Talk Me Into Or Out Of Halides

[Broadfield]

I typically don't ask for advice in anything I do. I like to learn on my own merit, whether it be learning from mistakes or getting lucky the first time. With that being said, I have never owned halides before. I currently have a Giesemann Aurora, which is a T5/LED hybrid. The fixture is amazing in every way. But, I'm always up for trying new things... at least new to me. I have always love the crispness of halides and thought maybe I would switch it up. I have a buyer for my Aurora, so it would be a fairly lateral move money wise. I would want to go with the Giesemann Spectra, which is a T5/halide hybrid. It's actually the same chassis as my current fixture.... which as stated earlier, I love. Feel free to give me the pros and cons, but keeping in mind that I'm more than willing to do what's necessary to use halides... whether it be the need for a chiller etc.

The tank under T5/LED for reference:

IMG_4278 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

 

[Mpierce]

Heat, evaporation, bulb changes, electricity. But I have not used MH in like 7 years so I guess I am off the wagon.

 

[ksfulk]

Looks like the spectra is for single ended (SE) bulbs, which is where you want to be I believe. My experience with MH is limited to using 250w DE fixtures, and they did the job, but my tank really needed the light penetration of a 400w fixture. Assuming you are looking at using the 20k Radiums, I would opt for the 400w ballast and run with that set up. Those particular bulbs dont seem to be sputtering out any time soon on the supply end (I was using the 14K Phoenix bulbs which they stopped making for a while). You shouldnt need a chiller, unless you keep your house really warm - I saw no difference in temp in using the 2-250w fixture than I do using my 8 bulb ATI T5 sunpower. Glitter lines should be related to your turbulence at the water surface, so it can be easily adjusted to your liking. If its a wash money wise, the experiment is worth it. heck, thats why I went from LEDs to T5s - because I had not run them before!

Note: I abstain from voting because there is no: Why not change it up? option

 

[Broadfield]

Heat, evaporation, bulb changes, electricity. But I have not used MH in like 7 years so I guess I am off the wagon.

Luckily none of those scare me... I have a 65 gallon RO/DI storage and fully automatic top off, so evaporation amount doesn't bother me at all. Bulb changes are just part of the game... no different than T5. I have heard horror stories about how much the electricity bill goes up. But this is reefing after all... I don't expect anything to come cheap lol. All good points though.

 

[Broadfield]

Looks like the spectra is for single ended (SE) bulbs, which is where you want to be I believe. My experience with MH is limited to using 250w DE fixtures, and they did the job, but my tank really needed the light penetration of a 400w fixture. Assuming you are looking at using the 20k Radiums, I would opt for the 400w ballast and run with that set up. Those particular bulbs dont seem to be sputtering out any time soon on the supply end (I was using the 14K Phoenix bulbs which they stopped making for a while). You shouldnt need a chiller, unless you keep your house really warm - I saw no difference in temp in using the 2-250w fixture than I do using my 8 bulb ATI T5 sunpower. Glitter lines should be related to your turbulence at the water surface, so it can be easily adjusted to your liking. If its a wash money wise, the experiment is worth it. heck, thats why I went from LEDs to T5s - because I had not run them before!

Note: I abstain from voting because there is no: Why not change it up? option

That's a helpful relpy! My tank is only 22" deep... do you still recommend the 400's? I'm not sure what spectrum bulb I would run since I would also have the T5's for some actinic or super actinic action. I don't like an overly blue look, as evident by my FTS.

I also added your option to the voting

 

[andrew james]

I doubt youll notice a difference, good or bad.

 

[Broadfield]

I doubt youll notice a difference, good or bad.

Could you be more specific?... no difference in coral growth or no difference visually of how the tank looks?

 

[andrew james]

Sorry i was on my phone. In coral growth. Obviously it will look slightly different.

I recently did basically the opposite switch. And really have notice a difference in coral or saving on my electric bill for that matter.

