Need light advice
- Thread starter engineer
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flower
Well-Known Member
Hi,
Metal halides run hot, the units are heavy and the bulbs are expensive, mine ran $70.00 each on sale, and $30.00 for each actinic. You can't find good ones because they have almost gone the way of the Dodo bird. A much better choice is to find a good LED lighting system, they won't heat up your tank, and the bulbs last for years.
Metal halides run hot, the units are heavy and the bulbs are expensive, mine ran $70.00 each on sale, and $30.00 for each actinic. You can't find good ones because they have almost gone the way of the Dodo bird. A much better choice is to find a good LED lighting system, they won't heat up your tank, and the bulbs last for years.
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
The people who have thousands invested in metal halides and T5's are the detractors of LEDS. Once you buy into a system, you have to justify your reason for purchasing it in the first place. For example, Nikon camera users vs. Cannon camera users. They both have their benefits, but when you have thousands invested in one camera system, you are going to defend your choice of camera with gnashing of teeth.
I personally have had all systems - compact florescence, T5HO, Metal halide - both mogul socket and HQI,.. VHOs and LEDs and a combination of all of the above in some systems. Each one has their benefits and detriments. Halides and T5HO systems for me cost too much to run on the monthly electric bill. Back when I had money, it wasn't an issue.
What I think happens is that some people get hung up on lighting as being the sole factor for growing and coloration of corals, when many people don't have proper water chemistry or water quality. Without maintaining and stabilizing the medium in which they grow in, lighting isn't going to make much, if any of a difference. I don't blame lighting when it comes to growth and coloration of corals - since I have seen corals grow and adapt to many different types of lighting systems.
I personally have had all systems - compact florescence, T5HO, Metal halide - both mogul socket and HQI,.. VHOs and LEDs and a combination of all of the above in some systems. Each one has their benefits and detriments. Halides and T5HO systems for me cost too much to run on the monthly electric bill. Back when I had money, it wasn't an issue.
What I think happens is that some people get hung up on lighting as being the sole factor for growing and coloration of corals, when many people don't have proper water chemistry or water quality. Without maintaining and stabilizing the medium in which they grow in, lighting isn't going to make much, if any of a difference. I don't blame lighting when it comes to growth and coloration of corals - since I have seen corals grow and adapt to many different types of lighting systems.
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
With that being said, I have a T5HO setup currently and I intend on buying another Photon 48 from ReefBreeders as soon as I am able to afford to. Before my last tank crashed due to monochloramine (an RO/DI unit filtration system error and bad city water) I used a photon 48 over what I intended on setting up as a fully SPS system. I had bought a few SPS frags and put them in my system and they turned from brown to green and started to grow before my system started to crash. It was unfortunate, but I did learn a lot from that experience. One of those things being: LEDS can and will grow and color up corals. There is no doubt about it in my mind.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
You can get plenty of PAR from LED, but the issue is getting enough PUR... the "useful" part of PAR. There are LED's on the market that have great PUR, but you will pay a premium price for them. Meanwell drivers using PWM (vs. voltage reduction), and cutting edge technology emmiters producing exact wavelengths aren't cheap. You want the good stuff, be prepared to dig deep. If you can afford the sticker shock, then you should go with LED.
Snake... you knew I wasn't going to skip over this one, didn't you? LOL!!!
engineer
Member
That's what I was getting at, getting usable PAR.
Saltyskimmer
New Member
Currently I have a T5 lighting system but one of the legs broke. Now I have it propped with a small piece of 2 x 4 until I get a new light. I want to get an LED light but they range in prices (like everything). What am I looking for if I want to eventually get some coral? Currently I have a FOWLER. Is this question to vague?
pegasus
Well-Known Member
Unless you want to break the bank and buy a good LED to grow corals, I'd recommend sticking with T5. You can grow any light-hungry coral with T5 HO lights, if you have enough bulbs in the fixture. I have a six bulb fixture, and grow softies, LPS, and SPS corals. If I had it to do over, I would have bought an eight lamp fixture, and add extra bulbs as needed. I can buy many year's worth of bulbs for what a comparable LED system will cost. So far, the only advantage LED has over T5 lighting is the power consumption... and lightning storms.
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
That's not necessarily true, Pegasus.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
How so? Heck, I even grow NPS under my lights! LOL! When you can grow these SPS corals under your Chinese LED's, I might believe what you're saying. I'm not from Missouri, but you're gonna have to show me.
The Montis have only been in the tank for a week, so it's a little early to tell about growth rate... but they sure have colored up beautifully in the time they've been there. My two new acros will be here next week, and after a week or two I'll give an update on those as well.