Lighting
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Sirreefalot
Active Member
What size tank? I would say there are pros and cons to each type of lighting. Personally I think MH with LEDs to supplement are hands down the best
Lighting for growth and color. Everyone had their opinions and most seem to just point out the short comings of MH and never the positives.
Lighting for growth and color. Everyone had their opinions and most seem to just point out the short comings of MH and never the positives.
Www.ctlite.com
Similar but better than the rations and a whole lot cheaper...
You can't got wrong with full spectrum LED's
MH is ancient technology and heat up the tanker you'll probably needs chiller also...
LED's are the future [emoji106]
Similar but better than the rations and a whole lot cheaper...
You can't got wrong with full spectrum LED's
MH is ancient technology and heat up the tanker you'll probably needs chiller also...
LED's are the future [emoji106]
Sirreefalot
Active Member
You are correct bornagain MH is ancient technology but also proven technology and yes LEDs are the future but still unproven and still unable to surpass growth rates of MH.
Sirreefalot
Active Member
Being an electrician has nothing to do with reefing lol. Yes lighting maybe but as I stated I don't care what LEDs a person is running growth rate is still no where near when one gets with MH 
jsker
Reefing is all about the adventure
I agree with BornAgainReefer, LED's are the future. I have had reef tanks in the past.
My new setup is about 3 months old and the LED's are working great. I used to setup my tank with 4 florescent(2 blue 2 white with timers) tubes and a bulky hood with fan to try to keep the heat down just looked ugly with the big canopy. On those tanks I almost need a chiller to keep the tank temp down, I would just run the AC lower to keep the temp down and the electric bill would be higher in the summer.
The LED have timers that do all sorts of different conditions from sun & cloud effects, storms, acclamation of new corals. this pre programed. Heck you and program your blue and white intensity to what your tank needs and this is all in the small unit comes with the LED system.
Being an electrician has nothing to do with reefing lol. Yes lighting maybe but as I stated I don't care what LEDs a person is running growth rate is still no where near when one gets with MH
It's clear you're a stick in the mud on MH... Each to their own, I was just expressing my knowledge and opinion.
I'll say it again; Have a look at www.ctlite.cn and their spectrum chart thingy, you'll be surprised what you can get from just 85watts!
There's a couple of links to some guy that did a review when they were Intellisun but it's exactly the same.
The guys at CTLite are experts in organic grow and reef lighting... It's definitely worth a look, unless you're really that much of a stick in the mud?
You've obviously have a dimming unit? Well I hope you. Do as you know so much about reefing... Did you know that they still draw pretty much the same current whether they're on 100, 50 or 30%, it's an efficiency power factor that fails them.
That's where I get sold on LED's..
Power (Watts) is heat.
MH cost a great deal more to run because your chiller is running when it doesn't need to be plus the MH's really make the electric meter wiz round!
So you're paying for electric you don't need to and unnecessarily polluting the environment, especially the sea!
Save our reefs! LoL
And personally, Google search "plants grow on metal halide" then click images and you'll see what MH is best used for. LoL
I know what you mean and I know I sound like I work for the company, plug plug plugging them all the time, but I'm in love man!
The most awesome thing is what you say, a fully 24 programmable custom mode, Cloudy, Moonlight, Sunny & Cloudy.
I've seen some similar on YouTube that have a storm setting? Lightening and that, the reviewers say it's not good for the corals...?
I thought the idea was to create as close to their natural habitat as possible?
Bulbs grow in the garden mate,
Sorry but it makes me twitch when someone calls them bulbs because the tutor used to throw books at us in college for that!
If you are asking if the LED's are programmable? Yes, see above.
As for long bulbs?
Do you mean Fluorescent tubes?
As for how many of them I wouldn't know because I wouldn't use them anymore.
WetWhistle
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When picking lights for the reef tank this has always been a heated discussion over the years. It really comes down to what features you want and what the best fit for you is when choosing lights.
MH have proven over the long hall to grow corals at a fast rate with great color. But they are energy pigs and waste a lot of energy as heat instead of light. MH are plug and play so to speak so you don't really have to set much when hooking them up except the timer. LED on the other hand need some programing to do for setup of intensity and spectrum. They do have way more programable features then MH and use less power, less heat and no bulb replacement for years. I have no issue with coral growth or color.
T 5 work but you need enough of them and the bulb replacement on a larger tank per year is just silly. I priced it out and I could buy a new LED per year on bulb replacement alone. Not for me at all but some people do love them and had good results.
Lighting is only one parameter that is needed to have proper color and coral growth. People tend to get fixated on what the best light is and forget everything else. Chemistry of your tank and available food are just as important. If you don't have the tools or food to build new skeleton and tissue, no amount of light is going to help you.
I have used MH for over 20 + years and to be honest I don't see much color or growth difference between LED and MH on my system. Up till two years ago I would only use MH with supplemental T5 and now I only run LED. I will not go back to MH if I don't have to but I do still love them. LED offers me more flexibility then MH ever did at a lower to run cost. You will see people tell you that LED can't grow or color SPS and I say nonsense to that. What they should be saying is they can't grow SPS with LED. It is not as easy to set up LED but once you have it dialed in it is worth it.
