How the heck can anyone be happy with leds?

[Ardeus]

I ask this because of one simple factor when compared with a MH: the shimmer.

The fact that the light comes from tens of sources distributed over a wide area creates a light pattern that looks almost epileptic fit inducing. This also happens with more recent fixtures that manage to reduce discoball effect.

I had an old maxspect fixture that had 2 x 30watts led chips and its shimmer was comparable to a MH (with some good will).

All later fixtures from maxspect abandoned these higher power chips. I still have a 160w Razor and that's the main reason I'm not happy with it and I will not pull the trigger on their newest model, the Ethereal.

The thing that surprises me is that I hardly hear anyone complaining about the epileptic fit inducing look of almost all of current led fixtures, with the exception of Kessils, which are only common in the US.

The only reason that keeps me from going back to MH is their lack of possibility of ramping up/down.

 

[prsnlty]

I ask this because of one simple factor when compared with a MH: the shimmer.

The fact that the light comes from tens of sources distributed over a wide area creates a light pattern that looks almost epileptic fit inducing. This also happens with more recent fixtures that manage to reduce discoball effect.

I had an old maxspect fixture that had 2 x 30watts led chips and its shimmer was comparable to a MH (with some good will).

All later fixtures from maxspect abandoned these higher power chips. I still have a 160w Razor and that's the main reason I'm not happy with it and I will not pull the trigger on their newest model, the Ethereal.

The thing that surprises me is that I hardly hear anyone complaining about the epileptic fit inducing look of almost all of current led fixtures, with the exception of Kessils, which are only common in the US.

The only reason that keeps me from going back to MH is their lack of possibility of ramping up/down.

Yeah I'm not fond of it either. I have a combo set up of t5 and led. That gets rid of the shimmer.

 

[hybridazn]

They do make dimmable metal halide ballasts

 

[prsnlty]

Thats great!!!

I live in the south and tried metal halides and could not deal with the heat from them. Not to mention the electric bill trying to keep the house cool. But I absolutely love how they look and how coral grow under them!

 

[hybridazn]

Thats great!!!

I live in the south and tried metal halides and could not deal with the heat from them. Not to mention the electric bill trying to keep the house cool. But I absolutely love how they look and how coral grow under them!

I live in PA and even with the ac on during the summer months the Temps are always on the rise. I usually put a dual fan on top of the tank to help cool, it works wonders.

 

[prsnlty]

It's just too hot here for way too long. Fans did help some but it was still too warm. I keep my house at 73 year round (mainly because of my DT- keeps the temperature perfect lol). My halide fixture was over the frag tank in another room. With the door closed the heat could be felt 10' away lol. So my husband said no more metal halides or I am paying the electric bill. ($500 is honestly too much in August or I would have done so...)

 

[Mpierce]

Diffusion films help immensely with the disco effect from LED fixtures with diodes that are spread out. https://www.inventables.com/technologies/light-diffuser-films

Sometimes however it can get rid of too much of the shimmer. So if you cut out a hole in the film directly under one of the white LEDs you will get the shimmer back without all of the chaos.

 

[cnote2991]

I use t-5 to calm the disco all effect. Works nicely.

 

[cnote2991]

It's just too hot here for way too long. Fans did help some but it was still too warm. I keep my house at 73 year round (mainly because of my DT- keeps the temperature perfect lol). My halide fixture was over the frag tank in another room. With the door closed the heat could be felt 10' away lol. So my husband said no more metal halides or I am paying the electric bill. ($500 is honestly too much in August or I would have done so...)

I hear you. Here it is already in the 80's. Will be 100 soon. Loved my old MH but it's LED and t5 for me now. Sooooo much cheaper and the temps are much easier to handle also. My chiller doesn't really come on anymore during the summer.

 

[kevlow]

I do not mind some white shimmer like you see while diving on shallow reefs. What I do not care for is the separated color shimmer from LEDs.
I have the fixture 16" above the waterline. This blends the light nicely and produces a nice white light shimmer. Fixtures with the puck arrangement was supposed to deal with this but I found if the fixture was close to the water it had the disco effect no matter what.

Having even and sufficient coverage is important as well. Having bright spots that flicker on the bottom in the current looks bad to me. LEDs have direction light from pin point sources. I think having them in concentrated areas only increases the disco effect if three inches away there is very low par.

 

[bif24701]

I have Kessil AP700s and don't have that problem at all. I'm very happy with not just LEDs but KESSIL!

 

[Cary Meredith]

I have actually kind of retro fitted my area for halides and led's, mainly using the led's for blue actinic and moon light.

 

[cnseekatz]

I use Radion, and love it. No discernible disco effect, low profile, low energy use, and grows corals like a champ!

 

[Midrats]

Kessil a360we has better shimmer than a halide!

 

[bif24701]

Opps

 

[pickupman66]

I had a 32" panel array over my tank for a long while and never felt like it was a disco effect, but now lately i did miss that single point shimmer the MH provide. I had three on my 180. So I swapped to a Radion Gen 3 XR30 and LOVE It. I get the LED I love and also a good shimmer in my tank. it is not over powering and the reflection on the ceiling is awesome too!

 

[happyhourhero]

A little shimmer but a lot of love.

 

[427HISS]

I'm with you too.
Back in the 90's, I had 4 VHO's over a 75g m8xed reef and loved it. The tank was in Aquarium Magazine becaused
I was not utilizing MH, yet growing most any coral. Later I did try 2 VHO's and one 250w MH. It worked well and had just enough shimmer. We retired the hobby until a year ago, and was surprised withthe onset of LED's.

The biggest shock however, was the price,.... of the upper scale lights !
I will never,.....spend the amount needed for the Radion's. Outragious !

Do the corals really need the storms ? Na,....
All the bells and whistles ? Na,....
Match the weather of any reefs weather around the world ? Na,....
Etc,....Etc,...

Look, I don't care if you wealthy Radion lovers spend that kind of money on their lights. But for my
6' long tank, buying 6 to 8 lights is way,......out of price !
Doing a lot of research and seeing other tanks with these lights, I see no real difference between reefers using
a lot lower cost lights and the higher cost lighting.

I don't like my chinese light.
Maxspect Razors are just ok.
Really like my Kessil's.
Excited to get my T5/LED puck lighting set up.

But, if I don't like the latter, I'm going back to MH with a dimmer and T5's.

I still beleive that no LED's match up to coral growth, color anf health, of MH.

I just don't think they have the LED's there yet. Give them another 5 years,......and I'll see.

 

[hart24601]

Stick with what you like! If you like the looks of MH, rock on. I don't like MH, never have and that's fine too. Some LEDs shimmer, some don't - now there seem to be a couple terms used interchangeably with DISCO - some use that term for shimmer, some use that term for when colors don't blend.

As I said, stick with what you like! Plenty of lights and types have grown great corals in peoples tanks. My personal opinion? If you are blaming lights for coral not growing fast enough or having enough color the problem is you, not them.

As for how anyone could be happy with LEDs? Here is how I am happy with them, last photo is winning the acro growout contest with yes, LEDs.

 

[3mm3]

It's just too hot here for way too long. Fans did help some but it was still too warm. I keep my house at 73 year round (mainly because of my DT- keeps the temperature perfect lol). My halide fixture was over the frag tank in another room. With the door closed the heat could be felt 10' away lol. So my husband said no more metal halides or I am paying the electric bill. ($500 is honestly too much in August or I would have done so...)

Might be able to save a chunk if you went around looking for areas of the house that could use better insulation. I saved an easy 160 per month doing this to my place. Might be able to keep MH after that? For reference when I lived in Alabama I kept it year round at 65-67.