LED Lighting, Has anyone seen or Used these as their Reef Lighting?

[jmj6239]

Has Anyone Used these lights? Are they Usable on a reef with SPS corals? I Currently have MH, but these look more affordable and last nearly forever from the following write up.
Here's the write up:
POWERBRITE
LED lighting system
Replicating the dynamic natural qualities of sun and moon lighting, the PowerBrite lighting system combines the life sustaining wavelengths of light with the efficiency of LED technology into one sleek lighting system. The excellent depth penetration adds the natural shimmering effect and rippling glow found on natural coral reefs while producing virtually no heat and consuming little electricity. The PowerBrite LED system is available as a powered lighting system or linking module in 10,000k Daylight, 460nm Actinic, or a 10,000k/Actinic combination.
An easy to install lighting solution that adds vibrancy and movement to any aquarium, each lighting system and linking module includes a complete installation kit that allows for multiple configurations on the tank or inside existing canopies & hoods. All systems feature high-output Power LED lamps with polished conical reflectors designed for maximum output and intensity.Brings the realistic feel and color of the ocean to any aquarium system.
Product Information:
PowerBrite LED Linking Module 460nm Actinic
Adds the shimmering effect of metal halides without the heat build-up
Efficient high power LEDs last up to 50,000 hours
Linkable connection for up to two PowerBrite LED Modules
Promotes strong and healthy coral, invertebrate and plant growth
PowerBrite LED Systems use high intensity 1watt Power LEDs that provide a point source light, producing the shimmering effect often found by using high intensity lighting systems such as metal halides. PowerBrites are designed to enhance existing lighting systems such as fluorescent and compact fluorescent systems, as well as act as a stand-alone light in small aquariums, refugiums, and also work as powerful nocturnal moon lights. It is recommended to use one PowerBrite for every 20 of aquarium length.

 

[hypertek99]

Check out the PFO Solaris LED systems. They are nice but they cost a lot. They do save on electricity and the bulbs do last a lot longer. And they don't put out much heat.

 

[wangotango]

The Aquaillumination units are supposed to be the best LED systems out there now. The "****" has them if you're looking. Very expensive, but it's new technology.
-Justin

 

[dragonzim]

Those are moonlights. They are meant to enhance the look of your tank, not replace your regular lighting.

 

[teen]

the solaris LEDs, which are basically the only LED's on the market right now that can be used to sustain corals are way more expensive than MH.
here on LI, theyre going for $600 a foot. but its LI, so of course youd pay a lot less basically anywhere else.

 

[jmj6239]

Originally Posted by DragonZim
http:///forum/post/2485010
Those are moonlights. They are meant to enhance the look of your tank, not replace your regular lighting.
From what I'm reading they are to be about the same as a 250 MH???

 

[dragonzim]

Originally Posted by jmj6239
http:///forum/post/2485132
From what I'm reading they are to be about the same as a 250 MH???
There is no way that a couple of 1 watt LED's are going to be the same as MH.. Do a search for Solaris LED lighting and you will see what an LED system that is meant to fully light the tank looks like.

 

[bonita69]

the ones that do that will cost more than any MH of equal size. I mean the 12" solaris is almost $1000

 

[mie]

Leds lose there spectrum over time, just like any other bulb.

 

[teen]

Originally Posted by mie
http:///forum/post/2485932
Leds lose there spectrum over time, just like any other bulb.
but supposedly takes a lot longer for them to do this. im still a fan of MH though. people seem to be having a lot of problems with the solaris units, and they're still way over priced IMO.

 

[ccampbell57]

I have seen personally the Solaris lights in action and let me tell you they are WELL worth the money. You pay way more up front ($3500 for a 72") but in the long run you save a hell of a lot more than MH lights.
First off, you can have LEDs at any height over the tank, you dont have to worry about the lights cracking from water or burning your coral by being too close. To run your full reef lighting with the Solaris is basically the same cost as running a normal lamp as LED's use SIGNIFICANTLY less power to run.
The Solaris system has multiple settings to replicate the actual environment (ie. dusk, dawn, cloudy days, etc.).
My LFS had MH on the SPS tank for over a year and then switched to the LEDs and said the growth rate with the LEDs was a lot more and the coloration was better.
Other possitives are that you dont have to replace your bulbs every 6-12 months.

