tdb320reef
Active member
Awesome pics and tanks all. Keep them coming.
Lets See SPS LED Tanks!
- Thread starter huskysglare1
- Start date
Please kindly share the following info for the rest of your fellow hobbyists:
Sure thing, its a 90 gallon 48x18x24 acrylic tank with a c2c overflow i have 90 3W bridgelux LEDS with 60 RB 24 CW and 6 UV split between 4 x 4ft rails hanging 10" above the water using 80 or 90 degree optics, cant recall off hand, i run the RB at 100% from 10am-10pm and the CW at 80% from noon-8PM. PAR sits over 700 at the waterline,450-650 at the top of rocks and 150-300 on the sand depending where in the tank. i have sand and rock in my sump and grow macro algae with a cfl. I run a skimz skimmer use GFO and Bio Pellets (essential imo) i sometimes use carbon but not always, i dose 2 part solution from Royal Aquariums and use elos amino acids(havent noticed any difference with the AA tho) I try for weekly 5G water changes and keep PO4 at .03-.05 and NO3 i dont test for anymore but should be 0. I've been LED for over a 18 moths and all the SPS in my tank have been LED only for me, i was running MH with softies before but the lights were Heating my house up too much in the summer, my central AC would run all day because of them. I also use straight IO salt. Any other questions feel free to ask away.
Thanks for taking an interest :beer:
heres a few more photos i can share.
Darryls MRT deepwater bottlebrush
cant do this with MH or T5's now can ya??
reality is your new reefkeeper friends with their "first" tanks probably had bad experience with SPS because of all the reasons you state but the LEDs. numerous additives, blindly dosing stuff combined with inexperience and "experimenting" is a setup for failure, MH or T5 wasnt going to save them. Im not one to start an argument, but i think 99% of the negative comments about LEDs are either a myth or a misinterpretation of some other "issue" that is causing the problems. its just easiest to blame the LED's :debi:
What lense did you use for that top one? That depth of field looks too big for a macro....Please kindly share the following info for the rest of your fellow hobbyists:
Sure thing, its a 90 gallon 48x18x24 acrylic tank with a c2c overflow i have 90 3W bridgelux LEDS with 60 RB 24 CW and 6 UV split between 4 x 4ft rails hanging 10" above the water using 80 or 90 degree optics, cant recall off hand, i run the RB at 100% from 10am-10pm and the CW at 80% from noon-8PM. PAR sits over 700 at the waterline,450-650 at the top of rocks and 150-300 on the sand depending where in the tank. i have sand and rock in my sump and grow macro algae with a cfl. I run a skimz skimmer use GFO and Bio Pellets (essential imo) i sometimes use carbon but not always, i dose 2 part solution from Royal Aquariums and use elos amino acids(havent noticed any difference with the AA tho) I try for weekly 5G water changes and keep PO4 at .03-.05 and NO3 i dont test for anymore but should be 0. I've been LED for over a 18 moths and all the SPS in my tank have been LED only for me, i was running MH with softies before but the lights were Heating my house up too much in the summer, my central AC would run all day because of them. I also use straight IO salt. Any other questions feel free to ask away.
Thanks for taking an interest :beer:
heres a few more photos i can share.
Darryls MRT deepwater bottlebrush
cant do this with MH or T5's now can ya??
Just a t3, the kit lens is fairly sharp. im due for an upgrade soon. I use a tripod and yes they have been cropped a bit.
tdb320reef
Active member
mandarinfanatic
New member
wow superstunning sps pics!
trueblackpercula
New member
My humble attempt....
All LED and all SPS...
Your setup and tank are amazing !!!
symbiodinium
New member
Lots of awesome tanks and coral pictures! I skimmed most of the pages and forgive me if I missed this info but how do you measure your lights over your tank and what are your readings?
It used to be that wattage was the key measure for tank depth/color/growth, how do you translate that to LEDs for those of us who are trying to learn and gain your experience and advice?
Do we need a lightmeter to setup our tanks for LEDs and if so what par should be our goals?
It used to be that wattage was the key measure for tank depth/color/growth, how do you translate that to LEDs for those of us who are trying to learn and gain your experience and advice?
Do we need a lightmeter to setup our tanks for LEDs and if so what par should be our goals?
Reef_Noob
New member
Reef_Noob
New member
Hi,
At the outset let me congratulate you on giving LEDs a thought.
There are a lot of choices for LEDs out there. But going with a reliable manufacturer and who has a track record which is proven would be the first and foremost that should guide your decision.
They make a big difference because of the high quality of the components used which will help you long term.
Personally I haven't tested PAR readings. But there are many hobbyists who have tested the reading and posted in their threads which will sure help you as a guide.
If you are aiming to keep SPS go for a lighting unit that provides good corverage and high wattage. Make sure your aquascape is such that the SPS are positioned such a way that they are uniformly exposed to the lighting source and not shadowed by the other SPS colonies or by the rock scape.
The angle of the lens is chosen by the depth of the tank. Deeper tanks needs lesser angle lenses (for more penetration) but coverage/spread is compromised so you will need multiple units.
Shallower tanks can have LED units with wider lens angle since dept of penetration is not an issue and wider angle lenses give you good spread of lighting.
LEDs were lacking in providing a full spectrum of lighting. But now the manufacturers are doing more research into that and there are already full spectrum units available. As with any technology one can predict vast improvements and changes in the future. That's what makes everything so exciting.
A basic answer to your question on how wattage transfers into practice is - higher wattage means more output. For SPS corals we need higher output lamps as they are light demanding.
But one has to note that a 3 watt LED is usually not driven upto the 3 watt capacity it's usually a bit under driven. This is done on purpose to increase the life span, reduce heat generation.
I would like to emphasize wattage isnt everything when it comes to choosing LED units. Your decision should be made based on:
Tank dimensions
What corals you intend to keep
Quality of components/manufacturer and type of LEDs used
Controllabity
Spread/coverage/lens angle
Wattage/output
Spectrum/PAR
A combination of the above factors will determine your choice.
A Lightmeter would be an efficient way to determine on coral placement depending on light requirement and measuring PAR and efficiency of the LED unit. It will also give you an idea If there is any deterioration in PAR after long term use. But light meters are not an absolute necessity. Observe your SPS they will definately give you signs if they are receiving too much or too less light.
Sorry for the rambling. There is so much more to LEDs. I am in no way an expert on LEDs I am still learning
Iv just mentioned some points that came to my mind and helped me make my choice for my system.
Read up on LEDs and collect information, compare brands and models. There's lot of choice but if you gonna keep SPS choose wisely and you will be rewarded
Wish you all the best!!
freezetyle
New member
Here is my 90 gallon sps dominated tank. Run on the pacific sun metis fixture since it was started 2 years ago.
full tank
Still a little right side heavy, waiting for the left to grow in.
full tank
Still a little right side heavy, waiting for the left to grow in.
My humble attempt....
All LED and all SPS...
That my friend is IMHO incredible.
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