When I switched from MH to LED my tank did have a adjustment phase. Corals all but stopped for growth for a few months till they adjusted and resumed growth. Some people mistake this for corals don't like LED but don't realize it is a completely different light spectrum so it takes time to adjust.
In the end get what works best for you and fits your budget.
MH have proven over the long hall to grow corals at a fast rate with great color. But they are energy pigs and waste a lot of energy as heat instead of light. MH are plug and play so to speak so you don't really have to set much when hooking them up except the timer. LED on the other hand need some programing to do for setup of intensity and spectrum. They do have way more programable features then MH and use less power, less heat and no bulb replacement for years. I have no issue with coral growth or color.
T 5 work but you need enough of them and the bulb replacement on a larger tank per year is just silly. I priced it out and I could buy a new LED per year on bulb replacement alone. Not for me at all but some people do love them and had good results.
Lighting is only one parameter that is needed to have proper color and coral growth. People tend to get fixated on what the best light is and forget everything else. Chemistry of your tank and available food are just as important. If you don't have the tools or food to build new skeleton and tissue, no amount of light is going to help you.
I have used MH for over 20 + years and to be honest I don't see much color or growth difference between LED and MH on my system. Up till two years ago I would only use MH with supplemental T5 and now I only run LED. I will not go back to MH if I don't have to but I do still love them. LED offers me more flexibility then MH ever did at a lower to run cost. You will see people tell you that LED can't grow or color SPS and I say nonsense to that. What they should be saying is they can't grow SPS with LED. It is not as easy to set up LED but once you have it dialed in it is worth it.
When I switched from MH to LED my tank did have a adjustment phase. Corals all but stopped for growth for a few months till they adjusted and resumed growth. Some people mistake this for corals don't like LED but don't realize it is a completely different light spectrum so it takes time to adjust.
In the end get what works best for you and fits your budget.
Sirreefalot
Active Member
It's clear you're a stick in the mud on MH... Each to their own, I was just expressing my knowledge and opinion.
I'll say it again; Have a look at www.ctlite.cn and their spectrum chart thingy, you'll be surprised what you can get from just 85watts!
There's a couple of links to some guy that did a review when they were Intellisun but it's exactly the same.
The guys at CTLite are experts in organic grow and reef lighting... It's definitely worth a look, unless you're really that much of a stick in the mud?
You've obviously have a dimming unit? Well I hope you. Do as you know so much about reefing... Did you know that they still draw pretty much the same current whether they're on 100, 50 or 30%, it's an efficiency power factor that fails them.
That's where I get sold on LED's..
Power (Watts) is heat.
MH cost a great deal more to run because your chiller is running when it doesn't need to be plus the MH's really make the electric meter wiz round!
So you're paying for electric you don't need to and unnecessarily polluting the environment, especially the sea!
Save our reefs! LoL
And personally, Google search "plants grow on metal halide" then click images and you'll see what MH is best used for. LoL
Yes I am a stick in the mud on MH! like I said, they undoubtably produce the best growth and color in corals . I never claimed to know the most about reefing... I was just pointing your electrical knowledge has nothing to do with reefing lol electric and lighting maybe but not reefing in a whole. As I also stated is when leds are proven to produce growth and color like MH I would be the first one to switch
also, my tank is pretty deep 32 inches to my lowest corals and I'm not sure how well LEDs would penetrate that deep..... Now let's get to the heat point that everyone loves bring up. Yes! MH makes a ton of heat. It's been summer here for a few weeks and we have had a few pretty hot days my tank hasn't gotten above 79 degrees.... (My chiller has gone off yet! Even had to turn it down to test it to make sure it works lol) I run 2X 400W MH (6 hours a day about 9 inches from the water line) with a 48 inch reefbrite bar (12 hours a day) I do keep my house temp pretty low thermostat is set to 75. As you started out to say to each their own. Reefing is like medicine there is more then one way to do everything. What works for you may not work well for others and vice versa. I will stick to my MH until LEDs are proven.
Sirreefalot
Active Member
Well said. So you think your growth rate with your LEDs are better then when you were using Mh?
Sirreefalot
Active Member
Oh I I know what MH are also used forIt's clear you're a stick in the mud on MH... Each to their own, I was just expressing my knowledge and opinion.
I'll say it again; Have a look at www.ctlite.cn and their spectrum chart thingy, you'll be surprised what you can get from just 85watts!
There's a couple of links to some guy that did a review when they were Intellisun but it's exactly the same.
The guys at CTLite are experts in organic grow and reef lighting... It's definitely worth a look, unless you're really that much of a stick in the mud?
You've obviously have a dimming unit? Well I hope you. Do as you know so much about reefing... Did you know that they still draw pretty much the same current whether they're on 100, 50 or 30%, it's an efficiency power factor that fails them.
