Diffrence between LED and Flouresent??

[FishBoy185]

I have a Flouresent light on my 75 right now an I'm thinking I should go to LEDs. Whats the difference between LED and Flouresent lighting?

 

[fort384]

Florescent lighting uses electrical current in a mercury vapor to excite electrons to produce light. LEDs are light emitting diodes that emit photons through electroluminescence.

Beyond that, there are a myriad of varieties of each type of lighting you listed, and there are pros and cons to each... cost, cost to operate, wavelength of light, point lighting vs. diffuse lighting, wattage, color temperature, etc. etc. There are also fixtures in both categories that are great for coral, plants, etc, and there are fixtures in both categories that are junk.

What is it you are trying to accomplish, and we might be able to narrow in on what it is you want to know.

 

[vexxiang]

I'm kind of interested in this too. I'm a big believer in LEDs, but how do they rate/compare with growing plants? Do LEDs provide the same spectrum and luminosity as a fluorescent?

 

[fort384]

It very much depends on the led you choose. There is a wide range of LEDs from terrible to great.

I only use LEDs now and keep a nice reef with lots of sps and have had a couple of FW planted tanks that have done great with LEDs.