led vs metal halide!

[doma25]

I have a 90 gallon 29-30 inch tall aquarium.

i would really like to upgrade my light to leds, however i wouldn't know what fixture to go for. I want to have lps lower , clams throughout, plates on the sand bed, and sps high up.

So my question is a two parter:
A) Can leds penetrate as well as metal halides. if not then i will need metal halides and probably a chiller even though my house is climate controlled.

B) which led light should i go for, i want controllable lighting times dusk to dawn, moonlight, and how many would i need for the 48" long 18" wide and 29" tall

 

[brick-brothers]

Check out my led build. I used 48 leds which is good for lps and softies. If you are going sps you would need more leds. My tanks is a 120g (48Lx25Hx24w)

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/general-discussion/83704-my-led-build.html

 

[tosiek]

IMO, the LED's available are just not up to par to justify spending the money on a fixture for a 90g tank. For me the color of the tank regardless of color combinations of LED's just doesn't match what I like off a good 14k lamp supplimented. Also, par ratings are pretty low on commercial grade fixtures for a depth of 28/29 inches. Plus to light your tank for that depth you need to spend around 4 grand for 3-4 maxpecs. I would wait a year. Some new things are being done and tested as far as LED's go. In the past 6 months alone I see more and more fixtures using violet LED's and Cree's as a standard over no name LED diodes when there were none before. Its a big investment to light a 48" tank.

 

[tosiek]

Also, you wouldn't need a chiller as long as your venting your hood properly to remove halide heat.

 

[doma25]

thanks, if i have the halide hanging above my tank, you think that would be ok as far as heating, also, i use glass canopies, would that just as a conducter?

 

[tosiek]

If you have a glass cover over the tank then yes it will keep the heat in and just make your tank warmer.

 

[itsaNYthing]

i gota hookup on LED pendants, PM me.

 

[qy7400]

I'll go the opposite route, LEDs can easily light the tank even at 30". 2 18" Acan A102 lights should do a great job, costing around 2K. If you ever make it out to a LIRA meeting you can see them first hand, James has them on all 4 tanks. If you went DIY 96 LEDs should do the job just as good for around 1K.

I'd also remove the glass lids, they'll only trap heat and limit gas exchange; if you're concerned about jumpers do a search for the acrylic mesh lid from KathyC

 

[DJYoshi]

agreed on the par rating for the acan a102 lights.... I was gonna get that fixture but I decided on the Blueline since their failure rate was a lot lower.
I know a few people here that run LED's and have incredible growth and color with SPS. Even spots like Absolute Fish use LED lights in their DT's.

 

[Aquatic Life Direct]

I still prefer MH over LEDs... Best growth and color than LED. The only thing I would use LEDs for is for supplemental actinics.. other than that, MH all the way!

 

[kgoldy]

Check out boostLED.com for some $300 LED sets that have the same PAR rating as a 250 Watt MH. Two of them can cover a tank like yours. If you don't like em, resale value will be extremely high then you can use the money to buy MH and the chiller you'll need.

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

They bolth are great......:splitspin....I have had bolth Mh and Led's and bolth are great. I am currently running Acan led over one tank and A/I led's over another. At this point in time I would never go back to halide for many reasons. However, with that being said Halides are great and will always be great just not my first choice anymore. In two years from now we will not be having this conversation. Our whole hobby will be dominated by affordable LED.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

I don't think LED's will become affodable until something better or ""new"" comes out.
MH and t-5 prices seem to have come down since LED's hit but before that they were at a constant price point.
IMO LED's will be marketed the same way. The new kid in the block will always be the most expensive.
Just like LED tv's. Not the best picture when compared to a quality plasma. But now that Quality plasma cost far less the and inferior LED product.

 

[FlowerhornNYC]

I would definitely go with LED light all the way. I've used pacific sun & loving it. Give me great par, good grown on sps, nice color & less $$$ on electric bill (of course longer life span). It's costly in the beginning but the pay back is good in within 2-3 years

 

[bigsink]

However, with that being said Halides are great and will always be great just not my first choice anymore. In two years from now we will not be having this conversation. Our whole hobby will be dominated by affordable LED.

That's what they said 2 years ago! And 2 years before that!:tongue1:

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

That's what they said 2 years ago! And 2 years before that!:tongue1:

Okay buddy so 4 years.....ill hedge the bet....:splitspin

 

[bigsink]

What's the wager?

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

What's the wager?

hmm....led modules of course....lol...:splitspin

 

[bigsink]

I could wager some bubble algae to grow under your leds!

 

[CHEMCHEF]

I just wanted to bust on LED tv's again LOL. JK LED TV people. To each his own:hug:
Sorry,, Back to topic.