markalot
...
There are so many subtopics here it gets confusing. I regret feeding the troll ...
IMO
LED's can color corals just fine if they can maintain the proper par, but the directional light means almost all of the nice colors can only be seen from the top down.
For the same amount of light, at least on a larger tank, a quality T5 fixture including annual bulb replacement is cheaper out to at least 5 years. As the tank gets smaller I think LED's become more cost effective, but I only ran numbers on my 72" tank. T5's light the top and sides of my corals and I think my SPS look a lot better. Subjective.
I never used MH, I can't take the heat, but I can certainly see why people like them who use a large tank wide reflector. For my money it's all about lighting up the sides of the sticks as well as the top so I can see the color from the front, where I enjoy the tank most.
To come in here and simply make a cost argument is to miss the entire point of the thread IMO.
To switch to halide without a proper tank wide reflector also misses the point, again IMO.
I think some people have argued LED can't color up corals as well as other light sources. I disagree unless the argument is specifically about coloration on the sides of the sticks. IMO putting a halide bulb over a tank with a small reflector is not much different from placing a LED puck over the tank. In this specific situation I can see how one might argue LED is superior, but then again it's subjective.
IMO
LED's can color corals just fine if they can maintain the proper par, but the directional light means almost all of the nice colors can only be seen from the top down.
For the same amount of light, at least on a larger tank, a quality T5 fixture including annual bulb replacement is cheaper out to at least 5 years. As the tank gets smaller I think LED's become more cost effective, but I only ran numbers on my 72" tank. T5's light the top and sides of my corals and I think my SPS look a lot better. Subjective.
I never used MH, I can't take the heat, but I can certainly see why people like them who use a large tank wide reflector. For my money it's all about lighting up the sides of the sticks as well as the top so I can see the color from the front, where I enjoy the tank most.
To come in here and simply make a cost argument is to miss the entire point of the thread IMO.
To switch to halide without a proper tank wide reflector also misses the point, again IMO.
I think some people have argued LED can't color up corals as well as other light sources. I disagree unless the argument is specifically about coloration on the sides of the sticks. IMO putting a halide bulb over a tank with a small reflector is not much different from placing a LED puck over the tank. In this specific situation I can see how one might argue LED is superior, but then again it's subjective.