led vs mh
- Thread starter Gfoot2000
- Start date
Reddog170
Active Member
The way I understand it is that LED do not produce the light that most algae needs, they last longer, they do not color shift, and produce more light with less power and heat. I got to check out a frag tank that is lit with led yesterday and he was telling me that his growth is not as good as MH but the colors are better.
This is a subject that has been going rounds ever sense LED hit the market for reefkeeping. Now that prices are coming down on the fixtures I am thinking about trying it out. I love my halide but hate the heat and electric it produces and uses. On the other hand MH has been around a while. People know them and trust them. They have proven track records and are more than capable of supplying any coral with the light they require.
Right now I would say they are both good choices for your reef. In five years , with more electric rate hikes, LED could be the choice to go with.
But you also cannot count out T5's. They too have a proven track record and all kinds of corals can be kept using them as well.
When it comes to lighting it comes down to just a few factors, in my opinion. 1, what you are wanting to keep 2, How much you can (or want) to spend 3, how you want the tank to look.
Any way you choose will still require standard maintenance and care. Best of luck with your choice. Shaun
This is a subject that has been going rounds ever sense LED hit the market for reefkeeping. Now that prices are coming down on the fixtures I am thinking about trying it out. I love my halide but hate the heat and electric it produces and uses. On the other hand MH has been around a while. People know them and trust them. They have proven track records and are more than capable of supplying any coral with the light they require.
Right now I would say they are both good choices for your reef. In five years , with more electric rate hikes, LED could be the choice to go with.
But you also cannot count out T5's. They too have a proven track record and all kinds of corals can be kept using them as well.
When it comes to lighting it comes down to just a few factors, in my opinion. 1, what you are wanting to keep 2, How much you can (or want) to spend 3, how you want the tank to look.
Any way you choose will still require standard maintenance and care. Best of luck with your choice. Shaun
chipmunkofdoom2
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, the best brand is still DIY in most cases. Most fixtures don't tell you enough to make an informed decision as a consumer. BoostLED, a sponsor here, does have a new 135W fixture for which they listed PAR readings that looks pretty nice.
Everyone seems to expect something magical out of LEDs, like that they'll blow MH out of the water with performance using a tenth of the electricity, or that they're the be all and end all of aquarium lighting. As with anything else, consumers assume because they are paying much more for LEDs, they should be receiving much more, or are buying "perfection". Fortunately and unfortunately with LEDs, you get exactly what you pay for. They are a more expensive, newer and more efficient lighting technology. They do not blow MH out of the water, but can match and even exceed their output when configured correctly. They are expensive initially, but you have long term expenses with the two main alternatives that you don't have when using LEDs, like running power hungry MH setups, or T5 setups where you're replacing bulbs every 6 months to year and a half (depending how comfortable you are with them). It is difficult to factor those into an initial purchase because of the cost difference, but it's part of what makes the price of LEDs "worth it". MTBF (mean time between failure) is not listed on most current 3W LEDs because they're lasting so long that most of the time they do not burn out; After 50,000 hours, or 13 years at 10 hours a day, their output will have diminished to 70%, but LEDs are usually discarded for a more recent model long before that time, so you'll essentially never have to replace them. PaulB's 40 year old tank probably could have used an overhaul by now if he had started with LEDs, but there are few tanks that truly last that long. Plus, after a good 15-20 years of no bulb changes, if you still even have the tank, I think most would be okay replacing their LEDs.
There is no magic in what LEDs do or how they do it, and people who are selling them as a snake oil that will solve all your problems are lying. They are more expensive, they produce a high amount of light, they use less electricity, produce less material waste (used bulbs), emit less heat, and they last a long time. LEDs can be made to work in any situation, however they are not the ideal choice for all tanks. I've built 2 fixtures and see the benefits of mine every day, so needless to say I'm sold.. when I finally move out and get my larger tanks going (65g+) I'm going to be using LEDs.
