First names Allen, although i did work in Phili one summer during college and am about to fly through there in about an hour. :lol2:
They sure love their Eagles.....
Anyone Thinking of Dumping LEDS and going back to Halides
- Thread starter Goldcoastreefs
- Start date
First names Allen, although i did work in Phili one summer during college and am about to fly through there in about an hour. :lol2:
They sure love their Eagles.....
Goldcoastreefs
New member
I know LEDs look great for the eye, and I will use some for supplementation but I am looking for help now in deciding between the power module or 250w radiums for a 48x24x12 frag tank
I went from Power Compact to MH to T5 to Led to T5 and don't think I will ever go back.
Honestly nothing beats MH w/ T5 supplements, but T5s alone for color and growth is amazing. I run a 6 bulb ATI Powermodule and I don't think I will ever get rid of this fixture unless I upgrade to an 8 bulb!
Also just to note I ran an ecotech radion led fixture and an AI sol blue, nothing compares to the colors or growth I got with T5s/MH. Leds when it comes to red makes them orange and all my skittle acans etc. turned them brown/orange. I switched back to T5 and boom reds, greens, etc. popped! Even with my ecotech radion my corals changed.
Honestly nothing beats MH w/ T5 supplements, but T5s alone for color and growth is amazing. I run a 6 bulb ATI Powermodule and I don't think I will ever get rid of this fixture unless I upgrade to an 8 bulb!
Also just to note I ran an ecotech radion led fixture and an AI sol blue, nothing compares to the colors or growth I got with T5s/MH. Leds when it comes to red makes them orange and all my skittle acans etc. turned them brown/orange. I switched back to T5 and boom reds, greens, etc. popped! Even with my ecotech radion my corals changed.
nasoisking
New member
good information to hear....I was just thinking of buying 2 new LED fixtures instead of buying new t5 bulbs.....guess ill stick with the t5's!
Mmiller40gt
arrogant reefer
You live close to me so I know your not pay more than 10 cents a kwh. Say 800 watts and a 500 watt chiller running non stop 12 hours a day. The lights were costing you at mostt 47$ a month and I'm sure you chiller ran much less than that. Don't forget last summer was much much hotter than this year. Also consider you LEDs are still pulling 200 watts or so. I don't see any way for your electric to drop more than 30$ a month. Heck I pay 7.8 cents and my halides and chiller don't cost me near that. My entire tank costs about 30$ a month to run.
James77
Team RC
But both of those are trivial amount for most people. The typical 4 foot tank has 2 halides, bulbs run $40-$80 each for pretty much every single hobby bulb out there. Electric costs me at most 10 bucks more to run 2-250 watt halides on magnetic HQI ballasts. Heat is a total non issue for me. So my monthly davings are about $15-$20 were I to switch to LEDs. But that is also assuming zero LED failures( on fixtures that are obsolet- have fun with that one) or driver failures over the course of its life.
For those truly saving 100 or more a month and solving endless heat problems, they are a great choice. But ot get LEDs for saving a few bucks a month in this already excessive hobby is ridiculous. I've thrown away more PVC fittings in this hobby than I would save in one year of LEDs
Mmiller40gt
arrogant reefer
But both of those are trivial amount for most people. The typical 4 foot tank has 2 halides, bulbs run $40-$80 each for pretty much every single hobby bulb out there. Electric costs me at most 10 bucks more to run 2-250 watt halides on magnetic HQI ballasts. Heat is a total non issue for me. So my monthly davings are about $15-$20 were I to switch to LEDs. But that is also assuming zero LED failures( on fixtures that are obsolet- have fun with that one) or driver failures over the course of its life.
For those truly saving 100 or more a month and solving endless heat problems, they are a great choice. But ot get LEDs for saving a few bucks a month in this already excessive hobby is ridiculous. I've thrown away more PVC fittings in this hobby than I would save in one year of LEDs
+1. Everyone is claiming these huge savings and I just can't get the math to add up. I been doing cost management and software development for 12 years and the math still eludes me. Who has kept a led fixture for over 2 years? People are upgrading to the latest and greatest every year. still searching to replace something that already works great.
I spend more in salt than any predicted savings. This is not a cheap hobby. If 20$ a month makes or breaks you you might consider goldfish.
