Metal Halides are the bomb

[A. grandis]

My challenge is I’ve not supplementary lighting, so if I run for say 3 hours, lights are off for the remainder of the day. And that’s dang boring. Years ago I went from PC to MH, no acclimation...but every store ran halides back then.

Well, then you need to put up with the dark tank for a while, until they adapt, my friend. You could start at 2 hours a day and try to increase an hours every week or 2, observing the system. The corals need that to be able to survive the changes. There is no other way around. Nature dictates the rules, not us. You will be rewarded if you do it the right way!

 

[A. grandis]

I'm not here to debate, but rather enjoy a healthy discussion about this hobby. I think passions get the best of us sometimes and it comes out in a not so friendly way. I really encourage people to take a step back and think before you type. We are adults here and need to help each other and also learn from each other, which is the point of having forums like R2R.
The fact is, we have come so far in this hobby, but there are some things that haven't changed or haven't truly advanced in the way they should have and lighting is one of them.
I absolutely love led's, but I agree with Alex here, they don't compare to the gold standard, yet. I really want them to, they're getting closer, but they're not there. Until that day comes, the gold standard is and will always be metal halides with T5's. I think MH with led's are next up (and my next choice in lighting), but that's my personal preference and it's based on nearly 40 years in this hobby.
I'm not saying MH need to be over softie tanks, but if you're keeping sps, there's no substitute at this time.
I'll also add, the ad from Hamilton is spot on. Here's some reality for you.
Take my tank for example. It's a shallow 90g 36x36x16 and I'm currently using 9 fixtures, yes, NINE. And I'm still getting shadowing in spots. That's 645 watts of electricity for 8hrs and probably 2/3 of that for the remaining 4hrs. That's not efficiency, that's a lot of wasted energy. I can put two 250w fixtures over my tank for 4 to 6hrs and run some led's for dusk / dawn the remaining time and get better results. So how are led's better than halides in this situation? I can see the argument for led's in mixed and softie tanks where growth isn't a concern and you want to show off the blue lights, but for sps, no, they simply can't compete with halides yet. I don't have a dog or horse in this race, but I'm not trying to put the cart before the horse either. Here's my best analogy, comparing led's to halides, it's the same as comparing mp3's to 2" tape thru a console. Kids these days have no reference to true analog music and it's the same with reef lighting. If you have no reference, then how can you compare?
Just something to think about. Remember, be kind and don’t be afraid to listen and learn, as we can all learn from each other at every stage of our lives. To give up on learning, is to give up on life. Or just sit back and have a tasty beverage and enjoy the show.

It was important to give oreo what he wanted.
Accusations and such need to be addressed.
Now he has a thread to discuss his points and hopefully leave this one alone with his "investigations".
Make no mistake: the only reason why we actually have halide posts in this forum is because of the rock marks I have in my back, from many past threads! LOL! Other wise this would be still only a hospital for LED problems, without any chance to even communicate about halides.

 

[djf91]

What I wanted to say in the other thread before it was closed. I don't think a lot of LED reefs look anything like what you would see on a shallow reef in the indo-pacific. Reef aquariums and the hobby have, in recent years, shifted away from trying to recreate a natural reef-scape in exchange for a neon lights display emulating what you would find at your local cosmic bowling alley. Its all about the buzz factor. They don't look alive, they look artificial. In my opinion, nothing looks better than a reef aquarium lit with metal halides in the 10k spectrum. The warmth, and shimmer on the white sand, along with the true natural color of stony corals showing through makes it feel like your snorkeling a shallow reef flat in Bali. The hobby went from "wow, look at that beautiful ecosystem of Acropora species" to "lets see what insane neon colors I can paint my new super duper walt disney jr. nub".

Sorry, rant over.

 

[madlos123]

Heres my 90 Gallon (currently in progress) with 10k Reefbrite Metal Halide
With a more natural aquascape
Looks like im snorkeling

 

[djf91]

Heres my 90 Gallon (currently in progress) with 10k Reefbrite Metal Halide
With a more natural aquascape
Looks like im snorkeling

That’s what it’s all about right there. Thats what you want. I love the look of that tank.

 

[oreo54]

Never mind.. pulled contents..
Wrong place...

 

[minus9]

What I wanted to say in the other thread before it was closed. I don't think a lot of LED reefs look anything like what you would see on a shallow reef in the indo-pacific. Reef aquariums and the hobby have, in recent years, shifted away from trying to recreate a natural reef-scape in exchange for a neon lights display emulating what you would find at your local cosmic bowling alley. Its all about the buzz factor. They don't look alive, they look artificial. In my opinion, nothing looks better than a reef aquarium lit with metal halides in the 10k spectrum. The warmth, and shimmer on the white sand, along with the true natural color of stony corals showing through makes it feel like your snorkeling a shallow reef flat in Bali. The hobby went from "wow, look at that beautiful ecosystem of Acropora species" to "lets see what insane neon colors I can paint my new super duper walt disney jr. nub".

