Cost aside have LED's surpassed Radiums yet?

[YoungREEFA]

Wheres the Red 660nm, or the Violet 415-420nm, or the occasional UV of below 400nm?
thats why the radions have implemented these as they greatly increase coral growth. The new Radions if im not mistake, use cool white, but are supplemented using yellow which is within the lower 3000k? So these act as if it was neutral whites in place! smart move by Radion

[irishcal]

I agree reeffa warm white and neutral white solves most problems colours look amazing no need to waste money on red or green in my opinion my diy rig looks better than my ati for colours.

[megadeth72]

that's because warm white has a significant amount of green and red in it

[YoungREEFA]

you guys are right, you dont really need the extra red, but when the fixtures some people buy include only cool white, then is the time when red must be implemented as well as violet. Green has minimal effect on corals, allthough cyan has proven to cause some effect

[Nanook]

Several folks with LED fixtures have heaters that run almost constantly in the winter time, so the savings from the halide is negated there as well. Most tropical reefs are 78-82 degrees, so heaters running offsets things with the LED only setup.

[this is me]

Originally Posted by Nanook

Several folks with LED fixtures have heaters that run almost constantly in the winter time, so the savings from the halide is negated there as well. Most tropical reefs are 78-82 degrees, so heaters running offsets things with the LED only setup.

Agreed. Especially people with large tank with basement dump in colder parts of the world.
I've seen people put insulation around their sump in the basement that are running halide.

[michaellee64]

On the flip side of that.... I've done away with my chiller since going to Led's as my system has never once went over 79 degrees since I made the switch!

[cap032]

Originally Posted by Nanook

Several folks with LED fixtures have heaters that run almost constantly in the winter time, so the savings from the halide is negated there as well. Most tropical reefs are 78-82 degrees, so heaters running offsets things with the LED only setup.

Then wouldnt that same aquarium "if running MH"s be unstable with temp fluctuations when the lights go out at night? Heaters cycle on and off and arent constantly running. Essentially that 400w heater might "actually be running" for an hour or two during the time a MH lit tank wasnt running the heater. So you have a 400w heater for an hour or two vs 400w + in extra energy of MHs running for 8-12 hrs. I think that heater running is quite a bit more cost effective. lol Then you have summer time!!!!! How many Led owners are going to need an energy hog chiller? MHs are awesome lighting, but no one can seriously find any sort of way to make them seem as if they will be as energy efficient as a led lit tank. Not even close.

[James77]

Originally Posted by cap032

Then wouldnt that same aquarium "if running MH"s be unstable with temp fluctuations when the lights go out at night? Heaters cycle on and off and arent constantly running. Essentially that 400w heater might "actually be running" for an hour or two during the time a MH lit tank wasnt running the heater. So you have a 400w heater for an hour or two vs 400w + in extra energy of MHs running for 8-12 hrs. I think that heater running is quite a bit more cost effective. lol Then you have summer time!!!!! How many Led owners are going to need an energy hog chiller? MHs are awesome lighting, but no one can seriously find any sort of way to make them seem as if they will be as energy efficient as a led lit tank. Not even close.

In the winter, when my halides are on, the heaters do not come one. Otherwise my heaters would be on half the time plus the wattage of the LEDs...so it came out to a wash. In the summer that same tank usually hovers at a max of 84-ish with spikes to 86-87, but I never use a chiller. Most halide users do not need a chiller.

Its easy to get caught up in trying to save every little penny you can on electric, and can be fun. But with LEDs, you usually have to cast out the initial cost over at least a couple years. Yes, DIY can be cheap we all know that...but most want LED fixtures. I wonder how many will actually still have the Radion or Sol they bought come 3 years from now?

On the Radiums....nothing beats them, they give the best color and growth I have seen than with any other halide, LED, or T5. To me its worth the extra $10 a month in lighting electrical costs and $125-$140 in bulbs per year.

[trueblackpercula]

[QUOTE

On the Radiums....nothing beats them, they give the best color and growth I have seen than with any other halide, LED, or T5. To me its worth the extra $10 a month in lighting electrical costs and $125-$140 in bulbs per year.[/QUOTE]

I can't agree more with your statement , but I do plan on at least try to see what they'd look like on my tank before I dismiss them. I don't think there is a cost saving at all but I do want the best colors of my corals and that's why I am going to at least try them.

[cap032]

Originally Posted by James77

In the winter, when my halides are on, the heaters do not come one. Otherwise my heaters would be on half the time plus the wattage of the LEDs...so it came out to a wash. In the summer that same tank usually hovers at a max of 84-ish with spikes to 86-87, but I never use a chiller. Most halide users do not need a chiller.

Its easy to get caught up in trying to save every little penny you can on electric, and can be fun. But with LEDs, you usually have to cast out the initial cost over at least a couple years. Yes, DIY can be cheap we all know that...but most want LED fixtures. I wonder how many will actually still have the Radion or Sol they bought come 3 years from now?

