Tanks and Corals with LED Lighting

[jason18]

WOW the tank looks great it really grew out from the last time i seen it....

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

anyone know someone or somewere I can get a price for LED's
setting up a 210gal and was going to MH and t5's untill I read this forum.
Is it more than me buying (3)400w MH and (4)t5's? and moonlight led's and ballists

 

[dickenscd]

Coral Growth under LED Light

More pictures to show coral growths under Solaris I4.


Picture taken on 08/11/08,

Picture taken on 02/05/09

Picture taken on 09/11/09, the orange monti cap is dying because it is covered by the green milli.

James

 

[pecan2phat]

anyone know someone or somewere I can get a price for LED's
setting up a 210gal and was going to MH and t5's untill I read this forum.
Is it more than me buying (3)400w MH and (4)t5's? and moonlight led's and ballists

Only game in town with proven results and warranty plus you would most likely have to wait 2 plus months for delivery.

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/LE...ight_System_w!_Controller_by_AquaIllumination

Also, quite a bit more expensive then the MH/T5 you mentioned.

 

[emmanuel]

My sps never did as well as when I added my home made led fixture . It was a lot of work and a lot of money ($1800 in parts) but the results were amazing anyone who has seen my tank would agree . When I was using MH it was only 150 watt double ended on a 125 gal with magnetic ballast the par reading I got from my mh 1 inch bellow the surface of the water was the same par I got from the led's on the sand bed when turned at full power . Now I can adjust my color and intensity of light in different areas of the tank. I was skeptical of spending the money on led's but after doing some basic math on light bulb replacements alone not including electric consumption it seemed worth it .

 

[dickenscd]

epro LumenAQUA vs Giesemann 250W MH + T5

Corals under epro LumenAQUA

Corals under Giesemann 250MH Phonex 14,000K + T5

Pictures can be very decieving. Which light is better?



James

 

[jackson6745]

I like having the newest and best equipment on my tank(s) but LED lighting is still not proven in my eyes. From the pictures I have seen they will obviously grow corals well, but can the spectrums achieved rival that of MH and T5 blends? Is the initial cost justified due to energy savings when a good mx of T5's will give great color + use low wattage? I want a simple straight forward product that can easily change spectrum. As chief said KISS. More importantly I would only spend big $$ on a fixture from a reputable company that stands by their product.
I'm not saying I would never go LED. When it becomes a little more mainstream, the price drops, and the best color producing spectrums are created.........I would probably give it a shot if it looks better than T5 or MH.

 

[dickenscd]

Pictures Can Be Deceiving

As mentioned, pictures can be deceiving. Personally, I even doubt if LumenAQUA can grow LPS.

The corals in the pictures have been grown under 24" Giesemann 250W MH + T5 since Dec.2007. I turned off Giesemann and put 36" epro LumenAQUA for shooting pictures. This is how it works,

I have a separate 175G with same water system strictly under LED light since Dec.2007.

There are many pro and con for LED, and quality is a very important issue. I have spent almost $1,000.- to replace PS for my Solaris I4 since PFO was out of business, and I still have not figured out how to solve the problems for defective LED bulbs.

James

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

James,

I can repair those boards(I did quite a bit of them) but I will use my own LEDs instead of their brand since I like the color of 20,000K white more than the Solaris ones. However, if you insist on the cree, then add 3 weeks to the time for special orders.

 

[FaviaFreak]

It's really hard to beat MH supplemented with blue led's, I'm not quite sure full LED lighting is ready to take over anytime in the near future but supplementing with it is here now

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

It's really hard to beat MH supplemented with blue led's, I'm not quite sure full LED lighting is ready to take over anytime in the near future but supplementing with it is here now

What's the ratio (watt wise) you have been using/seeing to supplement the MH? What brand do you use/see? Why? Any Pics?

 

[REEF ADDICT]

I think the hard part is sifting through the information. Not many companies will answer questions in a straight forward way. If you ask "I want a 20" fixture that will replace my 250w DE sunpod" People start talking technical terms and it gets very confusing.

When I ask that question I want the answer to be "This fixture (whatever it's called) will do the trick" not the technical talk. I am a firm believer in the KISS (Keep it simple stupid) philosophy and the technical jargon just alienates me from the conversation and makes me want to stay with MH.

What would be best is if companies making these lights had the info right there. like a 250w de bulb has a par of 6 at 20" and this led fixture has y par at 20" so you can side by side compare each.

i totally agree...

 

[Fudge]

keyword is all, there will still be some people using MH no matter what because if LED becomes cheaper, imagine how much cheaper MH will become

 

[FaviaFreak]

I saw a lot of different lighting set ups at MACNA and by far the the best looking was MH supplemented with blue LED's. Particually the dual 250 watt Elos fixture supplemented with LED's we had over our colony tank duing MACNA, plus Jason Fox was also running MH supplemented with current LED's which looked amazing imo. This is just my opinion that is based purely on observation rathert than scientific fact.

What's the ratio (watt wise) you have been using/seeing to supplement the MH? What brand do you use/see? Why? Any Pics?

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I saw a lot of different lighting set ups at MACNA and by far the the best looking was MH supplemented with blue LED's. Particually the dual 250 watt Elos fixture supplemented with LED's we had over our colony tank duing MACNA, plus Jason Fox was also running MH supplemented with current LED's which looked amazing imo. This is just my opinion that is based purely on observation rathert than scientific fact.

I hear you.

That's all I want to hear. The "actual look and feel" when "view in person" is sufficient for one to purchase it.

 

[dickenscd]

View In Person

Pictures are deceiving, technical information can be faked, nothing is better than "View in Person".

I will have different LED lightings in the LIRA monthly meeting this coming Friday, Oct.2nd., Jake Adams is the speaker. Here is the link for LIRA and directions.

http://www.longislandreef.org/

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1709772

Here is a picture (taken 09/28/09) of my 175G with

6 foot Solaris I4 on the back
3 foot epro lumenAQUA on the front left
3 foot Thorntex on the front right

6 foot Solaris I4 only (picture taken 09/11/09). All corals have been grown strictly on LED since Dec. 2007 eyewitnessed by LIRA members.

There are still lots of problems with LED lightings, and I have no intention to endorse or discount LED lightings at this moment.


James

 

[cidlyled]

:pnice pictures ! I love them .