Is anyone running plasma, LEP, over their reef?

[Seancj]

Just curious.

 

[Fenral]

Just curious.

Those things are cool … i first read about them 15 or so maybe longer years ago. I am not aware of any that have been directed at the hobby though. At least with the old hqi there was some tuning for our reefs…

 

[Seancj]

I found a handful of old youtube videos showing reefs under plasma lights. For those of us that like the more full spectrum look, I think they looked great. Spread was very good, PAR appeared to be good when ran at 100%, and amazing shimmer. I have been contemplating adding some full spectrum lighting supplementation to my Red Sea Reefled 160S lights, specifically for my Magnifica anemones.
Plasma fixtures can be found relatively cheap now so I was thinking of experimenting with a few. I was hoping there were a few outlier hobbyists still running them so I could get some first hand opinion and experience.

 

[Fenral]

Hmm maybe i will order one for the mangrove and see how it works out…I had entirely forgotten about them till I saw your post

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I remember those from 15 years ago, there was a few outfits making them for an aquarium application. Who even makes them now?

 

[Seancj]

I could not find a current manufacturer. All the fixtures available are used on ebay and marketplace.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I could not find a current manufacturer. All the fixtures available are used on ebay and marketplace.

Got it! I remember they were super expensive compared to a high end metal halide setup (factoring in a pair of long life ballast and GOOD reflectors).

IIRC, the life of the plasma fixtures was directly connected to active/passive cooling and the humidity was hell on the fixtures.

 

[Seancj]

I spoke to a few horticulture supply facilities and apparently, the plasma light 'experiment', put quite a few places out of business, those who invested heavily in the tech. LED's came along right on their boot heels and stole the market.

 

[Seancj]

Hmm maybe i will order one for the mangrove and see how it works out…I had entirely forgotten about them till I saw your post

These would be perfect for mangroves! I see these being perfect lighting for a shallow lagoon estuary reef tank with mangroves. Strongly considering setting up a large tank like this.