nanoreefer1000
Active member
I love my Razor, IMO the problem with leds is that people get the wrong ones, most fixtures use CW without WW or no NW, have fun growing coral under a RB and CW array.
Its an LED Explosion!
- Thread starter JaYbIrD1969
- Start date
When my 100 gallon was up I ran 2 x 175W MH and 2x48" VHO's. Loved the tank and at the time, loved the lights. However, hated bulb replacement and electricty costs.
Why to go LED?
1. No bulb replacement
2. About the same initial up front cost if you DIY
3. Can dimm LED's with various day/night/sunrise/sunset patters - clouds and storms
4. Can dimm LED's when you bring home a new coral - can't with MH
5. Customer color and adjust lighting if wired in potentiometers
I have 2 BioCubes in our house and both are using LED retro's. I wouldn't ever think of going back to any other form of lighting. Just too much control and ease of use when controllers are involved. Either DIY type or standard off the shelf type. I can't stress enough the electricty and bulb cost reduction - it is huge.
Take your time, research, homework, built it right the first time or even close and you will come out ahead in the long run. I'm not going to go into what light is better for animals because I think it is subjective. Back in the day we used standard bulbs and evolved to MH/VHO/T5's, etc. It is only natural to take it to the next step and LED's are it I'm afraid.
Why to go LED?
1. No bulb replacement
2. About the same initial up front cost if you DIY
3. Can dimm LED's with various day/night/sunrise/sunset patters - clouds and storms
4. Can dimm LED's when you bring home a new coral - can't with MH
5. Customer color and adjust lighting if wired in potentiometers
I have 2 BioCubes in our house and both are using LED retro's. I wouldn't ever think of going back to any other form of lighting. Just too much control and ease of use when controllers are involved. Either DIY type or standard off the shelf type. I can't stress enough the electricty and bulb cost reduction - it is huge.
Take your time, research, homework, built it right the first time or even close and you will come out ahead in the long run. I'm not going to go into what light is better for animals because I think it is subjective. Back in the day we used standard bulbs and evolved to MH/VHO/T5's, etc. It is only natural to take it to the next step and LED's are it I'm afraid.
JaYbIrD1969
New member
Good Lord.Give it rest. His response was very clear. No need to give him the third degree and analyze it.
Jay - welcome back to the hobby!
Thanks FT. Im still a little ways from building something, but it sure feels good to be talking about it again :rollface: I used to have an incredible reef and it broke my heart to tear it down.
I have absolutely no idea what this means. :lol: Can someone point to a good fixture for a small tank? My goal is to start an anemone/clownfish system, something that will handle sps if the future takes me there.
I am indeed very interested in LEDs. Im just not into making any mistakes when I set up a tank and theyre so foreign to me.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
I've been LEDs only for 18 months and just got a T5 unit again. LEDs had their chance with me. I tried all sorts of different spectrums and could never make everything happy. I put my new fixture on my current tank today and my lobo was glowing! I was positive it lost all the green with LEDs but it looked great under T5 today.
I'm setting up a new tank this Christmas and will be back to T5 and I'm very excited. I got tired of doubting my LEDs all the time. Some corals were amazing, while others suffered.
I'm setting up a new tank this Christmas and will be back to T5 and I'm very excited. I got tired of doubting my LEDs all the time. Some corals were amazing, while others suffered.
jinks
New member
I don't really see how you can say the up front is the same if you DIY it. If you look at DIY vs a MH unit then sure but that's not really fair. 2 of these http://http://www.aquacave.com/Aqua-Medic-ReefLex-250W-Double-Ended-HQI-Metal-Halide-Retro-Kit-P1148C264.aspx will run you $300 less then one of these http://http://www.rapidled.com/standard-125g-tank-dimmable-kit/. The power savings would be like $15 a month for the mh to $7 for led. Not bad but $8 a month isn't going to sell me something I don't trust all the way when I think of all the BS I blow money on. That $300 dollars will buy you 3 years of bulbs. Take care you don't give that dimming driver a 1mm turn to far setting it up or you'll blow all the LEDs in that string and set your savings back a bit.
