Any serious SPS collectors use LED?

[Bpb]

Lol yeah all us mh users are just nostalgic.

 

[OrionN]

I used MH from 97-2013 but don't missed MH at all. Don't missed the heat or the electricity bill. I always have a large tank that pretty much double my household bill.

 

[JB NY]

I've looked at doing LED a few times. It just hasn't been worth it yet, I would have to buy so many LED modules and the cost is just crazy. Right now three 250 watt MH cover my whole tank with ease. So that's only 750 watts. I think if I put LED it would be around 800 or more watts so no eletric savings. So I put a Kessil a360we LED on my frag tank. I was pretty unimpressed. I found it much harder to keep SPS under the light compared with MH. Ramp rates and changing colors was fun for about ten minutes, but I can't see myself getting excited about it long term. I hope LED will get there some day though.

MH and T5 are not going anywhere in the foreseeable future though, way too many people still use them.

 

[jackson6745]

Several years ago I did not use LED because I think the technology is not adequate yet. Blue and white light just not enought to let the coral keep their color. The manufactors found this out after the early attempts. Now everybody know that broad spectrum is needed even when our eyes cannot tell the different. I have to admit that LED is still expensive. This is the nature of our hobby. More people produced them and the price will go down. Anybody remember a MH bulb for 120 and need to be change every year?
There is no question that a good LED fixture can produce the growth and color that is just as good or even better than MH. I know because I am doing it. Today light for a reef tank should not be a problem especially if you have money to burn. The future of reef lighting is LED. Ther is no disadvantage that cannot be solve with tweeking the placement and spectrum of the lighting elements. The advantages of LED are too much for MH and Florescent technology to overcome. In fact, barring new technology, the future of all lighting for all applications is LED

Where can I see you progress? I specifically want to see your SPS under LED.
Thanks.

 

[Bpb]

Since coverage is such an issue in needing so many units for adequate blanketing of light, I still wonder why reflector based units haven't been developed. A mh arc is pretty dang small. What maybe 1-2" at most depending on bulb wattage? Why are there still no bulb style adaptations of LEDs being developed for our hobby? Go to the hardware store and you're greeted with dozens of led light bulb options. And for cheap. Why can something like this not be developed for our hobby and placed in a large reflector.

 

[Reeftub]

That's exactly what I had pictured in my head but longer with more leds and in a reflector. The led stick should be as long as the reflector. I wonder if any diys guys would try this and see what the output looks like? Do you think it would change the way the light is transmitted out?

 

[Fishmommy]

I may go back to LEDs in a year. I really want to succeed with them, but need my tank to recover first from my failed attempts. I think I could write a better program now that I have experience with other lights.

 

[Bpb]

That's exactly what I had pictured in my head but longer with more leds and in a reflector. The led stick should be as long as the reflector. I wonder if any diys guys would try this and see what the output looks like? Do you think it would change the way the light is transmitted out?

I think a multichip format would work well for adjustability but I would even be happy with a preconfigured spectrum. Just make sure the bottom layout is a mirror image of the top on the led array cylinder. Honestly the only issue I would see is temperature management. But surely this type of design would be cheaper than the panel style. The Cree bulbs in the pic I posted are $10. 10x the wattage, 10x the LEDs and 10x the cost and you're still looking at an affordable mh replacement that is able to take advantage of a large reflector and eliminate hot spots, shadowing, and the whole line of sight issue with panel style leds