LED Lighting Getting On My Nerves
- Thread starter walnuts24
- Start date
TundraGuy
MantisOholic
All your looking at here is four Par 38 bulbs inside of some IKEA look down shades and some x-mass lights wrapped around the power cords hanging from the ceiling. This will be the least expensive way for you and it will give you the ability to upgrade latter add more leds inside the shades for instance. Also this will make working on the tank a breeze nothings in your way to move or work around.
Eastamherstbias
New member
I went with two radions for my 4x2x2. The fun part is that the moment you buy it, something better will come out.
Da Saltwater DJ
New member
Im glad i never used MH before , so with my led's , i am only getting great things with them . Big upgrade from t5's.
OregonReefer
New member
Any chance you can post pics?
I'm thinking about going this route but have yet to see a 120 with just 2 radions
xCry0x
Active member
I love how everyone posts buy this buy that without any real reason.
Almost every fixture is essentially using the same LEDs, the only LED that I know of that was specifically made for aquarium use is the Kessil fixture which got rave reviews initially but I heard suffers from burn in after a few months.(brightness fades)
The Ecotech Radions got a horrible review - http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/ca...radion-xr30-led-light-a-swing-and-a-miss.html
The use of red and green lights does next to nothing for aquariums except let people make their tank glow red or green. Neutral white LED's provide the color spectrum corals need for growth in the warm end and royal blue/blue leds cover the other end.
The post here saying how 36x cree leds = 400w radion halide is a joke. What makes a cree led stronger/weaker (aside from the power driven to it) is the lense. You could essentially put single LEDs over your corals you want to grow and they would be fine, but it would look like a bunch of spot lights all over your tank. You use more than single LEDs to give a uniform color spread over your entire tank.
The main thing that makes one of these fixtures "better" than the other is the controllers, which as someone else mentioned, are not needed. Your corals do not care if there is a simulated thunder storm every week, or if the moon cycle is mimicked correctly by the on/off timers on your dimmers.
Almost every fixture is essentially using the same LEDs, the only LED that I know of that was specifically made for aquarium use is the Kessil fixture which got rave reviews initially but I heard suffers from burn in after a few months.(brightness fades)
The Ecotech Radions got a horrible review - http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/ca...radion-xr30-led-light-a-swing-and-a-miss.html
The use of red and green lights does next to nothing for aquariums except let people make their tank glow red or green. Neutral white LED's provide the color spectrum corals need for growth in the warm end and royal blue/blue leds cover the other end.
The post here saying how 36x cree leds = 400w radion halide is a joke. What makes a cree led stronger/weaker (aside from the power driven to it) is the lense. You could essentially put single LEDs over your corals you want to grow and they would be fine, but it would look like a bunch of spot lights all over your tank. You use more than single LEDs to give a uniform color spread over your entire tank.
The main thing that makes one of these fixtures "better" than the other is the controllers, which as someone else mentioned, are not needed. Your corals do not care if there is a simulated thunder storm every week, or if the moon cycle is mimicked correctly by the on/off timers on your dimmers.
Eastamherstbias
New member
Can we stop quoting that article with everything! I am constantly seeing that article quoted. It is flawed. We know that it was made by an Orphek Guy.
Secondly, my fish may not care about Modes/controllers but the "humans" like them. Same goes for the way that the colors look. I want the pop of color. I did not ask my fish for a LED fixture review.
I am using t5/LED/MH in my tanks right now. So I have a little knowledge.
Secondly, my fish may not care about Modes/controllers but the "humans" like them. Same goes for the way that the colors look. I want the pop of color. I did not ask my fish for a LED fixture review.
I am using t5/LED/MH in my tanks right now. So I have a little knowledge.
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xCry0x
Active member
Firstly, the article makes a point that keeps getting overlooked by everyone who goes "OMG RGB!". There is a reason red light is used in hydroponics, red grows plants, like algae. If a pure 600nm red light was useful in coral growth every brand would have added them into their fixtures the second they hit the market. A proper mix of white/blue will give the red pops you need and that has been written by multiple independent sources.
