my reef brite LEDs

[StrategicReef]

Hi guys, after days of research I have added reef brite LED strips as my actinic supplement. From the data I gathered my Iwasaki 15k 175W and ATI blue plus (T5) both spike at around 450nm which doesn't have much flourescence or "pop". There are T5s that are closer to true actinics VHOs but they are fairly dim and low in PAR.

I will be keeping my husbandry stable and see how the SPS responds in color.. According to premium aquatics each reef brite is putting out almost twice the PAR of the ATI Blue+. So I will be slowly ramping up the lighting schedule so the corals can adjust.

Unfortunately I cannot seem to take the pictures in their correct color but here are some pictures anyway. The purple effect is a bit too saturated than it looks.

I might be turning down the intensity via the control scew built into the power supply, it seems a little too bright almost, I will be tuning it to the correct balance of white/blue/purple, it's a good thing they provided this option. I wouldn't be happy with the color coverage with 1strip so I went with 2 strips. In terms of par it's similar to adding 4 more T5 lamps

Aquactinics fixture with Iwasaki 175W + 2x ATI Blue+

plus LEDs (not a good representation of actual color)

 

[wegotcrabs]

Are you happy with the purchase? I am torn between reefbrite and the stunner stips.

 

[kc350twin]

Those are so nice. Looks good and I'm sure way better in person

 

[dlmkmm]

How much more of a flourescence pop do you now get with the reef brights. The reason i ask is I also have the Iwasaki 175 15k and am trying to decide on new actinic suppliments. The 460 nm Powerbrights I have now get washed out with the halide on and I would like more of that 420 nm actinic flourescent look.

Great looking tank by the way.

 

[StrategicReef]

In the first picture, it was hard to look at before needed to look away.

They do not get washed out by the Iwasaki. it highlights everything purple and pop the green and oranges, fishes and clams too. I made sure of that before I made the purchase. I was surprised there was almost no shimmer due to the spread of the optics. It is nicely diffused.

I am more interested in how the corals will respond because when I get frags from a 20k/radium lit tank they will lose their original nice colors that is typical in 20K. So I want to see if this combination can approximate that but still take advantage of quick growth provided by iwasakis.

 

[reefboy1]

Thanks for the pics - I received 2 Reef-brite strips today and it's nice to see how you've installed them. I can't wait to see the differences.

BTW, I had originally purchased the Stunner strips and those were completely useless to supplement actinics so I returned them to PA and got the Reefbrite's instead.

 

[StrategicReef]

I purchased from saltwatercritters.com from Russ. He is a great guy to work with, we made sure it will work for my retrofit installation, and also he tried it out and told me what to expect together with the halides.

reefboy1 please report back after you fire them up! I'm curious to know what other people thinks of this product.

 

[je_unc]

Nice pics! Everyone seems to have color issues when photographing LEDs, and that isn't a knock on LEDs. I'm just saying you're not the only one.

 

[reefboy1]

Well - Holy Crap!!

I put a 36" unit over my 375gal tank and the colors with all the other lights off are fantastic. Like nothing I've ever seen before. The flourecense is amazing.

The look with the VHO actinics is also very nice with the reds and greens really popping but nothing like the LED's alone.

When the halides are on, you can hardly see a difference but that's not what I bought them for.

I'll definitely be adding a photoperiod with the LED's alone as that's where they make the most difference.

Art

 

[StrategicReef]

It's amazing isn't it! I didn't see the LEDs by themselves until I turned out my T5 also.
So if it has more pop than the your VHO then I made a good choice.

 

[reefboy1]

I'm planning to move the VHO's out of there and replace with another Reefbrite unit. I'm really impressed with these things. I just have my fingers crossed that their longevity will make them cost effective...

 

[StrategicReef]

reefboy1, great.. looks like I need to get over to your place soon and check it out

I noticed something, the LED delivers a great contrast ratio.. that's a TV performance term but that's the best analogy I know. We are pleased when we see contrast because it looks 3D. When the T5 tubes are on it's simply are more washed out appearance. That and the fluorescens makes me want to view with LEDs only. I doubt the real reef look anything like that at any hour though.

Here is the schedule I thought out. Originally

4pm-2am T5
6PM-midnight MH

with LEDs (slowly dialed into this schedule)
4am-2am Reef brite LEDs
6PM-midnight MH
5:30am-12:30am T5

 

[reefboy1]

Jeremy,

Agreed, the color contrast is much better with LEDs only (btw, I'm a digital video guy). I've also done night scuba dives over reefs and they don't look anything like this. With your flashlight off it's pitchblack - even after sitting on the bottom for afew minutes to let the eye's adjust and look wait for the night critters to come out.

You have 2 48" unit's right? That must be fantastic.

Your light schedule is really late - why do you want to turn the LED's on in the middle of the night? My schedule is selfishly based on my prime viewing times

Art

 

[bbris]

Congrats - looks nice!

 

[StrategicReef]

yes, sometimes I stay up that late.
That also avoid the heat in summer,
I never enjoyed actinics viewing before, only MH hours, but this is changing

 

[reefboy1]

Are you ramping up the voltage on your LED's?

I have mine pegged at 24v. They don't seem too intense but then again, I only have 36" unit over my tank.

Art

 

[StrategicReef]

I have it at max setting (~24.5- ~24.8V) . I can't justify the cost of the fixture only to have it reduced.
It seems a little too bright when everything is on when I go back to my monitor it takes a while to adjust. I would rather turn off the T5s since they draw much more energy and not look so good now.

It would be sweet to have a programmable controller to ramp the light up and down gradually over hours. That seems like should be a big selling point of LEDs is the dimability (is that a word)
I don't know what is needed though, with enough electronics it can be done. You are not required to use the included power supplies as long as it can supply enough amps, and DC voltage.

 

[strendo]

I have a 48" Reefbrite. Really cool fixture, I had no idea you could adjust the output on them. I can't get a good pic of the color of the light, it's a lot less purple than this one:
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HsCw7uJ6HZfV6niXgnf9bA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_NPIRWKuZUJQ/S0zdLEKpF0I/AAAAAAAADxY/-aMdlf4p9ZQ/s800/attachment.jpg" /></a>
With 10X T5:
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kDvGphWnGGfEcRAG6N293A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_NPIRWKuZUJQ/S0zdK25kVjI/AAAAAAAADxQ/iJ8eODPcljA/s800/attachment-2.jpg" /></a>

 

[wegotcrabs]

has anyone test the fixture for par output?

 

[IRISSERVICE]

tagging along..