Metal halide colors without metal halides

Keithcorals · Nov 4, 2013

I stopped using metal halides a few years ago and have never been able to get the same look again. If you have an SPS tank with the classic metal halide colored SPS (deep saturated color) then please share how you do it. And feel free to post as many pictures as you want

gtbarsi · Nov 4, 2013

I have heard that the high wattage mixed multi-diode on a single chip fixtures like the Kessil, come the closest, but I do not have any 1st hand experience with them.

Keithcorals · Nov 5, 2013

Anybody?
I really want to believe I can get back to the colors I remember. I even thought about going back to MH. Then I remembered why I stopped using them and started this thread. So come on all you non MH SPS guys show me it can be done. MH colors without MH

82engineer · Nov 5, 2013

The problem with this question is that even if someone gave you the answer it might be a mix of factors that you would have to get right beyond just the lighting aspect of it. It could be due to there tank dimensions or water parameters and what they do/do not dose in order to re create what your after. I'd say that if you truly love the halide look stay with it.

Keithcorals · Nov 5, 2013

No problem with the question. I want to know just what you said the lighting tank size what is dosed and any other info anybody that has this look thinks helps them get to where they are. I'm not going back to MH. I just thought it would be faster to see how others are doing what I want to do than trying to reinvent the wheel.

427HISS · Nov 5, 2013

I had a 175w halide and 4 VHO's, 2 white 2 blue, and it gave beautiful colors. Why aren't you using the halide anymore ? Heat ? Wanting new technology with led's ?

TJ's Reef · Nov 5, 2013

I very much have recreated a Phoenix 14K MH look with my DIY LED build. The shimmer and deep color saturation being spot on and the only reall difference being the broader light spread from the way I spaced out emitters. Using a spectral chart of the Phoenix lamp I assemble the right mix of LED's to match. I could have easily replicated a 20K Radion as well. Unfortunately have not figured out a good white balance yet on my DSLR to capture accurate images. As far as commercial units available now the best I've seen so far is the Kessil Pendant as stated above and also gives the same single point light source look.

Cheers, Todd

427HISS · Nov 5, 2013

Wow, that's a great pendant. How much area will one cover ?

http://www.f3images.com/IMD/250/YH1...ecial-Blend-LED-Aquarium-Light-Sky-Blue-1.jpg

gtbarsi · Nov 5, 2013

If I had my pick I would go with the Kessil A360. As to the coverage it depends on the model they have both wide and narrow focused units. BRS gave a couple of these away recently, some lucky sobs got them, not me.

Keithcorals · Nov 6, 2013

I have a Kessil a360 but it's on my zoa/ chalice tank. I also have AI Sol blues on my Monti tank. My SPS system is light by a 6 bulb ATi power module and reef brights. I'm liking the Kessil might be the way to go I was surprised at the the way the zoas responded to it. According to my par meter it's not that bright but I had to turn it down to around 60-70 percent before the zoas started opening up like they should. I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow

Sahin · Nov 6, 2013

I have seen T5 systems with nice deep Metal Halide like colours, however you dont get the shimmer. My main LFS used to have halides over the tank...after a swap to T5's the colours changed so much I was shocked. Colours were deep, yet very bright. No pale colours.

I have also seen my 2nd LFS's tank with AI Sol Blues flanked by T5's; the colours are amazing and easily the best SPS tank I've ever seen. The owner of the LFS feeds his display LOTS!

I think that is a factor. The past 8 years or so of the reefkeeping world has been all about low nutrients and it is in this period of time I have seen so many pale SPS threads.
I am slowly seeing a change in this idea and more and more a going the way of FEED LOTS + HIGH WASTE OUT.

Search up "pieces of the ocean" in google and go into the website with that actual URL. All the SPS photos are grown under LED. Kessil I believe.

DSP · Nov 6, 2013

Just go back to halides! You wont find anything that matches them imo

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy s4

mic209 · Nov 6, 2013

TJ's Reef said:
I very much have recreated a Phoenix 14K MH look with my DIY LED build. The shimmer and deep color saturation being spot on and the only reall difference being the broader light spread from the way I spaced out emitters. Using a spectral chart of the Phoenix lamp I assemble the right mix of LED's to match. I could have easily replicated a 20K Radion as well. Unfortunately have not figured out a good white balance yet on my DSLR to capture accurate images. As far as commercial units available now the best I've seen so far is the Kessil Pendant as stated above and also gives the same single point light source look.

Cheers, Todd

I think the OP was reffering to the color of his corals and not his light. I too been wanting to ditch LED's because my corals do not have the same color they have when they were under MH's.

427HISS · Nov 11, 2013

I'm still confused about the LED's. Even here, you have mixed results from VHO's, MH vs LED's,.....?

We all realize it's what people prefer, but is there any scientific proof of what the corals,....prefer for health, color and growth ?

Guerry · Nov 12, 2013

As much as I hate to admit it with the thousands I've spent trying to make leds work for me I have to consede to what Anthony Calfo said at the Southest Reef confence a couple of years back, Leds are like hunting with a bow n arrow to point source and he'd prefer a shotgun good old MH. It really hit home with me after selling some sps that ended up in mh lit tank then seeing them after a couple months, to date I've removed the leds from my frag system and replaced with T5s as well as adding four 80watt T5s to my display system which also has 144 3watt leds emitters with spectums of 405nm 425nm 450nm 460nm 475nm 530nm and 660nm. With only two weeks run time of T5s over frag system I've seen improvement in colors of my frags and waiting till Black Friday to order new MH pendents for display tank, already dusted my old chiller off LOL

greg1786 · Nov 15, 2013

Im glad you created this thread. Ive been racking my brain trying to come up with a good bulb combo for my 8x54w t5 fixture to replicate or at least come close to a 20k mh look. I just cant seem to get that really crisp white/blue look without overdoing it on the blue. My lfs runs a 20k mh fixture and I bought a frag from them that was stunning only to have it change colors completely in my tank. Im tagging along to see where this thread goes, maybe ill get some useful info from some of you guys!

Keithcorals · Nov 15, 2013

Thanks for the replies!
I'm glad to see others are looking for the same info as me and welcome any input or advice anyone has to give. The only reason I've not commented to much is I'm more interested in the success of others than talking about what I can't seem to achieve. The original question I was asking was really about the color of the coral specifically SPS. But some seem to be also looking for the visual effect of MH as well. So to keep things on track if you have achieved either of the following please let us know how and if possible post some pics of your results.

Do you have the same deep saturated colored SPS you typically get with MH?

Do you have the same visual effect in your tank as if it was lit by MH?

Also just to be clear. I'm not trying to debate MH vs LEDs. Think of it like this. It's like asking if anyone has an electric car that performs like a gas powered one. I know a gas powered car performs like a gas powered car and that MH perform like MH. But does anything else perform like MH?

GHill762 · Nov 15, 2013

427HISS said:
I'm still confused about the LED's. Even here, you have mixed results from VHO's, MH vs LED's,.....?

We all realize it's what people prefer, but is there any scientific proof of what the corals,....prefer for health, color and growth ?

a photon is a photon.. as long as you cover the proper spectrum the coral doesn't care if it's coming from MH, T5, LED, plasma, the sun, etc..

Dowtish · Nov 15, 2013

No other lighting is going to replicate MH. Period.

I have used T5 only, T5 with LED as well, and nothing compares to MH no matter what combo or amount you use. Not trying to be negative, but after seeing so many setups and my own with different combos of specific colored LEDs or T5s or both combined, you will never be able to replicate that crisp intense clean MH look.