Lets See SPS LED Tanks!

Some Montipora growth shots April-November under Radion

Some Montipora growth shots April-November under Radion

Following up to my above post, here are some pics of a Monti cap and digitata taken during initial acclimation in April through early last month:

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Ange062, your tank is awesome! I have a Radion over my Elos Midi which is not much bigger than your Nanocube. I'm currently running it in Natural mode at about 75% intensity - slowly ramped up from 30% when I initially started using the Radion in March. What is your Radion set at?

Mine is running at 70% intensity, 14k for most of the day with a 2-hr peak of 12k. Here is an old shot of my profile, I'm pretty sure it's been updated since then:
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I read the entire thread and... I saw only ugly brownish or washed out SPS reefs.
There were few nice photos but owners use their LEDs combined with T5s so they shouldn't be taken into consideration.
Im a LED user myself and after over a year time I decided to dump my fixtures and go back to T5. I saw many other tanks under LEDs and I didn't like them either. All the photos made by manufacturers and retailers can not be trusted.
It's not only about colors but also about design. Most LED fixtures offer poor light spread across the tank. They really can not compete with T5 lamps.
The most common agrument to buy LEDs is "hey mate my electricity bill went down" but is it really the most important thing to consider? Then sell your tank it will be even cheaper.
I can understand that some people are happy with their corals color but these colors could be far better under T5s.
 
I read the entire thread and... I saw only ugly brownish or washed out SPS reefs.
There were few nice photos but owners use their LEDs combined with T5s so they shouldn't be taken into consideration.
Im a LED user myself and after over a year time I decided to dump my fixtures and go back to T5. I saw many other tanks under LEDs and I didn't like them either. All the photos made by manufacturers and retailers can not be trusted.
It's not only about colors but also about design. Most LED fixtures offer poor light spread across the tank. They really can not compete with T5 lamps.
The most common agrument to buy LEDs is "hey mate my electricity bill went down" but is it really the most important thing to consider? Then sell your tank it will be even cheaper.
I can understand that some people are happy with their corals color but these colors could be far better under T5s.

Are you kidding me???? This is your first post and this is what you have to say about reef keepers corals and the lighting?
Move on
 
I loved T-5 and I didn't want to use anything else but T-5 but I also like the look of the LED so I was torn for awhile. I ended up buying my first LED fixture back in August of 2012 and as of right now my SPS colonies haven't look better. The growth I have gotten was crazy and right now I feel like most coral will respond very well to LED. Some LPS corals don't take LED very well either from my expereince. I had a few LPS bleach on me even though they were on th sand bed. In my personal opinion if your water quaility sucks you might as well forget about using LED. Here is s photo of my Tank now under LED using the Apollo Artic Reef LED 44PCS

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Purple Rim Monti- Don't mind the Algae
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Are you kidding me???? This is your first post and this is what you have to say about reef keepers corals and the lighting?
Move on

Is it about number of posts or facts?

I read many threads across entire RC to check if people have similiar observations after using LED lamps for some time.
And when I read reviews as: "leds are great, just look at my Xenia" or "leds are amazing, my electricity bill went down by 60%" then I prefer not to comment.
LEDs alone are no good for SPS, look at the TOTM list. Sure you can keep SPS alive, sure they do grow, but colors are bad.

TOTM:

January 2013 - LED+T5 - nice SPS
March 2013 - LED only - much worse SPS colors, pale, washed out
April 2013 - MHD+T5 - nice SPS

December 2012 - MHD+LED - nice SPS
November 2012 - T5 - nice SPS
August 2012 - T5 - nice colors
July 2012 - T5 - lovely SPS
June 2012 - LED+MHD - hard to say, pictures are too heavily edited.
May 2012 - LED only - pictures heavily edited, nice softies, ugly SPS
April 2012 - LED only - dull, washed out SPS, beautiful softies :)
March 2012 - NATURAL light - nice SPS, much better than under LEDs
February 2012 -MHD - nice SPS
January 2012 - MHD+plasma - nice SPS

After 3-4 years with LED lamps we know that they are perfect to grow Xenia :rollface: zoanthids and LPS(?).
There are SPS keepers going back to T5 everywhere on forums around the world.

I know many reefkeepers that recently bought their first tank and they started with LEDs because all that advertising on internet "how great they are". Months pass and they keep experimenting with new additives. But something is wrong with their SPS. What is wrong? Light is wrong my friends.
First there were lamps with only blue and white LEDs, and they were advertised as great, ultimate light source. Now we have lamps with all possible LED colors and still something is not right.
Not to mention discoball effect :fun4: and other construction faults.

