Originally Posted by
17cuddlefish
http:///forum/post/2595285
ok so i found these led light bulbs online. could i use them on my tank? do they have the right spectrum and also how many lumens do 150w mh put out because these bulbs put out 400-600. this is the website.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/lights/9ceb/ . mods can delete it if needed but i do not think they sell any fish stuff so that does not make them a competitor.
150W metal halides put out around 9750 lumens of light at a color temperature that's appropriate for saltwater (10000K or higher). The most powerful light puts out 660 max. You will have to get approximately 15 of these bulbs to equal the intensity of just one metal halide. Considering it costs $120, you will have to spend more than $1800 to equal one metal halide. The combined energy usage of 15 12 watt bulbs is 180 watts, 30 watts more than if you just went with the metal halide.
The cheapest one puts out 250 lumens and costs $50. You will need 39 of them at $1950 or more total just to equal one metal halide...
If you were willing to spend this kind of money, I doubt that they would even physically fit over your tank.
Also, while they do not state the color temperature, most consumer light bulbs are 3000K-6000K in color. You would probably be missing much of the ultraviolet end of the spectrum that you get with aquarium lights which are 10000K and higher. These bulbs might be the right spectrum to grow algae.... but probably not coral.
If you want something to read over, check out the Luxim plasma light bulb.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008...lb-led-cfl.php
