It's time, let's see those SPS tanks using LEDs 1 year or longer

[cthedaytrader]

I switched from MH to T5 and I am now debating on going back to MH, but the thought of heat issues and electric bills still sticks in my mind. So I would love to see how people have faired long term with LEDs.

I know there are other LED pic threads but in going over them a lot of the tanks are empty or haven't been running LEDs for very long.

So as the title says lets see those full blown LED tanks that have been using LEDs for a year or more, and let us know which LEDs you are using Please.

 

[dvanacker]

Is that crickets I hear?

J/K ....I would like to see some replies too.

 

[Borchers]

Wow not a single taker. I want to use them to replace VHO and T-5's for supps.

 

[NatureNerd]

There are not that many folks that have tanks lit by LEDs for over a year. The most successful commercially available systems have not been available all that long. You further limited the numbers by looking for SPS tanks.

That said, there have been some nice tanks shown here with a year or so with DIY systems. Probably someone will post a pict. If appropriate I will post mine when I get to a year. Only at 5 months with my AI's. I am happy so far and I used to be a MH zealot.

 

[SputnikNYC]

http://www.youtube.com/user/1mkwiet

 

[Tony B (UK)]

Avoid buying leds for sps tanks, I don't think they've evolved enough yet for sps. Imho they're not quite good enough and the price is too high for what is effectively an inferior lighting choice.

Give it a few more years and both these problems should improve or maybe even be fixed :thumbsup:

 

[Ostentum]

Up until recently you couldnt get a premade system that had uv leds. They all came with cool blue and white, which limits the spectrum of the light. Now that you see UV lights, red, cyan and others, you get a truer spectrum, comparative to MH and the sun. IMHO the UV spectrum is the key in SPS coloration as far as lighting goes.

 

[cthedaytrader]

There are not that many folks that have tanks lit by LEDs for over a year. The most successful commercially available systems have not been available all that long. You further limited the numbers by looking for SPS tanks.

That said, there have been some nice tanks shown here with a year or so with DIY systems. Probably someone will post a pict. If appropriate I will post mine when I get to a year. Only at 5 months with my AI's. I am happy so far and I used to be a MH zealot.

I know they are somewhat new, but leds systems have been around much more than a year, the newer AI have been around since last summer they had 1st generation I beleive before that the Solaris fixtures were around before that then there are diy and Maxpects and some other brands. If it helps then lets see some slightly younger ones.

Avoid buying leds for sps tanks, I don't think they've evolved enough yet for sps. Imho they're not quite good enough and the price is too high for what is effectively an inferior lighting choice.

Give it a few more years and both these problems should improve or maybe even be fixed :thumbsup:

Interesting thats kind of my feeling, but you keep seeing so many people sware by LEDS and they render MH obsolete already :spin1:

http://www.youtube.com/user/1mkwiet

thanks Sputnik, sweet fixture love the rotating fan, cant wait to see it fully stocked.

Up until recently you couldnt get a premade system that had uv leds. They all came with cool blue and white, which limits the spectrum of the light. Now that you see UV lights, red, cyan and others, you get a truer spectrum, comparative to MH and the sun. IMHO the UV spectrum is the key in SPS coloration as far as lighting goes.

Good point, still havent seen that many fixtures with the UV lights, I definetly think there is something missing from LEDS and even t5s to a lesser extent.

But then again I still read plenty of threads where people swear by LEDs and how amazing they are, but then again some of those posts say they have been using them 3 weeks lol.

 

[BrassMonkey]

glass in a mh sleeve, or mh fixture for double end absorbs UV below 400-350nm but as for the % of absorption and gradient i dont know.


i have diy led fixture for maybe 2 months and see very acceptable sps color and growth, but agree these are new and can expect fast paced improvements and changes and I wouldnt buy a name barand fixture YET.

i chose leds because i like the open top slim fixture look. if i had a canopy and 48" or longer tank id stay with mh for now.

btw kind of a off topic post. sorry.

