reef lighting questions

aussie260

aussie260

Member
just wanted to know if anyone uses high output LED as their main source of lighting for the reef tank ?
also what do you think would be better for a 6 foot 180g tank halaides or T5HO ? im not sure exaclty what type of corals i Will get at this stage
and finaly how much do you think the costs of elctricity for a 180G reef tank , much more than $100 ?
cheers
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Yes there are people using LEDS as their main and only lighting source....There is a good thread started in the DIY section and I'm pretty sure there are a couple others, and there are some excellent ones over on the other big forum with alot of technically info....IMHO they are a must read........
I'm partial to MH's, but until I saw the LEDS, it was no brainer for me what I'm switching to on my new setup for several reasons....You could use a combination of MH's and T5's. Some people with big tanks such as yours use just T5's and have been successful. The choice is really comes down to what are you planning to keep.
Electrical cost will vary from area to area depending your lighting schedule and your electric rate. You also need to factor in the heat generated by your lighting and bulb replacement in your total monthly/yearly output to light the tank as well.
 
nycbob

nycbob

Active Member
if u r not a diy kind of person, getting a led fixture over a 180 is going to be expensive. on the plus side, led will save u on electricity and u also wont need a chiller. for a 180 under t5, u will need at least 10 bulbs with 5 covering each side.
 
tetsuo

tetsuo

New Member
I got 3 x 250w MH on my 125g and I'm switching to LED's. A guy in a local club will be ordering some custom made ones with 3w cree LED. It's supposed to be equivalent to a 400w MH. This will definitely drop my electric bill as I've been using a chiller since I went to MH.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Go to the other big forum site there are 2 off the top of my head Excellent threads on LEDS....I think even if you search on here you might find the Pros and Cons, but the Pros defintely out weight the cons. Hopefully King or a few others will chime in here to shed some light....
 
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