coral capable led lighting

[Gregcoyote]

Apolloreefled.com

This gentleman has done some nice quantitative tests with the LED panels I started using a year ago on my 300 gallon reef. I got tired of MH and the expense associated with running them for the past 18 years. I bought 3 of these units and 1 for my algae turf scrubber. I went from 1000 watts of MH to 330 watts of LED on the display tank. Went from 500 watts to 150 watts on the turf scrubber. As I have posted and shown before, coral growth has been very good and there has been zero down side to the move. Watch the YouTube video he has done where he measures PAR at 24" to be at over 300. It's a good video. YouTube

These units are only $350 each and should last 50,000 hours. Do the math, changing MH bulbs, power bill, chiller requirements, etc. In my view, these easy to use LED panels are superior to anything I have had in the past.

I also think they are safer. No big ballast to short out and catch fire (yes, this happens, I lost one of my LFS as a result of a ballast fire), no dangerous high pressure bulbs to remove and dispose of, and much less chance of getting burned from super hot bulbs.

I have gotten much flak about LEDs on this forum because there are so many overpriced LED units and so many LED units that are simply junk. This is different in my experience and should be looked at carefully before investing in MH or T5.

 

[slitherbomb]

I wish that they made units that were longer because it is very awkward for my 36" tank.

 

[Gregcoyote]

You might consider a DIY kit. The guy in the video recommends a distributor he uses for the same components he sells.
The broad angle these panels illuminate, you might be surprised and find that just one of them might do the job.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Good luck. Will watch for pictures. If you grow hard corals, you need to use even more LEDs to get the right intensity.

 

[Maya]

Thanks for this link Greg. I, for one, greatly appreciate your willingness to share your LED experience. It has had a positive impact on our own LED build. I completely understand your desire to find alternatives to MH. One of my strongest pet peeves to this hobby is the massive energy consumption/waste that it requires. It seems counterproductive to me to want a reef in my home to enjoy while knowing that my high energy usage may be contributing to the destruction of the natural reefs I am attempting to replicate. Not to mention that this hobby is expensive enough! I think that lighting is an area with a lot of room for growth in technology and LED holds a good deal of promise.

 

[Gregcoyote]

LED is interesting. My zoas are much, much smaller, but multiplying like mad under LED. My Xenia can't find a place in the tank dark enough, while my waving hand polyps are growing up to 10" long. My hard coral is doing well, slowly. I have a piece of elkhorn near the top that is doing well. I think people misevaluate the increase in PUR from LEDs, not just the PAR. LEDs are supplying a much fuller spectrum than MH or T5 which is mostly blue if running 20k. That will shrink lower light corals and bleach others if not careful. I just use come cardboard on the top of the tank in certain locations and let them adjust slowly to the brighter light.

 

[Maya]

I see a lot of "advice" on the lack of light from LED and I completely agree with you. I also notice that people want tanks that appear bright to their eyes but seem to forget that usable light to coral is much different than what the human eye can register. I love that with LED you are able to pinpoint along the light spectrum much more finely than with other light sources.

I'm a little concerned with our switch about how slowly we will need to convert over. I would hate to set anything back, or even worse, kill something because of a lighting change. The cardboard is a good idea.

 

[deepseadan]

Apolloreefled.com

This gentleman has done some nice quantitative tests with the LED panels I started using a year ago on my 300 gallon reef. I got tired of MH and the expense associated with running them for the past 18 years. I bought 3 of these units and 1 for my algae turf scrubber. I went from 1000 watts of MH to 330 watts of LED on the display tank. Went from 500 watts to 150 watts on the turf scrubber. As I have posted and shown before, coral growth has been very good and there has been zero down side to the move. Watch the YouTube video he has done where he measures PAR at 24" to be at over 300. It's a good video. YouTube

These units are only $350 each and should last 50,000 hours. Do the math, changing MH bulbs, power bill, chiller requirements, etc. In my view, these easy to use LED panels are superior to anything I have had in the past.

I also think they are safer. No big ballast to short out and catch fire (yes, this happens, I lost one of my LFS as a result of a ballast fire), no dangerous high pressure bulbs to remove and dispose of, and much less chance of getting burned from super hot bulbs.

I have gotten much flak about LEDs on this forum because there are so many overpriced LED units and so many LED units that are simply junk. This is different in my experience and should be looked at carefully before investing in MH or T5.