 

[teen]

we've got a 6' solaris over a 580 gallon at work. i see them basically everyday.
to say you can put them at any height over the tank is misleading. you obviously couldnt put them an inch or two over the water. how would you get in your tank when you needed to? you couldnt put them 2' over the tank, as there would be a significant decrease in the amount of light that actually penetrates the water to the bottom of the tank. they're LED's, not lasers.
if i want to replicate a cloudy day, ill just turn my MH off. i see no need to replicate cloudy days anyway. as long as my lights arent on 24/7 and the corals have a period of dark everyday, they'll be fine.
i personally find it hard to believe the growth was better and more colorful. compared to what? what bulbs were they running, how many watts, what ballast was driving the bulb, what reflector was being used? height over the tank? did everything else remain constant other than the lights?
ok, so these lights have been out a few years now. not many people have the solaris fixture. for those that do have it, how much is it going to cost to replace all the LED's when it comes time? has anybody had to replace them yet? are they charging an arm and a leg for those as well? LED's slowly start putting out less lumens over time. how are you going to know when they need to be replace? everybody has to get a luxmeter to run this system? they run long, but how long?

 

[bonita69]

Originally Posted by ccampbell57
http:///forum/post/2486002
I have seen personally the Solaris lights in action and let me tell you they are WELL worth the money. You pay way more up front ($3500 for a 72") but in the long run you save a hell of a lot more than MH lights.
First off, you can have LEDs at any height over the tank, you dont have to worry about the lights cracking from water or burning your coral by being too close. To run your full reef lighting with the Solaris is basically the same cost as running a normal lamp as LED's use SIGNIFICANTLY less power to run.
The Solaris system has multiple settings to replicate the actual environment (ie. dusk, dawn, cloudy days, etc.).
My LFS had MH on the SPS tank for over a year and then switched to the LEDs and said the growth rate with the LEDs was a lot more and the coloration was better.
Other possitives are that you dont have to replace your bulbs every 6-12 months.
Of course they are going to say better growth they need to have somthing to back up the crazy cost of these things! No thanks they look good but I will stick to my MH I have been very happy with my growth and what I can have in my tank. Besides I rather have what is IN my tank look good than what is on the OUTSIDE look good. I can hide ugly lights fixtures I can't hide ugly in the tank

I use the Sunpod By current and I think they look pretty good!
I think the LED is all the new crave now days and they are trying to tap into the fish market. This past X-mas how many NEW leds lights did you see to put on your house vs the year before. BY THE WAY the do make great x-mas lights!! Nice and brite and last a long time! But do they make good reef lights UMMM having trouble with that one.

 

[apos]

Just to be clear, these aren't normal LEDs that most people are familiar with: they are high powered LEDs, like what get used in some car headlights.
I saw a talk on these from one of the guys that designs just about every kind of lighting system (i.e. they are the actual designers, not the people that then buy the designs, brand them, and sell them, so he doesn't actually sell anything to consumers directly) at a local reef club.
Basically, these LED systems are the future of aquarium lighting in his opinion. They are superior to current MHs in virtually every way... except for price, right now. But the price is coming down quickly: he said they'll likely be in the truly competitive range within 2 or 3 years.
He said that most of the reason the current lines are so expensive is because they've insisted on bundling these complex computer timing systems into them. He said that these are neat, but bad design: what you want are lights that work, and then optional control systems that can be optionally plugged in to control the lights (especially since many reefers already have control systems that could do the lights and don't need a light-only one). Also, if the computer fails, it can mean.... no light. Which is dumb.
He said that most of the new lines of these LED systems will come without the computer, and will probably explode in the nano-tank market, where more compact cooler lights are a big win.
High powered LEDs...
-put out no forward heat at all (All the heat goes out sinks in the back, and even the back isn't too hot to touch if designed right)
-LEDs last much longer in the right spectrum than any standard bulb, and when they do burn out over time, instead of burning to yellow (algae-happy) ranges, they burn towards the blue end of things
-consume far less power
-have the glimmer effect in spades (since all the LEDs are point source)
-probably have a better future as a mass market technology, because high powered LEDs are getting used in more and more diverse applications. This is why the cost is likely to come down fairly quickly over time
-you can buy the exact bulbs you want to get any sort of color mix in your system, fine tuning things to all sorts of different reef spectrums and conditions
-LEDs can dim without changing spectrum: conventional bulbs tend to yellow if they dim
-no mercury
-can turn on and off quickly without causing damage to the bulb or taking lots of time to warm up
He also said, however, that a new range of MHs are going to hitting the market in the near future that put out a lot less heat, are more efficient, and are better designed for spectrum ranges. So MHs won't be going away anytime soon.
He also said that actinic lights are mostly a waste these days: they made sense when bulbs couldn't reach the blue ranges, but you can buy bubs now that hit those very comfortably all on their own, and often people will run bulbs that put out a good spectrum with actinics added and are basically just wasting energy on the actinics. He also discussed the way that retailers mislead people by quoting the "wattage" of the bulb, when what really matters is the amount of light they put out per watt of energy expended: wattage basically tells you a lot less than you think about how much light you're really getting. And of course what everyone knows about the importance of reflectors: a good reflector can make a smaller bulb easily beat a larger one with a crummy reflector.
It was a pretty good talk. He also mentioned something I'd never thought of: that real reefs are surprisingly dim compared to our artificial reefs: they are, after all, often 20 feet or more below the surface. The way we have to light our tanks is still very artificial compared to natural lighting. We are blasting corals to get colors that often just don't get that bright in the wild.

