Dear LED reef lighting manufacturers......

[reefkeeper2]

I have been using LED fixtures over my tank almost since they arrived starting with the
Aqua Allumination SOLs. I have been happy with the results and for my large reef the drawbacks associated with LED lighting did not outweigh the benifits. I have to say though I'm not entirely pleased with the direction the newest offerings of fixtures is headed, and so I thought I would post a wish list of what I think would be great for the hobby and consumer. With some luck, the right people might see it.

1. Easy with the wattage. One of the best advantages LED lighting provides, and one of the reasons I bought them in the first place, was the savings I got on my electric bill. Many of the newest fixtures are using wattage close to 200 watts. I grew great coral with the 80 watt SOLs. Focus on better spread, blending and color rendition. Please don't take away one of the primary reasons I Ieft conventional lighting in the first place . I don't need a light with the power of a laser.

2. Give us options. I don't care about lightning, clouds, or what the weather is like today on the Great Barrier Reef. I don't even use the moonlighting on my tank. Please provide your fixtures in different models so those of us who don't want all the bells and whistles can save some money and buy just what we need.

3. Make models in a larger variety of sizes. Spread and coverage is always a major concern when buying lighting. With a limited selection you always find yourself just short of what you need or with too much. Plus there are plenty of fixtures for the nano or regular sized tank. How about something for those of us with the larger aquarium? I have 13 fixtures hanging over my 427 gallon tank. It sure would be nice, and probably cheaper, to be able to by your fixtures in different lengths to match my needs.

Not a long list, but definately stuff I would like to see. Maybe some others will want to add to it. But you never get what you want till you ask.

 

[ericarenee]

PLUG AND PLAY... This is what i will add..

They need to give you a few Pre selected settings for the lights.. say

Mixed reef , Softie tank SPS Dominate tank.....

Maybe bundle the lights with a Par Meter to sit on the bottom of your tank and self adjust the spectrum correctly..

The more power the manufactures put in our hands when we do not have the instruments to correctly adjust the lights for our corals the less success we will have.

This is why M/H WINS Every time.. They JUST WORK...

 

[vhuang168]

And that is why I like Kessils. No matter what you pick colorwise, they ALWAYS have the blue end of the spectrum that corals like. You just dial in how much white you like and the total intensity.


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[Ron Reefman]

PLUG AND PLAY... This is what i will add..

They need to give you a few Pre selected settings for the lights.. say

Mixed reef , Softie tank SPS Dominate tank..... But it depends on how deep your tank is. What is good for a shallow sps tank would be good for a deep softie tank.

Maybe bundle the lights with a Par Meter to sit on the bottom of your tank and self adjust the spectrum correctly.. So you want to add $100 to the fixture by adding a cheap PAR meter? You can already buy them separately you know.

The more power the manufactures put in our hands when we do not have the instruments to correctly adjust the lights for our corals the less success we will have. I'm sorry, but this just isn't rocket science. If the user can't figure out how to use a basic 2 channel led with dimmers and timers, maybe they shouldn't be in the hobby.

.

I don't mean to be too extreme here, but seriously, thousands of people figure out how to use leds just fine. I don't want to be spoon fed by the manufacturers. It will only add to the cost.

 

[reefkeeper2]

I have 8 Hydra 52s and 5 Vegas over my tank. My plan was to finish upgrades of two more of the Vegas and maybe look into upgrading the Hydra 52s to the HD. Well AI ceased all upgrades so I'm stuck in the middle of what I was planning to do. Snice I'm at a dead end, I started looking at other fixtures. For me an increase of 50 watts per fixture turns into an increase of 650 watts! If the increase was accompanied with an increase of coverage, that would be acceptable but so far that doesn't seem to be the case. The tank looks good so there is no rush but I will eventually have to invest in something. New stuff comes out all the time.

 

[rtparty]

I have 8 Hydra 52s and 5 Vegas over my tank. My plan was to finish upgrades of two more of the Vegas and maybe look into upgrading the Hydra 52s to the HD. Well AI ceased all upgrades so I'm stuck in the middle of what I was planning to do. Snice I'm at a dead end, I started looking at other fixtures. For me an increase of 50 watts per fixture turns into an increase of 650 watts! If the increase was accompanied with an increase of coverage, that would be acceptable but so far that doesn't seem to be the case. The tank looks good so there is no rush but I will eventually have to invest in something. New stuff comes out all the time.

That's assuming you run the new fixtures at full power. Just because an LED unit CAN use 200 watts, doesn't mean you have to. The vast majority of people never put these new fixtures over 60% or so

 

[reefkeeper2]

True. Par values at certain depths and power levels would be very handy.