I do respect some of the above poster's comments and or opinions but it's definitely getting deep enough to need hip boots on reading others. Facts are that photons are photons and does not matter the source, though LED's give us the capability to very accurately create precise blends of needed/wanted spectrum far better than either of other options. Back to my earlier comments stating that most all issues regarding LED's are due to lack of understanding even though all the needed information is easily accessible through this Forum and others. If LED fixture is labeled as a replacement for a 400w MH and you run it at a 100% or close to above a 40B and burn your Corals is this really a fault in the lighting...... NO! But most definitely a fault/failure with the operator. As for 'Full/Broad Spectrum' fixtures go there are several available that are at par (pun intended) or better than most brand new MH Lamps or T5 combo's but will not radically degrade in just 9-12 months. The 'RED' article was very limited and lacking in real life application, and for your information there is more Red spectrum in most MH and T5 setups. The one thing I did find very interesting and useful was their theory on Red Radiation possibly being a measuring tool for Coral to determine overall light intensity and adjust their photosynthetic cycle with.
We're all entitled to our own opinions and most definitely state mine frequently but wish we could get away from all this misinformation and hearsay on LED's in general as makes it very difficult for the people who really are interested in learning useful and factual information about them.
Lastly, really need to get Chris over to my place and Duane's; (trido) to see in person what LED's done correctly really is like.
Cheers, Todd
Todd, I had a 400w over my display with nice color and a radion g2 over my frag tank (same water) running acclimation mode for 6 weeks and never actually passing 50% intensity. I still managed to fade SPS under the LED. Please tell me how this was a "user error". I have seen this scenario on several local tanks from experienced SPS reefers as well. As you know, the higher end LED get pricey. I think it's a little absurd to drop a few K on lighting an then have to do your research to see why you are burning your SPS when you are already running these lights very dim.
On the other hand I have seen these same lights do pretty well on reefs. Only difference that I consistent saw was that the better reefs had higher nutrient levels and generally more zoox in their SPS (darker colors). There have been several cheaper LED fixtures with results that catch my eye, Evergrows in particular.
The point that I am really getting at is that there are many, many experienced reefers having bad experiences with LED. We would all love to reap the benefits of low heat, low operating cost, and low profile, but there is something negative that is not being address, deliberately ignored, or shunned of as user error. In the end, the results speak for themselves.