Pros vs Cons: Metal Halide VS LED Lighting

[chadderboxx]

In my personal Opinion I think the major differences the LEDs start versus mh start up cost. Also led are new / newish been around a fraction of the time of mh. So Technology is makeing them better each year think of them in dog years every year that goes by your led are Obsolete by 7 years. Just because of Technology. Also another factor is there are SO MANY deferent LEDs. ( good & bad ) its like where do you start. Mh it's easy Shallower the tank less light you need. What's your Options 10k 14k 20k. It's idiot proof really. Corals look alsome under led yes I agree so if your always broke like me do both. Hamilton Technology 2 150w and 2 48w vo with 2 12" led strips. And 1 question those of y'all that live up north don't y'all enjoy the heat from mh durring the winter months? Coldest is get in fl is high 40s

 

[AZDesertRat]

I ran 2xs250w MH and 2x140w VHO Super Actinics for 8 years before switching to 2xAI Sol Blues with their controller.
I am extremely pleased with the results after a year of use. I can fine tune the color to exactly mimic my XM 15k MH or make it whatever I want. I have the ability to do a sunrise sunset cycle and so much more.

Best of all my power consumption went from 800 measured watts with a Kill A Watt meter to 140 maximum watts at full 100% on all thre bulb colors on both fixtures which never happens, its usually in the 75-90 watt range. Probably the best investment I have ever made in my 30+ year reef hobby.

On my 16G nano I went from a 96w Powerquad PC to 2 x Exoctic Panoramas and again couldn't be happier. Better coloration, zero heat and 24 watts vs about 100 watts with the ballast inefficiency.

 

[schminksbro]

One of the problems with the evolution of this hobby is that when a new technology surfaces the only people that jump on it are those who are fairly new to the hobby. The old timers who have kept and observed coral for years aren't likely to ditch their tried and true Halides for LEDs. The result is a bunch of endorsements from people who likely don't have experience with all the available options. I have read countless posts regurgitating all the negatives of halides from people who have zero experience with actual use as well as those touting the superiority of LEDs having never used halides or T5s. Heat for example is blown way out of proportion and is easily controlled. On the other hand you have the old timers who are set in their ways and are reluctant to embrace new technology. I have spent the last couple of years running tanks with 250w XM 20k halides, AI LEDs, Reef Bright LEDs, and ATI T5s. All systems are equipped with Vortech MP40s and Reef Octopus Extreme Skimmers. Water quality is consistent through all the tanks. I think LEDs have a bright future (pun intended) however halides at this point are in my experience still vastly superior. Much richer color and much more natural appearance.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Huh?
I have been in the saltwater hobby for almost 35 years and reefs for about 30?
Over the years my lighting has progressed from normal output fluorescent VitaLites and Philips Actinic 03's, to high output fluorescents to Power Compact, VHO, 175w mogul base MH, 150w double ended MH, 250w mogul base MH, magnetic tar ballasts, electronic ballasts, the whole gamut.

I still feel the move to LED was the best thing I ever did in that 30+ years. I think you are way off base in your statement about newbies, I'm certainly not new to the hobby but I may be the exception to the rule.

 

[montethemoster]

I currently use MH's but would like to try LED's. A couple of problems that I see is that I don't like the lack of color blending with evenly spaced 3 watt multi-color LED builds. Also, I live in a cold climate so removing heat at times actually could cost me money as I would have to heat the water more than I would with metal halides, actually increasing my expenses if I was to use LED's.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Metal halides are electricity sucking minature suns. I love them sooo much, but the 400w I have costs around 20/30 bucks a month to run, but the coral growth is insane! I use a 6500k bulb with actinic supplement if I'm showing people...this is just the grow out light though.
From what I have learned and seen, leds are just as good, can be cheap, and if your cat eats the cable, its easier to find a replacement in your junk drawer than the thick wiring of a halide. Leds are smaller than any light in existence, thus more customization. You can put 50 different colors together if you can find them. On top of that leds are dimmable, and the optics can really make your favorite corals stick out. I feel the same breeze as I did when the super nintendo came out finally leds are done being the next maybe and finally becoming the norm. I plan to keep the halide as a grow out light until I update all my other tanks first.

I have a vast difference in lighting between the tanks. One fixture is 4xt5s and a t8, one is 4xt5s, one is led, one is 4xpc, and the last one is purely sunlight for algae. Of all the tanks, the most natural is the led...it sparkles with a hint of blue, where as the halide being 6500, is more yellow, thus comparison is not valid.

I am infact working on an upside down tank that will be led lit from the bottom. This is going to be an experiment to see if corals follow light more than gravity, like some have tried by hanging acro upside down, the only difference is I'm actually bottom lighting it and using zoas instead.

 

[kuyatwo]

My experience with Leds is i think they are still in the infancy stage.

On my 150 gallon i ran ati powermodule then swtiched to 4 x ai sols. I noticed my acans lost their coloring and some of my two tone sps (cali tort, red planet, f2m aussie tort) lost their two tones. I then switched to sfilogoi xr6 400 watt with 4 t5 fixtures and within a month colors came back. I did add couple strips of royal blue leds. Switching back to mh i think my bill went up $20 a month. I went from running one heater to running two heaters when i ran ai sols especially during winter months the heaters would constantly be on to keep my temp at 77 degrees

At macna Sanjay Joshe spoke about leds and did say you can grow coral but funny thing is he did not switch to leds on his main display tank. I guess when he decides to put leds on his main display tank I would consider switching.

