BACK FROM HIATUS!! need LED advice Please

thebkramer

thebkramer

New member
Hi all!! Missed this place!!! so its been about 1 1/2 years!! my poor tank!! its quite embarrassing! but I didn't kill anything!! :bounce3:
My excuse..... got pregnant, had a boy, and been a busy mom!!! :celeb1:

I'm plagued right now with cyano.. but in process of taking care of that! and also changing water (hasn't been done) a very lil at a time so not to shock anyone! and filters being changed week at a time... my skimmer hasn't been running either so it needs a major clean (hoping a vinegar soak will do the trick) and then....
my lights..... they need to be changed for sure!!!! so why not give myself a nice xmas gift (and my tenants too)!!!???!!!??

I want to go with LED .. of course!!! but whoa!!! lots of brands out there and different kinds and WHOA holy overload!!!! very overwhelming!!!

I don't want to break the bank... but I don't want to skimp either!!! I know that story ALL too well!!! doesn't work in this hobby lol

so ideas from my fellow reefers????
Very much appreciate it!!!!!

Rhonda :fish1:

oh.. p.s. How about these?? would I need 2 sets? or just one??

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=23687
 
I currently have
Current Orbit SunPaq dual day & actinic lighting fixture with
(2) 64W 420/460nm actinics
(2) 65W 6700/10,000K daylights
(4) Lunars total 260W

so I am def looking for LEDs that are similar or better than these
I would like to stay around the $200 range.. but am willing to go up some
my tank is 48in long and I have an arrangement of corals.. mostly soft and don't plan on getting any corals that need extreme standard of care... my most fussy coral is a torch
 
so Marineland.. no good.. check

am I looking for something like ecoxotic? sorry.. little slow here lol I'm a little confused with these.. do I have to hang these or can they be placed on the tank? I def cannot hang my lights.. by just looking at some of the different leds out there.. they all look they are just a strip that need to be placed in a system (if you get what I'm saying) will I have to put these in my current lighting fixture?? no good with DIY here!

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24727
 
if you're trying to do it "on the cheap," skip LED's and just get a decent T5HO setup. LED's are still in their infancy; the good ones are thousands of dollars. The cheap ones are mediocre at best.
 
thebkramer said:
so getting LED fixture for $200 to $500 is cheap and mediocre?
Click to expand...

IMO, yes (regarding quality). If you're set on LED's for that price range, I'd recommend a DIY setup.

For commercial LED's, you're most likely going to need more than 1 fixture to cover that tank. Most only cover a 24"x24" area. Arrays at that price point also tend to disregard spectrum, containing only white and blue emitters. While they can work, it's much better to provide additional wavelengths. The additional wavelengths will not only benefit the livestock, but will also make the tank more aesthetically pleasing.

A simple, cheap, effective plug and play LED solution doesn't yet exist.
 
k.. thanks for your feedback

if thats the case.. I guess sticking with my current (which was originally close to $500 when I bought it 7 years ago) would be best and just getting new bulbs.. my lighting system has been amazing for my tank and the corals I have (and anemone) but I was hoping to get the led effect!!!!! it even be cheaper to switch out my bulbs.. but like I said.. really would like the leds!!! lol
Maybe I'll just up my blues instead.. sigh idk
 
I'd go with 2031 and 2034. This combo would appear more blue than your current setup, but it shouldn't be overwhelmingly so.
 
thebkramer said:
just need a little direction friends ;)
Click to expand...

I use Ecoxotics. I absolutely love them. Since they are modular you can add them to your canopy as your budget dictates. Just make sure you get a dimmer. They are real powerful and I wouldn't do it again without one as I wound up bleaching some corals. PM me of you have any specific questions.
 
chrisfont23 said:
I use Ecoxotics. I absolutely love them. Since they are modular you can add them to your canopy as your budget dictates. Just make sure you get a dimmer. They are real powerful and I wouldn't do it again without one as I wound up bleaching some corals. PM me of you have any specific questions.
Click to expand...

She would need 2, running about $500 to $800 more than she really wants to spend...
 
thebkramer said:
k.. thanks for your feedback

if thats the case.. I guess sticking with my current (which was originally close to $500 when I bought it 7 years ago) would be best and just getting new bulbs.. my lighting system has been amazing for my tank and the corals I have (and anemone) but I was hoping to get the led effect!!!!! it even be cheaper to switch out my bulbs.. but like I said.. really would like the leds!!! lol
Maybe I'll just up my blues instead.. sigh idk
Click to expand...

If you can do some DIY or sucker someone else into doing it, I just got LEDs for my 55gallon tank for $340 from rapidLED and I spent more to get dimmable LEDs and other options so in the future I can instal more LEDs for either more demanding corals or for a larger tank. If you cant hang them you can get a LED hanging kit that goes ontop of your tank for about $32 from aquastyle or something. You can buy the same kits from aquastyle for cheaper, I just purchased local.

From what I've read, im a reef noob but know how to talk LED specifications ect, these lights are very comparable if not better than the fixtures you can spend a grand+ on.
 
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