Reef breeders lifespan?

Silly clownfish · Mar 15, 2022

I was wondering what the life expectancy is for LED fixtures? I have 32” first Gen fixture (not the value fixture) that is going on8 years old. The 48” was not even available at the time.

the unit still works great. I started using it at about 60%-70% and every couple of years bump it up a few % to account for aging, currently at 85% Blue and 60% white. I suspect based on coral growth that I am losing intensity. I know a lot of folks say to get a PAR meter, but if I were going to spend the money, it would make more sense just to buy new lights. Of course I also see people claiming you should replace LEDs after 5 years. Since I had my original VHO fixture for 15 years (changed bulbs at least annually), that seems silly.

curious what others experience is.

Reef Breeders · Mar 16, 2022

5-7 Years is the general span for the V1s. The V2s have been out 6 years and I have yet to see any that have aged out. Do keep in mind with ATI fixture- yes the metal case and the ballast lasted 15 years. But the bulbs only lasted a year- that's the important part. With LEDs you're not spending $100s a year just on bulbs- after 8 years you have more than made up for the cost of the light in bulb changes alone, plus electric savings.

Theoretically- Cree XT-E LEDs are rated for 50,000 hours. So, that's roughly 11.5 years at 12 hours a day, at which point the LEDs would have 70% of their original efficiency. But there are extenuating factors here. Some LEDs may fail earlier- that happens with any electronics.

Also, saltwater is inherently detrimental to sensitive electronics. Salt + electronics don't mix well- so that causes them to degrade faster. For example, running the light in a canopy with a small vent fan at average of 50% humidity and 85 degrees F vs. running a light in a 60 degree F room with 0% humidity and heavy air circulation. Of course the second one will last longer.

Silly clownfish · Mar 16, 2022

Thanks. since the fixture is still functioning well, I think I will gradually bump up to 100% and see how things look. The fixture is hanging and uncovered and I use a full glass canopy, the humidity at the light is the same as ambient in the room, so that has probably helped a bit over the years