LED's or LED/Metal Halide combo

[Sgt Jonny Cat]

So I've been doing some reading and I have seen some people actually saying they prefer the MH lights over LED lights for their SPS tanks. Is this true? Or am I looking at old information. What do you guys think? I'm starting a 150 gallon build and have been thinking about my lights. Maybe a MH/LED combo?

 

[Pslreefer]

Absolutely. MH is the best for corals.

LED is almost there but not yet.

 

[top shelf]

LED can grow coral just as well as MH. Many of the crazy sps tanks you see these days are under LED. Many are even doing LED/t5 combo's because a draw back to led is it can leave some shadowed areas so t5's are added to help with that and add a little more to the spectrum. Everything is subject to personal preference though. Some still swear by and prefer their mh lights and some swear by and prefer LED's. I personally like my led/t5 combo.

 

[Pslreefer]

LED's or LED/Metal Halide combo

LED can grow coral just as well as MH. Many of the crazy sps tanks you see these days are under LED. Many are even doing LED/t5 combo's because a draw back to led is it can leave some shadowed areas so t5's are added to help with that and add a little more to the spectrum. Everything is subject to personal preference though. Some still swear by and prefer their mh lights and some swear by and prefer LED's. I personally like my led/t5 combo.

Edited. Forget it. Not gonna argue about another led/T5/MH best thread.

These threads should be banned as they just create drama.

 

[top shelf]

Edited. Forget it. Not gonna argue about another led/T5/MH best thread.

These threads should be banned as they just create drama.

Nobody's arguing so not sure where that's coming from. I just pointed out that led and mh can both grow corals and do it well. Never said one was better than the other and it comes down to your own preference. I mentioned led/t5 hybrid as another option because op was asking about lighting choices.

 

[Sgt Jonny Cat]

Thanks guys, I don't want to start an argument I was just asking opinions on lights.

 

[mcgyvr]

Thanks guys, I don't want to start an argument I was just asking opinions on lights.

While MH lights have been around for a long time they are still very effective/useful/proven at growing corals.. The information may be "old" but its still 100% relevant today..

Even the comments by top shelf included "cons" about LEDs and the need to supplement them with other lighting technologies...

LEDs are being supplemented with T5/MH to benefit the corals and reduce the "cons" of LEDs.. (supplementing helps with better/wider spectrum, reduce self shading from point source light like LEDs,etc...)

You don't need to supplement T5 or MH...
The only reason I've seen people doing that is because they liked the shimmer with LEDs or whatever ...This is to benefit the user...Its not for the benefit of the coral..

Having said that there are certainly cases/examples of LED only systems growing SPS corals.. The capability is there with some fixtures.. There are also those with LED systems not having good luck growing SPS corals or needing to supplement,etc...
Not sure you will find someone failing to grow SPS with MH lights... Plenty failing with LEDs though..

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Another thing to consider with MH is the heat generated, which can be handled by different methods. I've run all three types of lighting and as mentioned it really is a user preference for what kind of reef you are trying to grow.

 

[AlSimmons]

They all work IME, whether it's LED, MH, T5, VHO, PC etc. Even those normal output flourescent bulbs can get the job done, but you might have to put a lot of them over the tank. Like mentioned above though it all depends on the corals your trying to keep.

 

[Uncle99]

IMO, nothing had a better intensity and colour "punch" than the MH.
But I did change to LED's when the cost outweighed the benefit, and now I continue to grow, softies, LPS, SPS and clams under the LED. I think my SPS grow a tad slower, but the others seem equal. Each bulb, I needed two, was 100 bucks and good for 9-12 months before replacement and the ballast and hood was a one time 500 bucks,
I now have two, 165w LED's, which I got for 300 bucks, no heat and super long life.

However, if my tank was SPS dominant, I think I would stay MH.

 

[lpsouth1978]

I must say that I am a fan of MH. That being said, I have been using LED's for a number of years and don't think I will go back to MH. They just put out TOO much heat and cost too much to replace bulbs regularly. I do not generally keep much SPS, but have has mixed results with LED's. On one tank (a 34 gallon cube) everything did AMAZING under my DIY fixture. On another (my 300 gallon system) most of the SPS struggled, at best.

In my experience, LED is perfectly capable of growing and coloring SPS, but it can be difficult to get the correct spectrum, intensity, etc... LED's can take A LOT of patience and trial and error, where MH or T5 is basically plug and play.