On the Radiums....nothing beats them, they give the best color and growth I have seen than with any other halide, LED, or T5. To me its worth the extra $10 a month in lighting electrical costs and $125-$140 in bulbs per year.

I would tend to agree with you when it comes to the high dollar led setups like AI, or Ecotech on large tanks requiring multiple fixtures. In terms of savings compared to MH or T5 setup..........probably a wash even with bulb replacement costs over a 4-5 year period. There are a number of led fixtures that are on the market (without storms and lunar cycle, etc.) however that can be bought for roughly what the better T5 or MH set ups cost. Some slightly more, some a little less. Those with larger tanks should see considerable savings vs bulb replacement each year. Power savings could be minimal or substantial depending on what the users Electrical Co. charges for power. As for heaters, again, they dont continuously run. During a 10 hr lighting period in which a MH user doesnt have a heater kicking on, a non MH user might have a heater (in actual running time) running for a couple of hours. If the heater actually ran for 8-10 hrs, power usuage might be a wash, in the winter, but it doesnt unless the aquarium is in a very cold climate in a non heated room. Oh, and I would agree......Radiums are fantastic bulbs. There is no doubt about it. They give a beautiful spectrum for both corals and our viewing pleasure! Lol I thought long and hard about using them on my new tank.

[YoungREEFA]

Why are wr talkin about heates now? We all know jow that leds dont save much money , we just get them

[James77]

Originally Posted by cap032

I would tend to agree with you when it comes to the high dollar led setups like AI, or Ecotech on large tanks requiring multiple fixtures. In terms of savings compared to MH or T5 setup..........probably a wash even with bulb replacement costs over a 4-5 year period. There are a number of led fixtures that are on the market (without storms and lunar cycle, etc.) however that can be bought for roughly what the better T5 or MH set ups cost. Some slightly more, some a little less. Those with larger tanks should see considerable savings vs bulb replacement each year. Power savings could be minimal or substantial depending on what the users Electrical Co. charges for power. As for heaters, again, they dont continuously run. During a 10 hr lighting period in which a MH user doesnt have a heater kicking on, a non MH user might have a heater (in actual running time) running for a couple of hours. If the heater actually ran for 8-10 hrs, power usuage might be a wash, in the winter, but it doesnt unless the aquarium is in a very cold climate in a non heated room. Oh, and I would agree......Radiums are fantastic bulbs. There is no doubt about it. They give a beautiful spectrum for both corals and our viewing pleasure! Lol I thought long and hard about using them on my new tank.

Halides are great at covering large areas with the right reflector. Throw a 250w Radium on a mag ballast into a LumenBright and you can blast and fully light a 2'x2' area, and could even stretch that to 3'x3' with lower light edges.

A full blown successful reef tank...the type that would drop jaws....does it matter if that is costing you $10 more than LEDs? $50? The amount of money I have wasted on leaving light bulbs on in my house, interest on credit cards, driving 15 over instead of 5 over....what fun is life if you are analyzing costs down to dividing bulb costs for an already excessive hobby over 12 months then using that to figure when the payoff is on a fixture?

If an LED setup is gong to save a total of $20 a month...do you really think that is going to be noticeable in your account? Unfortunately we end up talking about costs and comparing the 2.

I have owned 2 LED setups, a DIY and the cheap-o Chinese LEDs that employ violets. I have seen a few AI and many other DIY LED tanks. I have seen tons of T5 tanks and owned a PowerModule. I have had endless halide bulbs and ballast. The Radium stomps them all. There are no ifs and buts in terms of some corals not liking or it being too white or blue. T

[TheReefKeeper]

Originally Posted by Nanook

Radium and Phoenix 250 watt bulbs on HQI ballast are the best lighting I have seen to date and they grow corals of all kinds excellently. I have watched a lot of friends spend thousands and thousands of dollars on LEDs and go back to what works, metal halides. I have also seen the LED fixtures steadily increasing their wattage where the electrical consumption is not much less than a 250 metal halide. Add to the fact that reflectors for metal halides have a MUCH wider spread and the electrical savings becomes a non issue since you have to use more LED fixtures to cover the same real estate. Of course, folks like to defend their purchases and the latest trends.

+1 I totally agree with this well said.

[reefmutt]

I can't argue for a second that leds are better, nor could I argue that you can beat a good set up of t5s or mhs, but for me, my next tank will be sandwiched between closets in a basement with mediocre are flow and poor summer airconditiining..
Ive set up enough reef tanks in my home with mh and t5 to know that this current set up won't handle the heat from either light sources.
I wont have the space nor the proper ventilation for a chiller, either...
Thankfully, I have led lighting as a viable option and I'm excited to try out a new piece of tech.