LED vs HQI for 24x24x24 reeftank

[timvdb]

Hi All,
I am looking for lighting options for a 24 x 24 x 24 inch reeftank that will be run Berlin style with a heavy focus on acroporas. My current choice would be either:
1/ Giesemann Infinity with 250W 12,000k MH plus 2 x 24W actinic T5s plus 2 x 24W aquablue T5s (all Giesemann);
2/ Eco-lamp 70W
If you have any experience with either of the above, can you please share?
Thank you &
Best regards,
Tim

 

[NYreefNoob]

i have the coralife pro 250w mh with pc antic's using the phoniex 14k bulb, have great color and great growth, on the same dim tank keeping 40+ sps

 

[ReeferMadness99]

I have a 20x20x20 Solana running a 250W HQI Sunpod with 6blue and 6white LED Lunars. My suggestion would be to go all LED if you could. I find that with the small water quantity, even with a 4 fan azoo cooling the tank, my temp fluctuates from 73.5 in the morning to 78-79 at night. LEDs have shown to have comparable par readings and would be just fine for acros but would offer a much more stable temp environment which will improve the health of your corals. I would make sure I get a dimmable LED fixture so it can run in moonlit night mode for evening viewing. Also you would be saving about $20 a month in electricity and about $100 a year in bulb replacement.

 

[NYreefNoob]

That's Why You Get A Chiller, My Tank Never Goes Below 77 Or Above 79. Even With Led If The Room Doesnt Stay A Certain Temp You Can Have A Wide Flux In Temp On A Tank, Or Get A Controller To Turn Fans On At Certain Temp And Off At Another

 

[ReeferMadness99]

Thats true. A chiller would work if you had the extra $$ for even more electricity, I would put that into an LED system. A window air conditioner with temp control set at 70 would solve your room temp issue. LED doesn't require bulb change for 8 years. LED gives you 0-100% dimmability to fully sim sunrise, sunset, different weather conditions, moonlit. Metal Halides will eventually be replaced by them.

 

[NYreefNoob]

actually if it wasnt going to cost me more at the time i would have went with t5's which i like better but i had gotten a good deal on current light, t5 allows alot more color temp lamps to choose from

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Metal Halides will eventually be replaced by them.

I second that vision as I went to LightFair last week and 95% of companies, both factories and retailers, are all LEDs. MH and T5 are basically vanished. Philips(probably one of the largest maker of flourescent bulbs) is not even showing any other lighting tech except LED if I remember correctly. The only MH companies showing that week were couple China ones and may be one or two Japanese ones like Toshiba. Icecap does not even have a booth but just standing around at its Shanghai base contact. An Europe base company make LED lights just as even as any flourescent light you use in living rooms and hall lighting, almost at any angel you look at them. Interesting too that no one has the so call mini plasma that you see in the Youtube.

Also, manufacturers of testing equipements for light output including photosynthesis are also switched towards LEDs.

 

[ReeferMadness99]

T5's are pretty good. But figure 6 39W (3 actinics 3 daylights) will still run 234W of power. And heat transfer instead of a concetrated heat from one bulb, its spread out over the entire length of the bulb but almost equivalent in overall heat. An LED that will give you the same PAR light output of a 250W HQI bulb will only run about 108W. T5 bulbs are about $15 each and need to be replaced every year also. Anyway you slice it, LEDs are more versatile and you end up paying for the cost difference in 2 years between savings on electricity and bulb replacements. After that you will actually be making money off the savings every year. If you have the $$, splurge for the LED, it'll be worth it.

I've seen the 72" Solaris at Dickens Inc. in action. The blue LEDs look deeper and brighter than any actinics every could. When it gets to around 8PM, the flourescents of his acros look absolutely amazing.

 

[ReeferMadness99]

WINGO! Ready to build me one! Maybe we could do it next weekend?

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I've seen the 72" Solaris at Dickens Inc. in action. The blue LEDs look deeper and brighter than any actinics every could. When it gets to around 8PM, the flourescents of his acros look absolutely amazing.

Bulbs in that particular fixture/model is already outdated last time I went there. Newer LEDs are even much better.

 

[ReeferMadness99]

Hey NYreefNoob, check out DickensCD member's albums. You'll see a bowfront tank that has a Solaris on it. Thats how good his corals are under that light and like Wingo said, those LED's are a generation behind. The newer ones are even better, stronger, and more efficient.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Hi All,
I am looking for lighting options for a 24 x 24 x 24 inch reeftank that will be run Berlin style with a heavy focus on acroporas. My current choice would be either:
1/ Giesemann Infinity with 250W 12,000k MH plus 2 x 24W actinic T5s plus 2 x 24W aquablue T5s (all Giesemann);
2/ Eco-lamp 70W
If you have any experience with either of the above, can you please share?
Thank you &
Best regards,
Tim

Back to your case,
-90W of newer LEDs will have more PAR than the 250W MH at the same color temperature
-Unfortunately, there is not enough data to prove LED grow more or less coral as NASA in US has not done a formal report on it. It did study the "grow light" for land plant and confirm that LED is much more efficient than the MH. Those reports are public records and you should able to research them online.

-54W of Blue will have both the brightness and much more flourescense effect on your coral comparing to your flourescent counterpart. If you don't care the brightness, 36W is enough.

BTW who is the big guy of LED in UK?

 

[timvdb]

Thanks guys! It seems that LEDs get most of the vote. I like the idea of the eco-lamp LED fixtures. See link here: http://www.eco-lamps.com/aquarium_bothlight.htm. Did anyone have any feedback / PAR reading on them? What would the HQ wattage equivant be? a 24inch eco-lamp is on 70W and costs $375.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Pic #4 of this thread is posted by a member using 130W-12W(fans)=> 118W newest generation of white LEDs and 90W of Blue. over a 120G 4' tank.

 

[cali_reef]

LED doesn't require bulb change for 8 years.

Can you link a source where this information is from? Light bulbs staying lit and light bulbs providing majority of designed light intensity are two totally different measurements.

 

[ReeferMadness99]

The LEDs used in aquarium fixtures are rated for 50,000 hours before any significant drop in intensity. If you want to get technical, Wingo can let you know.