PorkChop
New member
Hi all.
I'm going to try and keep this post short... but I feel that may not be possible.
Been several years since I had a reef tank and I am in the process of planning out the build for a 120G. One major sticking point I have so far is lighting. I know that there is much debate still over MH or LED as I've done a lot of reading recently hoping that some of that got squared away while I was gone... but to my wonderment the debate rages on.
What I'd like to see here is a discussion of my lighting options, given my personal situation.
What I'd like to have in this tank would be heavy SPS with a small dabbling of other corals (few) and possibly a few small fish etc.
So... I've been leaning towards LED for several reasons. The EcoTech XR30w Pro Gen 3 (qty 2) one on each side is my current choice.
1) Heat -
Obviously MH will put out a lot more heat, both from the lights and the ballasts. I'd rather not cool the house / have a chiller for the tank if it's not needed (more on this later both cost and space).
2) Stability of electric -
I live well outside what most people would not even call a town on a 55 Acre farm. The electrical grid out here is... well... less than desirable. I've given up on setting microwave/stove type clocks as they are reset constantly. I have small power outages often and I fear that unless I get a generator put in place to kick on when the power goes out, I'd be without lights ... often. Most seem to be short, but several have been in the 5+ hour range.
With the XR30w's I believe I could hook them up to a couple of their battery backups and keep them on though most events. This seems like a far cheaper and easier solution to a generator, and I don't think I could run MH on battery.
3) Electric Cost -
I'm on a CO-OP out here (read as "a way to charge you more money while telling you it's to save you money") and electric runs about 2x the cost as it does if I lived in town. Bills are already high so, to save some on the cost of lighting would be nice (and extra cooling etc. listed above). I understand that there is a higher initial cost to LED's, but I think that would be quickly soaked up in extra electric costs here.
4) Control-ability -
At heart I'm a tech guy. So... being able to control the lights via software on my desktop and be able to set awesome lighting with just one source seems awesome. Sunrise, Sunset, Moon light, Day time, Cloudy days, etc...
I'm also considering 2x EcoTech Vortex 40wQD's for in tank and 2x EcoTech Vectra M1 pumps for returns from the sump. All those could be linked together with the lights to create (at least I think) some really cool days to run though. Also the ability to control all the pumps flow rates etc...
5) Space -
Not a huge issue really, but I do have somewhat limited space. Most of the stand will be taken up by the Sump/ATO/Skimmer/etc. Most likely I'd have to buy some kind of cabinet to put next to the tank to house the MH ballasts not to mention a chiller if needed.
I can't think of much else to add at this point. Obviously the other option would be to go with MH (unknown wattage as I have not thought about it... also unknown bulbs) and some how have to come up with a plan to deal with all the above mentioned issues.
I'm open to comments and thoughts. I want a beautiful display tank... with vibrant/healthy/growing corals. Do you think it's possible with the two EcoTech XR30w Pros?
Is the main issue with LED's the shading issue I've read people talking about lately? I don't think I'd have that problem for a number of years in a tank this size starting from scratch, maybe that issue will be resolved by the time I need to swap to new lights?
Thanks to all that contribute.
-PorkChop
I'm going to try and keep this post short... but I feel that may not be possible.
Been several years since I had a reef tank and I am in the process of planning out the build for a 120G. One major sticking point I have so far is lighting. I know that there is much debate still over MH or LED as I've done a lot of reading recently hoping that some of that got squared away while I was gone... but to my wonderment the debate rages on.
What I'd like to see here is a discussion of my lighting options, given my personal situation.
What I'd like to have in this tank would be heavy SPS with a small dabbling of other corals (few) and possibly a few small fish etc.
So... I've been leaning towards LED for several reasons. The EcoTech XR30w Pro Gen 3 (qty 2) one on each side is my current choice.
1) Heat -
Obviously MH will put out a lot more heat, both from the lights and the ballasts. I'd rather not cool the house / have a chiller for the tank if it's not needed (more on this later both cost and space).
2) Stability of electric -
I live well outside what most people would not even call a town on a 55 Acre farm. The electrical grid out here is... well... less than desirable. I've given up on setting microwave/stove type clocks as they are reset constantly. I have small power outages often and I fear that unless I get a generator put in place to kick on when the power goes out, I'd be without lights ... often. Most seem to be short, but several have been in the 5+ hour range.
With the XR30w's I believe I could hook them up to a couple of their battery backups and keep them on though most events. This seems like a far cheaper and easier solution to a generator, and I don't think I could run MH on battery.
3) Electric Cost -
I'm on a CO-OP out here (read as "a way to charge you more money while telling you it's to save you money") and electric runs about 2x the cost as it does if I lived in town. Bills are already high so, to save some on the cost of lighting would be nice (and extra cooling etc. listed above). I understand that there is a higher initial cost to LED's, but I think that would be quickly soaked up in extra electric costs here.
4) Control-ability -
At heart I'm a tech guy. So... being able to control the lights via software on my desktop and be able to set awesome lighting with just one source seems awesome. Sunrise, Sunset, Moon light, Day time, Cloudy days, etc...
I'm also considering 2x EcoTech Vortex 40wQD's for in tank and 2x EcoTech Vectra M1 pumps for returns from the sump. All those could be linked together with the lights to create (at least I think) some really cool days to run though. Also the ability to control all the pumps flow rates etc...
5) Space -
Not a huge issue really, but I do have somewhat limited space. Most of the stand will be taken up by the Sump/ATO/Skimmer/etc. Most likely I'd have to buy some kind of cabinet to put next to the tank to house the MH ballasts not to mention a chiller if needed.
I can't think of much else to add at this point. Obviously the other option would be to go with MH (unknown wattage as I have not thought about it... also unknown bulbs) and some how have to come up with a plan to deal with all the above mentioned issues.
I'm open to comments and thoughts. I want a beautiful display tank... with vibrant/healthy/growing corals. Do you think it's possible with the two EcoTech XR30w Pros?
Is the main issue with LED's the shading issue I've read people talking about lately? I don't think I'd have that problem for a number of years in a tank this size starting from scratch, maybe that issue will be resolved by the time I need to swap to new lights?
Thanks to all that contribute.
-PorkChop