 

[apos]

Originally Posted by DragonZim
http:///forum/post/2485783
There is no way that a couple of 1 watt LED's are going to be the same as MH..
Actually, that's exactly what's such a win about the technology: a cluster of 4 watt high-powered LED really can produce all of the necessary spectrum, and more than bright enough. In the talk, he showed us a single 3 watt blue high-power LED shining on the ceiling, and it was amazingly bright.

 

[groupergenius]

A LFS here in Oldsmar,FL uses the solaris units over their coral tubs. There must be 40 units. They swear by them and I was impressed by the amount of light and spectrum they put out. Plus their ability to replicate sunrise and sunsets as well as cloud movement.
Very slick units IMHO. Just need to wait till the prices drop.

 

[teen]

Originally Posted by Apos
http:///forum/post/2486124
Actually, that's exactly what's such a win about the technology: a cluster of 4 watt high-powered LED really can produce all of the necessary spectrum, and more than bright enough. In the talk, he showed us a single 3 watt blue high-power LED shining on the ceiling, and it was amazingly bright.
i have a flashlight that i can shine at the ceiling and is amazingly bright as well. you cant tell if its usable by corasl just by looking at it and saying its bright.
i understand a few LED's can reach a certain specturm, but whats the PAR reading on that 3Watt LED? spectrum, while important, only refers to the range of colors being put out.

 

[groupergenius]

Originally Posted by teen
http:///forum/post/2486131
i have a flashlight that i can shine at the ceiling and is amazingly bright as well. you cant tell if its usable by corasl just by looking at it and saying its bright.
i understand a few LED's can reach a certain specturm, but whats the PAR reading on that 3Watt LED? spectrum, while important, only refers to the range of colors being put out.
The guys at the store said they checked the PAR value and it was on PAR (pun) with 400wMH at 24" depth.

 

[teen]

i understand the sysyem as a whole is equivelent to a 250w MH unit (i work with one on a daily basis).
im talking the 4 LED's Apos said looked really bright. they could be putting out like a PAR value of 4.

 

[apos]

Originally Posted by teen
http:///forum/post/2486131
i have a flashlight that i can shine at the ceiling and is amazingly bright as well. you cant tell if its usable by corasl just by looking at it and saying its bright.
Well, these are usable by coral. There isn't any question about that. My point in brightness there was that seemingly low wattage doesn't mean that these things are dim. Wattage isn't a measure of luminous efficacy, which is what really matters.
I'd also like to see an incandescent flashlight that can put out anywhere near that much light for so little power.
i understand a few LED's can reach a certain specturm, but whats the PAR reading on that 3Watt LED? spectrum, while important, only refers to the range of colors being put out.
Which is critically important for simulating the sun... it's no good to blast corals with tons of light if it's not in the range they can use, and we do a lot of this, unfortunately, no matter what lighting system we use.
The PAR readings on these systems are all perfectly comparable to MHs. LEDs also don't put out tons of energy in the UV spectrum, which means you don't waste power generating that and then filtering it out again which is in part where a lot of their savings comes from.