Hi everyone, so in this post I'm giving a short explanation of the different types of lighting and why I believe that LEDs still 'aren't just there yet'. I will also put forward what I believe the solution to this problem is and recommend what type of lighting I would go for today.
In recent years there has been major hype in the reefing market with just about every manufacturer and even new ones starting to make their own led units. Each of these manufacturers have their own reasoning as to why their light is best yet I still believe that many of them are missing a vital component which I believe a reef tank needs in order to thrive.
Yes, LEDs can grow sps, but how well in the long run? All good led brands produce more than enough par for corals and with relative ease users can find or come up with a suitable spectrum ( I understand both par and spectrum are linked ) but neither of these are the issue. To me the issue is shadowing and color blending.
Led units are often comprised of a modular or pendant design with clusters or multi chips of LEDs which is awesome for color blending (provided no narrow angled lenses are used over individual LEDs as this makes the beams much more directional preventing color blending) but this cluster style intern creates strong shadowing over a tank. This shadowing form a sing point of source of light may lead corals such as large Acropora colonies shading out their own innermost branches resulting in tissue damage or death. So yes, the led will grow the part of the sps coral that is receiving its light but the shadowing is the issue. This is why it may seem you are having succes with LEDs initially but when your reef is grow out shadowing may prove problematic and inhibit particular coral type's growth. Now I understand you could say "Put more units over the tank" but then is this a cost effective method when you may be looking at $700 or more per unit? Why then not just go with MH or T5 ? Another issue is that the more led units you use the more unnatural, fine shimmer you get.
So why not go with a led unit that covers the length of the tank without clusters and instead LEDs that are well and evenly spaced apart? This should solve most of the issues with shadowing as the light will be coming from more angles but what about color blending? I have been shocked seeing led units where indervidual LEDs are spaced well apart and have relatively narrow lenses on them, resulting in a dreadful 'disco ball' effect of different colors on the sand and corals.
If we look at t5 tubes they obviously omit light in all directions providing a diffuse blanket of light allowing maximum coverage, preventing almost all shaddowing. This is awesome but there's no shimmers and bulb replacement can be costly. Halides use a single point of source light but then large reflectors essentially scatter this light by reflecting it, producing more angles allowing better coverage. The bigger the reflector and the more facets it has, the more difuse the light. But the issue with halides is obviously the heat and electricity bills ( of both lamps and chiller ) as well as bulb replacement.
Possible solution:
An led multichip (like kessil's multichip) with no lense and a large reflector around it. I believe that this would provide good shimmer, little shadowing thanks to the large reflector, good color blending and would have all the benefits associated with halides without the heat, bulb replacements and electricity costs with the controllability of LEDs.
So if I was having to choose what lights to put over my tank today my answer would be: it depends. If I had a softie and or LPS tank I would use LEDs. They will get the job done for these less sensitive and less demanding corals and have very little maintenance required. If I was doing a full on mixed reef or pure sps system I would use t5. Yes tube replacements can be costly but as previously mentioned I don't believe that LEDs are a cost effective solution ( as I believe you would need too many units ) or are up to the task, and halides produce too much heat and electricity from the bulbs and chiller is too costly....and bulb replacement. If you like the proven technology of t5s and the controlability of LEDs then maybe a hybrid is best for you as it will probably be able to satisfy most tank's needs. When it actually comes down to it its up to you. This post is just here to act as an extra source of information to help you make the correct decision
Thanks for taking the time to read my post and please feel free to ask questions, make suggestions and comment in general. We have an awesome hobby and it would be awesome to work together to come up with ways to improve aspects of it.
In recent years there has been major hype in the reefing market with just about every manufacturer and even new ones starting to make their own led units. Each of these manufacturers have their own reasoning as to why their light is best yet I still believe that many of them are missing a vital component which I believe a reef tank needs in order to thrive.
Yes, LEDs can grow sps, but how well in the long run? All good led brands produce more than enough par for corals and with relative ease users can find or come up with a suitable spectrum ( I understand both par and spectrum are linked ) but neither of these are the issue. To me the issue is shadowing and color blending.
Led units are often comprised of a modular or pendant design with clusters or multi chips of LEDs which is awesome for color blending (provided no narrow angled lenses are used over individual LEDs as this makes the beams much more directional preventing color blending) but this cluster style intern creates strong shadowing over a tank. This shadowing form a sing point of source of light may lead corals such as large Acropora colonies shading out their own innermost branches resulting in tissue damage or death. So yes, the led will grow the part of the sps coral that is receiving its light but the shadowing is the issue. This is why it may seem you are having succes with LEDs initially but when your reef is grow out shadowing may prove problematic and inhibit particular coral type's growth. Now I understand you could say "Put more units over the tank" but then is this a cost effective method when you may be looking at $700 or more per unit? Why then not just go with MH or T5 ? Another issue is that the more led units you use the more unnatural, fine shimmer you get.
So why not go with a led unit that covers the length of the tank without clusters and instead LEDs that are well and evenly spaced apart? This should solve most of the issues with shadowing as the light will be coming from more angles but what about color blending? I have been shocked seeing led units where indervidual LEDs are spaced well apart and have relatively narrow lenses on them, resulting in a dreadful 'disco ball' effect of different colors on the sand and corals.
If we look at t5 tubes they obviously omit light in all directions providing a diffuse blanket of light allowing maximum coverage, preventing almost all shaddowing. This is awesome but there's no shimmers and bulb replacement can be costly. Halides use a single point of source light but then large reflectors essentially scatter this light by reflecting it, producing more angles allowing better coverage. The bigger the reflector and the more facets it has, the more difuse the light. But the issue with halides is obviously the heat and electricity bills ( of both lamps and chiller ) as well as bulb replacement.
Possible solution:
An led multichip (like kessil's multichip) with no lense and a large reflector around it. I believe that this would provide good shimmer, little shadowing thanks to the large reflector, good color blending and would have all the benefits associated with halides without the heat, bulb replacements and electricity costs with the controllability of LEDs.
So if I was having to choose what lights to put over my tank today my answer would be: it depends. If I had a softie and or LPS tank I would use LEDs. They will get the job done for these less sensitive and less demanding corals and have very little maintenance required. If I was doing a full on mixed reef or pure sps system I would use t5. Yes tube replacements can be costly but as previously mentioned I don't believe that LEDs are a cost effective solution ( as I believe you would need too many units ) or are up to the task, and halides produce too much heat and electricity from the bulbs and chiller is too costly....and bulb replacement. If you like the proven technology of t5s and the controlability of LEDs then maybe a hybrid is best for you as it will probably be able to satisfy most tank's needs. When it actually comes down to it its up to you. This post is just here to act as an extra source of information to help you make the correct decision
Thanks for taking the time to read my post and please feel free to ask questions, make suggestions and comment in general. We have an awesome hobby and it would be awesome to work together to come up with ways to improve aspects of it.
