What LED systems do you run? - I want to hear from those that have been running for a year or more.

[ntime60]

I'm researching LED lighting systems. I would like to know what you veterans run for LED lighting.

My tank is a 90G 48x18x24, mixed reef. Some SPS, LPS, softies, and a few fish. I have an Aquaticlife 4 bulb T5 with moon lights on it.

I'm curious as to what everyone runs and how well they perform. The Internetz seems to have an abundance of information on par, pur, watts and such, but really relatively little on long term effects of LEDs with regards to particular systems.

I have read enough information to make me dizzy with info overload and I am very technically inclined.

So what do you all run that works?

 

[TJ's Reef]

I'm usually all about DIY in this hobby as can and do typically 'build a better mousetrap' and would certainly put my Broad Spectrum DIY LED array up against any fixture currently on the market. BUT, for the money there are certainly some fantastic value in a handful of Chinese imports like Reef Radiance and Reef Breeders which even allow some factory modifications to the emitter layout and optics used. And you can easily tweak them once you receive them to further make them to your specifications. The only so-called high-end LED fixtures that I call a value would be from Kessil as they truly have a uniquely controlled multi-chip emitter that's very different from the pack/competition...... and haven't found a way to copy it.... yet.


Cheers, Todd

 

[cpayne015]

used ecoexotic leds n liked them...had reef brite xhos on my 120 and really liked them and now I have kessil 360w and they are ridiculous at what they can do...best lights without I doubt I have ever had and can use them off apex

 

[Eckolancer]

I've done leds for about 5 years always had DIYs they work great at growing everything. I've built about 50 units for friends and local reefers. Now I have switched to kessils for the clean looks. They appear dimmer but I'm getting more of the colors you see from t5s out of the corals. Very happy with them.

 

[Mat1018]

I really like my oceanrevive s026 led I have had great growth and color with them. Yea they aren't some 350$ system but for the money I'm more then happy with them.

 

[jpines]

I'm running Maxspect Razor's over 2 different tanks and I'm getting some good results..they've been on my tank for about 3.5 months and my SPS, LPS, and zoas are showing good growth

 

[mike007]

Orphek leds are what I use and I totally love them.

 

[ntime60]

Thanks for the replies all. I have thoughts of going DIY, just because there seems to be significant differences between brands with both LED combinations and functionality.

Orphek and Kessil both have the same problem to me and that is cost. Man they are expensive. Is the cost worth it? Do you get that much more of an improvement over other less expensive options?

I've been eyeing the ZetLight 6600 and the Maxspect Razor because they are half the cost of the others. I've also been looking at AI Hydra 52 and Ecotech Radion XR30w G3. According to "The Big Led poll" Echotech, DIY, Kessil, and AI Hydra are 1, 2, 3, 4 respectively.

This is what got me to thinking about the longer term effects. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is, is LEDs a fad or here to stay? Should I go MH? It is tried and true.

My 4 lamp T5 system isn't bad, it is not the best by any stretch either This is what I'm trying to do is improve what I have, but I want to be as sure as I can, I'm putting the money in the right place for the right reasons.

One thing I'm finding in my research is a lot of misinformation and that has led me here to ask everyone who has been using LEDs for a long time to see how they are in the real world and is it worth changing.

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Vetex LED's! I love them. They really make everything glow!

 

[choff]

I initially ran t5s (all ati) and then switched to Kessils. The look alike blew me away. The shimmer was awesome. I noticed an improvement in color, but a drop off in growth. I have since started running both and everything is starting to take off. Personally, I think combo is the way to go.

 

[Jimbo662]

I ran AI Vega's on my first tank for about a year and a half. Couldn't get SPS to survive at all...I don't think I could ever get them dialed in correctly. I switched to two kessil A360WE's (my current tank is about the size of yours) and I've got everything growing now. A single head blasto that I've had for about a year now has 3 babies sprouting on it. A superman rhodactis that started out around 2" grew to almost 4" in 3 mths and just finished splitting and I'm seeing good growth on several SPS's and monti's. The thing I like best about them is there is just the two setting to deal with, color and intensity.

 

[TJ's Reef]

LED's are certainly here to stay and are not just a passing phase. For me I would not even consider going back in tech to MH or T5 and as simply as I can state it, this is the/my reasoning : Photons are Photons PERIOD, does not matter the source of said Photons PERIOD, LED tech is superior in every way PERIOD....... BUT, they (LED's) take some basic understanding/knowledge to properly utilize. MH and T5 lamps do have one use advantage, that is in a 'Plug-n-Play application which could be done....again with LED fixtures as most were in the beginning (non-dimmable 1w emitters) but takes away one of there primary tech advantages.