Sorry, rant over.

The whole reason I wanted a reef in my house, was to recreate what I saw in nature. I think more hobbyist need to take a trip to the reef and see for themselves. I like adding the pop that some led strips offer, combined with natural lit tanks (aka shimmer), it just looks awesome. I just bought a couple 14k bulbs, but I might have to pick up some 10k bulbs when I order my Reef Brite halides? And guess what? No need to put filters on your camera/phone. Huh? Cheers everyone and have a safe and happy 4th!

 

[GarrettT]

Could someone direct me on the proper setup for covering a SPS dominant 54''x33''x25'' display?

I'm thinking two 400w SE - (20K radium?), but have no idea which fixture and ballast to choose.

Purchase links would be extremely helpful!

 

[Smite]

New to the club with a 36” reefbrite and XHO hybrid and loving it. I’m running 2x250w 14k Hamilton’s. XHO on for an hour before and after. Absolutely love the appearance, don’t really care for them in combo but separately are really nice. The color is so crisp and natural. My tank stayed within a degree with my cpu fans. Looking for a quieter option

 

[djf91]

New to the club with a 36” reefbrite and XHO hybrid and loving it. I’m running 2x250w 14k Hamilton’s. XHO on for an hour before and after. Absolutely love the appearance, don’t really care for them in combo but separately are really nice. The color is so crisp and natural. My tank stayed within a degree with my cpu fans. Looking for a quieter option

What ballasts are you using?

 

[Smite]

What ballasts are you using?

I'm running the reefbrite 250w ballasts.

 

[Cabinetman]

Is this the owner of world wide corals?

 

[Smite]

Question for those with the ReefBrite hybrids. How high above water are you mounting your pendants?

Thanks

Matt

 

[Kfactor]

Question for those with the ReefBrite hybrids. How high above water are you mounting your pendants?

Thanks

Matt

Right now I have my 2 about 12” off the water but it’s a new tank with no corals yet . I think it will be almost perfect

 

[Smite]

Right now I have my 2 about 12” off the water but it’s a new tank with no corals yet . I think it will be almost perfect

Sounds good and thanks for the response. I'm about there right now, 11" and it looks good to my eye. Any lower and it gets very bright. I can't seem to find any par data on this pendant.

 

[X-37B]

Could someone direct me on the proper setup for covering a SPS dominant 54''x33''x25'' display?

I'm thinking two 400w SE - (20K radium?), but have no idea which fixture and ballast to choose.

Purchase links would be extremely helpful!

You could run hamilton 20x20 fixtures with 250 watt 14k hamiltons.
I run one ony 36x24x12 frag/ lagoon system and coverage is perfect at 12" off the surface.
I actually like this bulb better than my double ended 250 watt 14k phoenix that I run on my 120.

 

[MartinM]

Could someone direct me on the proper setup for covering a SPS dominant 54''x33''x25'' display?

I'm thinking two 400w SE - (20K radium?), but have no idea which fixture and ballast to choose.

Purchase links would be extremely helpful!

Www.giesemann.us for Giesemann Spectras, which I really like.

 

[Big E]

Is this the owner of world wide corals?

No, Chris Meckley owner ACI Aquaculture

 

[GarrettT]

You could run hamilton 20x20 fixtures with 250 watt 14k hamiltons.
I run one ony 36x24x12 frag/ lagoon system and coverage is perfect at 12" off the surface.
I actually like this bulb better than my double ended 250 watt 14k phoenix that I run on my 120.

You think 2x 250w fixtures would be enough for an Acropora dominate system? I'd likely add actinic Reef Brites on each side.

With the MH being outside of a canopy, does the MH affect the water temperature much?
People complain about heat from MH, but 99% of them are running it in a canopy. Just curious, if the heat is a non issue on open tanks.

 

[X-37B]

You think 2x 250w fixtures would be enough for an Acropora dominate system? I'd likely add actinic Reef Brites on each side.

With the MH being outside of a canopy, does the MH affect the water temperature much?
People complain about heat from MH, but 99% of them are running it in a canopy. Just curious, if the heat is a non issue on open tanks.

I have no heat issues. I ran an 8 bulb ati 4" off the surface before going to halides.

I do run a 10" fan in the sump when the halides are on.

I would have no issues running 2 20x20's with 250's on your system.
My upgrade will be 72-84x36x20 and plan on the same with OR3 light bars as a supplement.