LED or Halide Question

[oopsmybad]

Hello fellow reefers, I have been reefing on and off for about 15 years. I last had my tanks in 2009 and I stepped away but I am back. Before I stepped away I always used 400W Radiums on my reef setups. Now that I am back the lighting game has changed.

So my question is LED or Halide? I fully understand the positives and negatives to halides but I don't really know much about LED's, so if you say LED's please explain why and which ones you would suggest. The lights will be going on a 120G 48x24x24 display tank.

Thank you in advance I greatly appreciate it.

 

[Reef Frog]

Welcome to RC. Due to the vast variety of LED fixtures, component choices and control options, some coral keepers really struggle to achieve success with LEDs. Some never get it right and revert back to the tried and true older technologies. Some do hybrid fixtures. Some do fantastic with LEDs.

Lots of opinions out there as well as heated arguments. I'd look thru those threads and see what rings true to you so you fully understand the possible pros & cons.

 

[Reefstarter2]

I took 3 years to decide to change from halides to leds. I was scared of all the negative hype , I struggled with heat issues and even thought about quitting a time or 2 . I ended up switching to leds as a last ditch effort to beat the heat . like I said it took 3 years and all that time I looked at different leds on the market . and tried a couple of the black box leds over my frag tank . so in my opinion ( and I think I know due to research ) AI hydra 52 is my first choice . secondly ecotech . 3rd giesemann I am using hydras now and love them . No more heat issues really . of course if its 95 out for more then a few days my chiller might kick on 1 or 2 times a day but I don't let it get over 79.5 and run around 77 The growth and color of the corals has never been better . Energy cost are way way down too . I am saving about $150 a month on my bill since switching 4 halides to leds ill never go back

 

[hkgar]

. Energy cost are way way down too . I am saving about $150 a month on my bill since switching 4 halides to leds ill never go back

How many watts were your halides. I am having a very hard time coming to $150/month for electric. What is you rate per Kilowatt?

Example 4 lights 400 Watts 10 hours per day at $0.16 per kilowatt hours
1.6 Kilowatts per day
480 Kilowatts per month
$78.00 per month.

Now how many LED's do you have and what is the wattage. Each AI 52 draws 135 at full power and I think you would need at least 5 to replace 4 MH and if rum at 80% for ten hours the cost would be $26 a savings of $52 per month. Since the initial outlay for 5 AI 52's would be $2995 it will only take 58 months (almost 5 years) to recoup your investment for the electrical savings. Even longer if the 4 MH replaced were 250 watts I came up with 136 months to recoup the investment.

 

[oopsmybad]

I believe he was saying he saved about $150 a month on his bill once he switched from halides.

 

[oopsmybad]

Welcome to RC. Due to the vast variety of LED fixtures, component choices and control options, some coral keepers really struggle to achieve success with LEDs. Some never get it right and revert back to the tried and true older technologies. Some do hybrid fixtures. Some do fantastic with LEDs.

Lots of opinions out there as well as heated arguments. I'd look thru those threads and see what rings true to you so you fully understand the possible pros & cons.

Thanks.

 

[oopsmybad]

I took 3 years to decide to change from halides to leds. I was scared of all the negative hype , I struggled with heat issues and even thought about quitting a time or 2 . I ended up switching to leds as a last ditch effort to beat the heat . like I said it took 3 years and all that time I looked at different leds on the market . and tried a couple of the black box leds over my frag tank . so in my opinion ( and I think I know due to research ) AI hydra 52 is my first choice . secondly ecotech . 3rd giesemann I am using hydras now and love them . No more heat issues really . of course if its 95 out for more then a few days my chiller might kick on 1 or 2 times a day but I don't let it get over 79.5 and run around 77 The growth and color of the corals has never been better . Energy cost are way way down too . I am saving about $150 a month on my bill since switching 4 halides to leds ill never go back

I appreciate the feedback.

 

[hkgar]

I believe he was saying he saved about $150 a month on his bill once he switched from halides.

Right, did you read what I wrote? Did you understand it? Moving from halides (switched from) it is almost unrealistic to save that kind of money.

