To LED or Not

[vder]

Currently I have an Aquactinics 72" Constellation light fixture over my 135-gallon reef tank. It has 14 39-watt bulbs for a total of 546 watts. It is time for me to do a bulb change out which will run in the neighborhood of 300 dollars. Is it time for me to consider switching to LED? It seems like LED technology is changing at a rapid pace. If LED then what LED fixture would be recommended for 72 wide 18 deep and 24 high? TIA

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Currently I have an Aquactinics 72" Constellation light fixture over my 135-gallon reef tank. It has 14 39-watt bulbs for a total of 546 watts. It is time for me to do a bulb change out which will run in the neighborhood of 300 dollars. Is it time for me to consider switching to LED? It seems like LED technology is changing at a rapid pace. If LED then what LED fixture would be recommended for 72 wide 18 deep and 24 high? TIA

You need about 180W-240W LED with dimmer to acclimate your coral. I think 180W LED will directly replace your light while adding extra 60W for future upgrade.

 

[vder]

You need about 180W-240W LED with dimmer to acclimate your coral. I think 180W LED will directly replace your light while adding extra 60W for future upgrade.

Ok, so based on that what fixtures would best suit my needs? TIA

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

There are too many to choose from. But in general, you should look for bar shaped light and those with 60 degree lens for your tank is slim in shape.

 

[Master Shake]

i would say wait on the led, they are just a new fad with all of the technology not completely there yet but the ideas are. the prices are astronomical and alot of the fixtures out there that claim to be good are just cheap chinese knockoffs that will loose most of their useful light spectrum output within the first 6 months. If you do decide to switch i would say get a orpek light because they have been tested for many more years than any other company out there. Some of their lights can even keep corals alive at 9 feet, yes i said feet so it is definitely powerful enough for your tank

 

[ryangrieder]

Not. T5 all the way! Wohoooo!

 

[qy7400]

Master Shake....Only part of your comment I agree with is the pricing, chip costs have dropped and lights should start reflecting that. The knock offs have about 2 or 3 years of useful life, not sure where you got the 6 months from, as I have a pair and output has dropped very little in 2 years; quality lights should get you 8 to 10 years. LEDs have been around for 4 or 5 years so a little past the fad stage, 7 years ago the fad was T5 and how they're untested and can't grow coral.

 

[Master Shake]

Granted led bulbs do not loose their strength and usefulness like t5 or hqi in a short amount of time but if you end up getting a cheap unit the bulbs will end up shifting spectrum and be all but useless. the bulbs may still work for the 13 years that they should work if manufactured correctly and none burn out but that doesnt mean they wont loose the spectrum that corals need. In my opinion i would get the t5 bulbs now and wait til next year when the cheap companies either improve their quality or the expensive companies either lower their prices unless he can already afford a good unit to begin with

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Granted led bulbs do not loose their strength and usefulness like t5 or hqi in a short amount of time but if you end up getting a cheap unit the bulbs will end up shifting spectrum and be all but useless. the bulbs may still work for the 13 years that they should work if manufactured correctly and none burn out but that doesnt mean they wont loose the spectrum that corals need. In my opinion i would get the t5 bulbs now and wait til next year when the cheap companies either improve their quality or the expensive companies either lower their prices unless he can already afford a good unit to begin with

1)I do not think LED is that much more expensive than other lighting fixture out there. A Gieseman 230 T5 (1x250W + 2x24W) is sold for $679.00 online and an Ai Sol is ~$500 for which both claim to handle more or less the same tank system.

2)Spectrum shift happens to shift from white to the blue side which is still in the spectrum that most articles said the corals like. Even if spectrum changed, they seems to affect the LUX value(our eyes) more than the PAR value(what our corals need)

 

[Brando457]

Also think of bulb replacement over 2-3 years.

Tek 60" light 6 x 80watt - $550 + bulbs first year = $725

+ bulbs year 2 = $900

+ bulbs year 3 = $1075!

3 x AI sol blues = $1200 + controller $70 + hanging kits $100

So we'll say $1470 for great lights that produce less heat, don't need bulb replacements and if you ever upgrade your tank or downgrade you can sell or buy additional units.

Someone could make the argument the led could burn out or the fixture go bad, but such is the case with other t5 and halide fixtures too.

Oh and let's not forget energy savings!

 

[vder]

I appreciate all the feedback it is great. All have presented good reasons for not going to LED and good reasons for going to LED. To me the biggest draw back is the upfront cost of switching over to LED.I understand that theses costs will be made up over time with savings coming from no bulb change outs and energy savings too.

Do we think that the price of a quality fixture regardless of the manufacturer is going to drop that much down the line?