Personally I have never seen a beautiful SPS reef under LED light and I fell that it was a waste of money to switch to LED.

Why T5 lamp makers didn't lower their prices when all that LED-boom started?
Because now they laugh and watch us crawling back to T5s.

I want beautiful colors not beautiful energy bills.
 
Is it about number of posts or facts?

I read many threads across entire RC to check if people have similiar observations after using LED lamps for some time.
And when I read reviews as: "leds are great, just look at my Xenia" or "leds are amazing, my electricity bill went down by 60%" then I prefer not to comment.
LEDs alone are no good for SPS, look at the TOTM list. Sure you can keep SPS alive, sure they do grow, but colors are bad.

TOTM:

January 2013 - LED+T5 - nice SPS
March 2013 - LED only - much worse SPS colors, pale, washed out
April 2013 - MHD+T5 - nice SPS

December 2012 - MHD+LED - nice SPS
November 2012 - T5 - nice SPS
August 2012 - T5 - nice colors
July 2012 - T5 - lovely SPS
June 2012 - LED+MHD - hard to say, pictures are too heavily edited.
May 2012 - LED only - pictures heavily edited, nice softies, ugly SPS
April 2012 - LED only - dull, washed out SPS, beautiful softies :)
March 2012 - NATURAL light - nice SPS, much better than under LEDs
February 2012 -MHD - nice SPS
January 2012 - MHD+plasma - nice SPS

After 3-4 years with LED lamps we know that they are perfect to grow Xenia :rollface: zoanthids and LPS(?).
There are SPS keepers going back to T5 everywhere on forums around the world.

I know many reefkeepers that recently bought their first tank and they started with LEDs because all that advertising on internet "how great they are". Months pass and they keep experimenting with new additives. But something is wrong with their SPS. What is wrong? Light is wrong my friends.
First there were lamps with only blue and white LEDs, and they were advertised as great, ultimate light source. Now we have lamps with all possible LED colors and still something is not right.
Not to mention discoball effect :fun4: and other construction faults.

Personally I have never seen a beautiful SPS reef under LED light and I fell that it was a waste of money to switch to LED.

Why T5 lamp makers didn't lower their prices when all that LED-boom started?
Because now they laugh and watch us crawling back to T5s.

I want beautiful colors not beautiful energy bills.

Yeah you must be on the T-5 boat like I was, I didn't believe it until I tried it myself, trust me all those pictures aren't as nearly as fantasic as they look in person, you might be amazed at the colors that pop from LED, if you really have seen them in person.

IMO LED work just as good as T-5's and MH, but MH and T-5 are proven to be the best still, but with all the LED's fixtures that are coming out all are growing colorful SPS and LPS and Zoanthids just fine. This really is you're opinion and I respect that. No need to get bent out of shape about how everything looks wash out it really is hard to get the correct color adjustment on you're camera's unless you have a high professional camera to take photos with.
 
I read the entire thread and... I saw only ugly brownish or washed out SPS reefs.
There were few nice photos but owners use their LEDs combined with T5s so they shouldn't be taken into consideration.
Im a LED user myself and after over a year time I decided to dump my fixtures and go back to T5. I saw many other tanks under LEDs and I didn't like them either. All the photos made by manufacturers and retailers can not be trusted.
It's not only about colors but also about design. Most LED fixtures offer poor light spread across the tank. They really can not compete with T5 lamps.
The most common agrument to buy LEDs is "hey mate my electricity bill went down" but is it really the most important thing to consider? Then sell your tank it will be even cheaper.
I can understand that some people are happy with their corals color but these colors could be far better under T5s.

And you probably still have a tube T.V., A.M Radio, wind up telephone and use a outhouse :(

I don't know, maybe it is because I only have had one cup of morning coffee but your post strikes me as factually incorrect. On the other had who the hell cares what you think or if that is your opinion really. Honestly, it is a part of hobby evolution LED's regardless if you believe or don't.

People said a lot of things wouldn't or couldn't work has little has 10 years ago and look at the hobby today. If they don't work for you then don't use them.
 
opinions are like butt holes...everyone has one but some are just bigger and uglier than others.

the ONLY reason you posted was to get these LED peeps all in an uproar. You have no evidence of your claim apart from your opinion and you're entitled to that but dont try and rain on someone else's parade with your non-sense. Live and let live...in other words, dont be a d-bag
 
Is it about number of posts or facts?

