Anyone Thinking of Dumping LEDS and going back to Halides
- Thread starter Goldcoastreefs
- Start date
alton
Well-known member
Good looking tank, but what this proves is if you run the same amount of watts of LED as MH it will look just as good? The tank is 12" deep x 24 x 24 and he is running twice as many fixtures as needed and spent $1500 versus $325. But hey it works and I am glad for him.
AkoAung
aka -iDestroya-
I think the price has come down on plasma or LEP shred. $119. full spectrum, UVA emitting, 3900 lumen for a 2x2' area. that's pretty good isn't it?
(don't know if I'm allowed to post external websites, I'm no way associated with vendor).
Just something to add to this:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2388439
Some one found quite the reduction in par after after quite a short time.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2388439
Some one found quite the reduction in par after after quite a short time.
Uncle Salty 05
New member
The bottom line is nothing will power through water the way halides do.
BUT halides use a lot of power and add heat to the room (not to the tank if done right).
LEDs are no doubt the FUTURE of aquarium lighting, but for now you cannot beat metal halides.
BUT halides use a lot of power and add heat to the room (not to the tank if done right).
LEDs are no doubt the FUTURE of aquarium lighting, but for now you cannot beat metal halides.
mhucasey
Acros & wieners, oh my!
A very good point- The vendors are trying to sell you a lot less fixtures than would be needed to get the coverage required. If you blanket the tank with enough light then the chance for success goes way up. I think this is where LED fixtures will be in a few years - lots more LEDs than current fixtures, and a lot bigger than what is sold now.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
I wouldn't be surprised to see plasma take off at some point.
power boat jim
Well-known member
Does it have any mass market uses? LEDs are big because thay have a huge energy saving appeal and are now widespread in home use. I dont know what the advantages of plasma lighting would be that would make this nitch market profitable or affordable.
Uncle Salty 05
New member
Plasma produces too much heat to compete with LEDs.
AJ460
New member
Ok I'm listening I'm new to MH and mine are heating the water and not the room really
Uncle Salty 05
New member
Got a pic of your lights?
AJ460
New member
Uncle Salty 05
New member
The trick to getting halides to not heat your water is to enclose and vent them well.
I know it is small but take a good look at my avatar.
1,143 watts and zero degrees of heat transfer to the water.
But the top vent fan feels like a 1,134 watt hair drier.
I know it is small but take a good look at my avatar.
1,143 watts and zero degrees of heat transfer to the water.
But the top vent fan feels like a 1,134 watt hair drier.
I agree with this 100%
power boat jim
Well-known member
What you may be doing is countering the heat addition through increased evaporation by moving air through the canopy. The laws of physics basically wont allow for light to hit an object and not heat it.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
Do vortechs have a mass use? How about aquarium controllers?
It's been a couple years since I seriously researched them out but I really liked what they offered back then. The big problem was lack of research and money to improve the technology. There are some AWESOME tanks over in Europe running them. Sorry I don't have links with me.
If halides have made it this far, plasma wouldn't have an issue. It's a very viable option to replace halides with.
power boat jim
Well-known member
They are not a stand alone technology. Most of the hardware that makes them work was being used someplace else first. All Im saying is I would find it hard for someonee to spend money to develop a technolgy that has no wide spread use outside the aquarium industry. Im not saying it wont happen I just dont see plasma lighting available anywhere yet.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
It is widely used for street lights in some places. Again, it's been a couple years so it could have totally died out but I don't think so. You just don't see it mentioned often on RC.
I would say Vortechs are absolutely a stand alone technology. Sure magnets and propellers are used elsewhere but there is NOTHING like them anywhere in the world.
FastUno
New member
Darn, this is exactly what I was fearful of. Loss of power/par which I figured at about the 3rd to 4th year, but sooner. That stinks!! I visually detect that my Chinese LED's have gone down in eye burning intensity, can't prove it though & it is subjective and got me worried before the statement above.
That is not my video, but another reefers & I don't think he is hiding any MH's. He can no longer afford them after spending all that money on LED's
Just for the record, I would NEVER spend that much money on LED's & if not for the cheap Chinese ones I would probably still be running MH/T5's. I would be tempted to get a used set of Kessils or AI Vegas's for $300-$350/each though, but after the par confirmation I would have to think again.
Salty, how did you cover the bottom of your hood to get heat convection out? Did you use glass or plexi on top of the tank or did you slide them in somewhere below the lights in your hood?
All__talk
New member
I would agree, they are aquarium specific standalone technology, and their obscene price reflects that.
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