Which units do you have, the elite or ultra, and what "k". It's hard to tell how many LEDs on each unit, but is it 55. And how many watts per unit? Are you hanging yours, or are they mounted to a canopy? Also any issues with LEDs going bad? They're not cree LEDs, correct, I don't like the cree's.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I bought similar units to the elite. Hung them 6" off the water.
2/3 10k white 1 watt and 1/3 450nm blue. Give full PUR spectrum right in the corals sweet spot. They aren't Cree. No bad LEDs yet.

You need to add up the total wattage, 55 - 1 watt LEDs equals 55 watts, etc.

 

[deepseadan]

I bought similar units to the elite. Hung them 6" off the water.
2/3 10k white 1 watt and 1/3 450nm blue. Give full PUR spectrum right in the corals sweet spot. They aren't Cree. No bad LEDs yet.

You need to add up the total wattage, 55 - 1 watt LEDs equals 55 watts, etc.

Those LEDs look really good. I didn't know of them when I bought my LEDs, but I'm experiencing very good results as well. Mine are 1 watt too, 8000k and 453nm. You get more LEDs for the money with yours though. Have you grown many sps with yours? I've been gradually adding more and more to my tank and I'm getting faster growth than with my old t5s and my highest sps is 15" under the fixtures. Everyone gives me a hard time for getting LEDs, and especially 1 watt. The other day at my local fish store, a fellow customer was laughing and said 1 watt LEDs are a joke. He had some homemade fixture with 3 watt cree 's and spent the same as me. I'm starting to think there is some major misinformation regarding types of LEDs and what works well and what doesn't. Also, many are still stuck on the old thinking that higher watt is better, maybe because halides and fluorescent are that way. Of course with them, they gradually go bad from the minute they are installed. Many of the reviews and comparisons on cree's are done by the main distributors here in the US as well. A close friend of mine decided to go aquaray aquabeams instead of Ecoxotic, and to be truthful, we both agree on better results with the lower wattage LEDs. He's had two cree's go bad as well, and another may have an issue starting. I have no idea what my par is, but I agree it's the quality of the light too. I think many who don't see overpowering light, think it's not going to work. Oh well, it's to hard to argue with everyone, but in my opinion, personal experiences win.

 

[Gregcoyote]

What works works. My mushrooms exhibit what I would expect for a higher PUR density even at the bottom of my 32" tank. They are 1/3 the size of the ones in the overhangs out of the light, but they are multiplying like mad. I don't have a lot of hard coral, but frog spawn and hammer corals are growing daily. If I need more light, I can always add two more panels, but the way everything looks, I am getting plenty of light.

I have built high power lasers using diodes pumped up to 4 watts and more. Laughing at an array of hundreds of 1 watt LEDs is misinformed. That is a lot of usable light, if the LEDs are the right color combinations. Many articles support the fact that LEDs have a much broader spectrum centered on the corals sweet spot. Again, it is about total watts, not what each element can produce. Basically a panel with 100 1-watt LEDs is about the same as one with 50 2- watt LEDs. If they sell you a panel with 100 LEDs and it draws 5 watts, guess what, it is junk. The rest is circuitry (can be a big thing if done wrong) and heat dissipation for the LEDs. As well as lenses for focus and spacing. They come on instantly, run cool, last 50,000 hours and can grow corals...what is not to like?

 

[huma-huma]

i honestly feel that certain people downplay the advantages that led's bring to the table because, well they simply domt want to admit to something better...of course theres other reasons as well...but im extremely glad theres people like greg that take a step of faith and come out on the winning side...personally i wouldnt care what anyone said about led's....you went from 1500w of wasteful heat=producing MH to a couple hundred watts of super-effecient LED'S...and your seeing improvement in corals...along with sustainability

 

[Gregcoyote]

So far so good. It will be interesting as I start concentrating on SPS growth.

 

[Dary421]

Hey Greg,..I almost pulled the plug on a couple of stark 20 bulb, 60 w units for my tank but was advised by my buddies at the lfs to hold off,...they have a tank set up ( 40 gal + - ) as a display and they are running one unit over it but were unsatisfied with the results so far,...they were saying that different people have had different results concerning led's some favorable and some not,..their unit seems to grow some of the corals well while others just browned out ... I'm always drawn to the display like a moth to a light everytime i walk into their shop ,..I love the look of the led and the fact that you can dim the lights up or down to create the look you want , I love the shimmer look also,...... FOR NOW I replaced a couple of my old t5 bulbs with some newer ati bulbs ( much better color) but I did order a blue led stunner strip to run along side of my t5's. To add a shimmer ,but we'll have to see what they do for me when it arrives,.....I'm kinda like you in the fact that I like to try things a little different and seeing things for my self,.....I'm very interested in your results,... I still really want to try these units.,..but.......

