Starting to buy equipment for my new tank, this is what I need

[roblack]

I agree, the right MHs look great with the shimmer effect. Go for the aesthetic you envisioned, you can always save money on quality fish food!

 

[doggydoc]

I agree, the right MHs look great with the shimmer effect. Go for the aesthetic you envisioned, you can always save money on quality fish food!

I love this answer!

 

[Rogger Castells]

True on the food, but honestly I think that the led supplementation with 400mh just give you the best of both words, btw the other day I was helping a friend with his tank and he was running some very popular LEDs and I accidentally touched tgem with my elbows and I got burned really bad, not sure if this was suppose to be like this or if his lights were defective but that got me thinking!

 

[bmanzie]

Hey buddy, glad to see you coming back.
Watching

 

[Gillguy]

Rogger, I think you got it right with MH for growing SPS. Looking for to the build, congrats.

Electricity Cost:
Eddie the cost of running a 100 watt bulb constantly for one month is about $7 bucks.

For MH
If you ran 3 400watt bulbs for one month= 1200w = $84.00

Now if you ran them for 8 hours a day divide that by 3= $25.20 per month

If you ran for 6 hours a day, divide by 4= $21.00 per month

Now for LED.
Should be able to get equivalent results with 1/3 the wattage. 400w

8 hours 25.20/3= $8.40

6 hours 21/3= $7.00

Conclusion:
Rogger will be paying more than the 7 dollars more you pointed out. More like $14-18 bucks more. ( ;

Yes, It will take a LONG time to buy a Radion with those savings

Mike and you forgot to add the cost for the chiller turning on due to the heat. That's at least another $30 a month.

Still, I'm looking forward to the build.

 

[Biggar]

True Gillguy,

Thats not the scary part, the chiller could break down and and if someone does not have a computer to shut down the MH lights in an emergency, your whole tank can get nuked with high heat levels. Im sure the Apex will be monitoring this for Rogger.

 

[mlivvy]

I swore by MH and still do by heart but I had enough with the heat and bulb changing. IMO Radium bulbs are perfect with coloration. Nothing beats MH with color and growth tho.

Thats not the scary part, the chiller could break down and and if someone does not have a computer to shut down the MH lights in an emergency, your whole tank can get nuked with high heat levels. Im sure the Apex will be monitoring this for Rogger.

I used to live in tampa and came here to miami to see my parents. A problem with the fusebox knocked out the power and the acjr went crazy due to the power flickering alot before going off. When the power came back the MH came on for 2 days straight. When I came back my house wreaked of cooked seafood. I don't know the effects of leaving leds on for 2 days but I don't think it'd be as disastrous as MH.

 

[AquamanE]

Rogger, I think you got it right with MH for growing SPS. Looking for to the build, congrats.

Conclusion:
Rogger will be paying more than the 7 dollars more you pointed out. More like $14-18 bucks more. ( ;

Yes, It will take a LONG time to buy a Radion with those savings

Thanks for the break down Mike.

I was off by a few bucks, but at a savings of $15 a month, and Radions being approx $650 each, he would need at least 4 (if not more), even if he did the same tank he had before. It would take 14 YEARS before he came out even.

Now lets add the changing of bulbs yearly at $210 year, (i know rogger uses radium x 3 at $70 each). Dont care to do the math, but i probably brings it around 7 years.

MIke- Aslo glad, as an LED user you can admit the slight lack in growth capacity. I think LED's will eventually get "THERE", but they have a few years to go, and THEN, their prices need to become reasonable.

Regarding "Heat". I run a chillerless tank. 250W x 2 for 7 hours/day. Temp goes from 76-80. I run 3 fans in the canopy, that are on when halides are on.

 

[Rogger Castells]

I have been long enough in this hobby to have seen the light evolutuon and the crazy amount of money that you can spend just to keep up with trends that eventually fade away and give in to new technology, I rememeber going from simple incandescent bulbs to flourencent bulbs to Ho flourencent to vho flourencent to the stronger compact fluorescent and finally to early mercury vapor bulbs to 4k metal halides to 5.5k mh to 6500k mh to 10k mh to 14.5k mh to 20k mh to 1,2 & 3 watt led's and I am sure there will be plasma becoming affordable, Xeon and so on.
For now I feel that MH do a fair job and the best part I don't have to spend a penny in lights I have them, I already paid my way though all this technologies and I think I would like to sit and let this "bus" pass by until I see a new technologie that makes more sense than MH to me.
Btw, I know people that jump the led wagon way before most of you and some are returning back to MH after trying them and failing to achieve the results they wish for.

 

[Biggar]

Thanks for the break down Mike.

MIke- Aslo glad, as an LED user you can admit the slight lack in growth capacity. I think LED's will eventually get "THERE", but they have a few years to go, and THEN, their prices need to become reasonable.

Eddie..... I would not say its the growth capacity. I think its the color. Many sps will grow awesome, maybe even better than MH.

But some just dont color up as well. I may be wrong, but I have never seen a full blown LED sps tank that had the color that say Marke or Rogger has achieved. Even you Eddie ( : I seen saw nice sheet in your tank.

 

[doggydoc]

Starting to buy equipment for my new tank, this is what I need

Just my .02 cents

Mitras LED only
And my tank was only 2 years old when I sold it

 

[Rogger Castells]

I agree that the mitras are among the only led's that I have seen decent results but how many lights did you have to go before you got to the mitras and @ $1300 a pop it will make no finical sense for me to light up a 10 feet tank with them, not to mention that my new tank will be 30" tall and your nano was only 20"

 

[doggydoc]

I agree that the mitras are among the only led's that I have seen decent results but how many lights did you have to go before you got to the mitras and @ $1300 a pop it will make no finical sense for me to light up a 10 feet tank with them, not to mention that my new tank will be 30" tall and your nano was only 20"

Agree!
Esp on a 10' long tank!
Heck I am at 2 for my next build....and not too happy that I might need another one!

 

[nivram]

I agree that the mitras are among the only led's that I have seen decent results but how many lights did you have to go before you got to the mitras and @ $1300 a pop it will make no finical sense for me to light up a 10 feet tank with them, not to mention that my new tank will be 30" tall and your nano was only 20"

Wait! Did you say 10 feet long? Oh this is getting good.

 

[Rogger Castells]

Yes, My plan is to go 10' on this one.

 

[mlivvy]

Yes, My plan is to go 10' on this one.

 

[Bernie21]

good to see you back on here Roger. can't wait to see what you end up putting together. I too agree on the MH, I have Leds now & they're fine, but not quite the look I had w MH.

 

[Rogger Castells]

Thanks guys, I never really left, this forum is the home page on my browser, lol. I have had some time to include some ideas into the new build that I had in mind for a while!

 

[Jgoal55]

Congrats Rogger!

 

[Rogger Castells]

Thanks Jorge!