LEDs and Acropora...Please shed some light on this topic (urrghhhh...)

[ritter6788]

Some might remember a few years ago that "Radiums were for color only, not growth". You "had to" use 6500k-10,000k for growth. That thinking has disappeared now.

I think that confidence in which lighting you use has more to do with it than which type you actually use. Maybe more importantly, find a light you like and leave it alone. Every time I change lights or bulbs my livestock has to readjust before it starts growing again.

 

[Battlecorals]

Some might remember a few years ago that "Radiums were for color only, not growth". You "had to" use 6500k-10,000k for growth. That thinking has disappeared now.

I think that confidence in which lighting you use has more to do with it than which type you actually use. Maybe more importantly, find a light you like and leave it alone. Every time I change lights or bulbs my livestock has to readjust before it starts growing again.

Very much are with this. I think a lot of people running LED's that are really easy to "tweak" struggle because they never stop "tweaking". It's fun and cool I know but ultimately not ideal at all.

 

[Battlecorals]

@Battlecorals Adam what Reefbreeder LED are you using?
Did you have it custom made or is the light one of their production models?
Having the light 20" above the water surface how much area will is cover effectively for SPS?
How deep are the coral under the water surface.
I'm sure you've already answered all of these questions in the past..

Hey Gary,

happy to answer and I'll just go down the pipe if that ok.

• I'm running the standard layout. Nothing different or modded at all.
• I can cover 24" wide on problem with one fixture at that height. lower light stuff stays on the edges for sure.
• corals about 3-6 inches below the surface

Pay no mind to the over all dinginess, but here's a shot of one of my 8' tanks lit entirely with led's. one 48" and one 32".

Everything in the pic I posted earlier in the thread came from this tank. You can see the height of the fixtures as well. Fan hasn't ran once since the switch

 

[Pappy]

My experience with leds and sps over a 2 years experience was:

Grew corals like weeds
Colors morphed to lots of green and blue
The colors weren't "right".
Good growth and good color (to an acclimated eye if you will) but not the right color.

I also feel that my eyes adjusted to the morphing. Luckily I collected mostly named pieces and when seeing that they were growing but color was off the only variable was leds

Switched to t5 everything changed in 30 days for the better

 

[mwilk19]

Scott,
This is a piece of Garf Bonsai I bought from Unique Corals in October of last year. I have 4 Build My Led fixtures over a 150 gal. tall tank. Initially, it was very pale for about a month or so but began to color up. It's encrusting the rock although it hasn't grown much vertically. Please excuse the photography skills but it gives a good idea of the coloration of this coral.

 

[buzzword]

Adam I don't know how you did it with the Reef Breeders because i had 2 Photon 32's over my 200g on yo yo's from the ceiling and could not grow anything to save my life. I went from 250w Radiums in Denver to LED's when I moved to the beach. Gave them over a year and just couldn't get it done. Now to ATI 8x80w T5 Sunpower and corals have taken off and grown more in 2 months under T5 than they did in a year with LED.
As stated I cannot grow corals under LED's but LED's can grow corals, and you are proof of that. Awesome sticks you have Adam!

 

[Damon]

I love my breeders also. I used them(2 16's) on my last 110 tank(4 foot) and am using them now (1 24 and 1 48) on my 180(6 foot).

Adam, beautiful pictures! And it's amazing what these can do. I'm just the opposite of the poster, lol, I, for the life of me, can't grow anything under halides. I tried for over a year with no success on my old tank.. I switched to led and bam!, 3 months later my frags had grown twice their size at least..

On this tank (180),i upgraded a month and a half ago. No losses at all. But I went from a 50 to this, so I'm still trying to find my sweet spot with the wider and longer setup. I also, now am running 3 t5's(3 80 watt) ,just for honestly the fill, but my little frags look promising so far from the colors they have begun morphing to. I just am dying to see how they all pan out.

But I love my leds and can't imagine even trying to go to another type..

 

[AcroNem]

Great pics everyone! On some of my SPS I have the same issue with LED as stated before. SPS tend to get a little lighter or morph under my lighting (Maxspect razor 16k, been over the tank from the start) everything grows like crazy and colors of Zoas and LPS are amazing but SPS struggle sometimes with holding their original color. Maybe the intensity is too high, still learning with LEDs.

 

[Rob.D]

I have used PC, MH, T5, and now LED; I have a collection of ~45 different acropora, about 3/4 of my collection began browned out or bleached.....a few pics of my collection, all colors are from "Chinese" LED's.

