What is the equivalent in LED to 400w MH?

I browse a local PurelyH2o shop in Daytona, here they have soft,(pardon my ignorance) either toadstool, or tree type corals on display, one side MH and the other their new LED (in which they are marketing the LED), The MH side you can see the tree type pulling back inside itself, while the LED side is wide open. It's a 55g tank. I will get a photo of the tank and types of coral being used, that being said, if the type of soft coral they are using doesn't require as much light, obviously the MH may be too much light and thus making it's own sales pitch to any new buyers. But if the coral being displayed requires high lighting, the picture may just prove itself. I'll get the photo here tomorrow afternoon so long as I can get by there.

 

IMO, at the current price of LED's, they better darn well be worth it. just my 2 cents.

 

See thats the thing, The majority of us are DIY when it comes to lighting, mainly because MH when it first came out was so expensive, we all figured out how to scratch together a decent MH set up with out paying 3 times the price for a retail looking fixture.

LED is the same way. For instance, a 100 watt LED chip is only $90.00 and the LED power supply is even less money, so as soon as someone figures out the cooling and lens (if you even need one) then everyone will be jumping on the LED band wagon if it proves to be just as healthy for corals as MH are.

This guy has been working on DIY for a few months now

 

this is the led module
100W High Power 9000 Lumens White Light LED Lamp

and this is the driver
http://lightake.com/detail.do/sku.3...nt_Current_Source_LED_Driver_(85_265V)_-33642

 

There is definitely no easy math to compare MH to LED. Optics, spectrum as well as the diodes themselves all play a bigger part than total watts when it comes to LED. This is also true of MH when it comes to bulbs, reflectors and ballasts. I've tested one LED fixture so far that is close to a 400 watt halide, and it most definitely has the ability to go deep.

Sunshine Systems AquaUFO Goes Deep « Marine Engineers

 

One more thing. When shopping for LEDs, if a company only advertises lumens, they probably don't have the knowledge or equipment to even realize that's no indication of real output. You could get some pretty high lumens out of PAR 38s at Lowes, but they will be in too low a spectrum to do anything for your coral!

 

If you are wanting to go a DIY route then you had better check out rapid led. They are tried and true.

Rapid LED Home Page

 

I'll third the MH anyday!

 

Wrong. It's all a matter of the diode and the optic pared with it.

I keep a maxima on my sandbed (24" deep tank).

You two can keep your stinkin' MH with their insane heat and expense, both to operate and maintain. ;D

Very, very true.

Since it hasn't been mentioned yet, but you have alluded to it yourself, there's a lot of advanced DIY on LEDs that will save you a lot over comparable LED fixtures.

Here's my build. Yes, I've got $1200 in it, but it runs circles around my old MH set-up. For a comparable pre-made set up, you'd be looking at about double the price (with some additional nifty programing, but certainly no better in actual performance).
http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/diy-dimmable-rapidled-kit-converting-mhs-96138.html

 

Evolved, your set up is amazing. I see that your set up has warm white led along with the cool white and royal blue. I kinda wish had ww as an option for my set up. But i love my AI sol super blue.