Basic Biology/Science proves that most Corals can/will survive/thrive under just a couple of peaks in the overall (PAR) light spectrum hence the abundance of 450-480nm Blue in all popular Reef Lights and some with secondary peaks in one or more of 410-420nm Violet, 505-525nm Cyan/Green or 630-670nm Red/Hyper Red. Beyond these most necessary ranges of PAR the in between spectral ranges give us humans the ability to see other reflected colors besides those being fluoresced by the Violet->Blue->Green range.

LED tech allows us to be very specific in providing near pinpoint accuracy in desired spectrum, both for the health of the Coral/Plant and for the aesthetic appeal to us or how we see colors. Once this desired combination has been achieved with LED's it (spectral output) is a very stable long lasting approach to lighting.

MH and T5 tech is more of a 'Shotgun' approach to lighting meaning technically by the very nature of Incandescent or Fluorescent output there is a very broad spectral output that we can manipulate only so much. The phosphors and elements applied to manipulate spectral output are not long-term stable and degrade fairly quickly and why the need to replace so frequently. It is also unfortunate that the 'Colors' we like/need the most out of these style lamps are some of the first to go/degrade.

In summary for most all MH and T5 lamps there are 'Spectral Charts' available that allow us to emulate or copy the overall desired spectrum with LED's so that you have a long lasting nearly unchanging, low heat, more energy efficient means of lighting our Reeftanks. For my own use I emulated the Phoenix 14K lamp which IMHO is/was the pinnacle of achieving the best overall growth plus color of its time.

My $0.06 as usual Cheers, Todd

 

[archaic37]

11 months (September start up) 40B low nutrient.

I run a DIY system and grow SPS well and the light packs a punch, but I know the spectrum could be expanded upon.

20 Cree xte royal blue
10 cree xte neutral white
10 hyper violets
5 ocean coral white

I will be upgrading soon to a 48x18x18 tank. It will consist of 4 clusters of this

2 luxeon M royal blue
1 vero 10 90CRI
4 hyper violet
1 rebel es red
1 rebel es deep red
4 rebel es cool blue
2 rebel es cyan

I built a single cluster of this and put it over my 20L lps softy tank which all used to be in my 40. Despite my 40 being a low nutrient system, the softies and LPS are exhibiting colors that I haven't seen in them before.

 

[saintperez]

Related to this I'm interested in learning what is an accurate PUR measurement tool and is there a translation matrix to PAR values. Seems like everyone is complaining about the same thing, inaccurate PAR readings on LED. So are there PUR readers out there that people in the hobby are using? And so I would imagine we want to compare that to what the industry standard, PAR.

 

[J Rog]

I guess im the first on this thread to say I have the radion Gen3 Pro's upgraded units from the Gen 1's..

 

[Eckolancer]

Kessils 360we, 3 on a 48wide x 26long x 20deep. I have used DIY for about 5 years now. Once I made the switch to Kessil I noticed that corals were closer to T5 colors. My last diy had all the colors but things would always have a slight green hue.

 

[60squared]

Have both seen and produced good results with the radion it's so powerful and versatile I'd recomend it for almost any application

 

[hart24601]

I like reefbreeders and have been using them for well over a year. I have come to believe that LEDs need to cover the entire length of the tank, or nearly the entire length. I, in the past few months, have started not to like really intense pucks, but widely distributed LEDs. I have 2 values over my 36" tank and will get 3 values for my 120 48" I am planning and just run them at a lower intensity. One of the biggest problems I have had is self-shading or spotlighting and covering the surface with more LEDs run at a lower power really helps with this. Because I have rock stacked up in the back I also tilted the fixtures 10 degrees sloping back to provide more distribution. I think more manufactures will go to this design rather than concentrated groups of LEDs. The best fixture out there does it already, the Orphek, but they are too much $$ for me and more cheaper fixtures like the values do a great job. The ghl mitras is well distributed too, it seems overseas is ahead of us with this.

I think because the 1st LEDs on the market were weak cheap strip lights the hobby has it stuck in their heads that using a few ultra power LEDs is the way to go, but that makes too much shadowing and if you have large colonies it will run into trouble eventually.

 

[watdachuck]

I switched from dual 250 MH's supplemented with actinic on my old tank to a Radion Pro for my 50G cube. I think they are great now that I know how important acclimation mode is. They can bleach easy when at 100% intensity right off the bat.

 

[mr.Green]

I have a 10K 160w maxspect razor on a 40*40*120 cm tank. I've only been running this on this tank, but used MH before. I'm very satisfied with it. Though I'm going to complement it with a kessil in the future to light a part of