Anyone Thinking of Dumping LEDS and going back to Halides

[meshwheel]

You cannot and do not understand it because the "Puck" design blowsssssss!!!
My led's are 6 inches front to back and 30 inches long!!!! Yes, better light distribution by far then your Radions and metal halides!! And we can do a meter comparison if you would like.
I decided against Radions for that very reason.(and their saltwater air sucking fans) AI Hydras as well. I get the so called "Wrap" your talking about all over the place. And most of it stays in the tank, where you want it.
I got my can lights for my mom on sale at lowe's for 29.99 each. In less then 5 months they will have paid for themselves. You think they will last 5 months???? We are coming up to month number 2 here shortly, all are still going strong! Also, unlimited 5 year guarantee too.
We all pretty much know that leds are a pinpoint light source. This is why you have a lenses and lens changes.
Reefbreeders do not need them. They utilize multiple leds spread out to accomplish this and resolve the problem. So you get the wrap your talking about.
Each row has 4 leds front to back. Six inches.long.

 

[sirreal63]

KoolAid, some people sip, some people drink it by the gallon.

 

[d2mini]

:lol:

I got my can lights for my mom on sale at lowe's for 29.99 each. In less then 5 months they will have paid for themselves.

First, you paid too much.
Check out http://1000bulbs.com
Second, how much do you pay in electricity that you figure your bulb replacement costs are going to be recouped in 5 months when each bulb cost 30 bucks?! And a CF flood cost 5 bucks? :crazy1:

 

[meshwheel]

CF lights are free here in California through Edison. I would never pay for CF lights. Never have, even when people where paying outrageous prices to change their whole house over.
The lights I installed in the kitchen are the light with the trim ring and adjustment arms. Its a all in one unit. They are dimming too.
The site you posted sells the drop down led lights for 100.00 each!!!! Dude, you better start checking your facts and information!!! And they are 11 watts. Mine are 13 watts. More lumens, 5 year warrantee and almost 75% cheaper.
Man, you guys need to start posting more accurate information.

 

[meshwheel]

Jack,
Posting negative things about people on reefcentral is childish and not really cool. We are all here to learn off each other. You I guess know everything. If I posted anything incorrect please feel free to point it out.
I would only make negative remarks about you to your face. Not over a computer screen.............

 

[rtparty]

Seriously Mesh, you need to calm down. We're all happy that your LEDs are the greatest thing since sliced bread. We're all happy you are saving thousands.

 

[rgfast]

I tried for years to get LEDS to work for my system and during that time I tried to defend them as well, simple answer is I couldn't. Over this time I did have good growth but a tank full of purple and green sps corals is not what I was looking for. Six months ago I bit the bullet and changed lighting to T5s, best move I've made in a long time and corals are loving it!

When I first went to Leds from MH it was alot of fun playing with controllers and the color shift in the corals was slow so I really didn't notice it that much. It was only later when I'd sell frags to friends that they showed their ugly hand, seeing what these corals looked like after they were grown under diffent lighting was the game changer for me

 

[dc]

Seriously Mesh, you need to calm down. We're all happy that your LEDs are the greatest thing since sliced bread. We're all happy you are saving thousands.

x 2

 

[Khemul]

The problem with your arguments meshwheel is that you are arguing all of the points that people agree with, while writing off the ones people don't. LED vs MH isn't a savings/heat/coverage (LEDs can give the same coverage, most just don't) issue. It is an aesthetic issue. It's like going onto an overclocker's forum and arguing that they'd save money and efficiency if they ran their processors slower, no one cares. You are in one of the few areas where electric savings are even noticeable. This hobby is already expensive, even for the most minimalist design possible. Arguing savings isn't going to do much in a luxury hobby. For much of the country, heat isn't an issue, so good luck arguing there. Coverage depends entirely on the individual unit of each (MH or LED). So it is primarily an aesthetic issue. For some it is a labor vs reward issue (as in, it isn't worth it for them to tweak things for hours to get them right when they can set up a MH in minutes and call it done). Which means that there isn't much room for convincing people one way or another.