 

[Chris Adams]

Reef Radiance IT2040 14" over 38 Nuvo. I run my whites at 35% because my joe turned more white than green at higher%, tips were still blue(this is about 20" from light). Guess I could have raised the light but I question if there is any benefit to running at at higher height and white intensity than running it lower and less intensity?

Overall things have done well but boy I have an itching for some type hybrid. I just see the t5/led combos or the MH/led or the mh/t5 systems and hard to argue with the colors ... I need some antacid

 

[Chris Adams]

I have used PC, MH, T5, and now LED; I have a collection of ~45 different acropora, about 3/4 of my collection began browned out or bleached.....a few pics of my collection, all colors are from "Chinese" LED's.

beautiful!!
How high are your lights over tank and what percentage blues and white?
Tanks size etc

 

[Rob.D]

beautiful!!
How high are your lights over tank and what percentage blues and white?
Tanks size etc

Thank you,
The display is a Deep Blue 60 rimless, left side light is ReefRadiance dm-165 Blues 100% whites/reds/greens ~50% right side light is no name "Ebay" style 165 watt fixture, it runs the same intensity.
Sump: Synergy SS28
Skimmer: Reef Octopus POV dc-1
Reef Octopus BR-70 Bio Pellet reactor w/BRS pellets

 

[Marty.h]

I use LED's I got a red monti of a fellow reefer he kept it under MH and had it ages always been red and it has recently starting morphing I how have some green in it and looks like I may even now have some yellow appearing this is a pic I took a couple of weeks back no yellow in this pic but green can be seen also some white but the polyps are fully extended but white.

There is also more green now since that picture so god knows what it will end up looking like !!

 

[hatfielj]

I think another thing to keep in mind is all of the other variables involved in a successful tank. Two guys running the same lighting set up, whether its MH, T5, or all LED, could have completely different results in terms of color and growth if they're feeding differently, supplementing differently, cleaning their tank at different rates, having a different bio load, and the list goes on and on. Its difficult to compare lighting set ups accurately when there are so many other variables not being controlled for.

 

[ReefCave]

I have yet, but would love to see some impresive SPS tank progression pictures originating with LED (1-2 year). Are there any older build threads that have been all LED off the top of anyone's head? I'd love to make the jump from halide, based on proven Long term (1-2 year)results. IF.... they can compare to the results I've witnessed from halides and t5. I've seen a lot of beautiful SPS tanks illuminated with LED but grown initially with another supplement light source...or at least partially. I have yet to see a equally comparable 100% all LED Acropora frag grown into a colony with the equal results that the T5 and halide produce in the same time frame. (Especially in the Acropora growth category). Obviously water parameters are a variable, unless systems are plumbed together, and running simultaneously (Really the only way to truly "test" the comparison)

 

[Lonelyreef]

The thing I don't like about LEDs is they are an exact color spectrum and while 30 acros like that exact spectrum what about the 10 that don't do so well under it. I myself use one 250 watt radium but I have a small 30x30x18 cube perfect lighting I love the color. However I do like a stunner strip to get that extra little bit of pop that LEDs give.

A common complaint among reefers I know is that LEDs cause color shifts in sps, zooas, and acans. I know it works great for some Adam is an obvious success. I would venture to say that if we did a poll that there would be more that didn't have success with LEDs and sps than did.

 

[Squamosa]

I see so many replies to lighting that start with 'sure they run hot and use lots of power, but I live where it's cold and need the heat, yada, yada'.
That's like saying, I built this nuclear power plant next door to heat my morning coffee!
I didn't know there was still a lighting debate??

My Radion Pro's do the job, I'm not a commercial grower but in my little reef they are more than adequate

 

[Lonelyreef]

Would everyone at least agree that LEDs produce different color than say t5 or halides at least

 

[ronnie]

Would everyone at least agree that LEDs produce different color than say t5 or halides at least

Yep. And shadowing. I hate the shadowing.

 

[ReefCave]

I see so many replies to lighting that start with 'sure they run hot and use lots of power, but I live where it's cold and need the heat, yada, yada'.
That's like saying, I built this nuclear power plant next door to heat my morning coffee!
I didn't know there was still a lighting debate??

My Radion Pro's do the job, I'm not a commercial grower but in my little reef they are more than adequate

That's beautiful! Originating LED? Always Radions? How long?