It's not that I don't like LEDs and I think in the end they will take the spot light. I just don't care for the " LEDs are it and the rest is dead". If you buy t5 or mh you know it's not the $700 hanging over you tank making your corals look odd. If you go led it could be if you bought another junk fixture that will go under in a year or picked the wrong colors for your DIY.
It's not that I don't like LEDs and I think in the end they will take the spot light. I just don't care for the " LEDs are it and the rest is dead". If you buy t5 or mh you know it's not the $700 hanging over you tank making your corals look odd. If you go led it could be if you bought another junk fixture that will go under in a year or picked the wrong colors for your DIY.
DaveG99
New member
Look up maxspect razor r420r. Best bang for your buck fixture out there that will grow anything
Ron Reefman
Active member
Anybody who has been around this hobby for any amount of time knows that t5's, MH's and leds can all do the job. I currently have MH over my 180g DT, t5's over my 55g QT, a EcoTech Radion over my frag tank and an old Chinese D120 (all blue & white, no dimmers, 250-300 PAR at 22" deep) over my anemone tank. They all work and I have good growth under all of them, even the t5 and the old D120.
If you look at leds and only think diy or high end Radions and AI fixtures, you see a huge price gap. However the Chinese have stepped in and are now selling direct and thru US distributors a better, cheaper set of fixtures. I've been waiting for the led market to have a light with enough spectrum (you can design your own), enough control (dimmers and IT timmers/controllers) and a reasonable price. In a small group buy we ended up getting D120's for $100, IT2040's (the same as the D120 but with a controller and 90 degree lenses) for $210 and IT2080 (99ea. 3W leds, moon lights, timmer/controler, lenses) for $310. Shipping by air from China to Florida was only $40/light. I even ordered a Chinese D120 w/dimmers for my frag tank because I really don't care for the EcoTech Radion. It's a PITA to hook up my computer to make adjustments. Sure it can do lots of things I can't do with the D120, but it's all things I really don't care about. How often have I used the lightning storm capability? Never. And why use a Radion worth $3-400 in the used market (not to mention cost $750 new) when I can have a new D120 for $140 which is easier to control.
Anybody want my old Radion? It's a toss up between the Radion and the old Chinese D120 as to which one will end up over my refugium. :spin3: I'm getting two IT2080's over the 180g, an IT2040 over the 75g hexagon anemone tank, and D120's over the 55g QT and the 24g frag tank... total cost: $1200. Up for sale soon will be $500-$800 in used MH, t5 and maybe leds. That makes the net upgrade from used lights to new leds all of $400-$700 for 4 tanks!
If you look at leds and only think diy or high end Radions and AI fixtures, you see a huge price gap. However the Chinese have stepped in and are now selling direct and thru US distributors a better, cheaper set of fixtures. I've been waiting for the led market to have a light with enough spectrum (you can design your own), enough control (dimmers and IT timmers/controllers) and a reasonable price. In a small group buy we ended up getting D120's for $100, IT2040's (the same as the D120 but with a controller and 90 degree lenses) for $210 and IT2080 (99ea. 3W leds, moon lights, timmer/controler, lenses) for $310. Shipping by air from China to Florida was only $40/light. I even ordered a Chinese D120 w/dimmers for my frag tank because I really don't care for the EcoTech Radion. It's a PITA to hook up my computer to make adjustments. Sure it can do lots of things I can't do with the D120, but it's all things I really don't care about. How often have I used the lightning storm capability? Never. And why use a Radion worth $3-400 in the used market (not to mention cost $750 new) when I can have a new D120 for $140 which is easier to control.
Anybody want my old Radion? It's a toss up between the Radion and the old Chinese D120 as to which one will end up over my refugium. :spin3: I'm getting two IT2080's over the 180g, an IT2040 over the 75g hexagon anemone tank, and D120's over the 55g QT and the 24g frag tank... total cost: $1200. Up for sale soon will be $500-$800 in used MH, t5 and maybe leds. That makes the net upgrade from used lights to new leds all of $400-$700 for 4 tanks!
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Raceimage
Premium Member
If you don't want to DIY yet want input on LED layout look here. I ordered a planted version for my discus tank which is scheduled to arrive today. http://www.buildmyled.com/led-fixtures/
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
This is the wrong thread to discuss plasma but I wouldn't plan on it ever taking off.
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