48- 3 watt crees

[xdusty6920]

Ok I have a 75g standard with 2 250w mh's running 10k xm bulbs. I need supplementation with two things in mind. I have a 4"x48" gap at the front and at the back to fit this in. And my biggest concern is color getting washed out by the halides. So I'm thinking a 24 Cree royal blues retro on the front and the same on the back or will that get washed out? I could probably fit a dual t5 retro but will that get washed out? A combo of these two?

 

[Dapg8gt]

That will Def Do it.. People run entire tanks on less leds than that =).. I would suggest a dimmable ballast for sure..

 

[xdusty6920]

Do you think the 48 cree would be noticeable beside the 10k mh? My main concern is buying them and having the halides wash them out and them not be noticable

 

[Dapg8gt]

You will Def notice them you can and will torch your corals if you don't acclimate them If your running them on full power.. Are you planning on using optics? Or none for better spread?

I'm amazed no one else is chiming in on this who has done it.. I'm no pro on led diy but I do know that amount of leds full power is going to add some power to your tank . I'm just guessing but I think you should be able to get away with less leds . Have you thought about adding other blues along with the royal?

I'm personally going to use buildmyled strip fixtures to go with my ATI sunpower if I keep it just because it's easy and looks clean..

 

[xdusty6920]

I'm thinking no optics because they are just for aesthetics. So spread trumps focus for me. I've considered using all kinds of stuff like reds, uv violets, etc. but most people say they are worthless. I wonder how much of an effect 24 of them would have. It's hard to tell how much is required to compete with the halides.

 

[Reefmedic79]

If your looking for more of that fluorescent "POP" that corals display, then I think 24-36 Royal Blues will be all you need. Having them on a dimmer will allow you to adjust the intensity of the blues to get the desired effect. When the MH's are on though you won't see a lot of blue, but the fluorescent colors of the corals will glow a bit more.

Red, UV Violets, and cyan LED's aren't worthless, they fill in the gaps in the light spectrum that white and blues don't cover. On the other hand though, you don't need them as your MH's already have them covered.

Some advice though, if your intent on keeping your halides and not going completely to LED's, you can get a similar effect by purchasing higher Kelvin bulbs, and forgoing the LED's completely. I've always like the bluer look in my tanks and used 20K bulbs to get that effect.

 

[xdusty6920]

Thanks so much for the responses. I agree with you on the higher kelvin. I've tried the 20k xm bulbs before and liked the look. But after seeing sanjays par ratings for that bulb I went to 10k. I have m58 ballast, any better higher kelvin bulb out there with decent par I can run? Even if I could get alittle blue from my mh and push it the rest of the way with a single 24 led fixture. I'd love to have a crisp blue with a touch of violet. Kinda a vho-ish look.

 

[Dapg8gt]

Phoenix 14k Is my favorite bulb.. It has a crisp white yet subtle blue to make corals pop.. I've been turning them for years.. Fwiw I run a 14k along with 4 blue plus ATI t5's and the color is awesome.. 14 k alone on the frag tank w/electronic ballast..