 

[120reefkeeper]

I've constantly used halides for years. The technology on the ballast have gotten much better and they do not consume near as much electricity as the once did.

I control heat only with fans setup through my Apex.

Bulb changes about once a year, no big deal.

I think a lot of folks remember the old days of halides being heat producing power hogs. Those days are long gone. Today's fixtures and ballast are much more efficient.

If you want great growth, set it and forget it then halides still are the gold standard . Think about this..... everyone always compares the light they use "LED's" to halides or a halide /T-5 combo.

 

[Squirrel_reefer]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it


but if you are already itching and asking questions, you probably already want the change

 

[Mpierce]

For me the evaporation isn't about the extra water, it's the humidity pumped into my house. If you have an air exchanger or exhaust venting it's no big deal then.

 

[GoVols]

If you can mange the heat, electric bill and make it look as good as your hybird.

Then I'll say this.
MH/T5... Is still the "Gold Standard" in coral reef lighting regarding coral health, color and growth rate.

It's plug and play. Boring maybe, but (as another poster said) I like growing boring sticks

If any all led users start attacking this post, there will be no response.

Yes, All led's can do it. I ran a very successful reef for over two years running all led too.

 

[revhtree]

Honestly I don't think you want to try something new. I think you just like cool new reef toys! HA!

There are MANY ways to grow a successful reef. Halides, LED, T5, Sunlight, Hybrids, Compact Florescents, etc. will all work for certain tanks and coral themes. They each come with their own set of challenges, pros and cons! Do what will make you happy and keep enjoying your reef.

What we really need is a LEDHALIDET5CF Hybrid!

 

[Squirrel_reefer]

If any all led users start attacking this post, there will be no response.

CONSIDER YOURSELF ATTACKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


jk, I really don't believe there is any "right" answer to lighting that trumps all others. its all preference based on what you are trying to achieve in terms of aesthetics and budget!

 

[aaron23]

electric bill, 2 halide bulbs and t5 bulbs to swap out. heat during the summer. i cant say i've seen better looking corals under halide though. but there are the cons ...

 

[Squirrel_reefer]

What we really need is a LEDHALIDET5CF Hybrid!

Holy electric bill batman

 

[GoVols]

Honestly I don't think you want to try something new. I think you just like cool new reef toys! HA!

There are MANY ways to grow a successful reef. Halides, LED, T5, Sunlight, Hybrids, Compact Florescents, etc. will all work for certain tanks and coral themes. They each come with their own set of challenges, pros and cons! Do what will make you happy and keep enjoying your reef.

What we really need is a LEDHALIDET5CF Hybrid!

"LEDHALIDET5CF Hybrid"
Lol,

@Broadfield Just has to have his hands on a "hacksaw" at all times

 

[MichaelsReef]

I have always had led/T5's combos...my first tank was a 75 gallon with AI sol blues..my current tank is a 180 gallon with (4) hydra 52s and 4 T5's..I am currently upgrading to a 300 gallon and although I have always had good success with the led/T5's combo I wanted to try something different..I will be using (4) 250 watt radium 20k with (4) T5's on this tank. There were always some colors that I could never achieve but I am a hard marker..I am looking for my tank to eventually be featured in TOTM..

 

[themcnertney]

You can buy mine. I have (3) 250/400w metal halide fixtures with ballasts ready for shipping.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/mh-for-sale-300.260668/

 

[spartanman22]

I've had every type of lighting out there, and my favorite has and always will be metal halide/T5. It's as others have suggested, plug and play. My SPS growth was always accelerated under halides. I will note that the adjustability of LED's does allow you to pull out some colors you may not see under halides, but then again halides can often highlight colors you wouldn't see under LED's or T5's.

The only reason I left halides was because the room my tank is in has very poor circulation. The room would always be hot and humid! despite the AC running, and as a result I couldn't keep temperature below 82.0. If I had a tank in a more open, circulated room, or basement, I would go right back to halide/T5.