Switching from LED to Metal Halide

[acropora4u]

How do you like the V2s?
What size. I considered them on my tank as well as the orpheks. But can’t pull the trigger to rid myself of my halides!

Corey

there LEDs, same as all the others.

 

[biecacka]

Lol
That’s why I won’t switch. I just don’t see it. I know they can grow things but I love the plug and play

Corey

 

[acropora4u]

Led way over rated

 

[Thaxxx]

If the cost of bulb replacement and electrical bills were no object. I'm sure many more would still be using mh/t5. It's always the money. Some might say the convenience and ease of hanging them. But personally, I think the look of a light fixture/source visable over a tank no matter how cool some say it looks, is a huge eye sore. Assuming it's in a living room type setting.

 

[acropora4u]

If the cost of bulb replacement and electrical bills were no object. I'm sure many more would still be using mh/t5. It's always the money. Some might say the convenience and ease of hanging them. But personally, I think the look of a light fixture/source visable over a tank no matter how cool some say it looks, is a huge eye sore. Assuming it's in a living room type setting.

the small electric bump in cost is no worries- even at 50% more is worth the extra growth and color advantage seen using MH/

 

[acropora4u]

I will try and document the changes in 30g nano seen in the acros from removing the radion gen 3 and adding the reefbrite MH/LED

 

[KJoFan]

Why do I keep reading threads like this? It just makes me want to take down my LED fixtures and pull my Reefbrite MH/LED pendants out of the box!

 

[CNDReef]

Why do I keep reading threads like this? It just makes me want to take down my LED fixtures and pull my Reefbrite MH/LED pendants out of the box!

Doit lol

 

[AZRipp]

I couldn't care less about bulb, lamp, and power costs, I truly loved my MH/T5 combo, it was the heat that pushed me into LED.

 

[acropora4u]

I couldn't care less about bulb, lamp, and power costs, I truly loved my MH/T5 combo, it was the heat that pushed me into LED.

Fans and exhaust ports if you have enough halides TO warrant. luckily I only have a small tank and 1 x 150w halide/LED combo

 

[hart24601]

How do you like the V2s?
What size. I considered them on my tank as well as the orpheks. But can’t pull the trigger to rid myself of my halides!

Corey

No need to get rid of something you like! I am a fan of running whatever you enjoy. That being said I am LED all the way, now with orphek as my jam, but honestly lighting technology isn’t going to make or break any tank, just run what you enjoy, although I totally get wanting to play with new stuff!

 

[Thaxxx]

I couldn't care less about bulb, lamp, and power costs, I truly loved my MH/T5 combo, it was the heat that pushed me into LED.

Do you mean heating the water, or the room? Or both.

 

[leepink23]

I love my halides, switched from Radions to Giesemann Infiniti. So far no issues even with temps at 98 in Mississippi.

 

[AZRipp]

Fans and exhaust ports if you have enough halides TO warrant. luckily I only have a small tank and 1 x 150w halide/LED combo

I ran 2 - 4' Hamilton Cebu Sun fixtures with 2 400W MH and 4 T5 Lamps... Each. So in the winter, our heating bill was down, LoL, but in the summer it was unbearable. Regardless of season, without running a chiller, it was nearly impossible to keep the tank at less than 80, more like 81/82. Fantastic growth, great color, and overall GREAT, but the heat, my god...

Do you mean heating the water, or the room? Or both.

Both

Now I'm running 4 Orphek Atlantik V4 Gen 2 fixtures. Now I stay right around 78 and in the winter I run a heater to ensure I stay there.

 

[biecacka]

Oh I love the halides. I tried leds 5 years ago and while I know they have gotten better, I like to plug and play my lights.


Corey

 

[jda]

MH have gotten better too. Some new varieties with less IR and less heat. Dual arc. More efficient ballasts.

I have no heat issues in Colorado where the humidity is often in the 20s or 30s even on the 100 degree days. Fan and evap can keep my tanks cool and we don't even run the AC. There are some climates that are harder than mine.

 

[biecacka]

I run the ac in my apartment because my tank is large enough to effect the humidity in it not to mention I like it cooler. But it’s a simple fix solved by running my ac a few hours some days. Not a big deal to me for sure.

Corey

 

[acropora4u]

I run the ac in my apartment because my tank is large enough to effect the humidity in it not to mention I like it cooler. But it’s a simple fix solved by running my ac a few hours some days. Not a big deal to me for sure.

Corey

you have a 240g reef in an apartment?

 

[biecacka]

Yeah man. And love it. I almost bought a brand new but never wet 900 gallon. It wouldn’t fit in my door though so I passed on it until GEO said he would build me my cube. Which was my first choice all along.


Corey

 

[gavinf]

I switched the other way, so maybe I can at least offer some advice and opinions. (And give the thread a bump too.)

If you haven't opened a thread to troubleshoot the coral color issue yet, I would start there so you can rule all those potentials out before you spend any real money.

Happy corals already have amazing colors without adding extra green or red lights.

If they're less than colorful, it could mean they are less than happy.

Things that could improve coral colors:

• better food
• better flow
• more stable chemistry
• some available dissolve nitrates
• some available dissolved phosphates
• zero nitrates or phosphates is a definite problem
• more light (know your current PAR or lux readings?)

Dunno if you want to get into all that here in this thread, so let me know if so....or PM me if you want, or open another thread.

You're going to use around 30% more power to light a tank with halides.

But in terms of your electric bill it's not so simple....heaters will be running a lot less as a result, so not all of those new watts going to lighting will be brand new watts....

Personally, my advice is to stick with what you have simply because halides will cost so much to run. Bulb costs will exceed power use as a cost by a wide margin.

For perspective, I can build you a whole DIY LED fixture for less than the cost of one year's worth of replacement halide bulbs. Bulbs are expensive.

I have been thinking about doing a DIY LED light fixture for my new tank, and have about zero idea where to start.