I just heard that they lost their lease and are thinking to relocate to the Bronx
Anyone Thinking of Dumping LEDS and going back to Halides
- Thread starter Goldcoastreefs
- Start date
ReefCowboy
New member
Really? Wow, didnt know. Wonder whats left in Manhattan if they are gone...thanks for that info
REFLECTORS.The halide bulb emits light on all sides and is reflected by the appropriate large size reflector. Think about being in the tank and looking up. With Halide you'll see the bulb and multiple reflections of the bulb, with LED point source you'll see one source.
Like lighting a theater stage with just a couple of flood lights, if you're selling carpet it might work but if you're trying to light people (sticks) it's not going to look very good. IMO.
That BRS video is terrific.
I've long wondered what the effect of taking a Kessil and pointing it up into a halide reflector would be. I know there would be loss due to reflecting, but think the benefit of greater dispersion might be worth it.
shred5
Premium Member
You would have a dark spot in the middle.
I had 2 cheap led lights on my 90 gallon tank.I wasn't getting the growth I wanted so I just purchased a Hamilton cayman 250 watt pendant with radium bulb.I mounted the mh in the center between the 2 led fixtures on either side.I think if I had added an extra 2 led fixtures I could have gotten better growth,but have heard so much about these radium bulbs,I wanted to try them out.You might be able to get away with fewer led fixtures on the more expensive fixtures,but the cheaper led fixtures I think require a multiple setup to grow sps.
I think you nailed it......it's the uv that produces the best colors because of the pigmentation the coral is producing as a blocker. right now the lowest wave a led diode we can get is around 395nm...not nearly low enough.
t5's can produce some useful uv but not as much as a halide..
Actually LEDs are easily available down to 365nm today. However I would NOT recommend using anything that low. They are commonly used for curing nail polish in spas and have been implicated in causing skin cancer from prolonged exposure. Not something I would want to have in my house for possible eye exposure.
The other challenge, is that when you look at a MH like the Radium, the spike in the UV is at about 380nm, but the power it is emitting is very small in this spectrum. So to do the same with an LED means you would need to run it at very low power, so you would not get a lot of penetration. The solution is to use a lot of them spread out across the footprint of the tank, which dramatically increases the expense of an LED solution.
Also of note is that the UV that MH's are producing, are the spectrum's that have made it through the UV shielding included in the MH bulbs.
Dennis
JPMagyar
New member
They will look back and laugh because of the christmas light look. But if you think squeezing the light source into a smaller emitting area is the solution, you haven't been paying attention. That is the #1 problem with LEDs - way too extreme point source light.
Anyway, I expected someone else to post this but since no one else has I will:
Hats off to BRS for an extremely well done piece, with some science and real world results to back it up.
This should be reposted every few pages. What an awesome job from BRS!!
ReefCowboy
New member
Here is the MH episode, which is also very informational. They give "Life support" a 9.6 which in my book, trumps over controllability, storm features and all the nonsensee leds try to push as valid advantages.
I also really enjoy these videos, and give BRS lots of credit for the information given. Next week they will cover LED's, and i really hope they dont trash the series credibility giving it a comparable grade on "Life support" just because they are the latest gadgets kids are buying out there. I personaly think the LEd's will score high in every aspect of their testing chart, implying they are the best lighting system, which many know isnt true.
http://youtu.be/HKnZq0-0ghY?list=PLBaMLrfToJyybUT18OE3fMomFb9XU0ffC
I also really enjoy these videos, and give BRS lots of credit for the information given. Next week they will cover LED's, and i really hope they dont trash the series credibility giving it a comparable grade on "Life support" just because they are the latest gadgets kids are buying out there. I personaly think the LEd's will score high in every aspect of their testing chart, implying they are the best lighting system, which many know isnt true.
http://youtu.be/HKnZq0-0ghY?list=PLBaMLrfToJyybUT18OE3fMomFb9XU0ffC
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markalot
...
No, they already indicated that was not the case in the T5 video. The hint was T5 LED hybrid would be the best choice. Not sure why you thought otherwise.
