PC v LED

T

TMIAAL

New member
Hello

Returning to the hobby after a hiatus and now LED lighting is all the rage. I have a 12g jbj nano cube with stock lighting. 48 watts of PC I believe. I have been toying with the idea of making the switch to LED. Today at the LFS the guy recommended getting an orbit current LED set up that could fit right in my hood for the nano cube. I've also seen Steve's LEDs that are designed for the 12g.

My question is, what do I gain by going to LED? I plan on keeping softies. No plans for clams or anemones.

Is my current stock lighting still sufficient? What are the primary benefits of going LED?

Thanks
 
You will decrease the amount of electricity you use, you won't have to change bulbs for 5-10 years, and you will be able to adjust the intensity and color of the lights to suit your tank and yourself.
 
I recently switched to LED's from T5's and the colors in my corals really popped! I did keep my T5, just in case the LED's don't work out for some reason.
 
So far what I'm gathering is that the primary differences aren't related to overall tank/coral performance. More so with aestetics and cost efficiency?

I would like to upgrade to LED eventually, but just curious as to how high a priority I need to give it.

Theoretically, if I went with the LED systems I mentioned, would I be able to keep a wider variety of corals and maybe an anemone?
Thanks so much for the replies!
 
I've had an anemone in my tank for 3 months with LED's and it's fine. I have a variety of corals, but not alot, so maybe someone else can answer that for you.
 
How exactly do you measure the strength of LEDs? Total wattage? Number of bulbs? Something else? I guess I'm just lost when it comes to knowing how much LED is enough
 
Total wattage, and color mix are popular methods (if you're using known efficient emitters). Various lenses complicate the issue (as they can focus the light down very well, meaning less LEDs, but their spread is worse).

I'd look at what retrofit kits are available for nanos to see the average power levels people are putting over them. The best tool is of course a PAR meter, but thats a hefty investment to just setup some lights.
 
PCs are way old school nowadays. LEDs have too many advantages to even state. everything from power, to spectrum, to connectivity, to heat. All around a better option.
 
I'm not opposed to going hoodless. Just worried that would increase noise, evaporation, and risk of fish jumping. Are these concerns warranted?
 
TMIAAL said:
So it looks like I'm down to 3 choices:

Stock lighting on my JBJ nano. 48 watts of PC. Just pay a few bucks to buy new bulbs.


Current USA LED system. for about $115. Would I have to go hoodless for this to work?
http://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Marine-Aquarium-24-Inch/dp/B00GFTK7CQ


Or Steve's LEDs for $300 built into the existing hood.
http://shop.stevesleds.com/NanoCube-12-LED-Light-System-Extreme-SPS-Fully-Loaded-3456542654.htm



Thoughts?
Click to expand...


Bump. I'm not opposed to going hoodless. Just worried that would increase noise, evaporation, and risk of fish jumping. Are these concerns warranted?



thanks
 
TMIAAL said:
So it looks like I'm down to 3 choices:

Stock lighting on my JBJ nano. 48 watts of PC. Just pay a few bucks to buy new bulbs.


Current USA LED system. for about $115. Would I have to go hoodless for this to work?
http://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Marine-Aquarium-24-Inch/dp/B00GFTK7CQ


Or Steve's LEDs for $300 built into the existing hood.
http://shop.stevesleds.com/NanoCube-12-LED-Light-System-Extreme-SPS-Fully-Loaded-3456542654.htm

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I just recently upgraded an old fluorescent light strip on my 29g to the Current Marine Orbit LEDs. It's amazing how much difference the LEDs made. The fixture is very low profile and doesn't give off much heat - if any at all. I really like the ramp timer that comes with the LEDs. It has several pre-programmed setting and you also have the ablility to customize your own lighting schedule, intensity, etc...

I have several LPS frags in the tank and they all seem very happy with the LED upgrade.

It's not the best LED system out there but for the price and features I couldn't pass it up.
 
I'm going with a 6 lamp T5 fixture on my 90 gallon reef just simply because everyone was telling me the depth of my aquarium was too much for most affordable LED fixtures. I can't afford a $1,000 fixture for my tank right now.
 
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