That's where I get sold on LED's..
Power (Watts) is heat.
MH cost a great deal more to run because your chiller is running when it doesn't need to be plus the MH's really make the electric meter wiz round!
So you're paying for electric you don't need to and unnecessarily polluting the environment, especially the sea!
Save our reefs! LoL
And personally, Google search "plants grow on metal halide" then click images and you'll see what MH is best used for. LoL
but HPS is better lol
WetWhistle
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Depends on the species really. LPS and soft corals for sure grow faster for me, anything encrusting like monti or Pavona do as well. My purple planet tabling coral grows like a weed. Other SPS pretty much grow the same for me as MH like RR Kandari, RR rainbow loom and RR red diablo but it depends on the coral and placement. I have a Jason fox coolers champagne, Acropora valida and pink milli that grows slow and most of Tenuis sp grows quickly for me. Most of the purple tricolors grow very well for me and the torts from Acropora tortuosa. For most SPS it is the same growth rate for me but I do get some faster and slower depending on the coral. I do have a very productive sump with a lot of live food so I am sure that factors in.
The LED were not as user friendly as MH and it did take some time for me to slowly adjust everything and dial it in. Defiantly not as easy to use as MH that is for sure. But they do have other benefits that MH don't offer so to me it is worth it. I do like that I can adjust everything on the fly with my Apex for them.
Yes I am a stick in the mud on MH! like I said, they undoubtably produce the best growth and color in corals . I never claimed to know the most about reefing... I was just pointing your electrical knowledge has nothing to do with reefing lol electric and lighting maybe but not reefing in a whole. As I also stated is when leds are proven to produce growth and color like MH I would be the first one to switch
Oh no, this is gonna be a long one because I've got my work cut out here in a big way...
I get it now, you're the selfish type that says DILLIGAF aren't you?
I thought you might have paid attention before and understood what I wrote and the main reason for me being so adamant, but I was wrong... You really are selfish and don't care about the environment, therefore you cannot be a father or even plan to have kids for that matter.
You didn't even bother following the link did you?
I'll have to try a bit harder then because you're a hard nut to crack!
You really are digging yourself a big hole here aren't you...?
I was trying to be polite and let you down gently off your MH perch but it's clear you really do have your head wedged so far up your self righteous arrogant rectum that you just can't be told even when the facts have been laid out in front of you...
You obviously refuse to accept the data that CTLite show on their site that THEIR LED's DO show a far superior spectrum AND a greater penetrative spectrum across the whole range... Proving a much higher growth rate and colours obtained... They just blow MH's right out of the water!
And yes it HAS been proven... So, you're wrong again my friend... LED's HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROVEN, apologies for shouting but it's like trying to teach my wife to parallel park (tbh I gave up and bought her a car with active park assist! But that a completely different argument)...
Maybe you just don't understand the light spectrum?
As for depth penetration, I know a guy with a 36" deep 6' tank who was impressed with mine and wanted to try them, so I took two of my CTLites around there and set them up 1ft above the water and guess what!??
Yep, he was instantly sold and is now waiting for his order of 4 double units to arrive from Bangkok!
He can't wait to get his electric bill down to stop his wife moaning!
Now for your contradictory heat argument!
Are you serious? I mean, really serious??
You say your tank never gets above 79 and blah blah my chiller blah blah blah... Then you go on to say "I have my house thermostat set at 75"!
1, 2, lots, many.... 2+2=2 doesn't it?
Just think about the contradiction you just wrote!
Does Ambient Temperature mean anything to you?
I'm not even going to bother trying to explain Lumens to you as it will just go straight over your head after what I've just read...
All I'll say on this matter, and I'm repeating myself here... Again...
Is that Watts = HEAT, not brightness or even light penetration.
Just google Lumens & Watts and you might understand why the LEDs penetrate a great deal further per watt than MH ever will. There again, maybe you won't understand...?
Welcome to the 21st century Sirreefalot where it's been time to start conserving energy for quite a few years now!
And here is where I have to take a different approach to bang the nail in..
The energy and power we humans use has a by product called pollution, polluting the air we breath and polluting the sea, which in turn is destroying our reefs on a daily basis...
Just compare the amount of pollution caused from manufacturing a complete MH system (lamps + ballast + electronics) vs the far superior LED and it's PWM...
If every person had your "I don't care coz I've used this for years and know it works for me" attitude, Our great grandchildren won't even know what a reef looks like in real life because they'll only be looking at the photos in HISTORY books....
If that's not a good enough reason to lighten up (excuse the pun) and make the change, then I don't know what is.
You can argue that there's more and more wind/solar/gas farms producing clean power everyday, but in all honesty, is it all that clean?
Look at the Toyota Prius for example.
I do apologise to other members for my witty retorts towards this stick in the mud, but I'm allergic to arrogant, ignorant and self righteous people... They make me break out in sarcasm...
Enough said on this matter now... My point is has been hammered home and it's staying put because it's based on facts, not what I've been using for the last 30 years..
