Best Lighting for a 180G tank for a 1000$
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monsinour
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/381645/best-lighting-for-a-180g-tank-for-a-1000/20#post_3326363
What I was asking was lets say you use $0.07per KWH, through lets say $0.11 per KWH, and on the assumption that your changing your MH bulbs 2X per year, at lets say $50.00 each, on a standard system running 2 250W MH's.......
If i am understanding correctly you have a MH setup that cost you $XXX and you need to replace the bulbs 2x a year and each bulb is $50. so in lights alone you are looking at $200 a year? Is fairly obvious with that setup, after 4.5 years you spent the same amount in light bulbs as you would have for the whole system. Not counting a chiller if needed due to the heat of MH or the fans you may have running as well. Also, if i am not mistaken, LEDs use less electricity than MH lights.
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/381645/best-lighting-for-a-180g-tank-for-a-1000/20#post_3326363
What I was asking was lets say you use $0.07per KWH, through lets say $0.11 per KWH, and on the assumption that your changing your MH bulbs 2X per year, at lets say $50.00 each, on a standard system running 2 250W MH's.......
If i am understanding correctly you have a MH setup that cost you $XXX and you need to replace the bulbs 2x a year and each bulb is $50. so in lights alone you are looking at $200 a year? Is fairly obvious with that setup, after 4.5 years you spent the same amount in light bulbs as you would have for the whole system. Not counting a chiller if needed due to the heat of MH or the fans you may have running as well. Also, if i am not mistaken, LEDs use less electricity than MH lights.
acrylic51
Active Member
Corrrect.....I have traditionally run MH's, and for the new setup I'm building would need 4 250w MH's for adequate coverage. I just use 2 MH's as an average as most people run over their tanks. That is correct that bulbs are changed 2X per year, so the figure is $200.00 I was trying to get a graph of some sort comparing the savings of LEDS vs MH's. Although the initial cost of LED's might appear high, the savings of bulb changes, electrical consumption, and the addition of adding a chiller by the way I do have a 1hp chiller if needed...
meowzer
Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/381645/best-lighting-for-a-180g-tank-for-a-1000/20#post_3326705
If you need 4 MHs then how many LED fixtures would you need? 4 MHs at 2x a year thats $400 a year in light bulbs. Thats nuts. LOL good thing MHs cost too much and I got the T5HO setup. Cant imagine telling the wife that we have to spend $200 a year on light bulbs.
LOL...I will change my 3 MH bulbs in January....will cost about $200......I only change them 1x a year
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/381645/best-lighting-for-a-180g-tank-for-a-1000/20#post_3326705
If you need 4 MHs then how many LED fixtures would you need? 4 MHs at 2x a year thats $400 a year in light bulbs. Thats nuts. LOL good thing MHs cost too much and I got the T5HO setup. Cant imagine telling the wife that we have to spend $200 a year on light bulbs.
LOL...I will change my 3 MH bulbs in January....will cost about $200......I only change them 1x a year
acrylic51
Active Member
Quote:Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/381645/best-lighting-for-a-180g-tank-for-a-1000/20#post_3326705
If you need 4 MHs then how many LED fixtures would you need? 4 MHs at 2x a year thats $400 a year in light bulbs. Thats nuts. LOL good thing MHs cost too much and I got the T5HO setup. Cant imagine telling the wife that we have to spend $200 a year on light bulbs.
LOL.... That is why LED's are my choice!!!! My new build for adequate coverage would need 4. By now you should know I'm not 1 to buy off the shelf. Not that there's not some nice units out there, but DIY is cheaper and I feel the spacing on the off the shelfs are a bit close with the patterns or issues arising with some corals. DIY I can purchase the best LED's with optics and tailor the units to my liking. Honestly wouldn't need as many LED units as you'd think if properly built IMO..., Corey and I have been tossing LED threads back and forth over on my build thread and such and you'd be amazed how far the DIY units have progressed. One thing you won't find on off the shel unit is a mix of colors which seems to be where were headed and the addition o some UV lights are incredible!!!!
If you need 4 MHs then how many LED fixtures would you need? 4 MHs at 2x a year thats $400 a year in light bulbs. Thats nuts. LOL good thing MHs cost too much and I got the T5HO setup. Cant imagine telling the wife that we have to spend $200 a year on light bulbs.
LOL.... That is why LED's are my choice!!!! My new build for adequate coverage would need 4. By now you should know I'm not 1 to buy off the shelf. Not that there's not some nice units out there, but DIY is cheaper and I feel the spacing on the off the shelfs are a bit close with the patterns or issues arising with some corals. DIY I can purchase the best LED's with optics and tailor the units to my liking. Honestly wouldn't need as many LED units as you'd think if properly built IMO..., Corey and I have been tossing LED threads back and forth over on my build thread and such and you'd be amazed how far the DIY units have progressed. One thing you won't find on off the shel unit is a mix of colors which seems to be where were headed and the addition o some UV lights are incredible!!!!
pauloesco
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/381645/best-lighting-for-a-180g-tank-for-a-1000/20#post_3326768
I'm pretty sure if you took readings on your bulbs they drop off well before 12 months.... Your eye can't be the judge.
I'm pretty sure people have done this testing with PAR meters, exactly because you can't let mythinformation and your eyes be the judge. The data's out there -- in fact, there have been two great articles written by Sanjay Yoshi in the past 2 months.
