LED lighting Question

[bayreefer]

So Ive been hearing a lot about the new LED lighting and was trying to get some info on them and found a product that I think is matching up with what people are talking about but Im not sure. If anyone could tell me if this is what everyone has been talking about I would appreciate it

Description
Main Features
Marineland LED Double Bright Lighting System
LED Lighting Features:
* 17,000 Lifetime Hours
* Slim stylized lighting profile
* Illuminated by energy efficient LED's (75 Lumens per 1 watt LED)
* (16) 1W Daylight LED's Totaling 1,200 Lumens
* (8) Lunar LED Lamps
Additional features:
* Three Mode On/Off Switch: Allows you to provide a variety of lighting profiles including daytime, lunar and off positions.
* Single Power Source: Low voltage power supply increases safety and peace of mind. Less cords, less clutter.
* Flexible Mounting System: Stylish yet adjustable mounting legs offer flexibility in tank sizes. Adjustable to fit tanks 36" to 48" wide.
* Polycarbonate Lens Shimmer Effect: Mimics underwater effect of sunlight

 

[swimmer4uus]

It's a lot better than what most people are finding, but still not the preferred types of LED. Generally, you're going to want to have 3w LEDs. If you have a shallow tank this would work ok. I must stress, it's not the PREFERRED LED type. Also, not enough LEDs. How much is it?

 

[bayreefer]

Originally Posted by swimmer4uus
http:///forum/post/3229004
It's a lot better than what most people are finding, but still not the preferred types of LED. Generally, you're going to want to have 3w LEDs. If you have a shallow tank this would work ok. I must stress, it's not the PREFERRED LED type. Also, not enough LEDs. How much is it?
It was only $200, which is why it peaked my interest. Why are the 3 watts better? How many LEDs are enough?

 

[wangotango]

Originally Posted by bayreefer
http:///forum/post/3229027
It was only $200, which is why it peaked my interest. Why are the 3 watts better? How many LEDs are enough?
What size tank do you have and what do you plan on keeping?
Along with what swimmer said, there are some cheapo crappy LED units out there which are attractive because they're cheap and are probably only good for accent lighting. Then there are the higher-end units. IMO this is probably somewhere in the middle. I think one of the problems people have when choosing an assembled unit is that there isn't a whole lot to go off of. Most of the people that are successfully keeping coral with LEDs built their own fixtures or are using something like the AI units, so nobody really has any experience or opinions about anything else.

 

[swimmer4uus]

Yes, like Tango has already mentioned, there really isn't that much backgroud to work on. We're really at the begining stages of LEDs for a reef tank. So far, it seems like the 1w LEDs are not going to cut it. They lack the power to get enough light to corals. Even 3w LEDs lack a little power, but this can be overcome by using optics to focus the beam of light. Downside of this is you get the "spotlight" effect, and thus need a different spacing to get even coverage over the tank.

 

[bayreefer]

Thanks for clearing that all up for me, I guess Ill just stick with MH untill the LEDs can be better tweaked