Anyone Thinking of Dumping LEDS and going back to Halides

That is why I said it was only a small sampling. What do you have to back up your thought that most halide users need to use chillers?
 
If not MH, who has been buying (needing) chillers, all these years?

People running tanks that run hot, a lot of it due to halides. However, in no way does that mean that the majority of people running halides need/run chillers.

Start another poll....or maybe ask Gallup to bump the next Presidential ratings off for a week to get a national poll going. Fact is, most people do not need chillers when they run halides. Of all the reefers houses I have been to over a decade(maybe 2-3 dozen?) only 2 had chillers. That is in the Northeast...where it is cool most the year. but in the summer it can be 100 or more degrees....still never needed a chiller.
 
If not MH, who has been buying (needing) chillers, all these years?

Here in Australia its chillers most of the year, halide or no halide.

Found this tank, looks pretty good pure led from the start


IMG_2643_zps504844db.jpg
 
People running tanks that run hot, a lot of it due to halides. However, in no way does that mean that the majority of people running halides need/run chillers.

It also, in no way means that the majority don't ... Which is why I asked the poster where he got his info from!
 
I'll toss mine into the hat. 2x250 watt halides 12" off the water inside a canopy, with a single 6" clip on fan. Apex controlled. To date the hottest temperature I've recorded is 80.2. In Texas house kept at 74-75 degrees annually
 
I'll toss mine into the hat. 2x250 watt halides 12" off the water inside a canopy, with a single 6" clip on fan. Apex controlled. To date the hottest temperature I've recorded is 80.2. In Texas house kept at 74-75 degrees annually

Your home AC is your chiller
 
Your home AC is your chiller

I guess in a way it is, but in this area of the country I've yet to meet someone without some form of A/C in their home. I'd still be running the ac just as much with LEDs, or heck, even with no home aquaria at all.
 
I guess in a way it is, but in this area of the country I've yet to meet someone without some form of A/C in their home. I'd still be running the ac just as much with LEDs, or heck, even with no home aquaria at all.

You just run your AC more with your tank.
 
My tank is lower level of the house half underground where it's cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I also programmed the ac to coincide with the halides which happens to get the room cool by the time we all get home.
 
You just run your AC more with your tank.

One might think so, but that hasn't been my experience exactly. My tank is in my living room which has a 15 ft ceiling along with fans. I can only assume that helps to dissipate heat. Kind of beside the point. My ac runs pretty much constantly whether I keep a tank or not. I've always lived in a hot enviornment , but not always kept aquariums with metal halide lighting. I'm sure if I felt so inclined I could sit by the thermostat and time and log it's run time, but I'll pass. You'll just have to take my word for it. All I see is a wash because my heater doesn't have to run when the lights are on. When they're off it cycles on and off every 20 minutes to keep the tank warm. I'd say any increase in AC run time is negligible at best.
 
One might think so, but that hasn't been my experience exactly. My tank is in my living room which has a 15 ft ceiling along with fans. I can only assume that helps to dissipate heat. Kind of beside the point. My ac runs pretty much constantly whether I keep a tank or not. I've always lived in a hot enviornment , but not always kept aquariums with metal halide lighting. I'm sure if I felt so inclined I could sit by the thermostat and time and log it's run time, but I'll pass. You'll just have to take my word for it. All I see is a wash because my heater doesn't have to run when the lights are on. When they're off it cycles on and off every 20 minutes to keep the tank warm. I'd say any increase in AC run time is negligible at best.

I understand what you are saying but the point is your AC is your chiller.
 
Without A/C if my house is 82 degrees my tank is 82 degrees or very close. With fans a couple degrees less. With A/C it will be the same as the house.

I have LEDs. Just pointing out that if you're running AC or fans it's going to lower your temps decreasing the need for a chiller. No AC or fans when ambient temps are over 80 or so will require a chiller to keep temps low. This should be obvious.
 
Last edited:
you can have an LED setup and still need a chiller depending on the type of setup you have. if you have hot running pumps, in a house with no AC then your most likely gonna need a chiller. like James said, it's all about managment.

I have ran dual 400's over my 75 gal for 3 years and the heaters were still kicking on during the day because my sump is in a cool basement. I am now running 250's but it is the same issue, heaters still need to run.
 
My halides may warm up my water, but in NO way do they contribute to any heat in the house causing the ac to run more.
They're light bulbs. Not space heaters.

How do you figure that... Anything in the house that's above 'room temp' is contributing to a temp. increase... This would include most electrical appliances but especially ovens, clothes dryer, frig/freezer, dish washer... even sunlight thru open blinds will add heat to the room. MH bulbs certainly add heat to your home.
 
How do you figure that... Anything in the house that's above 'room temp' is contributing to a temp. increase... This would include most electrical appliances but especially ovens, clothes dryer, frig/freezer, dish washer... even sunlight thru open blinds will add heat to the room. MH bulbs certainly add heat to your home.

not if you vent your canopy to the outside.
 
It also, in no way means that the majority don't ... Which is why I asked the poster where he got his info from!

But I have shown some evidence that people don't....through polls. Although they are small numbers...it is still something. I almost never see chillers around here.




Your home AC is your chiller

Mine sure isn't. I don't have a central AC, but I run window AC's in my living room/dining room(double parlr0 and my bedroom. I run them for me, not my tank. I think 2 or 3 years ago, I ran them for the tank for about a week when it was exceptionally hot and humid around here, like 100+ outside and about 90 inside.

Otherwise I only turn on the AC in the room the tank is in when I will be there long enough, which is only several nights a month.
 
OK folks, let's keep it real friendly this time around. If you can't add intelligently and without personal attacks, then please back out of this thread. We are going to be keeping a very close eye on it and personal attacks of any kind will be met with infractions and possibly loss of posting privileges if repeated. Is it really worth losing your privileges because your viewpoints contrast with a fellow hobbyist so much?
 
Back
Top