Depends. I need 4 radions, for example, over my 4' x 2' tank. That's 650 watts and $2,500. I can ru 2 250 watt metal halides with less power and 10 years of bulb replacements before the radions payed off.
Is metal halide dead?
- Thread starter Chibils
- Start date
Depends. I need 4 radions, for example, over my 4' x 2' tank. That's 650 watts and $2,500. I can ru 2 250 watt metal halides with less power and 10 years of bulb replacements before the radions payed off.
ericarenee
New member
This i agree with . I done the same math. and i would need 6 and not sure if not 9 because my tank 30 inches deep...i have 3 m/h
Reefvet
New member
I think it has a lot to do with where you live, your climate and your electric rates. Here in Southern California you can't give away MH. The only guys I know who still run it here have solar panels and are off the grid.
Hitch08
New member
What size is your tank?
karimwassef
Active member
I built my own LED fixture. I found it to be cost effective. The premium purchased fixtures are out of sync with reality IMO.
karimwassef
Active member
Absolutely! MH costs more in direct power per (insert unit of light here)... And it costs again in cooling cost. In terms of light to powe consumption efficiency, LEDs are far ahead. Having said that, the broader benefits (outside of cost efficiency) of MH still trump LED.
Not quite sure what your question is, but your 3 Radions are pulling 450 watts, while my metal halides are pulling 500. Pretty comparable in my eyes.
karimwassef
Active member
However, for those living in cold climates (Northern States, Canada), the heat impact can be ignored if it reduces from the normal cost of heating for the bulk of the year. It would at least be net neutral over the year.
Depends on the tank. I don't run a chiller on my tank and my tank peaks at 80 degrees in a mall apartment in the Florida summer.
I was too for 6 months. Then I noticed how browned out my coral were under white light. The oversatuaration of blue sure made them fluoresce nicely though. But again, this thread isn't comparing the two types of lighting, there are plenty of threads to do that.
Perth_reefer
Member
I'm not sure about this statement....what your reality is could be far different from somebody elses. I just paid $3500 for a lighting fixture, I'm not rich, I have 2 jobs and work hard to earn money which I enjoy spending on my hobby.
What you are saying here is true, however you show me someone that runs Radions at 100% and I'll show you the next person to ditch LEDs saying they don't work! I currently run my Hydra52s at 65%...so 65% of 135w x 3 = 263w against 500W for 2 250w halides.
Were your LEDs not adjustable? You also may not of had enough if your corals were browning out.
My leds are so programmable, i just hit the preprogrammed setting for coral acclimation and it handles it at setting for two weeks until it gradually on its own goes to the normal settings. My setting is preprogrammed for sunrise, daylight, sunset and moonlight without me doing anything and thats at rarely near the full power capacity so i am guessing that means i am running much less in energy costs and ensuring health of my corals with tons of settings that make it easier and better. And for 3 of the top of the line radions i paid 2,100 so that too seems much less than the cost than suggested above, and the app is free and software on my laptop as well and i can sync it to real weather too in specific coral climates to get actual clouds and thunderstorms and real time weather where the corals are from, so makes it interesting as well
