LED Lighting?

[twps]

I've seen a lot of LED "double bright" lighting systems on the market. As a beginner my LFS is recommending HO T5's, which is okay with me. But when I ask about the LED systems everyone just shrugs.

Does anyone here have any experience with LED lighting for a reef tank?

Obviously the power consumption would be far less, as these are typically 1-5w LED's that supposedly put out just as much or more than a normal HO fluorescent.

The initial purchase price isn't much different from T5's, but I'm thinking the long term savings in power consumption, plus not having to replace bulbs could be beneficial.

 

[twps]

Here's a product example from Marineland:

Our Products

 

[daugherty]

look at reefgeek.com they have a real nice led setup

 

[dcantucson]

I don't believe LED's are completely developed yet. I had the Solaris LED system but I have seen better results with my latest MH/T5 system.

Shrug, shrug. :lol:

 

[twps]

The ones at ReefGeek are crazy and come with an insane price tag too. I've found a few articles on line about the Marineland LED's and they seem decent for a non reef tank, although the manufacturer suggest otherwise.

 

[Bifferwine]

Any LED systems that are similarly priced as a T5 system are not complete LED systems intended to be the sole lighting on a reef tank. Those cheap LED setups are usually meant to be used in conjunction with other lights. If you want to light your reef tank using LEDs, the setup is going to cost at least a thousand dollars. The price tag is enormous compared to T5s, and so far, no one has been able to show conclusively that coral do better under LEDs than other types of light.

Until the prices go down, T5s and MH will continue to the proven standard in this hobby.

 

[ccCapt]

The new LED's by PacificSun are awesome, but they are anything but cheap. The Manhattan Reef Club did a group buy. The LED setup is amazing, but even at the group buy prices a master unit is around $900 and slave around $800. Those 2 are good for a 4' tank. A 6' tank would need 1 master and 2 slaves.
http://pacificsunusa.com/?page_id=124

This thread is pretty long, but some of the LED features are tooooo coooool.
PacificSun LED PreLaunch Reserve List - Manhattan Reefs

 

[mng777777]

for me the question is only one of money. LEDs are the way of the future of lighting in general. You will start to see homes, buildings, headlights, roadway lighting, and a number of other things lit with LEDs. The trouble is simply that the brighter ones are still pretty expensive. They are however, the most versatile and least power consuming lighting option we have presently. I give it no more than 5 years before they take over in this hobby and in general.

 

[dcantucson]

Who knows. Could happen next year if there is some kind of break through. I say six years. :lol:

 

[mng777777]

Who knows. Could happen next year if there is some kind of break through. I say six years. :lol:

:fechten2::fechten2::fechten2:

 

[dcantucson]

:fechten2::fechten2::fechten2:

:helm2: :helm2: :helm2: :helm2: :helm2: :helm2: :helm2: :helm2:

 

[mng777777]

:helm2: :helm2: :helm2: :helm2: :helm2: :helm2: :helm2: :helm2:

:chair::chair::chair::chair::chair::chair::chair::chair:

 

[dcantucson]

:zap: :zap: :zap: :zap: :zap: :zap: :zap: :zap: :zap:

 

[mng777777]

:death::death::death::death::death::death::death::death::death::death::death::death::death:

 

[wontonflip]

I'm going to be trying my hand at a DIY LED setup. Someone on reefcentral has a whole thread that I've been following, where he built one, posted par readings, then posted pics of his reef's growth after 8 months or something. I wouldn't recommend it for all reef systems, especially if you have clams or anything. I don't plan on putting anything except a couple of the shrooms I already have anyway, since they're pretty hardy.

The initial cost is equal to, or slightly more than a full MH setup, but considering you'll be using less power and the bulbs don't need replaced as often, for me, it's worth a try.

 

[parrotchute]

I have the new generation AI LED system, and it's pretty amazing so far - my corals are doing pretty well with them after a month. We'll see long term how they do.

PAR tests from reefbuilder have shown them to be superior to MHs in PAR, and the spotlighting effect seems very minimal. I've already noticed an increase in coloration and growth.

I have no concerns right now on the brightness or performance of the LEDs. My concerns are how well the lighting unit/support/company will hold up in the long term.

If you're looking to save money short term LEDs are not the option you should pursue. I paid a lot, but I didn't want to deal with the heat issues that T5s/MHs produce, and I'm extremely lazy and didn't want to have to bother changing lights every 10 months.

Long term, I'm thinking I'll be even with MHs based on the money per tube every 10 months and the increase in electrical consumption. But, like I said, time will tell.

Right now the DIY versions don't seem to be producing as much light as the commercial versions, but with practice/experience/work, maybe that will change.

I have pics on my Alex's 75 gal build thread.

 

[Tifoez]

I have the new generation AI LED system, and it's pretty amazing so far - my corals are doing pretty well with them after a month. We'll see long term how they do.

PAR tests from reefbuilder have shown them to be superior to MHs in PAR, and the spotlighting effect seems very minimal. I've already noticed an increase in coloration and growth.

I have no concerns right now on the brightness or performance of the LEDs. My concerns are how well the lighting unit/support/company will hold up in the long term.

If you're looking to save money short term LEDs are not the option you should pursue. I paid a lot, but I didn't want to deal with the heat issues that T5s/MHs produce, and I'm extremely lazy and didn't want to have to bother changing lights every 10 months.

Long term, I'm thinking I'll be even with MHs based on the money per tube every 10 months and the increase in electrical consumption. But, like I said, time will tell.

Right now the DIY versions don't seem to be producing as much light as the commercial versions, but with practice/experience/work, maybe that will change.

I have pics on my Alex's 75 gal build thread.

Parrotchute, you still around? It would be nice to hear of a 6 year review of your lighting experience..
I'd rather not spend money in the wrong direcrion..