LED, MH, or both for a 320 gallon? Help me decide!

Discussion in 'Reef Lighting' started by darthweezy, Feb 16, 2014.

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  1. darthweezy

    darthweezy Astrea Snail

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    Hello again 3 Reefers-
    You guys were very helpful in deciding on what size aquarium for my basement, I thought I'd reach out for lighting advice for such a monster tank (dims 96x30x27).
    I recently bought 2 of the new Kessil 360w LEDs for my 57 gallon and I absolutely love them. I love the level of control with my Apex.

    In my "reef tank storage", I have 3 horizontal 250 w MH fixtures, 2 250w MH pendants, and one 175w pendant. I also have an assortment of T5 fixtures I could supplement the MHs with actinics.

    Should I just stick with what I have, use the MHs and the Kessils or go all Kessils? If I went all Kessils, how many do you think I would need for a tank that size? 8? I am tempted to go all LED for Apex controllability. But, we're talking another $2400 to throw out for more LEDs.
    I could sell of my MHs to make the purchase less painful; I just want the experts to chime in to see if that's a good choice.

    The Kessils are fantastic on an 18" tank, just not sure how they'll fare on a 27" one...
     
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  3. FaceOfDeceit

    FaceOfDeceit Hockey Beard

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    All tanks I've seen with Kessil's don't seem to far will with depth. The narrow lens might work better, but I think you'd need multiples for spread. Maybe 10 setup staggered front to back.

    o o o o o
    _o o o o o

    I'm a fan of halides, but on a tank this size it is going to be quite expensive to run. Same with T5's. Look forward to seeing your progress.
     
  4. DSC reef

    DSC reef Giant Squid

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    I'm a halide fan so I say stick with halides. Thats gonna be an awesome build
     
  5. nc208082

    nc208082 Zoanthid

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    If your looking at a cheaper led option and you have some DIY skills you should check out RapidLED's Aurora pucks. They are a very similar layout to the radion at a fraction of the cost. You can buy a 2 puck dimmable pack for 350 and probably 4 of those double pucks could light your tank. that'd be around 1400 for you to light your tank.
    Dual Aurora Puck Kit (Dimmable) - Rapid LED
     
  6. darthweezy

    darthweezy Astrea Snail

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    Do you think the 250w metal halides will be ok with the depth?
    I would shudder to think of the electric bill if I had to upgrade to 400w....
     
  7. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    I was wondering about the depth myself. I think you would need 4 halides to cover your tank in full. I think the rule of thumb is that one of those halides is good for a 24x24" area.
     
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  9. 1.0reef

    1.0reef Giant Squid

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    I would do either T5HO and Kessil or some BML or Nanobox and Kessil.
     
  10. DSC reef

    DSC reef Giant Squid

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    250 watt halides would penetrate that depth fine.
     
  11. FaceOfDeceit

    FaceOfDeceit Hockey Beard

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    Dependant on reflectors.
     
  12. darthweezy

    darthweezy Astrea Snail

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    Thanks for the help so far everyone!

    Where are all the LED lovers?
    The shimmer and shadows from the Kessils surpass anything I've ever seen in the hobby...

    I do trust metal halides though...

    I will keep my eye out for more advice!