LED Lighting?

markw

markw

Member
Okay, maybe Im missing something. I havent been around these parts for about 3-4 months, now I come back and there are fully LED light fixtures for the tanks? Im kind of confused. Are these fixtures used instead of regular lighting (T5/MH/CF/etc.) or as an addition to them? What are the advantages/disadvantages of a system like this? Can you keep corals with them? If so, what kinds (LPS/SPS/Softies, etc)?
Thanks everyone in advance.
Mark
 
swimmer4uus

swimmer4uus

Member
One of the local LFS is a dealer of the Sunbrite LED system. They claim that their "bulb" is a direct replacement into a t12 system. I've looked at them, and the light strip is encased in a t8 bulb type cylinder, with t12 endcaps. I myself wouldn't put them as a direct replacement. I believe most other LED systems are a full system, plug and play. My opinion is DIY is THE best way to do it. You can fully customize your system, with fairly basic items. Although, you want to use caution, as electricity can be dangerous....blah blah blah.
 
anjiro

anjiro

Member
There is more than one type but as Swimmer said DIY seems to be the best way to do it as most complete systems are about 600+ bucks. Using Cree XR-E LED's you can achieve extensively bright lighting. The most common accepted brightness of 24 3watt LED's (12 white and 12 blue) for most customized options, is equivalent to 175 watt Metal Halide, i.e. you can keep pretty much anything with the LED's as they have about the same penetrating power as Metal Halide and produce the desired Shimmer effect Here are two images over a 75gallon one with par readings included, this tank has two sets of 24 LED"S alternating blue and white

 
anjiro

anjiro

Member
This is the same tank of a picture posted today so its been up and running LED's for about a year now. There has been some sick growth on the orange monti
 
swimmer4uus

swimmer4uus

Member
Originally Posted by Anjiro
http:///forum/post/3225902
There is more than one type but as Swimmer said DIY seems to be the best way to do it as most complete systems are about 600+ bucks. Using Cree XR-E LED's you can achieve extensively bright lighting. The most common accepted brightness of 24 3watt LED's (12 white and 12 blue) for most customized options, is equivalent to 175 watt Metal Halide, i.e. you can keep pretty much anything with the LED's as they have about the same penetrating power as Metal Halide and produce the desired Shimmer effect Here are two images over a 75gallon one with par readings included, this tank has two sets of 24 LED"S alternating blue and white
Yes, this is the tank I'm modeling my build after. Too bad we can't post links to that thread. It's pretty amazing really. Had to be split three different times. Although, I'm going with one more bank than he is, but non the less. The before and after pictures in his thread are pretty amazing, also he shows it with only the blues one. Crazy.
 
swimmer4uus

swimmer4uus

Member
Originally Posted by Markw
http:///forum/post/3225916
Looks great! Is it camera error why it looks purple?
Mark
No. He's got 50/50 equal ammounts of white, and royal blue. I think it gives a little too much blue light all together, but just my opinion. Plus, the crees are royal blue. Maybe they give off a "purple" rather than true blue.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Just for info. I talked to a friend at a big online retailer. He expects huge improvements and much lower prices over the next couple of years on LED fixtures. (Duh! Isn't that true of all new technology?) He also said he was just blown away by the new LED stuff that's just around the corner. If the greenies find out how many watts are used to keep fish/reefs; the LEDs will be required by law.
 
tstewart

tstewart

New Member
i highly recommend LED systems!!!
i have had one over my 90 gallon for almost a year now with soft corals, SPS, fish and everything loves it. its a 48" with about 30 LEDs Reds, Blues and White spectrums. i have a controller that can mix any of the colors and it is simply amazing. LEDs are the new wave for the serious aquarist and they are going to take off by storm. A local company here in dallas tx actually built mine custom for me. i dont have any pics of my tank on this computer but i will post some soon. here is a pic of my torch that i actually just got from saltwaterfish.com about 20 days ago..its the only pic i have on this computer... you can see how big it is and it loves the LEDs
...this is with all 2 light spectrums on in mid-day....
 
nycbob

nycbob

Active Member
agreed that led lighting is the future, but i also recommend that most of us should just stick with pc, t5 or mh in the next 2-3 years minimum. led is still very new, expecially when it comes to reef keeping, that it isnt cost effective for most of us. with any new technology, the beginners always pay a premium and hv to deal with the bugs. in 2-3 years when led becomes more mainstream and prices come down, then thats when most of us should get in. this is very similar to metal halide technology when it 1st came out for reef-keeping. mh was very very pricey at 1st, only to come down in price eventually. why invest $600-800 now when much better led system could be had in 2-3 years with lower prices?
 
anjiro

anjiro

Member
Eh, thats why its beneficial to DIY mostly I'm doing it for the fun and the challenge and currently in the aspect of replacement of lights LED"s only lose aboutu 30% of intensity after 11.5 years at 12 hrs a day. Pretty cost effective I personally think.
 
swimmer4uus

swimmer4uus

Member
Yes, you guys all make good points. I personally have never been one to buy an off the shelf item, when I could DIY. It's really a matter of personal opinion. I'm very excited to see what the next couple of years will bring. Too bad that stupid blanket patent (we'll leave the companys name out) on LED lighting for a fishtank. Come on, please. I'll never do business with them...ever
 
nycbob

nycbob

Active Member
i absolutely agreed that this is mostly for the diy, since a led-ready fixture costs so much currently when compared to other lighting options. i will certainly keep track of the people who r doing the diy-led. i just want to clarify that i am not against led. i think for most hobbyists, led isnt an option yet since its still at its infancy stage when it comes to reef lighting.
 
tstewart

tstewart

New Member
Here are some pics that i promised i would post of my tank.. i agree with what everyone is saying they can get pricy but i def think it is worth the investement. they do save you money in the long run you dont have to keep buying new MH bulbs at 50-80$ a pop and they run sooooo much cooler than MH.... so i live in texas and have never needed a chiller! i keep my house at a constant temp and the tank never fluctuates plus they save on your electric bill.. this was actually built by a buddy of mine that was a DIY and then it took off and he started building these for people at really cheap prices.. you can def get a unit for under 600 depending on your tank.. well here are some pics sorry about the clarity it was only taken on my phone...




 
tstewart

tstewart

New Member
i should clarify the 1st pic and 3rd pic are from a seperate nano tank then my main tank.. didnt mean to confuse anyone...
both tanks are run with the same LEDs phillips 3watts...blue, red, white spectrums with controllable switches...
 
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