Halides vs LED

LED without a doubt
Have had high end MH as well as old and new on the market LED. Like the LED for most of the same reasons as everyone else:

• Lack of fan noise
• Better shimmer and color in general
• Totally programmable
• Smaller electric bills
• Color options

Have large variety of soft and hard corals and have had no decline in growth etc.

 

Not being rude but that chart looks like something out of "People" magazine, it's so vague. A bit inaccurate too as I ran my halide without a chiller without any heat issues.

 

Keep in mind that is in a perfect world. The fan’s don’t last 50,000 hours. If they fail and the LED overheats, the damage can be permanent and the fixture is junk. Now how long will the LED last if it overheats. Do all these fixtures have thermal protection? The one you are probably speaking of doesn’t! The power supplies certainly don’t last 50,000 hours. And even though a 60 LED fixture can match the “peak” PAR of a 400w Radium, those that do are never able to have a comparable spread.

I’ll concede to this however all watts are converted to heat is some form or another. The LED produces all it’s heat on the back end and a lot of it. The only reason you have less heat is due to less watts. LED gets away with less watts not entirely because of efficiency but due to the ablity to focus all it’s light down with minimal overspill.

Agreed on this point but that depends entirely on design. I will say that multichip LEDS are unparalleled in this.

You must have a different definition of safe than I do. I guess you can call them safer………

unless they catch on fire!

 

I too have zero heat issues. I don't run a chiller, and the costs of me running my halides now versus the cost of running the LED fixtures I ran (AI and Radions) are less than $2 per month. The difference in up front money to equal the PAR AND spread was over $1300 if I continued with LED. I chose to go MH, and have seen nothing but improvement in coral growth and coloration.

LEDs are close, but not there yet. The issue now is, too many changes. It is not known yet what needs to be tweeked to "get it right". Companies are just adding diodes, different lenses, etc., and throwing new fixtures on the market. This causes people to change their lighting, which stresses the livestock. It's getting closer, and the "full" spectrum lights available now are great. Hopefully someone will figure it out, and give a low cost, efficient solution to us reefers.

 

DIY got it right, now the fixture that get all the fame have to become good
I like halides but I like color options and the option to dim the lights. Also why is there no T5HO in the poll?

 

Guys I just want to add that I am a fan of LED. I want it to succeed. I want to change over. For me and many other large tank SPS keepers to change though, we need to see LED tanks that make us envious. Struggling to find them though.

There are a couple fixtures that I have considered:

Ecotech Radion and Radion Pro
Aqua Illumination Vega Color
Maxspect Razor

All seem to lack something or have some drawback that keeps me from making the switch.

 

I see we share the same concerns!

 

Who is we? From this statements it appears that you represent a company who produces or sells LED.

 

Have to agree with this, further to the list

• the price to replace a single LED is cheaper than the entire tube and require replacing less often
• LED's also let off less heat

 

MH are old technology, a thing of the past. Start thinking LED and make you move this is the way to go. MH are good for growing hard corals but so as the LED. MH are costly, produces lots of heat. I'm even worried to go on vacation with my MH on I keep thinking my place might catch on fire. The LED technology is here and taking over. Just like florecent and led killed the incandescent.