Article, with PAR data, on MHs used over 1 year, still showing 80% of original PAR.
http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aquarium/articles/MetalHalideLamps3.htm
Article comparing MHs to T5s and LEDs
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/2/aafeature2/view
Older Floro's -- vho to T8s are six month drop below 60% PAR; MHs are solid for a year before less than 60% par, and T5HOs are still at 85% PAR at a year and a half at 10hrs a day. YMMV; and a lot depends on the ballast as well as how hot you let the lamps get while they're on.
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/381645/best-lighting-for-a-180g-tank-for-a-1000/20#post_3326768
I'm pretty sure if you took readings on your bulbs they drop off well before 12 months.... Your eye can't be the judge.
I'm pretty sure people have done this testing with PAR meters, exactly because you can't let mythinformation and your eyes be the judge. The data's out there -- in fact, there have been two great articles written by Sanjay Yoshi in the past 2 months.
Article, with PAR data, on MHs used over 1 year, still showing 80% of original PAR.
http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aquarium/articles/MetalHalideLamps3.htm
Article comparing MHs to T5s and LEDs
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/2/aafeature2/view
Older Floro's -- vho to T8s are six month drop below 60% PAR; MHs are solid for a year before less than 60% par, and T5HOs are still at 85% PAR at a year and a half at 10hrs a day. YMMV; and a lot depends on the ballast as well as how hot you let the lamps get while they're on.
pauloesco
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/381645/best-lighting-for-a-180g-tank-for-a-1000/20#post_3326796
That is one thing i read about LEDs, that there is no UV spectrum in play. Couldnt you just add on a T5 bulb to the side to get that UV that you need?
I agree with Bangguy -- 420-600nm are the spectrums for coral photosynth. Although, even from his chart, there's still a goodly amount of red-UVA at 75feet. But, it's not for photosynthesis that people put actinics over their tanks -- it's because many of the corals floroesce, and they just look cool. Surely you could add T5s.
I have 6 LEDs from Sunpod on 1 of my tanks (in addition to HQI) and they florescent plenty -- so, clearly there's some wavelength below 450nm in these aquarium LEDs.
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/381645/best-lighting-for-a-180g-tank-for-a-1000/20#post_3326796
That is one thing i read about LEDs, that there is no UV spectrum in play. Couldnt you just add on a T5 bulb to the side to get that UV that you need?
I agree with Bangguy -- 420-600nm are the spectrums for coral photosynth. Although, even from his chart, there's still a goodly amount of red-UVA at 75feet. But, it's not for photosynthesis that people put actinics over their tanks -- it's because many of the corals floroesce, and they just look cool. Surely you could add T5s.
I have 6 LEDs from Sunpod on 1 of my tanks (in addition to HQI) and they florescent plenty -- so, clearly there's some wavelength below 450nm in these aquarium LEDs.
pauloesco
Member
You know, thinking about this, and that graph; 15 years ago we used to use an interesting rule of thumb -- look at the coral. That is, what coral is it, where does it grow, and what color is it?
A shallow water polyp that is red, clearly isn't using red, since it reflects it -- just like a green leaf doesn't use green.
A purple acro, is purple because it's not using purple -- so, more actinics makes it get more purple to protect itself. An interesting thought, n'eh?
A shallow water polyp that is red, clearly isn't using red, since it reflects it -- just like a green leaf doesn't use green.
A purple acro, is purple because it's not using purple -- so, more actinics makes it get more purple to protect itself. An interesting thought, n'eh?
bang guy
Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by PauloEsco http:///forum/thread/381645/best-lighting-for-a-180g-tank-for-a-1000/20#post_3326818
You know, thinking about this, and that graph; 15 years ago we used to use an interesting rule of thumb -- look at the coral. That is, what coral is it, where does it grow, and what color is it?
A shallow water polyp that is red, clearly isn't using red, since it reflects it -- just like a green leaf doesn't use green.
A purple acro, is purple because it's not using purple -- so, more actinics makes it get more purple to protect itself. An interesting thought, n'eh?
That is an interesting thought but if you go slightly deeper you'll find that many corals (not all) will not change color even when you filter that color from the light striking them. So, they are not always reflecting, some appear to be altering the wavelengths striking them. Flourescing proteins can do this. Caulastrea are a perfect example of this. Light one with a green light filter using a lamp emitting mostly 420nm. You'll find they are a striking green color even though all green light is being filtered.
So, an alternate thought (only for some corals) is that they are shifting the light wavelengths for some reason. Perhaps as an additional light source for Zooxanthellae.
Originally Posted by PauloEsco http:///forum/thread/381645/best-lighting-for-a-180g-tank-for-a-1000/20#post_3326818
You know, thinking about this, and that graph; 15 years ago we used to use an interesting rule of thumb -- look at the coral. That is, what coral is it, where does it grow, and what color is it?
A shallow water polyp that is red, clearly isn't using red, since it reflects it -- just like a green leaf doesn't use green.
A purple acro, is purple because it's not using purple -- so, more actinics makes it get more purple to protect itself. An interesting thought, n'eh?
That is an interesting thought but if you go slightly deeper you'll find that many corals (not all) will not change color even when you filter that color from the light striking them. So, they are not always reflecting, some appear to be altering the wavelengths striking them. Flourescing proteins can do this. Caulastrea are a perfect example of this. Light one with a green light filter using a lamp emitting mostly 420nm. You'll find they are a striking green color even though all green light is being filtered.
So, an alternate thought (only for some corals) is that they are shifting the light wavelengths for some reason. Perhaps as an additional light source for Zooxanthellae.
