Led Lighting, really reef adequate?

[reefrefresh]

I am reentering the reef tank community. Years ago Led lighting just wasnt an option.
These days I am setting up a standard 65 gallon mixed reef. And I am
pretty sold on purchasing two of the kessil 160 lights. Please tell me
does Led lighting really produce the quality and quantity of light
necessary for my future corals to thrive. I am reading the literature.
But I would appreciate any first-hand experience or knowledge
of the efficacy of these fancy new lights, lol. Are there any specific
corals or inverts that simply won't adjust properly to the leds?
Does anyone actually have a healthy thriving reef under leds?
Any input is welcomed. Thank you.

 

[Jrambo88]

Yes

 

[webslinger]

+1 YEs

 

[mcgyvr]

Yes.. LEDs fixtures of sufficient wattage intended for "reef" tanks are just fine.. There are thousands of us running LED fixtures with thriving corals..

 

[slief]

Yes, LED's are absolutely reef ready. That said, I would suggest you consider a pair of 360WE's over the 160's or even the new Kessil AP700 which should be released soon.

 

[d2mini]

They are adequate if you run A LOT of them.
You need to mimic the light spread you get with MH and T5 if you want the success you get with MH and T5. The larger the tank, the more this becomes apparent.
Take what the manufacturer tells you you'll need to cover a certain area and double it.

Unless you are sticking with softies. Then ignore everything I just said.

 

[Ron Reefman]

They are adequate if you run A LOT of them.
You need to mimic the light spread you get with MH and T5 if you want the success you get with MH and T5. The larger the tank, the more this becomes apparent.
Take what the manufacturer tells you you'll need to cover a certain area and double it.

Unless you are sticking with softies. Then ignore everything I just said.

Over kill.

Most led fixture suppliers give fairly realistic coverage claims.

 

[Wazzel]

Even the I do not agree with d2mini's assessment of 2x's, I agree the manufacturers do not give a realistic recommendation for coverage. It is more like 1.5x unless your scape is steep, then it could be as high as 2x's.

 

[Perth_reefer]

Over kill.

Most led fixture suppliers give fairly realistic coverage claims.

Not my experience with Hydra52s. Awesome lights but poor light spread, you need one fixture per ft of tank IMO.

 

[JaySchulz]

Not my experience with Hydra52s. Awesome lights but poor light spread, you need one fixture per ft of tank IMO.

And this is the kind of thing that makes me think I need to go radion pro.

 

[Perth_reefer]

And this is the kind of thing that makes me think I need to go radion pro.

Possibly, more than likely it is the standard lenses that come with the fixtures. IMO there is very little difference between the Radion Pro and the Hydra52, they are both extremely powerful fixtures. Whichever you choose you need to get a quantum meter on your tank after installing them to see how your PAR is looking across the whole tank, this will help you choose your settings too.

 

[d2mini]

Even the I do not agree with d2mini's assessment of 2x's, I agree the manufacturers do not give a realistic recommendation for coverage. It is more like 1.5x unless your scape is steep, then it could be as high as 2x's.

Ya, i know 2x is overboard in more cases than not, its just that if I'm going to pick a fairly even number, I'd rather suggest the purchaser have some extra rather than not enough. 1.5-2x is probably the best thing to say, with me leaning towards the higher side.

 

[Wazzel]

Ya, i know 2x is overboard in more cases than not, its just that if I'm going to pick a fairly even number, I'd rather suggest the purchaser have some extra rather than not enough. 1.5-2x is probably the best thing to say, with me leaning towards the higher side.

I can agree with that.

 

[vhuang168]

Not my experience with Hydra52s. Awesome lights but poor light spread, you need one fixture per ft of tank IMO.

Not my experience. Only 1 hydra 52, 16" awl running at 70% on a 33/18/16 tank and it's plenty of light.

I have tons of light spillage out the sides. Some zoas are bleaching sitting on the sand in the corners.

I might lower it to get less light at the outer edges.

 

[Perth_reefer]

Not my experience. Only 1 hydra 52, 16" awl running at 70% on a 33/18/16 tank and it's plenty of light.

I have tons of light spillage out the sides. Some zoas are bleaching sitting on the sand in the corners.

I might lower it to get less light at the outer edges.

What are your PAR readings? Do you have Acropora?

Zoanthus like moderate lighting, so while you may be getting enough light to bleach them, it may not be enough light for high light demanding corals such as Acropora.

 

[Perth_reefer]

Deleted

 

[sixpackgarage]

Yes, LED's are absolutely reef ready. That said, I would suggest you consider a pair of 360WE's over the 160's or even the new Kessil AP700 which should be released soon.

Exactly what I was going to say.:beer:

 

[Buzz1329]

I replaced a 3 x 400 watt MH + 4 x 80 watt T5 fixture (total of 1520 watts) over my 180 with 2 x Reef Breeders Photon 32 LEDs (total of 594 watts) but run at about 50% capacity for total of 297 watts. Better growth, PE, and color of SPS corals in tank than with prior lights. Plus I can remove LED fixtures from tank for maintenance, something I could not do by myself with with humongous MH/T5 fixture.

Regards,

Mike

 

[daniel02]

Who know lumini asta 120R1 , how about it ? I want to use this light

 

[dkeller_nc]

reefrefresh: Welcome to Reef Central.

In answer to your original question, several LED fixtures from several manufacturers are absolutely capable of growing SPS coral. That doesn't, however, mean that all LED fixtures advertised for reef tanks are capable.

Just one product generation or so ago (about a year), many, if not most, LED fixtures other than the Radions did not contain significant amounts of UV/Violet spectrum. While there were a few exceptions, most hobbyists didn't do well with pure royal-blue/white LED fixtures.

And take D2Mini's advice to heart. It requires a much higher $$$ investment in high-quality LED fixtures to achieve the same spread and relieve shadowing effects than the equivalent in T5HO or MH fixtures. Note that it's not really about total intensity - even an average LED fixture has blow-torch intensity directly under the fixture that will easily fry corals. But most fixtures out there are fundamentally point-sources, which is why you need several to avoid shadowing and achieve a decently even light field.