 

[Reefstarter2]

I know it doesn't seem to add up . I didn't think it would be so much either . but then you figure each 250 watt radium drivenelectronic ballast would draw about 300 watts on HQI setting x 4 1200 watts running 8 hours a day at .13 cents per KW But thats what the bill came down . I am guessing the less power usage means less fee's ? I don't care as long as I don't have the heat and the bills I am happy . and the growth and color is a bonus

 

[ktownhero]

Halides are an out dated technology and it would be silly to invest in them any more on a new build. They are the equivalent of insisting on using a car that gets 8mpg when faster cars that are electric are available for far less of a total cost.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

[hkgar]

Ya right

1200 watts is 1.2 Kh or 9.6 kilowatt hours per day and therefore 288 per month and at .13 is only 37+ dollars/month
Something else going on here. Do the math. Hell my total electric bill for the month is less the 300 for the whole house with a lot of AC and run a 180 with 8 80watt t5's

 

[Breadman03]

I couldn't tell you the poser's situation, but less heat from the halides means the chiller runs less and the house a/c runs less. There may also be a tiered pricing structure at play.

 

[hkgar]

Ok folks lets go in reverse. He said is rate per kilowatt hour is .13. A savings of $150 per month is a reduction of 1,154 kilowatt hours per month or over 30 days 38.46 per day. His lights ran 8 hours per day so the reduction per hour would need to be 4.8 kilowatt hours or a reduction in usage of 4800 watts per hour. Each light was, per him, using 300 watts per hour or 1200 leaving 3600 saved from other sources.
And that is the necessary reduction to save 150 at .13 per kh and does not consider that there is a cost of running the replacement lights.

 

[hkgar]

Here is a link to calculate electricity cost. Big an appliance and insert the wattage in the power consumption blank and the rate per kh. Bingo 1200 power consumption 8 hour per day at .13 per kh equals a monthly cost of $37.986

http://www.rapidtables.com/calc/electric/electricity-calculator.htm

 

[oopsmybad]

Look I am really not trying to be a d**k here but could we leave the argument about the price reduction someone may or may not have seen to another post. I posted this just to get opinions about LED or Halide not to argue about someone's savings on their powerbill.

 

[Reefstarter2]

Look I am really not trying to be a d**k here but could we leave the argument about the price reduction someone may or may not have seen to another post. I posted this just to get opinions about LED or Halide not to argue about someone's savings on their powerbill.

this ^^^^ I was just giving my reasons for using leds

 

[oopsmybad]

this ^^^^ I was just giving my reasons for using leds

That was not directed at any specific person. I just didn't want my post to get hijacked and off topic. This is one of the reasons why I stop using the boards years ago.

I truly appreciate your input thank you very much.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Saving $150 a year, sure. Saving $150 a month... not even close!

I had 8 250 watt MH and 12 39 watt t5 over 4 tanks. I switched to all led and saved $400 in a year. But that's not due to just the energy the leds save. My 2 chillers (1hp & 1/3hp) hardly run anymore vs 50% of the day in the summer. And my house A/C runs less as well.

To the OP. MH are fine and work great, especially if the heat and cost of bulbs isn't an issue for you. The other thing to consider is what do you want your lights to do? If it's all about growing coral, MH are the ticket. If you like the ability to change tings up, go all blue to show off fluorescing corals, do sunrise/sunset... what ever, then leds offer way more flexibility.

It's not about what's best for your tank, it's about what do you want from your fixture.

 

[hkgar]

Look I am really not trying to be a d**k here but could we leave the argument about the price reduction someone may or may not have seen to another post. I posted this just to get opinions about LED or Halide not to argue about someone's savings on their powerbill.

I really wasn't trying to start an argument. I just felt that if someone is weighing a choice between LED and MH it is important to know the facts. Someone making over the top outrages statements about cost saving needs to be pointed out.

Just trying to point out the facts. Research and learn the facts.

 

[oopsmybad]

To the OP. MH are fine and work great, especially if the heat and cost of bulbs isn't an issue for you.

Yes I have always loved MH they have always worked great for me. The one issue will be heat. This DT will be inside however all of my sumps and filtration will be in my garage and as you know this heat in Florida is a killer. So I need every bit of heat savings I can get.