Everyone seems to expect something magical out of LEDs, like that they'll blow MH out of the water with performance using a tenth of the electricity, or that they're the be all and end all of aquarium lighting. As with anything else, consumers assume because they are paying much more for LEDs, they should be receiving much more, or are buying "perfection". Fortunately and unfortunately with LEDs, you get exactly what you pay for. They are a more expensive, newer and more efficient lighting technology. They do not blow MH out of the water, but can match and even exceed their output when configured correctly. They are expensive initially, but you have long term expenses with the two main alternatives that you don't have when using LEDs, like running power hungry MH setups, or T5 setups where you're replacing bulbs every 6 months to year and a half (depending how comfortable you are with them). It is difficult to factor those into an initial purchase because of the cost difference, but it's part of what makes the price of LEDs "worth it". MTBF (mean time between failure) is not listed on most current 3W LEDs because they're lasting so long that most of the time they do not burn out; After 50,000 hours, or 13 years at 10 hours a day, their output will have diminished to 70%, but LEDs are usually discarded for a more recent model long before that time, so you'll essentially never have to replace them. PaulB's 40 year old tank probably could have used an overhaul by now if he had started with LEDs, but there are few tanks that truly last that long. Plus, after a good 15-20 years of no bulb changes, if you still even have the tank, I think most would be okay replacing their LEDs.
There is no magic in what LEDs do or how they do it, and people who are selling them as a snake oil that will solve all your problems are lying. They are more expensive, they produce a high amount of light, they use less electricity, produce less material waste (used bulbs), emit less heat, and they last a long time. LEDs can be made to work in any situation, however they are not the ideal choice for all tanks. I've built 2 fixtures and see the benefits of mine every day, so needless to say I'm sold.. when I finally move out and get my larger tanks going (65g+) I'm going to be using LEDs.
Well said!
My main objection to LED lighting have been the extremely high initial cost. Today this has moderated somewhat, and makes LED lighting a serious, if expensive, consideration.
My other objection to LED lighting is the proprietary nature of the products currently available. With MH or T5 lighting you can easily get replacement parts and retro fit them to almost any fixture. The parts for MH and T5 lighting are fairly standard. This is not the case with LED lighting. This can be a big issue if you need a replacement part, and the company either no longer has that part, or has gone under. I believe this issue will be with us for some time.
All that being said, I think LED lighting will become the lighting of choice in the future.
chipmunkofdoom2
Well-Known Member
Thanks Dave! It's no secret that I like LEDs, but I'll at least be realistic about their strengths and limitations. They are ideal in every situation, but they can excel in many.
I used the Cree XR-E. They're sort of the de facto standard for custom LED builds and they are great, but they are a little expensive (around $6 a piece). There has been more experimentation as of late with cheaper, generic 3W LEDs, and some people seem to be having good results. I think the cheaper LEDs are an option, but most people are a little hesitant to use them mostly because we know that Cree's work, and work very well.. people don't want to rock the boat so to say.
In a nutshell with any LED builds, you have 4 basic components: an aluminum heatsink to keep the LEDs running cool, an AC/DC power supply to convert the stuff coming from your wall into DC the LEDs can use, a driver which limits the current the LEDs get (and also can add nifty functions like dimming), and finally the LEDs themselves. The build consist of securing the LEDs to the heatsink, wiring up the LEDs to the drivers, and wiring the drivers to the power supply. That's a little over simplified, but the hardest part is figuring out what parts you need and getting them ordered. The build is what I consider easiest/most fun.
For more info, check out the Ultimate LED Guide over at Nano-reef.com. This will give you a brief overview of the common types of equipment used and things you should be aware of and to watch out for. Then, check out the Comprehensive Build Thread, also on Nano-reef, which lists most of the DIY projects done over there. There are 100 (and counting) projects there, some more of the "How-To" fashion than others. Once you get a basic idea of what LEDs are all about, check these out to see what kind of parts and LEDs people have been using.
To put things in perspective, my 6 LED light for my pico cost about $140 after all the parts and hanging hardware was bought. After 2-3 years I'll probably have made that back in initial purchase cost, electricity savings and blub replacement savings (over a T5 or PC pico light). If you count that 6 LEDs for a 2.5 is way overkill and I'm at least getting 70W MH PAR levels out of it, I've made my saving in electricity alone in the first year.