Lighting question and swap offer

[jmarmaro]

T5 lighting vs LED vs MH/CF
We are running a custom 72 inch hood with Three (3) 400w Metal halide bulbs and two (2) 95w compact fluorescent bulbs with four two (2) bulb LED moonlights. This comes with two ballasts, one for the MH and one for the CF so we can do dusk and dawn.

We are considering switching to T5 or LED as our replacement tank is not as deep as the previous one and we do not need that much intensity.

I know we can substitute 250 w MHs but we are interested in T5 or LED. The MHs heat up that part of our house and the tank is near our thermostat which causes issues. We run a chiller, but the heat stays in the room.

Our questions are:
1. How do MH v T5 v LED work from your experience?
2. If we switch to T5, would that cut down on heat sufficiently to justify switching?
3. How much reduction in heat and power for T5 v LED?
4. Is anyone interested in swapping (with cash adjustment if needed) our MH/CF setup and if we do not need it, our chiller, for a 72 inch T5 or LED setup? [I know that the general trend is away from MH, but I have to at least float the question.] Our setup with the two ballasts allows dawn and dusk and the four double bulb moonlights are quite nice at night. The system worked great on our 175 bowfront, but is a tad of an overkill for our 155 bowfront as it is less deep.

thanks in advance for your time and input. -Jeff & Lauren Marmaro (Aurora)

 

[Cake_Boss]

When I switched from MH/PC lighting to LED I immediately noticed three things; the room temp was noticeably cooler, the tank ran cooler, and my electric bill dropped about $120. I had 2x400w MH/2x96w PC running for about 8 hours a day.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[MattL]

I have had all three in the past. In my opinion LED all the way. Saved a ton on heat with LED and T5, but the best coloration I got from LEDs. In a tank i care for there has been all three on it in it's past. mH to t5 now LEDs. Still the tank has operated best under LEDs. You also still get the water shimmer off the LEDs like you do in MHs. Down fall, LEDs are $$$!

 

[Zoalander]

LED all the way, it will save you so much money on electric bill and you dont have to worry about heat or replacement bulbs for a decade.

 

[Zooid]

If you go with LED, be careful to slowly acclimate the corals to the light. Personally I would get a PAR meter and check PAR readings in different locations in your tank right now. When you change over to LED, use those PAR readings to adjust your LED lighting.
I didn't do this when I bought my AI fixtures and burned up all my SPS.....I used to have some nice colonies too ....doh!

 

[Tripple T]

I've had all 3 and currently use led. If I weren't so heavily invested I would go back to my metal halides in a heart beat. I had better growth and the tank looked brighter. Led are deceptive in that the tank looks to your eye not very bright when in fact the par values are off the charts. IMO how bright my tank looks is very important to me. I dunno I am ok with my led but don't think that you are getting superior lighting from the corals point of view.

 

[jmarmaro]

LED Question

What kind of LEDs are you running?
How long is your hood? How deep is your tank??

I've had all 3 and currently use led. If I weren't so heavily invested I would go back to my metal halides in a heart beat. I had better growth and the tank looked brighter. Led are deceptive in that the tank looks to your eye not very bright when in fact the par values are off the charts. IMO how bright my tank looks is very important to me. I dunno I am ok with my led but don't think that you are getting superior lighting from the corals point of view.

 

[Tripple T]

Look up my thread " led comparison".

 

[SteveT]

Led are deceptive in that the tank looks to your eye not very bright when in fact the par values are off the charts. IMO how bright my tank looks is very important to me. I dunno I am ok with my led but don't think that you are getting superior lighting from the corals point of view.

This is why I am running a LED/T5 combo on my tanks. The LED gives extra PAR in some more localized areas for the SPS and corals that like more light, and the T5's light up the whole tank and give nice coloration that you wouldn't get from the LED's alone.