 

[Gregcoyote]

The quality of the light is quite different. I too have seen some corals respond splendidly, but some not as well. I had the same thing with MH though, they are so much easier to deal with, I may just keep what works under them and get rid of the stuff that doesn't.

 

[melosu58]

Moved to General Hardware and equipment discussion.

 

[Maya]

I think that may be the key. I would rather tailor my corals to work with lighting that I find acceptably sustainable than the other way around. It's really about what you want from your tank. We want a relatively self-sustaining ecosystem that is healthy and thriving. Hence, a sump with a large refugium and no canister filters to change or clean. It kind of fits in with our greener style of living to have less energy consumption and neither my husband or I are really excited about the negatives of metal halide. But if your goal is to grow some really weird difficult and unusual coral... Well then your prerogatives change. It all depends on what you want from your tank. Hey... I refuse to have anything aggressive in my tanks because the aggression bothers me. Doesn't mean that I don't think that triggers aren't one of the most beautiful fish out there. Just doesn't fit into our vision for our ideal tank. To each their own. We are going with LED because it makes sense to us.

 

[Dary421]

The quality of the light is quite different. I too have seen some corals respond splendidly, but some not as well. I had the same thing with MH though, they are so much easier to deal with, I may just keep what works under them and get rid of the stuff that doesn't.

Greg... I'm soooo tempted right now.., mike my Lfs buddy is really an amazing individual he knows the whole history of my tank and everything I've ever put into it and where it's going., he did say that for what I have growing coral wise ( leathers , mushrooms, zoa's etc).. in my tank that I may be fine with the units but his overall view ( and the store ) is that they are alittle anti- led.....so far
They have this truly amazing coral tank that they have tried various lighting on , including led, mh ., and t 5's.. He said that some corals in that tank didn't like the mh and that some seemed happy with the led but overall for that tank the t5's worked best., so who knows? Trial and error I guess.
I'm sure that every lighting system has it's ups and downs.., maybe some might do this but not that.., all I know is that I like the look.... Alot.
I suppose if I did get these units and for some reason I didn't like them ., then I have my t5 unit that I could reuse .., someday I'll get another tank so I'm not too worried about it going to waste.
Maybe , like you ... If I got this unit(s) I'd only keep what grows under it.... And not try to grow things that it doesnt like...How do you fish react to the light?

 

[Gregcoyote]

Well said. There is nothing natural about a tank stuffed full of SPS corals. They don't grow that way on the reef and mixing corals from all over the planet makes you have to run activated carbon and other measures that just aren't sustainable. For you or the coral. It becomes a display garden, not a real reef. Even gardeners are careful about mixing plants from different regions. Life is about compromise (something politicians could benefit from) and so is your reef tank. I am eventually going solar for power generation, so MH is defiantly not in the picture.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Greg... I'm soooo tempted right now.., mike my Lfs buddy is really an amazing individual he knows the whole history of my tank and everything I've ever put into it and where it's going., he did say that for what I have growing coral wise ( leathers , mushrooms, zoa's etc).. in my tank that I may be fine with the units but his overall view ( and the store ) is that they are alittle anti- led.....so far
They have this truly amazing coral tank that they have tried various lighting on , including led, mh ., and t 5's.. He said that some corals in that tank didn't like the mh and that some seemed happy with the led but overall for that tank the t5's worked best., so who knows? Trial and error I guess.
I'm sure that every lighting system has it's ups and downs.., maybe some might do this but not that.., all I know is that I like the look.... Alot.
I suppose if I did get these units and for some reason I didn't like them ., then I have my t5 unit that I could reuse .., someday I'll get another tank so I'm not too worried about it going to waste.
Maybe , like you ... If I got this unit(s) I'd only keep what grows under it.... And not try to grow things that it doesnt like...How do you fish react to the light?

T5s are very good lights. I would use them before going back to MH. But if you want SPS corals, you may want to use something other than LED for now. I have had spectacular growth with softies and LPS, but still working on the SPS. But it could be a million things that are slowing my SPS growth, other than the lighting. I truly believe that many of my issues have been from underestimating how much light I have now. I am considering mixing LED with T5. might be the best of both worlds. I have put my Kalkwasser reactor back on line to see if that doesn't jazz up the SPS growth as it has in the past.