MH/LED/T5 what do you prefer and why

[ParkerB]

I'm mainly wanting the sps heads to interact as I love my AI SOL but some colors I just can't get as if I had a MH or even t5 set up above the tank.

I'm debating going back to a 20k radium over my 30cube that's going to be sps dominant, and keep the SOL over my small frag tank instead.

Pics would be awesome but what does everyone prefer and why.

I'm looking for sps color so I'm thinking the MH will help a lot.


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[ParkerB]

Maybe someone can help me run a poll? Thanks,

-Parker


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[ParkerB]

6hrs and no one


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[DSP]

Metal halide for sure! I like t5s alot also,If not halides then t5s.I havent tried leds so im not gunna knock them,But i know many many people personaly that tried or are trying them and they switched back to halides or are talking about switching back to halides because the the leds couldnt keep there sps colored up like there halides did.The leds did grow and color up the sps with no problems but they didnt keep there color as much as the halides did,So i think its an easy decision if u want the best color out of sps corals then metal halide or t5 is the way to go.

 

[DSP]

I was lookin into leds just to save money but after seein so many people switch back to t5 or halides i decided to stick with halides as well,There tried and true

 

[Electrobes]

I have gone from PCs to Halides to Halides + T5s to first gen Chinese LEDs then back to Halides then Halides + LEDs, and finally to all LEDs via RapidLED.

I can honestly say that I love my current set up, but halides definitely hold a special place in my heart. If I were to choose now, I would keep my current LEDs as is. The growth is very much there and my colors have remained fairly the same minus the SPS corals, which surprisingly (or not, considering how much halide power I had on such a shallow tank) have colored up well.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Metal Halides.
Shimmer
Coverage
Coloration
Ease of use

 

[mike007]

I switched from halides to leds and i love them. Coral growth is outstanding ,tank temp down and most important electric bill down. I think that people who knock leds are probaly buying economical lights and not getting the correct spectrum from there leds. As they say you get what you pay for. lol

 

[ParkerB]

Glad I got some responses.

I would only be running one halide. So idk how much of the bill it would raise.

I am running the AI SOL super blue which actually has just as full of spectrum once you look at the spectrum graph of a radion and sol super blue.
I like the light and I believe my LPS has colored up more, just my sps (mainly pink and red acros) have lost their color a little bit, looks like they have got a little more brown tbh.

Anybody wanna post pictures of their tanks? Love to hear about what fixture as well you are using / bulb combo/ bulb brand / ballast anything that can incorporate some info.

I would also still like to keep my SOL in a frag tank, I still love the light just kinda miss the halide.

 

[DSP]

Ya iv never dealt with much of a change on my electric bill,But iv only ran 2 250 watt halides.And Never dealt with any heat issues at all because my lights have always been atleast 8 inches from the surface,Dont even use the fans that come on the fixtures.

 

[oceanparadise1]

Im a MH and t5 guy.

Over my displays ill always use MH. I just love the look, the shimmer, the coverage, the effect it has on corals. Its just pure power, they are bad *** like hemi, nothing but power.

over my frag tank i have a t5 tek fixture. I just like the flexibility for colors

 

[Reefing Madness]

DIY fixture
20k 175w x 2 Lamps. The Blue lights you see in the above pic are LED add ons for night lights.

 

[twiddledog]

I just switched back to MH and T5s tonight. I have MH\T5 for my mixed reef for the past 10 years and this past November I switched to Vegas. I loved the look of the tank, corals really popped during dawn dusk but I had a hard time keeping SPS. So I switched back...

 

[ParkerB]

Looks like I might go back to the radium 20k.

Anybody got bulb ideas?
I'd still like more ppl to post there ideas on all the ways we can illuminate our reefs and why.

Maybe LED/T5 combo?

DSP ya I won't run a chiller nor do I wanna run fans but I was thinking I might have to get maybe 2-4comp fans as the MH is just a pendant with no fan.
What kind of fixture do you use for MH (edit: that has a fan). I know the geissman has one but its kinda spendy.

 

[DSP]

The halide system i started with was a odyessea halide/t5 combo and i never used the fans on the odyesseaBtw i loved the odyessea never had any problems with it at all worked great.And now i use current outer orbit 48 inch model and the fan comes on automaticaly when i turn the halides on.But i dont use any other fans with it.As far as bulbs iv been debating switching bulbs as well iv aways used phoenix 14ks and realy like them,But i thought about switching to a 20 k radium,The one thing iv heard quite a bit is radiums dont last very long about 6 months is what i hear is that true?Also intrested in a 20 k ushio

 

[DSP]

I traded my 40 gal setup for a 125 gal setup equipment for equipment thats how i got the outer orbit fixture.But im looking for a 72 inch fixture now to cover my 6 foot tank and ill probaly end up getting the odyessea 72 inch fixture

 

[ParkerB]

Nice, ya it's a single MH over a 30g so I wouldn't be getting a large fixture.

I like the Elos one but not for 689$
And I like the geissman but not for $450 lol.

Might just have to rock the MH and some computer fans or a nice aquarium fan set up for like $60

I most likely am doing MH again but still would love to hear others choices. This could be a good thread to refer back to maybe in the future.


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[DSP]

lol ya theres some pricey fixtures out there.What size halide do you have?And agreed this should be a very good thread to look back on in the future.And how often did you need to change out your 20k radiums?

 

[ParkerB]

lol ya theres some pricey fixtures out there.What size halide do you have?And agreed this should be a very good thread to look back on in the future.And how often did you need to change out your 20k radiums?

Lumen max 2 by sunlight supply.
It's about say 12-16" not sure of the specs off the top of my head.
Ill be using a galaxy ballast and I changed the radiums out probably every 9mo I only had to change it once but I will need a new bulb.


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[ParkerB]

I was thinking maybe a 12k reeflux
Or maybe another bulb. I would like to get it a little more blue then a radium 20k but I've heard there isn't a better bulb out and I've personally never tried another bulb.
Also maybe was thinking about supplementing it with a Orphek PR25 for a little more blue cause I have one lying around here.


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