...so we are talking like 30x20x24, right? If so, I would get a pair of 150W HQI with 14K phoenix bulbs and M81 ballasts. Only 325W, or so, of electricity, very little heat, great color and the bulbs can be used for 2 years. These are oft overlooked, but great smaller/shallower tank lights.
Anyone gone back to halides?
- Thread starter Capt_Cully
- Start date
...so we are talking like 30x20x24, right? If so, I would get a pair of 150W HQI with 14K phoenix bulbs and M81 ballasts. Only 325W, or so, of electricity, very little heat, great color and the bulbs can be used for 2 years. These are oft overlooked, but great smaller/shallower tank lights.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not lobbying for leds based on his tank. I won't use all leds anymore, or led dominant, T5 with led supplementation is where ill stay. I didnt know about him losing a bunch of coral when he switched and all that. I was just pointing out he has a really impressive tank run on all leds (for a couple years I believe) and came from halide. His colors look really good on what he has in there. He do remember him pointing out some coral that never recovered their color fully. As you said though, its an interesting case study.
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Jimmy james
New member
WLachnit
Active member
Capt_Cully
New member
Yes really.
reefmutt
Active member
I started with T12 Phillips actinics and daylights- then went to venture mh- the most yellow bulbs you ever saw!
Then I mixed venture mh with ushio blues and added vho actinics..
then I went t5 and de mh.
Then, ghl mitras.. I had decent success with health and growth but I hated what I was seeing when looking down at my Corals.
Went to mitras and t5 and didnt mind it but wasn’t happy..
Went back to radium mh with t5 and kicked myself for ever using LEDs
Then tried all t5. Corals were fantastic but I wasn’t happy without the mh sparkle.
I have now settled on my current mh/t5/ai prime led set up and really like it.
I won’t cuange any time soon but if I did I would certainly try the radion g4 pros.
I have seen some great results with those lights- growth and color.
LEDs have an ability to make corals look ‘spectacular ‘ even when they aren’t. To those coming into the hobby with LEDs they won’t know the didference but to us old fogies who saw corals the way god intended!!
, we may always revert to mh..
Then I mixed venture mh with ushio blues and added vho actinics..
then I went t5 and de mh.
Then, ghl mitras.. I had decent success with health and growth but I hated what I was seeing when looking down at my Corals.
Went to mitras and t5 and didnt mind it but wasn’t happy..
Went back to radium mh with t5 and kicked myself for ever using LEDs
Then tried all t5. Corals were fantastic but I wasn’t happy without the mh sparkle.
I have now settled on my current mh/t5/ai prime led set up and really like it.
I won’t cuange any time soon but if I did I would certainly try the radion g4 pros.
I have seen some great results with those lights- growth and color.
LEDs have an ability to make corals look ‘spectacular ‘ even when they aren’t. To those coming into the hobby with LEDs they won’t know the didference but to us old fogies who saw corals the way god intended!!
, we may always revert to mh..
Capt_Cully
New member
You have any pictures of your set up? It sounds great.
Scorpius
Stick Head
Not to start a war, but if you folks would like some LED's I'd go with the Kessil A360 series. Keep the color under 50% and pick whatever intensity you want and you're good to go. I like not having the ability to adjust ever color diode.
I run 1 360we per foot of tank along with four T5 bulbs for my sps.
I run 1 360we per foot of tank along with four T5 bulbs for my sps.
Mike de Leon
New member
I have the XR30. I've also owned, and still do in a package, AI hydras. I like the colour on the AIs better.
Capt_Cully
New member
reefmutt
Active member
Hm. Interesting. I just find that the extra LEDs in the radions cane do some pretty crazy things to the look of the corals that the ais can't.
I have the Hamilton ceyman sun reflectors for de bulbs. I quite like them.
Capt_Cully
New member
I like your set up and think I might do something similar with Hamilton Bimini de reflectors and 3 Radion XR 15s.
Visually you can't beat the dawn dusk of LEDs but if I turn down the intensity, it should minimize the pin point burns on sensitive corals. Just be aesthetic. Then ramp down for T5s and off completely with Halides. I'm likin' it!
As for cost, I think I'm ok with it having experienced all sides of things. To me, it'll be worth it to have a pretty tank again. This latest one has proven to be a struggle. "œKnow your tanks personality", this ones a d**k.
10Seconds
New member
I am just coming up on 2 years in the hobby, all of which until a week ago were with various LEDs. But never got the look I wanted and all the tanks I really was drawn towards had other lighting. So I just changed to Metal Halide / T5 hybred fixture and I love it. Tank looks better than ever before.
I get that you can grow corals with LEDs and the Radions are nice. But when I see that it takes 10 of them on Sanjays tank to equal what he grew with 3 MH, it makes me think. I dont want to spend $8k on lights where $1.5k would do and look better IMO.
I get that you can grow corals with LEDs and the Radions are nice. But when I see that it takes 10 of them on Sanjays tank to equal what he grew with 3 MH, it makes me think. I dont want to spend $8k on lights where $1.5k would do and look better IMO.
Well, here's the problem with that, that it ignores the color factor. Not many people want to use 10k bulbs anymore, and having tried them, the lower wattage 20k bulbs tend to be a waste of time IMO, and I'd want to go with 250's on a 75 for that reason. And that's where the potentially similar cost of running halides goes out the window.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
The Phoenix 14k bulb is regarded as one of the best bulbs ever created. The 150w version was absolutely amazing when I ran it and it's much closer to 20k than 14k IMO
