Can't decide on lighting

I would go T5's over any of these for a mixed reef 65 gallon. I'm a big fan of T5's for dialing your personal preferences in regards to color temperature. If you must choose between LED's and MH I would go MH all day long. The reason? MH is proven and effective and 150's won't add much heat at all to a tank provided they are hung from a reasonable distance. I've seen far too many LED tank owners go back to T5's or MH. I just don't think we've really gained the necessary knowledge to effectively use LED's on a broad consumer basis without a large percentage of people detrimentally effecting corals.
 
RtReef...very few people with MH run a chiller anymore. I have one, it has been in the closet since about 2005. It should also be noted that the daily temp swing is actually a good thing for corals. The people that ran into heat issues were the ones with closed canopies and no ventilation and a belief that corals had to have a constant temp to survive. Over the years we have learned a lot and to say if you have MH you will need a chiller is incorrect. LED's will work if used properly, but that applies to any lighting we use on our tanks. :)
Thanks for the correction, I was just stating what I have read in many threads on this site that refer to MH using chillers and sometimes temp swings as much as 10 degrees per day. I don't use MH so I can't comment on what lights/ heights/ time used/ etc, that causes 10 degree swings. I know a few degrees are ok but above 4/5 degrees and I don't think that is good for any corals or fish.

I've seen far too many LED tank owners go back to T5's or MH. I just don't think we've really gained the necessary knowledge to effectively use LED's on a broad consumer basis without a large percentage of people detrimentally effecting corals.

This is very true. Most LED owners that are successful took the appropriate time and measures to assure their corals are happy and doing well. They didn't just throw a LED over their tank and power it on. The others that switch back is, 9 out of 10 times, operator error. There are a lot of variables with LEDs like timers and intensities that not everyone is competent enough to use and therefore the result is burnt/bleached corals.
 
I know you said you pulled the trigger on MH but if you could I would think again. The temp swings you get from MH is going to force you to get a chiller in the warm months. LED will support any coral you like and as far as the so called "unknowns" of LEDs, what are those????? They grow coral quite well, in fact, well enough to rival MH fixtures.
Plus take into consideration, bulb changes, energy consumption and a chiller if you don't already have one.

Side note...rare to see a dolphins fan outside of FL. Nice!

I have been researching in hopes of setting up a tank sometime soon. Specifically, I have been doing a lot research on lighting. I have read in a couple various places, online articles, youtube videos, etc. that people have noticed a very noticeable drop off in coral growth after about a year or so with LED setups.

Keep in mind, I am not speaking with any authority here. I am just regurgitating what I have seen in a few places.

I, of course, have no experience because I am still researching my first tank. Has anyone experienced that here?
 
There is no way for anyone to know until you try it. A fan may be enough but that just isn't very much water volume for the heat to disperse through.
 
I have a 4 fan unit. I purchased the mh already but i also
Have the chance to get a cheap reef filtrations 120w 20k led fixture. Im
Just not sure if its powerful enough
 
Water temperature for breeding coral can not be more than 28 Celsiur degree, that is why MH has to get a chiller in warm season. for LED, no need take into consideration, bulb changes, energy consumption and a chiller. at presetn, newest LED technology has taken advantage of optical theory, raised LUX and Par 10 times more, for Taotronic 141w LED light(3w/LED), blue(460nm) and white (14000k), can get 32400lux for 1ft and underwater 1.3ft can get 600 par. these data is good enough for family tank fans.
 
Hmm...I could keep my tank with halides cooler than 28c easily, without the use of a chiller and it doesn't get much hotter anywhere in this country than South Texas.
 
i would do leds i love my AI sol blues i put on my 90 gallon no more bulbs to change no more heat no more chiller no more timers no more high electric bills best investment i ever made i love the shimmer and how i can make me own color i still love metal halides two i just like the money saver lights and the 60.00 a month i save on electric means i can buy more clams and coral each month lol
 
Glad to see this thread still going :)

I should be getting my halides via Fed Ex tomorrow sometime. Now I just need to finish my taxes so I can buy the rest of my setup.
 