I read many threads across entire RC to check if people have similiar observations after using LED lamps for some time.
And when I read reviews as: "leds are great, just look at my Xenia" or "leds are amazing, my electricity bill went down by 60%" then I prefer not to comment.
LEDs alone are no good for SPS, look at the TOTM list. Sure you can keep SPS alive, sure they do grow, but colors are bad.

TOTM:

January 2013 - LED+T5 - nice SPS
March 2013 - LED only - much worse SPS colors, pale, washed out
April 2013 - MHD+T5 - nice SPS

December 2012 - MHD+LED - nice SPS
November 2012 - T5 - nice SPS
August 2012 - T5 - nice colors
July 2012 - T5 - lovely SPS
June 2012 - LED+MHD - hard to say, pictures are too heavily edited.
May 2012 - LED only - pictures heavily edited, nice softies, ugly SPS
April 2012 - LED only - dull, washed out SPS, beautiful softies :)
March 2012 - NATURAL light - nice SPS, much better than under LEDs
February 2012 -MHD - nice SPS
January 2012 - MHD+plasma - nice SPS

After 3-4 years with LED lamps we know that they are perfect to grow Xenia :rollface: zoanthids and LPS(?).
There are SPS keepers going back to T5 everywhere on forums around the world.

I know many reefkeepers that recently bought their first tank and they started with LEDs because all that advertising on internet "how great they are". Months pass and they keep experimenting with new additives. But something is wrong with their SPS. What is wrong? Light is wrong my friends.
First there were lamps with only blue and white LEDs, and they were advertised as great, ultimate light source. Now we have lamps with all possible LED colors and still something is not right.
Not to mention discoball effect :fun4: and other construction faults.

Personally I have never seen a beautiful SPS reef under LED light and I fell that it was a waste of money to switch to LED.

Why T5 lamp makers didn't lower their prices when all that LED-boom started?
Because now they laugh and watch us crawling back to T5s.

I want beautiful colors not beautiful energy bills.

This is one of the worst cases of trollism I've ever seen. Please stand back and call a doctor immediately. In fact you may want to drive yourself to the hosptial, don't let anyone else get in the car with you as you don't want to take the risk of infecting others.

The LED tanks are CLEARLY absolutely terrible, the colors are horrible, washed out, and everything is soooooo bland. Which is exactly why they were chosen for TOTM on the largest reef forum in the world over hundreds of other amazing tanks that are grown under MH and T5.

Sorry but your "analysis" just simply can't be taken seriously and yes, I am a huge fan of T5's and MH myself. When someone can't admit that an LED tank looks good, there's no point in arguing with them, its a lost cause.
 
Go on other sites and look what people have to say. This is almost the only site I have ever heard a negative review about LEDs. Your opinion is your opinion but I have heard way more positives than negatives when it comes to LEDs
 
opinions are like butt holes...everyone has one but some are just bigger and uglier than others.

the ONLY reason you posted was to get these LED peeps all in an uproar. You have no evidence of your claim apart from your opinion and you're entitled to that but dont try and rain on someone else's parade with your non-sense. Live and let live...in other words, dont be a d-bag

I wasn't in an uproar I think his opinion is just that an opinion, we can either take it or leave it. I am sure everyone is not going to jump back on to T-5 or MH the next day becasue of his post... :lmao:
 
My tank isnt nearly as nice as some on here.. but im 100% LED, Bridgelux, no less.. im happy with coral colors, if people think they look brown and colorless then thats ok with me.. because i dont think that.. lol

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dukester, beautiful corals and sharp looking tank! Share more about your water quality and which colors of LED's do you run along with intensities and photo period. I may be blind but those sure are colored up real well.
 
My tank isnt nearly as nice as some on here.. but im 100% LED, Bridgelux, no less.. im happy with coral colors, if people think they look brown and colorless then thats ok with me.. because i dont think that.. lol

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Wow, now that is an awesome response! :beer:

Please kindly share the following info for the rest of your fellow hobbyists:

1. Tank size and how long tank been running?

2. NO3 + PO4 levels?

3. Number of LED's and approx watts? Or how many amps do you run them at?

4. What colours of LED's do you have? Eg, Royal Blue, Blue, White, Red, Yellow etc.

5. What % water change you do each week?

6. Your filtration methods? - Carbon, GFO, Organic Carbon dosing?

7. How long have the LED's been over the tank?

8. Running Calcium Reactor or dosing two part?

9. Any other additives you use?

10. What salt brand?

Perhaps the info you provide above will help some out. I know its like lots of questions LOL, but the answers WILL be appreciated. Many thanks, and well done for creating such a beautiful system! :thumbsup:
 
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