LED's are bad for our Hobby
- Thread starter b7fig
- Start date
tmc1313
Active member
Not true. This TOTM uses only blue and cool white.
http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/149-tank-of-the-month
BAETech2004
New member
People have amazing, and I mean AMAZING tanks with LEDs, T5, and MH. I think the OP, and those bashing any light are being asinine. This,"I don't like it" or,"I had bad luck with it, so it must suck" needs to stop. Maybe some of these self proclaimed ,"Veteran" reefers need to admit they may not have known how to properly switch form one light or another......? Nah, that would be to embarrassing.
billyzbear
Active member
There are others that feel differently.
http://www.planetzoa.com/blogs/tip-of-the-day/11980585-zoa-lighting-led-astray
http://www.planetzoa.com/blogs/tip-of-the-day/11980585-zoa-lighting-led-astray
WOW that link to the totm is an impressive tank because it has mature colonies. I have never seen a yellow cap in a tank or for sale and the colors of the coral are off.
The same can be said to all those recommending leds. I have been checking build threads of those recommending leds and they are less than a yr old or the colors a terrible.
If you want to fork out 3x the price to be a tester for a new light be my guest, but quit making it out that it is the best light you have ever own and used with less than a yr of use and I won't bash on you using leds. I have seen only about 3 tanks that runn leds that I would say have good colors.
I am also getting tired of picking corals up that come from led tanks that look good till I put them in a tank with t5 or halide and the are brown or a completely different color altogether, tissue only on the top of branches, colors change after a mo or so under a more natural light set up.
The same can be said to all those recommending leds. I have been checking build threads of those recommending leds and they are less than a yr old or the colors a terrible.
If you want to fork out 3x the price to be a tester for a new light be my guest, but quit making it out that it is the best light you have ever own and used with less than a yr of use and I won't bash on you using leds. I have seen only about 3 tanks that runn leds that I would say have good colors.
I am also getting tired of picking corals up that come from led tanks that look good till I put them in a tank with t5 or halide and the are brown or a completely different color altogether, tissue only on the top of branches, colors change after a mo or so under a more natural light set up.
Wazzel
New member
I do believe there was some observational bias in that article. Looking at the pictures I did not see any significant difference. I honestly doubt most people could have picked out the lighting system from those.
fishguy597
Member
I've been running Gen 2's for 3 years this month. I have never lost any zoa colonies. Granted I only have 5 but still lost none.
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It only took approximately 145 post or so before I got called stupid. Always, somebody has to go there. As the OP, I'll address this.
For one, the title was to instigate a conversation as much as anything.
And two, this veteran even has more experience then what was given. My experience in aquatics is much more. Even my join date on this forum was long before 2010. I got out for a year and when I got back in, I changed my username.
I have owned and currently own several different companies. One of those companies was a local fish store that specialized in corals, with SPS being my specialty. Before I opened my store front, I had converted one of my break rooms in my office building to a frag room. I had numerous tanks and a 24' long frag tank going down the middle of it. I sold corals by appt only out of my office before finally deciding to open a store front.
My goal as a LFS was to get people in the hobby to be able to expand my business. The way to do that is to make it as simple as possible. Once you got them hooked, then upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. A lighting system such as LED's does not make it easy. There are many variables and a big learning curve. In my original post, i state this.
In my city, I was one of the first to display T5's, light movers, and LED's. I've always been successful in my companies by always being on the latest age of technology. However, I did not find much success with LED's in my store, with my customers, or personally.
I am a veteran and by no means embarrassed to admit I don't know something or ask for help. Some of my questions on some of the threads are sometimes very basic, something a newby would ask. But, if I don't know, I don't know.
I am very capable of learning LED's. I'm not going to go through my credentials. I am the guy that buys the latest phone, computer, iPad, etc every time a new one comes out. I love technology.
People have had success with LED's thats great. But as a hole, at this point, most people haven't.
Just because i am veteran and my seem old or out of touch, without the ability to embrace or learn new technology, doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about.
Post
It only took approximately 145 post or so before I got called stupid. Always, somebody has to go there. As the OP, I'll address this.
For one, the title was to instigate a conversation as much as anything.
And two, this veteran even has more experience then what was given. My experience in aquatics is much more. Even my join date on this forum was long before 2010. I got out for a year and when I got back in, I changed my username.
I have owned and currently own several different companies. One of those companies was a local fish store that specialized in corals, with SPS being my specialty. Before I opened my store front, I had converted one of my break rooms in my office building to a frag room. I had numerous tanks and a 24' long frag tank going down the middle of it. I sold corals by appt only out of my office before finally deciding to open a store front.
My goal as a LFS was to get people in the hobby to be able to expand my business. The way to do that is to make it as simple as possible. Once you got them hooked, then upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. A lighting system such as LED's does not make it easy. There are many variables and a big learning curve. In my original post, i state this.
In my city, I was one of the first to display T5's, light movers, and LED's. I've always been successful in my companies by always being on the latest age of technology. However, I did not find much success with LED's in my store, with my customers, or personally.
I am a veteran and by no means embarrassed to admit I don't know something or ask for help. Some of my questions on some of the threads are sometimes very basic, something a newby would ask. But, if I don't know, I don't know.
I am very capable of learning LED's. I'm not going to go through my credentials. I am the guy that buys the latest phone, computer, iPad, etc every time a new one comes out. I love technology.
