Has LED surpassed Halides?
- Thread starter pleasants9
- Start date
oreo57
Well-known member
Just for fun it always goes like this.
1)Can't grow that
2) Wrong color
3) Should be bigger
4) Should grow faster.....
now people can just use a number.. Saves typing..
alton
Well-known member
It is funny that some one brought up the easy growing birdsnest under led theory. When I made the transformation from MH to LED that was the only coral that did not thrive with my LED's. In a year both types I have, have grown very little. All the other corals have done great but not the easy to grow, grew like a weed, size bigger than a basketball under MH.
For me I like the compactness, you will notice my tank first with my Buildmyleds, versus the large Lumenbright Pendants I had. Sorry ya'll can now continue.
For me I like the compactness, you will notice my tank first with my Buildmyleds, versus the large Lumenbright Pendants I had. Sorry ya'll can now continue.
Ron Reefman
Active member
Just to be clear, I didn't say that the fact it's the big spread in the catalog means it works best, just that it's far and away the best seller. And that does say something.
And so you are saying that MH fixtures don't sell well anymore? That's why they don't promote them? And why don't the sell well anymore? Because leds have far more flexibility and actually can cost less.
I've used MH, and now I have 4 tanks with leds. Would I ever go back... yeah, when they make a MH fixture that's compact and runs cool and can adjust colors and intensity as I want without replacing bulbs at $75 each.
Is there anything wrong with other people using MH or t5? Heck no. They all work, they all grow coral. Pick the features and advantages you want and buy it.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
I never said anything about this. I simply responded to your post about how there were no MH fixtures in the catalog. That's all.
Of course there's a reason they aren't selling any longer. MHs do have some serious cons to them. But, what's a con to some is a pro to others. Just perspective.
MH isn't cool any longer. LEDs are cool and companies are forking out the money to advertise them. LEDs have some cool features to them. Some are totally pointless. That is for each individual to decide.
Again, I'm not saying one technology is better than the other. I don't think one is "better" when we talk about how they perform. Now how do they look and make things look? That's totally personal and only you can answer that.
For me, my tank will be in a basement that is never over 68F and usually in the 66F range. Running LEDs would NOT be cheaper for ME since my heater will run non stop.
What people fail to realize is that EVERY tank had a certain amount of wattage needed to keep it at whatever temp we set. For some that heat will come from a heater most the time. Others will never need a heater and may need a chiller to cool it down. Again, both are using power here. Some tanks will use a heater, pump and lights to keep temps stable. The amounts of watts needed will be the same, at least close enough IME.
This is 100% true. It is easy to just stop there. However, if you look harder you will see that nearly all of even the high-end LED tanks have these issues where none of the high-end MH tanks will. For people wanting to go to the next level, they need to make this differentiation - it is real.
I think that one day you will be out somewhere and see something that might flip a switch and you will see that there is a next-level in lighting acros. There are a few others that I could send you in PM who might offer some insight who had this same very real transition on this board (after I offended them) - I have had this same conversation with them over the years.
I think this is an un reconcilable debate because there just isn't any data one way or the other with acceptable scientific rigor; so it goes around and around. I'm going to attempt to answer it, for myself at least, by setting up an experiment. My frag tank, a 48x24 inch 60 gal deep blue, is only about half full at the moment. So I'm going to set it up with half of the tank lit with the current LED mix (a reefbreeders quad and a kessil 360) and the other half with 14K Phoenix double ended MH. Despite earlier comments, certain fish can mess with things, so none in the frag tank. Same water quality, temperature and flow, just different lights. I'll put a handful of trickier frags on each side and see how they do. It'll take a while, but perhaps some enlightenment results.
Chris Mills
New member
Ron Reefman
Active member
I'd say Metal Halides are more like Muscle Cars and LEDs are more like a Prius.
I'd give you that analogy as long as the Muscle Cars are powerful, have AM radios only, hand crank windows, and doors that only lock with a key, while the Prius has AM/FM/Bluetooth/CD/DVD/Satellite radio, one touch power windows, and doors that use a remote.
MH is fixed and strong, leds are super adjustable, controllable and efficient... oh and just as strong!
Chris Mills
New member
I mean metal halides are more powerful and tend to impress me more and LEDs are more energy efficient and eco friendly - costing more upfront but long term may save money.
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jason2459
Well-known member
Or maybe LEDs started out as Honda Insight, are now a Prius, and becoming a Tesla. Ha!
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
Let's not get crazy. Most LED manufactures aren't missing deadlines every quarter...lol
If you mean that the muscle cars are still relevant and cool after fifty years, that without all of the tech and navi people had to know what they were doing and where they were going to use them, and that people will pay for more them now than they did when they were made and there are nationwide auctions and scores of TV shows dedicated to them. Or that a prius or tesla is just a several-year throw-away car that is beyond repair after the warranty is up and perhaps the most expensive way to travel and the few extra buttons or radio stations did not get you anywhere faster or better but people like to talk about their nearly worthless features. Either way, I think that you nailed it.
Seriously, I hate analogies since they always end up being false equivalencies... but this one was more fun that most.
Seriously, I hate analogies since they always end up being false equivalencies... but this one was more fun that most.
jason2459
Well-known member
Yep, I brought up its all in the eye of the beholder. Like I love my ATI Coral Plus T5 and think it looks on the blue side. Others I've seen say its to white and suggest more Blue+ bulbs which I like much less of.
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