LED vs Metal Halide

[kevine6678]

Hello everyone!! I got out of reef keeping a couple years ago and I wanna set up a new tank sometime within the next couple months but I'm relearning first before I jump back into it. When I took down my tank, Metal Halide lights were the best reef lights on the market but now I see alot about these LED fixtures. My questions are:
Could someone explain what lumens are and how many lumens you need to grow sps corals?
Once the LED Bulbs go bad, is the fixture garbage or can you replace those?
What are better, MH or LED?
I like the fact that LED fixtures are more environmentally friendly. I just know very little about them because they were just starting to become available for reefkeeping when I got out of the hobby. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

 

[snakeblitz33]

It's my humble opinion that LED lights are a great way to produce light for a saltwater aquarium, however I am still not convinced that they will keep SPS corals, clams and anemones healthy long term. It is nearly impossible to replace an LED bulb in a self contained light fixture. If you DIY your own LED Lighting system, I have heard that some people have some pretty amazing results.
To save myself both time, headache and money starting a tank, I would go with the good ole' standby Metal Halides that have proven, time and again, to work. Until I can see long term data showing that LED lights are an appropriate source of light for SPS corals, clams, and anemones to be healthy, grow and reproduce, then I am not yet convinced.
There are many other people on this website though that can offer you more options and advice on LED systems like Meowzer, who is building an LED lighting system from scratch. Maybe she will be able to tell you exactly why she chose the system and what pros there are and cons of using an LED system.
Welcome back to the forums. I hope you enjoy your stay! Post plenty of pics if you can!

 

[2quills]

You can indeed keep anything you want with LED lighting. Clams and SPS have been done with great success by many people for over a few years now which is good enough in my book. Color and growth under the right set up can even be greater than metal halide if you've done your research and know what to and what not to buy.
It's hard to cram all of the led research and experimentation that's been done over the last several years into one thread. Do you have a particular size tank and idea of what you want to keep in mind? It may be a little easier to point you in a good direction if you do.

 

[kevine6678]

Ok good info guys, thanks a lot. Now at this point I'm not totally sure which I will go with. If I do decide to go LED, how many lumens do you need to keep at least LPS and softies?

 

[acrylic51]

Corey made an excellent point.....Size tank......That plays a key into deciding on fixture types.....For softies, LPS you can go with less number of LEDs.....There are several very well built LED systems off the shelf, that are upgradeable pretty easy....So LED swaps really isn't an issue at all......
Here's a couple things to look at.....
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