Could high-dollar metal halides become extinct?

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fishinhd

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In my never-ending quest to save money on my upcoming 150gl reef, I have been all over Ebay like a cheap suit! Found a "new technology" light called FloureX. 6500k, 8000 lumens, 500 watts but only draws 65 watts. Found using search words "grow light". Apparently there are a lot of people out there selling these and MH's as hydroponic grow lights. You know so you can grow your tomatoes (or whatever else) in the privacy of your own home. This seller even mentions "coral reefs" in his description...and he has a buy it now price of $60. Could this make $200 metal halides obsolete? Hmmm....CD's instead of cassettes, DVD's instead of VHS tapes.

Just some food for thought....please comment on this pro or con...it could get interesting!

Mike

Go here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2301655745&category=3186
 
Um... thats an LOA CF fixture that sells for $30 at a local home depot.

Its a 65 watt bulb, the 500 watts is how many watts of incandescent light its comparable to.
 
Found a Stanford University study that mentions these for reefs. Also found numerous threads on reefcentral.com. I didn't mean to imply that these will do what a MH will....but new technology at cheaper prices is always good! The discussions on reef central vary....some people report that these lights are great on refugiums and when used as supplemental lighting added to MH.....which is what I was considering. Alot of people say they love them and alot say "be careful". The Stanford study seems to imply that they could one day replace MH...but they seem to be more geared toward being a work light or area light now. I guess we will see what the future holds!!

Mike
 
Their just compact fluorescents, theyve been out for well over 3 years now.


CF bulbs are starting to get replaced now actually.

The only light advancements we know of that might someday replace MH are Xenon and LEDs.
 
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I'm one of the people that says "be careful." I've probably thrown out a half dozen of those units because they aren't built to be run for an uninterrupted 8-10 hour photoperiod. Overheating is a major problem and it WILL short out on you even if you make significant venting and cooling modifications. (I used to use them on small soft coral and plant tanks - since I needed lights for multiple systems and I was making a profit, periodically replacing them was still cheaper than buying more reliable lighting for all of the tanks).

It's also worth noting that the bulbs yellow VERY fast - like all bulbs, their Kelvin temp shifts downward with age, but it goes mighty quick on these units. Not a problem on a plant tank as plants prefer lower K light, but it can make for quite the algae coat in a marine system.
 
yeah

I have one but now adays you can get a good pc light for about the same price..

I found a 110 watt 36 inch compact with 55 watt 10000k and 55 watt 420 actinic was 39 dollars.... on line.. shipping was 14 bucks on top of that...

I have a flourex PC light and when added to a system already with 10000k
light it is drowned out and you cannot tell much of a difference..
I use mine on a refigium and it does the calurpa well.
 
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