There are lots of variables in the whole scenario. Supplemental lights, chillers, heaters, fan, ect. Well even LEDs have something called phantom power and that can be quite significant too. But those costs wont bridge the 4+ years difference. All I did was to show a very basic cost benefit of the claim 'LED saves money' and not saying LED is no good. For example, if money permits, I would love to get mitras but not for saving s through cutting down on electricity bill but rather because the advantages that LED provides and the technologies itself. :mrgreen:

But those costs wont bridge the 4+ years difference.

the saying is leds cost less per month then mh do, not that youll recover the cost of a fixture in a year or less.......we know you wont save that much or there wouldnt be mh's still around.
you proved it yourself , leds do save money....how much money they save probably doesnt add up to a light fixtures cost when upgrading but the claims are true , they cost less to run then mh.

now the next argument is do leds do what mh's do lol?

You can certainly save money with DIY, but for some things it is just not worth it to me. That's why I have Radions and an Apex. Maybe not the very best in class, but sure beats anything I could build myself. I also wouldn't build my own skimmer.

But when it comes to tanks, sumps, overflows, cabinets, plumbing, electrics, ATO's, reactors, filters, etc, there are lots of opportunity to save money as well as optimize performance and tailor to your preferences.

I use the same philosophy with my airplanes. I build them for performance and personal preference, and save a lot of money. However, I still buy the best engine and propeller for it. I won't build those components.

At $200 a year in bulb replacement costs, my DIY LED will pay for itself in 4 (2 1/2 more) years. Thats with the full spectrum upgrade.

Reduce your electrical consumption to decrease your tanks carbon footprint and it's effect on the wild reefs. Saving money is nice too, but this hobby is definitely not for the financially challenged... it requires a very understanding spouse.

Absolutely. They do save money and if everyone moves to LED to light everything, a huge difference can be made in terms of consumption. A 50w savings might not be much on the bill but on a larger scale, its huge. But the self benefit wont be coming quick :p

About which one is better, you are in a better stance to draw the conclusion. :)

If somebody comes up with an awesome power savings plan, I may send cash :) My bill for the last 2 months was $850

Oh sweet humanity...once human lived without electricity...and now even fishes and corals cant!

Sell the tank...invest some money on big piles of napkins to whip the tears of sadness and get a beta tank! I promise...it would be the best investment EVER! Even better than LEDs :lol:

That's a less than stellar plan :)

That's why the 2nd step:

"invest some money on big piles of napkins to whip the tears of sadness" ;)