ReefCowboy
New member
No, they already indicated that was not the case in the T5 video. The hint was T5 LED hybrid would be the best choice. Not sure why you thought otherwise.
They might say the "best choice" is to supplement with T5's, and im stating i want to see how BRS grades "life support" OF LEDS, since the episode is LEd's and not hybrid lighting systems. That is what i thought
markalot
...
What is your rating of life support for LED's? I have an LED lit tank and nothing is dying, I just don't like the look as much as I do T5 and I supplement with LED strips front and back to eliminate some of the shadows. I also can't achieve the colors I can under T5 on some SPS.
I predict LED will get a slightly lower rating that T5 and Halide with the caveat that playing around with the spectrum can kill. This would be an accurate assessment. LED is going to fail their coverage test big time, too many shadows.
If they go really low and talk about how, for proper coverage, you need a lot of fixtures then I will be incredibly impressed, but that's not my expectation.
mussel and hate
New member
Contrary to some opinions expressed recently in this thread LEDs that emit significant quantities of UVA are readily available and inexpensive. I am referring to the 400nm LEDs available from a variety of vendors. Dana Riddle published an article that includes these particular diodes here:http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2014/5/aafeature It is an excellent paper and worth a read.
Spectral charts here:
and here:
LEDs grow coral and do so efficiently. Not all diodes are equal and not all fixtures are well designed, particularly commercial cluster style fixtures that contribute to spotlighting and shading issues.
Commercially available high density low current emitter fixtures à la Lani LED are expensive and even DIY versions aren't cheap. They are however worth the expense and effort. I've built my own and after testing and tweaking I've mothballed my MH.
Spectral charts here:
and here:
LEDs grow coral and do so efficiently. Not all diodes are equal and not all fixtures are well designed, particularly commercial cluster style fixtures that contribute to spotlighting and shading issues.
Commercially available high density low current emitter fixtures à la Lani LED are expensive and even DIY versions aren't cheap. They are however worth the expense and effort. I've built my own and after testing and tweaking I've mothballed my MH.
JPMagyar
New member
Ten months of growth under MH and now T5 for the last month . . .
Anyone with a pure LED lit tank got a similar result?
Oh, and I took out several faster growing colonies that grew too big including Red Planet, Pearlyberry, Ponape, Pink Stylo, Northern Lights Granulosa, Cali Tort, and Green Birdsnest. I had to start them over as frags again plus I pull out a dozen or so ricordea and orange zoos about once a month. And, the tiny blue frag next to the Purple Monster is the super slow growing Oregon Tort.
Anyone with a pure LED lit tank got a similar result?
Oh, and I took out several faster growing colonies that grew too big including Red Planet, Pearlyberry, Ponape, Pink Stylo, Northern Lights Granulosa, Cali Tort, and Green Birdsnest. I had to start them over as frags again plus I pull out a dozen or so ricordea and orange zoos about once a month. And, the tiny blue frag next to the Purple Monster is the super slow growing Oregon Tort.
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Wazzel
New member
Ten months of growth under MH and now T5 for the last month . . .
Anyone with a pure LED lit tank got a similar result?
Oh, and I took out several faster growing colonies that grew too big including Red Planet, Pearlyberry, Ponape, Pink Stylo, Northern Lights Granulosa, Cali Tort, and Green Birdsnest. I had to start them over as frags again plus I pull out a dozen or so ricordea and orange zoos about once a month. And, the tiny blue frag next to the Purple Monster is the super slow growing Oregon Tort.
Nice tank. Here is my last 9 months.
February 2015
Nov 15
JPMagyar
New member
Nice tank. Here is my last 9 months.
February 2015
Nov 15
Mark,
I am super impressed!
That is the first time I have seen such enormous growth in such short time. My only thought though is that some corals look pale. On the other hand, what is that super pink coral on top left? It's really an eye catcher!
All in all though nice work! It doesn't convince me yet to switch to LEDs, but it certainly is a tiny piece of anecdotal evidence showing how advanced aquarist like yourself can use LEDs to make awesome reefs.
Nicely done!
Joe
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