 

[Santoki]

This has been up for more than 1.5 years under LEDs only.
These are the old XR-E Q4 emitters (less bright and less efficient than the newer XP emitters). Only addition to the tank since January 2010 is the anemone. I don't have many different types of corals since I fear losing everything to the introduction of parasites in such a small closed system. Some colonies you may not see in the original clip from 2010 because they were literally 2 polyps.
I have had no LED failures so far. I'm not saying LEDs are better or worse than any other option available now, but they definitely grow corals just fine. IME, water chemistry and stability is much more important than the type of lighting used. Colors and growth always suffer when I get lazy with water changes (there is some kind of deficiency remedied by water changes I have yet to figure out). I find many people tend to like to find excuses when they do not have success. And new technology always becomes a scapegoat...
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QUoOWuV-yio?hd=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
-Robert

 

[CREKTO]

This has been up for more than 1.5 years under LEDs only.
These are the old XR-E Q4 emitters (less bright and less efficient than the newer XP emitters). Only addition to the tank since January 2010 is the anemone. I don't have many different types of corals since I fear losing everything to the introduction of parasites in such a small closed system. Some colonies you may not see in the original clip from 2010 because they were literally 2 polyps.
I have had no LED failures so far. I'm not saying LEDs are better or worse than any other option available now, but they definitely grow corals just fine. IME, water chemistry and stability is much more important than the type of lighting used. Colors and growth always suffer when I get lazy with water changes (there is some kind of deficiency remedied by water changes I have yet to figure out). I find many people tend to like to find excuses when they do not have success. And new technology always becomes a scapegoat...
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QUoOWuV-yio?hd=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
-Robert

Is necesary to keep the Led´s at that Level?

 

[Santoki]

Is necesary to keep the Led´s at that Level?

it is not necessary to keep them at that level. It is a matter of personal preference. I prefer to mount them high as not to obstruct top view and avoid salt spray. I run relatively tight optics (40˚) to avoid light pollution in the rest of the room.

 

[kaserpick]

Is necesary to keep the Led´s at that Level?

No, it's not necessary to keep them that high off of the tank, but the look is amazing. It leaves the tank wide open for viewing; I love the idea! :thumbsup:

 

[scoly]

Unfortunatly, my tank crashed a couple of weeks ago! I have been using sunbright LEDS for around 4 years, my tank was far from empty looking! My sps did great with them! I ran it for about 2.5 years without a u.v. Bulb, and had great growth and color. Maybe I can dig up some pics here soon and post them. Some people might change there mind about LEDS! Other than the price, no regrets here!

 

[Santoki]

not sure what the deal is with UV, but all MH bulbs have a UV shield which blocks UV, so the argument that LEDs lack UV and therefore is missing something has no basis.

 

[nguyentxd]

not sure what the deal is with UV, but all MH bulbs have a UV shield which blocks UV, so the argument that LEDs lack UV and therefore is missing something has no basis.

:thumbsup:

 

[lolgranny]

Check out Acrotrdco his sps LED tank is VERY sexy, he knows his stuff and LED's VERY well.

 

[jeffreylesser]

not sure what the deal is with UV, but all MH bulbs have a UV shield which blocks UV, so the argument that LEDs lack UV and therefore is missing something has no basis.

Not true. I can't speak to the aspect of LEDs and UV, but the SE MH shield blocks out UV-B and UV-C, not all UV. UV-A (320-400 nanometers ) still passes through. Furhter DE MH halide bulbs do not have shielding at all, and if you run a DE bulb in a fixture/reflector without shielding UV-B and UV-C will pass through as well.

 

[NatureNerd]

Look, there is a lot of evidence that you can grow SPS corals under LED's. When I get back from vacation, I can post 5 month growth shots of several popular acro's. I don't expect that something magically changes on the 6'th or 12'th month. If my tank crashes anytime in the next year or two, it will not be because of the lighting.

 

[flamron]

Not true. I can't speak to the aspect of LEDs and UV, but the SE MH shield blocks out UV-B and UV-C, not all UV. UV-A (320-400 nanometers ) still passes through. Furhter DE MH halide bulbs do not have shielding at all, and if you run a DE bulb in a fixture/reflector without shielding UV-B and UV-C will pass through as well.

And you will likely give yourself a nice little sunburn if you look at the unshielded DE bulb long enough - and could end up harming your fish/coral as well.