The discussion with LEDs vs MH isn't about which is better overall. It is about which is better to the individual. For some, it is MH. For others, it is LED. Going beyond that and trying to convince people to switch to a specific product blurs the lines between debate and sales, since essentially that is what a salesperson does.

 

[meshwheel]

Khemul,
First, please re-read my previous posts. If you love metal halides and they work better for you then that's great! I know they work. I have used them for years.
Led's are changing very rapidly. So rapidly in fact, I would not purchase them up until a few months ago.
Are they better now then they where 12-24 months ago? Probably. But the simple facts that remain are this:
1. Rising energy costs are WORLDWIDE. As the population expands, this problem will continue. This is not just in my area.
2. If savings where not a concern in this hobby, the manufacturers would not bother. Ask them. Led's, pumps, powerheads etc. All are getting more efficient.
3. Manufacturers do not want this to be a luxury hobby. They want more people in it. It's a great hobby, lets make it as affordable as possible.
4. Energy companies(Edison etc.) are going to push like crazy to get you to change your lights. It's far cheaper for them to do that then build more powerplants.
Led's work for me. I will probably never go back to metal halides. We will see in the coming months how they do for color. But so far, growth is right on par with anything else.
I am not a salesman, nor do I want to be. But lets keep the facts as accurate as possible.

 

[sirreal63]

Jack, If I posted anything incorrect please feel free to point it out.

It's great to be all excited about your light, and it will work just fine over your tank, but just because it covers a 3' long 65 gallon tank that is narrow (front to back) does not mean it will cover the same if you put it over a tank that was double the front to back size of yours. It certainly would not cover my 40x40 tank, which my single MH does. So your claim about led's covering better than MH is not correct, (in all instances but it may in some).

If you are basing that on the LumenBrite you had over the tank, I can understand your confusion. The LB was designed to concentrate light straight down in a very narrow beam, and was never intended to cover a 36" tank evenly. Comparing it to the ReefBreeders is a very poor comparison. You never should have used the LB over that tank, not if you expected it to cover the tank. It was the wrong choice for your tank and I can see how the RB is a much better choice, it will cover your tank.

You claim to be having wild success with corals and growing frags and...

I can get 2-4 FREE FRAGS PER MONTH using led's! I'm crying all the way to the bank....:bounce1::crazy1::celeb3:

Yet the tank has only had SPS in it for about a month...

To the right is a Garf Purple Bonsai. Slowly growing down onto the disk. I hate to move him. He's a light purple right now, but his polyps are flourescent green! Very bright!
Here's a whole tank shot. You can tell its just starting to take shape!

Not much to look at, but in a few more months it's really going to start to form! All my corals are growing and spreading out their bases onto my rock.

At this point it is all hype, hence the KoolAid comment. Some of us understand that you are just BS'ing and having fun, but what about those that do not?

I do believe the RB is just about the best bang for the buck in LED's, and if I were going to waste money on LED's those would be my choice. For some of us it makes no sense to do that, for others it makes perfect sense to use LED's. It is a choice, it has nothing to do with right or wrong for the masses, but what is right for each person. Let's keep the facts as accurate as possible. :beer:

 

[sirreal63]

I do think the tank looks great and will do very well, it just needs time.

 

[meshwheel]

Jack,
Thanks for the compliment! It's coming along.
I am not bs-ing anyone. And yes, I am having alot of fun posting and debating! It's great to get a rise out of you...............LOL
Do you want some growth pics? I do not mind taking them and posting them here. I am as I stated in my thread, still testing putting the puzzle together as far as what this tank needs(at this time) with food additions etc.
My growth is ramping up even faster now. The corals I purchased with holes in them( I think they where bite marks from sea hares that had no algae in the tank) have healed completely and a few are still healing that had larger pieces of tissue missing.
Do I or can I attribute this all to the lights?? Of course not!!!! But they are supporting it for sure. Are they better for growing corals then halides?? Not sure, but it looks very promising at this point. IN MY TANK AND SITUATION ANYWAY.
I can say it again and will post it again, I understand the geographical differences. It's different for everyone. Even 20 miles from my house to right on the coast line is different.
But you cannot dispute the wattage used! And thats one thing I love about them!

