I WANT LEDs to work! sooo....

[snowmansnow]

ok, as of years past I WANT LEDs to work....

I realize there are 3 camps here.
1 : LED's aren't here yet... spectrum isn't right... intensity is weird.. all that

2: LED's are GREAT, but to make it work long term you REALLY need to DIY them

3: LED's are the best thing ever... period... the SUPER expensive fixtures are just fine.

OK... lets ASSUME I want LEDs to work on my 120 SPS tank.. and that I was going to make a full blown LED canopy.... and that I'm perfectly able to DIY most anything...

Based on things you've learned over the last few years what things do I need to consider to do it right?

Links to other threads?

Personal experience ?

What do I need to do to make it work, so that 2 years from now i'm not saying "oh crap I wish I hadn't done that"

B

 

[ringo®]

I would even say the cheap fixtures work just fine.

 

[miami dolfan]

Add lenses (Optics) and you'll be happy with them. The cheaper ones will be just as good.

 

[sn4k33y3z]

This I can tell you. I share my experience as a building engineer and these are very current topics on our properties with professional lighting vendors. First and foremost LED's today are far superior then what you've seen last year! It was true, at one point the color rendering of LED's wasn't quit there. This technology has improved leaps and bounds. Without going off the deep end, IMHO I am VERY comfortable with LED's. especially ones using CREE LED's. Currently I have 2700k LED's replacing my old 2700k incondescent light bulbs and they look even better. Last year, you couldn't find an LED with a color rendering close enough for me to make a switch. This year I did!

Being new to the hobby I can't comment in how they'll affect coral growth... However, I know I can control the output and the color very well. It wasn't until last year that they made a dimmable version. Try to go to Home Depot and TRY to buy a dimmable fluorescent... I've had those for years LOL. Just my two cents.

 

[snowmansnow]

Is it reeferman that has been trying led a while now?

I'm very cautious. I have done SPS colonies the size of my head, and I'm not interested in tech that looks good, but doesn't care for my animals.

 

[snowmansnow]

Btw if you're referring to t5s you can buy some high end dimables that are awesome and proven reef warriors

 

[jimmystephens]

Ive had the same leds for over a year with good result. Tao tronics. About $200-250 each fixture.

 

[snowmansnow]

I have to say the prices have DROPPED DRAMATICALLY over the last 3 years or so

I don't know if this is a "REAL" LED fixture or not, but...

 

[ringo®]

It's real enough. I've been happy with mine. The guy that runs that company is a little flaky on his shipping times though.

 

[snowmansnow]

The site states 2-3 weeks

 

[ringo®]

Yeah.............that means absolutely nothing. He does say on his facebook page that he's getting more 48's soon. I think tomorrow maybe?

 

[snowmansnow]

still exploring options... waiting to hear back from some gurus no offense to anyone

 

[ripped tide]

Why not do a DIY LED T5 combo?

 

[rskillz]

DIY LED + 2 T5 Supplements. Good to go! Just copy reeferman's setup. Pretty hard to argue with those results....

 

[bulkrate]

Depends on your application. Over larger tanks, LEDs done right can get pricy but not outlandish on the DIY side. Over a nano tank? Hands down awesome... not many lighting technologies combine so many pros with so few cons. I honestly never considered anything else when setting up my first reef tank a couple years ago.

Took some trial and error, mind you. But nowadays the color issues are largely corrected and the ins and outs understood. On a bigger tank I still think the sweet spot's a 4-6 mixed tube T5HO with LED supplementation. Vista's got that over his tank, and even using some older AI modules it looks sweet.

 

[ff337]

I have been researching leds for a while. Many people with sps dominate tanks. I have found supplement their leds with t5. Even only two of them. Add reflectors to increase the par of the t5s up to 300%

I am about to order 3 fixtures from reefledlights. The p47 set up. If I need to supplement with t5s I have a full kit currently supplementing my triple 400 watt radiums. I am going try to take weekly progress pictures for a year solid.

 

[reeferman]

Brandon,i returned your pm

 

[morganatlanta]

Unless you want to do something really special, I would just go with a pre-made fixture. The reef breeders ones look pretty good. If you do DIY, there are also some nice kits out there now to help make the end product look good. I'm glad I can hide my two year old DIY in the canopy...

 

[reeferman]

as far as component quality,theres not a fixture out there that utilizes all of the highest quality components[led bins,drivers,heatsinks,optics]that you can utilize in a diy build.all manufactures skimp somewhere.on led fixtures,its usually the led binning that is skimped on.binning is the single most important aspect of high quality leds.
i was in the same boat as you about two years ago with having very precious acropora that i didnt want to lose to an inferior light source.my acros have flourished under the leds and most people who see the tank in person say the colors look like a zeo tank.

 

[bluespot]

I have only seen pics, and yeah, his growth and coloration are both ridiculous. Made a believer out of me for DIY setups and I will go that route on my next tank.