LED vs metal halide.

[Beau_123]

What type of light is better for a reef tank.

 

[Elmo1287]

Just my opinion led is cheaper in all electric and bulbs but I think halides are brighter

 

[Beau_123]

Well does LED work.

 

[Elmo1287]

Yes led works just fine everyone is switching to led because you can switch the power settings on most

 

[oyf709]

Both are fine choice
However, there are differences which you will need to choose between the two.
MH,
PROS:
~Well approved technology that most people are still using up to this stage.
~Lower initial cost
~Mimic sunlight spectrum
CONS:
~Higher electric bill ( low efficiency)
~A lot higher heat compare to any other light source
~Less to no control over the fixtures
~Higher operation cost ( electric bill+light bulb change every 8 to 10 months)

LED
PROS:
~Really low heat compare to all other options (higher efficiency)
~Energy saving
~full control over the fixture( sunrise,sunset,cloudy,lighting ) some fixtures even able to connect to computer to monitor the spectrum
~Long lasting no bulb change

CONS:
~Higher initial cost (even the cost has been dropping crazy)
~A newer technology compare to MH
~ Spectrum are depend on combination of the LED and brand of the LED chip (CREE,Bridgelux)
~Sometimes the LED could mean a lot of reading and even DIYing
~No light bulb change ( Yes this is pros and cons, as LED fixtures doesn't require bulb change, but once the LED reach its life span, it will simply go dead and you will either replace the dead LED chip or replace the whole fixtures. Most of the people will choose the 2nd option because it is much easier)

So Overall ask yourself few questions.
1) Is my area hot enough already so adding another heat source would kill my fish/coral?
If yes, you will need to include the cost of chiller in your initial cost. As using MH without chiller in most North America Summer can end up a disaster.
2)Am I able to afford a bit more ( about $100 per fixtures) as initial cost ?
3)Do I want to have cool control over the fixture so I can mimic the nature?
4)Am I willing to spend time to learn about new technology?

If those answers are yes then LED is your choice, if no then MH should be your choice.
I had lost so much money over the heat issue and you can tell I am not a big fan of MH, but many other will tell you otherwise.
IF you do have questions regarding LED, I would gladly help.

 

[Beau_123]

So will LED's support all corals and what fixture should I get.

 

[oyf709]

For LED, it is capable to support all corals.

Don't ask me about the tang lol
I can't really tell you which brand to get, there are way too many options.

 

[Beau_123]

What brand is the light that you have.

 

[Elmo1287]

That's with four T5s two whites and two blues

 

[Beau_123]

Are there any led brands that you would recommend.

 

[oyf709]

Depend on your budget really. Led can be range from $200 to over $800 for the same size fixture . If you want to pm me ur dimension of ur tank and live stocks I can list u some brands