LED Reef Lights

[Tomchong22]

I did. The 67k, compared to my 10k bulb will produce different lums, because there diffrenet spectrums. Yes it does matter. One that's made for fish/corals and the other being the 67k lighting the outside of your house. There's a reason why 67k MH bulbs are not used in alot of saltwater tanks, because they help in algae growth.

It's not the mh bulb temp at 6700k that promotes algae growth. Algae growth can come from alot of things. Ie to long of lights being on to much food stuff like that. And the reason they don't use them often is because. 1 6700k has a soft yellowish tint to it. And 2. Most want a bluish tint around the 10000k to14000k range and for reef tanks the 10000k is more appropriate for coral growth and color. There is absolutely no difference from a 6700k "aquarium bulb" and a 6700k bulb from homedepo except a fancy box.

As far as the debate over lumen output or mh bulbs mr.x is correct. A mh bulb will produce that many lumans. not to pick sides but you should listen to somebody who has alot more experience and time dedicated to this hobby. there is no need to get into an argument. Let's try and get back on re main topic of led lighting and if they are good for aquariums.

Personaly I would love to go with a good set of led light. I like the shimmering effect they give off. the main advantages of led lights is they do require les power and produce less heat and you never really have to replace the LEDs. The down side is for a good fixture it is prob worth your money to just invest in t5 or mh. The choice is really up to u.

 

[deepseadan]

All the debating aside, I do have a couple more thoughts which I've been pondering about for a while. Let me start by saying again my Ecoxotic panoramas LEDs have been wonderful, not a single complaint regarding any coral so far (1 year point). But maybe someone can weigh in on two questions / thoughts which have been bothering me.

1. My first question is especially for SPS and corals close to the surface of the water on the reef or in the tank. The sun and MH both direct ALOT of heat energy along with light into the tissue of the corals. I understand it comes as a package, but with LEDs this heat energy for the most part isn't there. Are there any consequences of that missing heat energy?

2. With LEDs getting so extreme with higher and higher wattage, ( EXAMPLE: wave-point coming out with a new high output 3.5 watt per led, 336 watt 48" fixture), it's getting to the point where is it really worth it. Other high power LED fixtures need to be hung way above the tank or spotlighting and coverage can be an issue. The initial costs are extremely expensive, the heat transfer / output is getting really hot (yes they do get very hot too, especially at 3 watts or more), and they're beginning to catch up to MH energy wise.

I know of others who have purchased high output LEDs, but ended up needing a chiller anyway. With my lower watt ecoxtics, I don't need a chiller at all, but if I needed a chiller anyway, I still would have to choose MH. I just don't have the money for a nicne chiller.

Of course I still feel light is only a third of the deal. In my opinion, water quality and current (water movement) are 2/3's of the equation. I've had far better success growing sps under PC and 1 watt LEDs, than others with halides and no experience.

 

[Tomchong22]

I think what your referring to on the first question is corals have a protective layer to held them from UVA and UVB spectrum of light. Not heat. There is a point where LEDs can be super powerful. Like the 3.5 watt. Keep in mind they r only for a high noon setting for lights. Only on for a few hours. Allot also has to do with what angle the LEDs are reflected at. Sone have a spotlight effect while others have a wider full coverage effect. A good fixture will have multiple types of LEDs ranging in watts. For instance morning lower wattage , highnoon , The actinic blue, and the just for show moonlights. Led are very capable of bleaching Lps and sps corals.

 

[mr_X]

I did. The 67k, compared to my 10k bulb will produce different lums, because there diffrenet spectrums. Yes it does matter. One that's made for fish/corals and the other being the 67k lighting the outside of your house. There's a reason why 67k MH bulbs are not used in alot of saltwater tanks, because they help in algae growth.

No, it's not spectrum here that differentiates the 2 lamps. they are both full spectrum bulbs. it's kelvin. as stated, the reason they aren't widely used is because they make the tank look yellow, which washes out the color of the corals. folks are using higher color temps because it makes the corals fluoresce.
A lower kelvin lamp will produce higher lumens than a higher k lamp, but the difference is not as great as you think. there is no way a 6500k lamp produces close to 40,000, and a 10k is knocked down to less than 6000.
Iwasaki makes a 6500k lamp for aquarium use, and many folks include a General Electric 6500k lamp in their T5 bulb lineups as well. The photosynthetically active radiation is higher in the lower K lamps and this is why they are offered and used. as for coral growth, any full spectrum bulb with enough PAR will grow corals, no matter the color. The corals just might not look as nice as you would have liked.
No debate here, I'm repeating facts.


-as for the heat question...i would think the heat under 78 degree water would be the same no matter how much heat the light source is emitting.