you for your response, it’s not so much that I am on a budget, it’s just that I see people pay big bucks for leds, I don’t understand leds therefore I don’t like spending a bunch of money on something that I don’t understand. I know a halide would cost me at least $400+I am missing where people are hating on the colors of MH. What often gets mentioned is the ability to adjust colors using LED that you dont have as much freedom with MH. In any case I think MH are fantastic. Still use one on a shallow frag tank.
I still would argue it is not the best choice on a "budget" which it sounded like was a concern for the OP, and it certainly can cause heat issues depending on the setup and the ambient temperature in your room.
Thank you for your response, it’s not so much that I am on a budget, it’s just that I see people pay big bucks for leds, I don’t understand leds therefore I don’t like spending a bunch of money on something that I don’t understand. I know a halide would cost me at least $400+
Not overkill. We can have 250W 14K over that tank to maintain any type of coral, clam, zoanthid, and anemones at it's optimum with halides, not struggling... it's just about the adaptation and playing with photoperiod/ nutrients. What really matters in artificial light over a reef tank is the combo of qualities from the light, to be used! That is serious reefing, as you've mentioned. Many people leave their halides for 12 yours too and have their tanks in amazing balance. It's mostly about adaptation and nutrient control. The electricity will be used to proper feed the system! It's not a waste as some have been preaching to promote LEDs. To save electricity, getting lower powered LEDs instead, is to compromise in what you are offering to your system in quality and energy needed. With halides you are using the electricity to power a top quality light system to better resemble what the sun does over the natural reef. That is exactly what our reef aquariums need in the first place. The results will be amazing and the health, growth and colors of the organisms will be compared to what we find in nature. There is absolutely no comparison between any LED system in the world and a good halide system any time.I love me some halides as I am a old school reefer and they were the shiznick back in the day for a serious reefer. However with todays LED technology, Halides are slowly going the way of the dinosaur, just not as fast as VHO's and Power Compacts.
A 250 watt 14K on a electronic ballast wouldnt be over kill per se' but it would be a lot if you dont have SPS corals. Unless you got an enclosed canopy a halide shouldnt give you over heating issues in my experiences and I was using them still up until about 2017 on Nanos. They do use a heck of a lot of juice from the wall outlet though!!! Bulb changes need to be made about every 10-12 months and run about 50-100 bucks each depending on the brand.
I have went with Kessils and just recently tried some Reef Brite LED strips. The Kessils are pretty idiot proof and give you the color and shimmer you get with Halides but at a fraction of the power consumption. Seriously though....get you a good quality LED fixture and call it done!
Many actually agree that extra blue tanks are unnatural to say the least. It became a trend in our hobby that should be rejected IMO. Nothing wrong in observing the tank under blue light during "sunrise/sunset" hours, but problem is when they like to keep that pleasure for the whole day. I don't think it's healthier that having a "white" spectrum to imitate what nature offers.MH is a great light and sad to see its decline in this hobby. I love the bright colorful shimmering effect on my tank, it makes the tank look alive.
Frankly, I think blue tanks are ugly and sleepy looking (just my opinion)
Exactly! The coral farmers tend to follow the money trend and to promote LEDs to customers is to promote slower growth, so the reefers won't trade. Blue LEDs will show the so called "better colors" and that is easy to spread as a "plus". Besides, they (coral farmers, traders, stores) like to save electricity because in their cases, having LEDs at 100% far from their system will MAINTAIN their corals relatively well growing to the selling point, and it works for their application in the short period of sales! They promote the LEDs to have more discounts from those LED companies the next time they need some more. I do not blame them. Too bad people try to follow their "magic" over their reefs at home. And that is a snow ball... making lot's of profits and even opening new stores. People need to understand that a nice clean white looking pdf with some suggestive scientific words aren't the truth when practically what our reef boxes need something with better qualities, like halides and T5s!After talking to a few insiders, halides aren't going anywhere any time soon (even if some of the large retailers got rid of their supply.) The halide companies can't even make them fast enough to catch up with demand. Your serious coral farms are running halides still because nothing replicates the sun better or grows corals faster. Faster growing corals is exactly what this hobby needs. Start giving out frags to new reefers again instead of slapping a fancy name on it and trying to take advantage of the next generation of reefers.
I remember back in the day, I kept a frag rack full of green birdsnest at all times. Gave them away or asked for $5 per frag. Took them to my LFS for credit. That is EXACTLY what we need to start seeing again. Hobbyists supplying the hobby instead of the ocean supplying us.
Wrong LED's..If u are a snorkeler or diver, hard to get used to seeing a reef with LEDs. At least for me.
Wrong LED's..
Last I knew Japan only. They do that..Are those available for purchase anywhere? In the states? I’ve seen that video posted a ton. But no information on where or when it will be available
I am a big fan of MH. How do you guys manage the blinding light with a suspended pendant and sitting in a nearby chair with the light spill?
Thanks for the note back. I have the narrow beam reflectors on my Kessil A360X lights so there is no light spill sitting in a chair nearby. The Refi LEDS also are configured to minimize light spill. I am just not a canopy guy. I like the open top look.To me a canopy is a must for all light sources. I find t5 and LED to be just as guilty of light pollution. I already am kind of bothered by the amount of light that illuminates the room just from the tank, when all primary light source is canopy contained. Part of why I prefer lower kelvin more daylight centric spectra. I despise the blue room phenomena of a reef tank