Secondly, I did not say controllers are dumb. If I had the money to spare I would have bought a Radion to hook up to mp10es and simulate hurrican irene in my tank. The point I was trying to make is that the controllers are just added costs ontop of the fixtures. 20 Leds built at the correct intensity grow corals just as well as 20 Leds with a $500 controller.
SkullV
They Got My Number
While it is clear that your knowledge of the necessity zooxanthella algae has for full spectrum light is limited, I'll indulge you.
Please list the articles or studies performed by credible sources that state a proper mix of cool white/blue LEDs will give your corals light in every spectrum necessary to properly fluoresce. Alternatively an article not written by Dana Riddle or Mike Maddox which states that Red/Green light is not necessary or harmful. You should explain your theory to Radium, ATI, Geissman, KZ and everyone else who makes MH or T5 bulbs. They must have been getting it wrong this whole time with the whole full spectrum thing.
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rtparty
Raise The Reef!
Pretty sure if you research a little more you will find that red light is NOT for growing plants. It is to make them bud and flower.
I agree that neutral white LEDs are much better than cool white but your info and tune you use is far from helping anyone make a choice. You have provided no evidence to your claims and only shared a link to one of the funniest articles on the net. Of course mike maddox doesn't like RGB, his gold lined Orphek units don't have that feature. They have a TON of white and very little blue. The units actually go against what most scientists recommend.
Have you ever run RGB before or just going off what you read? I've been using an RGB module for a couple months now and things are doing just fine for me. Things are maintaining color and growing great for me, but I'm sure all the red and green will crash my tank soon...LOL
The hardest thing for me in making decisions like these is figuring out what is "necessary" and what is just added bells and whistles.
For the guys that get off on creating hurricanes and what have you, I'm sure the extra cost is worth it. For me however, even if I had the controller to create all of that stuff I would not do it, frankly it does not do much for me lol.
I want to go LED, but it seems like the information is surrounded by a mist of elitist, fads, and opinions.
I'm not trying to rant, just stating a view from someone who is only marginally interested in reefs, but would still like all the benefits LED provide without paying for the bells and whistles.
For the guys that get off on creating hurricanes and what have you, I'm sure the extra cost is worth it. For me however, even if I had the controller to create all of that stuff I would not do it, frankly it does not do much for me lol.
I want to go LED, but it seems like the information is surrounded by a mist of elitist, fads, and opinions.
I'm not trying to rant, just stating a view from someone who is only marginally interested in reefs, but would still like all the benefits LED provide without paying for the bells and whistles.
SkullV
They Got My Number
Basic things I would be looking for in a fixture:
- 3w LEDs
- RGB Capability
- Each Channel Dimmable
power boat jim
Well-known member
Reefaddict24
New member
One question. Would y'all say that a 100w led fixture be equivalent to a higher amount of mh saying 400w?
If so what could it be compared to?
If so what could it be compared to?
Eastamherstbias
New member
I thought a 100w of LEDs loosely equals a 250w MH. However, not all batches of LEDS are created equal. A par meter always helps when switching so you can match intensity. Just remember that for some reason that escapes me the par meter may not pick up all of the par coming from blue leds.
Reefaddict24
New member
The only thing that confuses me is that the AI SOL said their fixtures could work on a 36" tall tank. Mines 72x36x36. But they are only a total of 72 watts.
Eastamherstbias
New member
My radions will be here this week and I bought a mount from Reefkoi to fit my 4x2x2 tank which will be here once he gets back from vacation next week. But I will post pics once it is up. I am going to match intensity with a par meter so I don't fry my tank.
Eastamherstbias
New member
I was always told one for every 2ft. You can do 3 feet but you need to have it higher and that may hurt par. My 120watt evolution gen 1 only covers 2 feet.
Reefaddict24
New member
I was considering doing a rapidled diy with 120 leds equivalent to 360w of leds over my 400g Sps tank as to most experienced reefer locally recommended or even more leds.
My question is would that be over kill since it should have a higher rating of mh since its leds. Also if it would be just enough my next concern is the coloration. I would like to be able to dim the leds to the colors i like without being under power.
My question is would that be over kill since it should have a higher rating of mh since its leds. Also if it would be just enough my next concern is the coloration. I would like to be able to dim the leds to the colors i like without being under power.
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