With all the LED fixtures offered for sale today what would be considered a must have. For me it would be to have dimming capability. The LED bulbs should be 3-watt bulbs also. All the other options are neat but are they really needed?? Please let me know of I am missing a must have component. TIA

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I appreciate all the feedback it is great. All have presented good reasons for not going to LED and good reasons for going to LED. To me the biggest draw back is the upfront cost of switching over to LED.I understand that theses costs will be made up over time with savings coming from no bulb change outs and energy savings too.

Do we think that the price of a quality fixture regardless of the manufacturer is going to drop that much down the line?

With all the LED fixtures offered for sale today what would be considered a must have. For me it would be to have dimming capability. The LED bulbs should be 3-watt bulbs also. All the other options are neat but are they really needed?? Please let me know of I am missing a must have component. TIA

Lens!

Without lens, you will need a lot more led diodes. I found most practical optics would be 60 degree, tighter ones, requires you to hang the light very high and wider ones requires you increase the diodes that means good excuse for us to charge you a lot more.

A Splash Guard!
If going the DIY route, make sure you all include a splash guard.

 

[TheGropster]

I have the SOL Blue's and they are spectacular. 3x for my 180gallon connected to a ReefKeeper controller. But as stated earlier you can purchase their controller which is significantly cheaper unless you already have a RK unit.

I had MH and tried T5's which I felt looked like crap compared to the MH. I don't recall what bulbs I was using in them but I just thought the light looked very fake from them. I love how I can adjust the color on the SOL's.

 

[dbriceno]

Acan Lighting fixtures are pretty awesome. I'll be buying mine in the next couple weeks (They are currently out of stock) from Mike at Tropical Island in Deer Park. You should check them out. They are expensive ($495/foot) but will last 10 years,use less electric, create less heat and work the best.

 

[RonnieB]

I have the Acans on an SPS tank 240 gallon, I think they are awesome too.

 

[IamRobG]

Vder its harder when you have a long tank. I have a 72" long also and the amount of coverage its hard to justify the LED switch. I've wanted to forever but i dont like dark spots i like full coverage across the tank so 6 feet of LED is expensive but 12 T5's won't gap at all. And you have color options. I'm still on the fence about getting some Halide pendants to supplement my T5's. I dont know about LED's yet i still feel like they are new in the aquarium world. Maybe in 2-3 years i'll switch.

 

[btldreef]

I have been running LEDs for almost a year. It's a diy with total 120 3w LEDs. Granted I spent $1500 in the beginning but you know what ... Well worth it. I do not have optics and my Sps grows very well. Since leds do not spread par values very far I can keep Lps and softies without bleaching them in the none direct led path. You are more then welcome to come see for yourself. I have been through t5 and halides...... LEDs are the way to go hands down.

 

[Jaftica]

I have the acan 104c on my tank, they are awesome!

 

[Downbeach]

Just my .02.
I had a MH/PC fixture on a 180 (72" x 24" x 24") that was in need of lamp replacement, I priced it out at $350.00. So, I was in the same boat then as you are now. I think the LED's fixtures are about where Plasma and LCD TV's were a few years ago, really nice products, but still too pricy. So, I bought two of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aquarium-Co...644?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0bcd83cc

for about the same price that it was going to cost me to replace the lamps in my old fixture. Although I don't have the ability to dim, I can control the on/off of the blue/white, and I'm exhibiting good growth and PE on my stoney's and have both Maxima and Crocea Clams in the substrate. So, I'm looking at these as an interim fixture, that I can realize many of the benefits of using LED's without the huge initial cost. And when the better, more controllable units come down in price, I will revisit this issue.

 

[IamRobG]

Just my .02.
I had a MH/PC fixture on a 180 (72" x 24" x 24") that was in need of lamp replacement, I priced it out at $350.00. So, I was in the same boat then as you are now. I think the LED's fixtures are about where Plasma and LCD TV's were a few years ago, really nice products, but still too pricy. So, I bought two of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aquarium-Co...644?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0bcd83cc

for about the same price that it was going to cost me to replace the lamps in my old fixture. Although I don't have the ability to dim, I can control the on/off of the blue/white, and I'm exhibiting good growth and PE on my stoney's and have both Maxima and Crocea Clams in the substrate. So, I'm looking at these as an interim fixture, that I can realize many of the benefits of using LED's without the huge initial cost. And when the better, more controllable units come down in price, I will revisit this issue.

Edit-How much coverage are you getting? Any dark spots? I have a 72x18x18 and i'm thinking of picking up 5 or 6 to cover the entire tank


Now that is what the price of LED's should be. Functional and affordable. I might have to pick a couple of these up. And i agree with you maybe in a few years they become mainstream and easy to access like t5's and halides.