I would question the number of people constantly upgrading to the latest and greatest. Before I moved from Cleveland to Cali, I had the same tank with the same pump with the same skimmer with the same ballast and reflector and same heater for 10 years. I did upgrade my powerheads as newer stuff came out, but before the ecotechs, I had the same MJ-1200 for 6 years.
I know my brothers did the same. It wasn't that common for most in my C-SEA to constantly upgrade (powerheads aside).
Now, if I can get my Radion to work I will keep it for much longer than 2 years...but that is looking like a very big IF lately and I too am considering switching back to MH (though not the same one I had for 10 years - I did sell that one
I know my brothers did the same. It wasn't that common for most in my C-SEA to constantly upgrade (powerheads aside).
Now, if I can get my Radion to work I will keep it for much longer than 2 years...but that is looking like a very big IF lately and I too am considering switching back to MH (though not the same one I had for 10 years - I did sell that one
Mmiller40gt
arrogant reefer
I was referring to led users upgrading. Throat MH users have Ben using the same tech for years. Because it WORKS
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Mmiller40gt
arrogant reefer
After seeing the cool you tube vids I have to admit I bid on some on eBay. Kinda glad I did not win them. It does fpgive me hope thst eventually they will come out with one that WILL replace 250hqi. The options are very cool and adding in they would work with my vortechs is really neat.
NoobtoSalt
New member
I'm on the opposite side of many comments here i guess. I love my leds. Have the best sps growth I've ever had. I've ran halides and t5 over the years and nothing compares to the quality as the leds. Interesting read here though. I've been running them now for about seven months
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mussel and hate
New member
I hear how expensive this hobby is here all the time and yet in my 20+ years of reefkeeping I've spent less than a grand. I'm still using the MH fixture I bought used and not working from the LFS(easily repaired) it is running the same Iwasaki 14k SE 175 that it has for the last 50 months or so now. The oceanic skimmer I bought used and cracked from the LFS in the early 90's to replace my Sanders airstone skimmer is still working perfectly powered by a 15 year old Iwaki that I bought, you guessed it... used and not working.
This hobby is only as expensive as you make it. I'm building a DIY LED fixture right now. I doubt I'll cast it aside in the next couple years. The money saved on electricity is real and undeniable. You big spenders might not see it as important but some of us live in the real world.
FWIW I still plan on burning my 4+yr old MH but for a reduced duration.
moncapitane
New member
LED to MH
LED to MH
Now this is a curious way to look at it. I would wonder for the people who do not like their LEDs, what fixtures they are going with? I have head most of the LED fixtures that are less expensive are the knockoffs which to me would indicate they are probably not as good as the more expensive ones so if the people who are not liking their LED, are just using these knockoffs. Also, I would be curious to know the light colors of LEDs that people are using when they don't like LEDs. I have seen mostly that only with cool white and royal blue are not getting the job down but the additional of other frequencies of light help prompt the same growth one would get with the MH or t5. Not trying to so anyone is wrong/right but just curious because it seems there isn't enough information on people switching back to MH from LED. Also, this is going to be another one of those things that some people like and others don't.
LED to MH
Now this is a curious way to look at it. I would wonder for the people who do not like their LEDs, what fixtures they are going with? I have head most of the LED fixtures that are less expensive are the knockoffs which to me would indicate they are probably not as good as the more expensive ones so if the people who are not liking their LED, are just using these knockoffs. Also, I would be curious to know the light colors of LEDs that people are using when they don't like LEDs. I have seen mostly that only with cool white and royal blue are not getting the job down but the additional of other frequencies of light help prompt the same growth one would get with the MH or t5. Not trying to so anyone is wrong/right but just curious because it seems there isn't enough information on people switching back to MH from LED. Also, this is going to be another one of those things that some people like and others don't.
KCombs
They Call me "RifRaf"
^this
^and this
some of us in the 20+ club think back on all the money we've wasted on gimmicks and poorly designed products...
For all the unchanged, reliable Ebo Jaegers and Aquaclear filters out there, there are dozens of failures
my guess is most of the disenfranchised ex-LED'ers here probably acknowledge that LED's are comming, and comming on strong...
but perhaps just not yet...