 

[sirreal63]

Keep the growth pics in your thread, that is more on topic and makes it easier to follow the tank's progress. There is no doubt that LED's can grow corals, that has been known since the Solaris came out in 2006/7 era. This thread is about people who went LED, noticed the change in their corals and decided to go back to MH or T5. This thread isn't about getting people to switch to LED, this thread is for once they did switch to LED, how many have switched back, and why.

 

[meshwheel]

Jack,
Will do! Just wanted to jab at ya! LOL! I will post some pics. Will make a great little comparo in my thread!
Thanks!!! PS So Sorry your missing out on leds...............LOL

 

[Stackemdeep]

Our LFS just pulled the Radions from the frag tank and put up an ATI 8 bulb fixture. I had the pleasure of seeing the tank both ways within a few days time. My first reaction was wow, that is a huge new light and some great colors. Then I studied individual pieces and noted that some colors looked better, and some did not. This confirmed my suspicion that the entire debate is subjective and personal to the individual and the sps kept. A bit like Nascar Fans arguing over Ford/Chevy/Toyota when so much depends on the driver and the crew. That said, I run a photon 48 on a 120 and the family loves it so that means Dad is happy.

 

[Fishyoga]

Been following this thread for a while now.
I currently have a stock supplied LED bar that came with the 10 gallon Marineland tank kit that I recently bought. Given that I have had low expectations out of my abilities, I have thought about experimenting with different lighting yet.
However I did find something unusual recently......

In an effort to grow my biomass a little faster, I decided to try using a desk lamp that I use for computer viewing and reading, (http://www.verilux.com/replacement-bulbs/27watt-replacement-bulb/) Here is a link to the specific bulb it uses. It is quoted as a 'Natural light, full spectrum bulb'. I shine this light through the walls of the tank, leaving the LED bare shining down from the attached canopy. Whenever I move this Lamp, I have a little polyp that redirects itself toward the lamp, rather than the LED.
Does anyone else have experience with LED from Marineland?
Does anyone have examples of using mixed lighting, and observed differing results?
I'm really interested in learning what the different lightings will actually do to the growths in a tank.
I have yet to try MH lighting so far

 

[Mikefromaz]

I very recently bought 7 well developed softee drags from a local guy who works out of his home. He has two frag tanks both with Reefbreefers Photon units over them. He explained that he had no intention of getting into the "coral business" as he put it. He went on to explain that the coral growth "exploded" and he is to the point where to / what to do next. The coloration of the frags and their parent stock was amazing. Just my experience for what it is worth.

 

[meshwheel]

I keep telling Jack.................................he wont listen...............................LOL

 

[KafudaFish]

Khemul,
First, please re-read my previous posts. If you love metal halides and they work better for you then that's great! I know they work. I have used them for years.
Led's are changing very rapidly. So rapidly in fact, I would not purchase them up until a few months ago.
Are they better now then they where 12-24 months ago? Probably. But the simple facts that remain are this:
1. Rising energy costs are WORLDWIDE. As the population expands, this problem will continue. This is not just in my area.
2. If savings where not a concern in this hobby, the manufacturers would not bother. Ask them. Led's, pumps, powerheads etc. All are getting more efficient.
3. Manufacturers do not want this to be a luxury hobby. They want more people in it. It's a great hobby, lets make it as affordable as possible.
4. Energy companies(Edison etc.) are going to push like crazy to get you to change your lights. It's far cheaper for them to do that then build more powerplants.
Led's work for me. I will probably never go back to metal halides. We will see in the coming months how they do for color. But so far, growth is right on par with anything else.
I am not a salesman, nor do I want to be. But lets keep the facts as accurate as possible.

Your number 4 doesn't make sense. More power plants mean more profit for a power company and for the government in taxes and fees. This goes for both US and in Canada as the number of license and relicense applications continue to increase.