- Joined
- Aug 6, 2015
- Messages
- 183
- Reaction score
- 121
That looks awesome, how big is that tank?
120 if I am not mistaken
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That looks awesome, how big is that tank?
Yes, and I always do that with both LEDs and T5s. All frags start low (180-200PAR) and then up...Agreed. LEDs present enormous challenges even to expert reefers but the adage of less light is better than too much applies. If you use that and very slowly bring up the intensity it can help.
I agree the tech is moving away from MH. But for me the problem is that I have still never seen an LED tank that looks better than MH. Yes, I get it I will have to move at some point. I am just hoping that there are some better fixtures in the next few years that make the LED more appealing.
He has some of the most gorgeously colored colonies I have ever seen.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. With a Radion I have the option to make it look like any MH out there. From 5k to 20k [emoji2]
Part of the issue is most of the led for life guys , which nothing wrong with that please, don't have that background in what halides and t5 can do . they came into this hobby ,leds were making a run , bought them , used them, see things grow and everything is good. not personally experiencing they way a coral reacts to that halide or t5 set up. I think you hit the mark about the narrow wavelength that they emit . Now the newer units may be better at this I'm not sure ,don't have one nor im I willing to get one just yet since they will come out with something new next year. ( I guess the manufactures have to do something since these guys don't buy bulbs anymore)No offense, but this pic is typical of the lack of colors in corals using led. Lots of drab blue and purple, and florescent green. What little red that is in the tank, is not really red at all.
The algae in corals react to the wavelengths or spectrum of light that it receives. LED's have finite wavelengths that are emitted, and the lack of colors of corals in LED lit tanks illustrate that.
No offense, but this pic is typical of the lack of colors in corals using led. Lots of drab blue and purple, and florescent green. What little red that is in the tank, is not really red at all.
The algae in corals react to the wavelengths or spectrum of light that it receives. LED's have finite wavelengths that are emitted, and the lack of colors of corals in LED lit tanks illustrate that.
Very nice.
I feel the best combo is LED and MH or T5. LED will give the "pop" that people crave, but the MH or T5 fill in the gaps in the light spectrum that the LEDs lack to give the colors we are used to seeing or expect. New aquarist that started with LED only, do not know any better, and do not know what they are missing.
No offense, but [...]What little red that is in the tank, is not really red at all.
I have been in this hobby for a few decades now and the lighting topic has always been one of those flash point discussions. For every new lighting technology that I can remember people always trashed talked when they first came out with them saying "insert hardware of choice here" will not work. This includes T5, T8, T10, power compact ect at one point none of these were said to work. People get stuck with their lighting choice and sometimes have difficulty wanting to admit that theirs might not be the best anymore or the only thing that works. I have used MH for over 25 years until a few years ago when I switched to LED and I will not switch back. I was one of those die hard nothing works as good as MH people, that is till I tried my hands at LED. LED work fantastic for me and they have so much granularity in the setting that T5 and MH just don't have.
People like to talk about all the spectrum that is missed in this or that style of lighting but they don't stop to realize a few very important things about light and what corals actually need. Some of spectrum that are in T5 or MH or any lighting choice for that matter are not used for photosynthesis so who cares if they are missing. Using this as a reason not to use any light source is a weak argument at best because you can always make up for it in other ways. I have grown LPS and SPS coral under nothing more then a security light I got at home depot, a heater and an air stone for water movement with a lot of food being fed. A poor mechanic blames his tools as the saying goes. Light is only one aspect of coral husbandry that influences growth and is not the only thing that is important for coral growth. Available quality food sources make up for lack of lighting in my experience to an extent. Proper water flow and available supplements like Calcium, mag and ALK also influence coral growth greatly and without these corals will not grow. Today pretty much any light source can grow corals. So people need to stop focusing on just lighting.
What the OP is going for and is trying to say is enough already there is more then enough proof LED grow corals so stop spreading bad information around saying they don't work. Because they do so stop spreading bad info! That it is ok to not like and that you don't have to use it if you don't want to. Just stop saying they don't work because you look stupid for says so with so much proof they do.
Now with that being said it breaks down to personal preference in light choices sometimes. Some people just don't like the look of a light and it can be as simple as that. To me I think it is stupid for me to spend all that money on T5 replacement bulb every year that I need an army of when there are other alternatives to meet my needs.
I have been in this hobby for a few decades now and the lighting topic has always been one of those flash point discussions. For every new lighting technology that I can remember people always trashed talked when they first came out with them saying "insert hardware of choice here" will not work. This includes T5, T8, T10, power compact ect at one point none of these were said to work. People get stuck with their lighting choice and sometimes have difficulty wanting to admit that theirs might not be the best anymore or the only thing that works. I have used MH for over 25 years until a few years ago when I switched to LED and I will not switch back. I was one of those die hard nothing works as good as MH people, that is till I tried my hands at LED. LED work fantastic for me and they have so much granularity in the setting that T5 and MH just don't have.
People like to talk about all the spectrum that is missed in this or that style of lighting but they don't stop to realize a few very important things about light and what corals actually need. Some of spectrum that are in T5 or MH or any lighting choice for that matter are not used for photosynthesis so who cares if they are missing. Using this as a reason not to use any light source is a weak argument at best because you can always make up for it in other ways. I have grown LPS and SPS coral under nothing more then a security light I got at home depot, a heater and an air stone for water movement with a lot of food being fed. A poor mechanic blames his tools as the saying goes. Light is only one aspect of coral husbandry that influences growth and is not the only thing that is important for coral growth. Available quality food sources make up for lack of lighting in my experience to an extent. Proper water flow and available supplements like Calcium, mag and ALK also influence coral growth greatly and without these corals will not grow. Today pretty much any light source can grow corals. So people need to stop focusing on just lighting.
What the OP is going for and is trying to say is enough already there is more then enough proof LED grow corals so stop spreading bad information around saying they don't work. Because they do so stop spreading bad info! That it is ok to not like and that you don't have to use it if you don't want to. Just stop saying they don't work because you look stupid for says so with so much proof they do.
Now with that being said it breaks down to personal preference in light choices sometimes. Some people just don't like the look of a light and it can be as simple as that. To me I think it is stupid for me to spend all that money on T5 replacement bulb every year that I need an army of when there are other alternatives to meet my needs.