a bright tank doesent mean anything led cannot compare with the penetration of light that a halide gives a cheap shoplight will brighten a tank but is it usuable light no
 
a bright tank doesent mean anything led cannot compare with the penetration of light that a halide gives a cheap shop-light will brighten a tank but is it usable light no

my corals are growing like mad i own 2 sets of metal halides that now sit in a my basement as i went to all ai leds and i could not be happier ai have some monster par and leds will blow away a metal halide i think you cant do thunder storms with them you cant adjust the colors you want you are buying 150.00 worth of bulbs a year more if your using t5s two you have to run a chiller with metalhaides your electric bills are 50-60 a month at first i was like why did i spend that much money on leds i let them sit in the box for a week while i pondered if i wanted to send them back man am i glad i dint best damm investment i have ever made nothing wrong with metal i just rather have leds just my two cents
 
Maybe one of the reasons some people experience a drop in growth with LEDs is the fact that they are set to ramp up slowly, hit a short peak and then ramp down. With halide lights, they come on full blast for 7-9 hrs and shut off. If the PAR numbers are roughly equal for the two at full tilt (Lets assume they are) the LEDs are putting on average alot less energy into the tank daily since they are only on full for a couple hours.

I am starting to lessen ramp times and get to full power sooner and stay longer. I have also noticed a positive result in color not running the whites over 50% and cranking up the blue and royal blue to 80%. Some corals are dont seem to be effected by the changes, they just keep growing. Color of nearly all the coral has never been better. The above is only an opinion/observation, not something I am claiming to be backed by any scientific data.
 
I bought newest 141w LED aquarium light in optical technology, they used optical lens to change the light, raised LUX greatly, I got this chart from my User Manual, I think they are intrested.
 

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my corals are growing like mad i own 2 sets of metal halides that now sit in a my basement as i went to all ai leds and i could not be happier ai have some monster par and leds will blow away a metal halide i think you cant do thunder storms with them you cant adjust the colors you want you are buying 150.00 worth of bulbs a year more if your using t5s two you have to run a chiller with metalhaides your electric bills are 50-60 a month at first i was like why did i spend that much money on leds i let them sit in the box for a week while i pondered if i wanted to send them back man am i glad i dint best damm investment i have ever made nothing wrong with metal i just rather have leds just my two cents

I am not for or against led's but the thunderstorm effect is just for your eyes the corals could care less.

again, not all MH's need chillers, I ran 2 400's over my 75 gal. and still had to have a heater just to keep the temp to 78. i have known others that had a 400 over a 20 gal. and no chiller needed.

the bulb replacements can get spendy but MH's are tried and true method. as for LED fixtures I have been seeing alot of people asking how to replace an led that has already burnt out in their fixtures after a few months.

IMO LED's have not been tested long enough to get accurate data especally on the 50,000 hours they are supposed to last.
 
I bought newest 141w LED aquarium light in optical technology, they used optical lens to change the light, raised LUX greatly, I got this chart from my User Manual, I think they are intrested.

the downside to that chart is it really don't state where the readings were taken. if it was directly under the bulb then yes i can see that getting alot of par, but a few inches under the water will change it and even is the meter was just slightly to the side of the bulb will change it. you know a company will always post the best readings of their unit
 
I am not clear why your corals care less in LEDs, since I got this 141W led light, my corals grow so fast and they are out every day, they love the light that this system gives off. It brings out colors in my corals I didn't know they had, unbelievable colors, the blue leds really make the corals pop! My corals look amazing! everything looks like it is glowing!
 
Please notice the data, they are in -20cm, -40cm, -60cm and -80cm, that means data came from underwater nor under bulb in air. I think enclosed the other image will be what you are meaning-lux chart. and I don't think this supplier will always post the best readings of their unit, I noticed their packing, their user guide and their guarantee, everything is almost perfect and details care, their product looks luxury and Allumium shield, They used 3w LED chip; packing is in very thick foam with solid carton, there are so many details, chart, diagram in their User Guide, even you can DIY maintanance. and important is you can get 3 years gurantee, you can see they are how confident with their products and It is not necessary for them to be boastful.
 

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