 

[Chameleon]

I dont envy your time scraping coralline off the bottom of the tank...and poor cat!
cool exp though

Metal halides are electricity sucking minature suns. I love them sooo much, but the 400w I have costs around 20/30 bucks a month to run, but the coral growth is insane! I use a 6500k bulb with actinic supplement if I'm showing people...this is just the grow out light though.
From what I have learned and seen, leds are just as good, can be cheap, and if your cat eats the cable, its easier to find a replacement in your junk drawer than the thick wiring of a halide. Leds are smaller than any light in existence, thus more customization. You can put 50 different colors together if you can find them. On top of that leds are dimmable, and the optics can really make your favorite corals stick out. I feel the same breeze as I did when the super nintendo came out finally leds are done being the next maybe and finally becoming the norm. I plan to keep the halide as a grow out light until I update all my other tanks first.

I have a vast difference in lighting between the tanks. One fixture is 4xt5s and a t8, one is 4xt5s, one is led, one is 4xpc, and the last one is purely sunlight for algae. Of all the tanks, the most natural is the led...it sparkles with a hint of blue, where as the halide being 6500, is more yellow, thus comparison is not valid.

I am infact working on an upside down tank that will be led lit from the bottom. This is going to be an experiment to see if corals follow light more than gravity, like some have tried by hanging acro upside down, the only difference is I'm actually bottom lighting it and using zoas instead.

 

[schminksbro]

Huh?
I have been in the saltwater hobby for almost 35 years and reefs for about 30?
Over the years my lighting has progressed from normal output fluorescent VitaLites and Philips Actinic 03's, to high output fluorescents to Power Compact, VHO, 175w mogul base MH, 150w double ended MH, 250w mogul base MH, magnetic tar ballasts, electronic ballasts, the whole gamut.

I still feel the move to LED was the best thing I ever did in that 30+ years. I think you are way off base in your statement about newbies, I'm certainly not new to the hobby but I may be the exception to the rule.

Please don't misunderstand me. I don't mean to be speaking in absolutes. I just think the dialogue on the subject of halides vs LEDs has been largely old timers saying if it ain't broke why fix it while newer people in the hobby have been the majority of the proponents of LEDs. I think it is possible that these tendencies tend to slow progress and I applaud you being an exception. I have been in the hobby around 20 years and have used VHOs, Power Compacts, T5s, Halides, and LEDs. While my experience with LEDs has not been negative I still like the look and results of the halides. Of course I am running AI Sol Blues which are almost obsolete considering the pace that LED technology is growing but the color is very artificial looking. Basically too "clean" looking if that makes sense. Acros have grown fine under the LEDs but growing the same pieces in two tanks with halides and LEDs I like the colors under halides better. Growth is fine under either but there are so many factors involved that growth comparisons are pretty difficult to measure.

 

[Dowtish]

Who has run LED's with great growth and color for over 3 years? Same LED's?

That's why I wait....

 

[Rabidgoose]

What is there to complain about a mh????? Heat that's about it!!!! Mh has been around longer than 90% of the reefers on this forum and are proven... You don't hear about corals turning brown under radiums only how sick the colors really are.... nuff said.... LEDs are great for supplemental lighting only IMHO... Just my 2....

This....and the heat complaint is only viable in the summer where I live. They help to heat my tank in the winter.

 

[jlymner]

being a bit of a crazied envirmentalist ... not only the heat but the large amounts of electricty the mh use...

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

To me, LEDs are better. Even if they consumed the same amount of energy, and gave off the same heat, I would still use them. Why? Because I can change the color in my tank any time I want. A good mh bulb will cost you $80 a fixture, just to switch between 14 and 20k. I can do 455nm, 7500k, and anywhere in between, even a red-yellow sunset, and purple moon.

 

[NanoNathan]

i cant say what is better since i have never used a MH light. Im new to this hobby 1yr with corals. In my new system i am building my own LED lights and using a 250 watt halide for high noon lighting 3 hours a day max. This is my plan on my new frag tank. I can say for leds i have had great coloration and growth. As i said i cant compare to MH because i have never used them. But i rather spend a few hundred more for leds and have low heat then buy a chiller to run a halide and keep the tank cool. Having a chiller is just another piece of equipment that can and will breakdown.

 

[coder35]

never tried MH but I went from T5 to LED last year . I was not happy with the color when using LED.
T5 definitely give you better color and more color combination than LED

 

[Ike]

There's something very fake looking about LED lighting and in general they do not make blues and purples look good. Until I see an LED fixture render colors as well as a Radium (or a plethora of other MH bulbs and T5's) I'll care about all the other stuff. Until then I'm happy to keep paying a higher electric bill and bulb replacement costs.

To me, LEDs are better. Even if they consumed the same amount of energy, and gave off the same heat, I would still use them. Why? Because I can change the color in my tank any time I want. A good mh bulb will cost you $80 a fixture, just to switch between 14 and 20k. I can do 455nm, 7500k, and anywhere in between, even a red-yellow sunset, and purple moon.

 

[SteezySPS]

i dont doubt leds have the par and can color and grow sps but it still doesnt match the colors metal halides can bring out. just basing this on my first hand view of the vivids 800g mh/led experiment

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

There's something very fake looking about LED lighting and in general they do not make blues and purples look good. Until I see an LED fixture render colors as well as a Radium (or a plethora of other MH bulbs and T5's) I'll care about all the other stuff. Until then I'm happy to keep paying a higher electric bill and bulb replacement costs.

The problem is the lack of 420nm violets, use a fixture with the right spectrum, and you will not be dissappointed

 

[Redstag]

I have run Metal Halide, T5 and LEDs. All I can say, Metal Halide and T5 for SPS and LEDs alone only for LPS.