Am I the only reefer still running metal halides ??

[brunoboarder2444]

That would make sense if you had the same number of people selling them posting that they were looking for a "Newer" version of what they had or posting they love their new upgraded lights.

The truth is I bet 9/10 are selling because the reality of running them hasn't lived up to the pre purchase fantasy.

im busting chops i dont really read too far into it, like i said most people expect their corals to acclimate in a matter of a few months and after 3 months they're like i dont like my colors with them so they're up for sale again before they can see some real results...check out kres or samskys tanks and you'll agree with the results of theirs

 

[jackson6745]

I just fired up a 250w Giesmann fixture for the first time. I forgot how bright halides are

 

[prattreef]

Reef lighting has ALWAYS been a revolving door of upgrades, backtracks, experiments and changes in personal and general aesthetics. People loved VHO's then switched to MH, then combined the 2, then argued over which bulbs and which combination ( they still do). Then T-5's arrived and had people switching--more arguments about bulb choice and better or worse than halides or VHO's, now LEDs---same arguments, same changing and switching and satisfaction and lack of satisfaction. The truth is that all these types of lighting can grow coral well and you can create beautiful displays with any of them. They each have their own advantages and disadvantages which you need to understand and then determine which is most appropriate for you--system-wise, budget-wise, feature-wise and aesthetic wise.

I will say this, if taking photos of your tank is a big part of your enjoyment of the hobby, then LEDs are a really bad choice.

 

[E.intheC]

Reef lighting has ALWAYS been a revolving door of upgrades, backtracks, experiments and changes in personal and general aesthetics. People loved VHO's then switched to MH, then combined the 2, then argued over which bulbs and which combination ( they still do). Then T-5's arrived and had people switching--more arguments about bulb choice and better or worse than halides or VHO's, now LEDs---same arguments, same changing and switching and satisfaction and lack of satisfaction. The truth is that all these types of lighting can grow coral well and you can create beautiful displays with any of them. They each have their own advantages and disadvantages which you need to understand and then determine which is most appropriate for you--system-wise, budget-wise, feature-wise and aesthetic wise.

I will say this, if taking photos of your tank is a big part of your enjoyment of the hobby, then LEDs are a really bad choice.

Well said.

 

[SteveZ15]

Would 2_150 mh and 2 t5 fixture be enough for a 40b .. I like the bluish light would 14k and 2 purple bee good. Or 20k and 2 blue

 

[Dre]

Would 2_150 mh and 2 t5 fixture be enough for a 40b .. I like the bluish light would 14k and 2 purple bee good. Or 20k and 2 blue

You want your corals to grow? Or you like the blue color more?

 

[SteveZ15]

mabe some where in the middle I want growth but still have a blue tint.Im looking in toi getting a fixture but I dont have experience like some you you guys have.I want to get the right fixture IM not sure if the 2-150 or the 250 mh is better I dont want to fry the corals either.I would like to have the light focused on growth I figure it is best for the coral,I would assume if they are growing the the tank is at its best.IF I can have that and some blue tint what would you reccomend?This is my first reef tank But my goal is to have the corals grow as I work my way up to sps ,this way I atleast know I can create a stable environment for them,if they are growin im doing something right.

 

[brunoboarder2444]

mabe some where in the middle I want growth but still have a blue tint.Im looking in toi getting a fixture but I dont have experience like some you you guys have.I want to get the right fixture IM not sure if the 2-150 or the 250 mh is better I dont want to fry the corals either.I would like to have the light focused on growth I figure it is best for the coral,I would assume if they are growing the the tank is at its best.IF I can have that and some blue tint what would you reccomend?This is my first reef tank But my goal is to have the corals grow as I work my way up to sps ,this way I atleast know I can create a stable environment for them,if they are growin im doing something right.

the closer to 6500k the better the growth will be but colors will be less desirable.....i would recommend getting 10k bulbs for your MHs for growth and superblue bulbs for the t5 to make it more appealing....or you could get blue LEDs for better color pop

 

[jaa1456]

A 2x150 will be plenty for a 40 breeder with the T5's. unless you plan on having the fixture up Hugh for some reason. I'm only running 2x150 on my 120 plus 4 T5's.

 

[jaa1456]

Also here is the question if all questions when it comes to lighting. How long have you actually been in the hobby and what lights have you personally used? I asked this question to several people and got exactly what I thought I would get. Most people that rave about LEDs have only ever had LEDs and are newer to the hobby. Then you have hobbyists that have been in longer and hate LEDs, yet they have never owned them. Of course thus isn't true for everyone but I would say about 80% fall into this category.

 

[dubs]

jaa that a very good point .. stevez15 i would go with the 250 in the case that if u upgrade u will still have a killer light

 

[kres1024]

Guess I'm the other 20 percent ,had mh/t5 for a lot of years switched to LEDs for almost 4years couldn't be happier ..

 

[dubs]

kres1024 stay of my thread with ur leds ur one few exceptions lolol

 

[kres1024]

kres1024 stay of my thread with ur leds ur one few exceptions lolol

Lol!!! Couldn't help myself..

 

[jaa1456]

Kres I have had everything you can imagine, but I hated the LEDs. Had several brands but never liked the color of the corals or growth.

 

[kres1024]

Kres I have had everything you can imagine, but I hated the LEDs. Had several brands but never liked the color of the corals or growth.

Hey buddy I had pretty much all also and now I am very happy with the LEDs ..
Guess I got lucky ...

 

[brunoboarder2444]

ive had everything but i like LEDs and i like the direction it is going with due to the customazability (just made that word up) etc and it gives youplenty of options with spectrum growth and color enhancement

 

[ducati335i]

I've had them all.. I love t5's and LEDs.. I have LEDs over a mixed reef, will have pix soon... If you rate t5's a 10, ai's IMO would at least be an 8... I have t5's over 2 other 40 gallon tanks.. LEDs will only get better IMO.. But it's not all about the lighting by far.. Trust me, if I didn't think my ai's didn't have great color and if people didn't wow every time they looked at my tank, I would replace these and get something better.. I spoke to a few people that have the real high end LEDs would love to see those colors in person..
Btw.. I had chalices and Sps in my tank that did not grow well or show color (not light.. But actual coral) under 3 units of 400 watt mh lights.. Tank is 30 inches deep.. I had ushio and radium bulbs under the units.. Color was good, growth wasn't..

 

[ducati335i]

Btw I've been doing reefs for 14 yrs now.. 10 yrs t5, two years mh, 2 yrs LEDs ....
In the end, if you know you are doing any of the options work.. Only thing I hate about my LEDs is that at 50% power on a 30 inch deep tank w units suspended 12 inches over the water I can still bleach stuff out.. I have a larry Jackson frag growing beautifully on the sand! I need to make some more shade spots for the scolys n chalices..
Chalices are so strange.. Some do well a bit higher/some bleach on the sand!

 

[jaa1456]

I had to move all of my chalices into my other tank with T5's. the LEDs were always at 30% and would bleach them on a 24" tank and 12" above the water. All of my softies and zoas stayed closed any lps never fully opened and the SPS started to bleach as well. Anything under 30% and the lps were ok along with the zoas, softies still closed up and SPS started to brown. This was over a year with LEDs on that tank. Throw the T5's back on and 2 weeks later the tank looks good again. That tank is now gone and the new one is up,and running but not stocked yet. I will post pics soon.