People have had success with LED's thats great. But as a hole, at this point, most people haven't.
Just because i am veteran and my seem old or out of touch, without the ability to embrace or learn new technology, doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about.
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I like LEDs. You do need more than what manufactures recommend though for SPS colonies at least. LPS and coral that move around don't get shaded as much. Less clusters and more distribution would be good imo, but I am not trying to convince anyone that doesn't like them already, I can't and wouldn't even try.
Here is 2 months growth from cheap chinese reefbreeder value fixtures. Easy 50% length growth and much more than that width and mass. No, it's not a hard to keep acro and non-MH people will probably pick it apart with terrible color or it would be 5x that size under any other lighting - so there, saved you the time!
I have been very happy with that growth, and I am happy with that color. I have only been keeping SPS around 1.5-2 years so any issues you have with it are probably due to my lack of skill than the value LED fixtures.
Here is 2 months growth from cheap chinese reefbreeder value fixtures. Easy 50% length growth and much more than that width and mass. No, it's not a hard to keep acro and non-MH people will probably pick it apart with terrible color or it would be 5x that size under any other lighting - so there, saved you the time!
I have been very happy with that growth, and I am happy with that color. I have only been keeping SPS around 1.5-2 years so any issues you have with it are probably due to my lack of skill than the value LED fixtures.
JammyBirch
Aquaria Engineering
So you're buying corals from one of the three tanks that have "good" color, putting those in your tank and the color is off?
This must work both ways then, you can have good color in an LED tank and it won't look good in a T5 MH tank and visa versa.
That may explain why corals don't look good in some LED tanks, they must have gotten there corals from a T5 or MH tank...got it thanks for clearing that up. The post is contradictory but i'm picking up what you're laying down.
JammyBirch no I picked up a few corals from a club member that was helping me get set back up after a brief nap from the hobby. He runs leds corals looked great under leds everything glowed oh ah till the halides kicked on the next day and everything that had color was brown. Bright yellow king tut zoa's brown under halide 20k radiums on m80 ballasts in lumen bright minis. Miami chalice purple with green eyes brown under halides. green prostrate that had come out of my tank less than 6 mos earlier brown no polyp extension no tissue on underside of branches, looked green under leds
JammyBirch so lets see these nice colored sticks you got under leds. Since you don't have a build thread and no tank pics. And no all blue leds on I hate people that try and make corals look better than they are with all actinic shots, photo shopped. Like hart24601 second pic.
JammyBirch so lets see these nice colored sticks you got under leds. Since you don't have a build thread and no tank pics. And no all blue leds on I hate people that try and make corals look better than they are with all actinic shots, photo shopped. Like hart24601 second pic.
Hart's 2nd pic was just with the blue channel off so my iPhone didn't turn all blue - no rb were on in the 2nd pic. No photoshop, no fancy camera. Found that for my iPhone to not get blue overexposed I could just switch off one channel and it would appear as it does to my eye. Not trying to do any tricks, jeeze. I hadn't taken many reef pics at that time of the 1st photo is all and didn't know anything about it. It's not like I took those to show off, just fun to document the growth for my own use.
hart24601 you took that the wrong way. lol That's all you see with leds are just blue leds, over saturated, and photo shopped. Your second pic is what I would like to see you can tell what color the coral is there is no blue glow around the edge of the coral and looks natural. The first pic doesn't look to bad your rocks don't glow which is how most pics are shown under leds or blue egg crate.
Here is a pic of the green prostrate that I had I will snap a pic of what I got back later when the halides are on again to show the difference after being under leds. I am not saying I have totm colors but better than average.
Here is a pic of the green prostrate that I had I will snap a pic of what I got back later when the halides are on again to show the difference after being under leds. I am not saying I have totm colors but better than average.
BAETech2004
New member
No technical data or specs, all opinions. LEDs are baaaaad, mmmmkay.
jackson6745
Yeah Yeah
Why would the average hobbyist share data and specs (which you can find yourself) over real user experience? All LED's are great on paper, it's the users trial and error which are pushing better results, NOT agenda driven info from companies promoting their product.
Jammy, have you ever run halides? I have been running 400w for years and never needed a chiller. It doesn't really matter. I don't get personal with equipment. If halide or t5 didn't perform for me, they would be on the chopping block. No matter how you justify your point of view, the simple fact is that LED is extremely problematic with SPS corals, this is the SPS forum. Not sure why we're discussing Zoa since you can growth them under a non-led desk lamp:lolspin:
Just to show you where I'm coming from, here is 13 months under 400w radium + t5, and blue led reefbrites.
Pearlberry
jan 27th pearlberry by rich.colombo, on Flickr
IMG_1568 by rich.colombo, on FlickrPurple Monster
jan23 PM by rich.colombo, on Flickr
IMG_1663 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
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Wazzel
New member
Richard is correct. Most of the good operating data is coming from other reef keepers. He is also correct that LED is more difficult than MH or T-5. The hobby is progressing and LED is going to be part of the next wave. I totally understand not wanting to be a early adopter of tech. Letting others work out the kinks is safe. If I had an established tank I would not switch. It is not worth it. Starting from new it was a calculated risk since it was new to me. Happy so far. Would definitely not say better, more like approximately equal. I do have MH and VHO experience so this is not my first lighting system.
Wazzel
New member
Corals will look different under different lighting systems and will take time to adjust. You should never expect a coral to look just like the tank you got it from as soon as you put it in your tank.
