so what is the deal with leds?

[smarsh7903]

Yeah, you heard me, what's all the ruckus? I remember a few years or earlier(not entirely sure) when they were first coming out and they were crazy expensive and no one knew much about them. I remember a guy building one himself and not liking it. Well I did the smart thing that a broke young man can do- I waited. So now, its been a few years, some info should be out there by now, and hopefully those prices are out of the grands. First off, how do you determine the correct amount of light for your tanks? Marineland has a fixture that seems to me to not ave enough lights to fill up a 55 gal, at least not evenly, but for all I know each light could be equivalent to 10,000 burning suns. I do not see watts! Also, what about kelvin temps? And the one that bugs me the most..... how long do they last or do you have to buy a million $30.00 bulbs every six months? Are they fine for planted tanks and can reefers use them? Thanks for hearing and can someone explain the hype to this T5 man?

Sent from my X10a using Aquarium

 

[Welshy]

Also very interested to find out more about this!

 

[uscamaro]

LEDs are the "In" lighting, however they are expensive. I was looking to get some for my 55g but I had to purchase 3 of them (Ecoray 60D) at $299 each so I wouldn't have to worry about shadows between each fixture. They lighting is great, but it's direct, so you don't get much spread. Here's an example of what I mean:



You can't compare LEDs to other fixtures using watts. As with all lighting, it's all about the PAR ratings (numerous articles can be found on here about PAR). LEDs have excellent PAR ratings, equivalent to that of metal halides.

LEDs are most desirable because the bulbs last 10x longer than any other T5/MH bulb, emit practically no heat, and consumer less energy than any competitors. Also, you can dim some models to simulate cloud cover and various times of the day.

The Marineland LEDs are great for FW/planted tanks, but do not put out the required PAR numbers to be used for successful reefs. In the end, LEDs will 1 day take over the market, but since companies are just starting to produce these in mass numbers, it's going to take a few more years until you're looking at prices in the "T5/MH fixture" range... (think of them as HDTVs, prices will come down eventually).

[(my entire review and outlook on LEDs is from my reef research)]

 

[BigJim]

LEDs are more efficient than T5s and you don't have to replace bulbs very often. That's the draw to them. They also add the shimmer effect of MH or any point light source.

I built an LED fixture for a 20H planted tank and I've been able to grow high-light plants using 30W of LEDs. LEDs do put out heat, but it's not terrible. The aluminum tubing I used for the fixture frame does an adequate job as a heat sink. There's a link in my signature if you're interested.

 

[smarsh7903]

So you can replace the bulbs jim? How do you calculate par numbers camaro? I never did that, nor did I know about par to begin with.

Sent from my X10a using Aquarium

 

[Vircomore]

"PAR Rating" has some fairly complex calculations behind it - but it basically translates into 'How well the light cuts through the water'. Just like sunlight, aquarium lights are not as bright on the bottom of the tank as they are at the surface.

Better PAR = Light stays brighter to deeper depths of water.

LEDs have a better PAR because their bulbs are a fairly direct light that shines down into the tank - where a fluorescent bulb requires reflectors to get the most light into the tank.

 

[jenatron]

You can occasionally find PAR ratings at different distances for some bulbs/fixtures if you search for it. But it's found through a PAR meter.

 

[BigJim]

PAR stands for photosynthetically available radiation. Basically it's the light with the right qualities to support photosynthetic organisms. You need a meter to measure it and the meter isn't very cheap. Reef clubs will often buy a meter and share it among members. When I was designing my LED fixture, I did find a thread that listed PAR numbers for T5HO and LEDs on the same tank at the same location. The link is in the LED fixture link in my signature. That comparison sold me on LEDs.

I can replace a busted diode if I have to. I attached my LEDs with screws, so I'd simply have to desolder the leads and unscrew the LED. If the fixture uses epoxy, it would take a lot more work.

 

[Jnam]

LEDs do have an upfront cost that is greater than most lighting solutions but in the long they are comprable to the rest. A T5 setup requires new bulbs every 6-12 months LEDs will last a great deal longer measure it in years not months. Halides are the same in terms of bulb life. Its hard to compare though I love T5 the bulb combinations are awesome so many colors and spectrums to choose from and thats my favorite parte. LEDs with the excepetion of tuning by dimming your emmitter colors are set.

LEDS give you the shimaz!