One thing I never see in these LED vs the world threads is
Plasma Light (T5, MH, The Sun)
Vs
Electroluminescence (LED)
Go.
I'll bite, and we can add this to the mix.
There are mercury arc lamps that grow coral well and render color nicely and other... not so much.
Plasma lamps, commonly known as "High Intensity Discharge" or HID lamps include Metal Halide, Mercury vapor and Sodium Vapor (HPS or High Pressure Sodium and LPS, Low Pressure Sodium. While MH works well for our purposes, Mercury Vapor and High Pressure Sodium don't seem to work as well. Low Pressure Sodium emits only yellow light (around 595nm, IIRC) and would be completely useless for our purposes.
T5's, along with NO, HO, VHO and CF fluorescents do use plasma initially, but it the plasma produces only UV light which, in turn, excites phosphors and causes the phosphors to emit the light we need for our tanks.
LEDs produce light by electroluminescence, as has been noted, but in many LEDs this light is used to excite phosphors that emit colors that can not be produced by electroluminescence. In my mind, this makes them not-entirely-different from a fluorescent light source.
You asked for "Go," my arguement would have to be that "plasma" alone does not make a lamp suitable for a reef tank, that T5s may not belong in the "plasma category" and that if phosphors can produce suitable light in a fluorescent tube there is no reason that the same phosphors can't be used in an LED.
Anyone care to discuss Quartz Halogen?
Your AI is an RB/CW luminaire which has big spectral voids. Some people(including myself) are experimenting with "full spectrum" arrays where an LED targets each photosynthetic pigment. The jury is still out on what is ideal but condemnation of a technology based on personal experience with a single sample isn't very scientific.
Agreed. RB/CW is already old technology and the current crop of manufactured fixtures has made some dramatic improvements over the lights the OP has been using. DIY fixtures are now using emitters and combinations that aren't yet available in a pre-made fixture, so todays DIY LEDs are probably two or three generations more advanced than the OP's RB/CW lights.
That's the problem with any fast-moving technology, by the time you have long-term data, the equipment is obsolete. If we all waited to replace our computers until the latest and greatest processor has proven itself there'd be quite a few 386 machines still in use. In LEDs, the latest and greatest is only found at the DIY level, combinations that work well for DIY now will be found in next year's pre-built fixtures. That said, the fixture I'm working on will include 420nm violet, 445 and 455nm RB, 470nm blue and a mix of neutral and warm white emitters (still up in the air on 660nm red). Many T5 and MH bulbs have peaks at, or near the same wavelengths and by using the correct quantities of each I should be able to create a very similar spectrum.
I also agree that basing your inference on a sample size of one is very unscientific, and if you start off your post by stating your credentials as a scientist you should expect to be called on it.
This post might be more accurately titled "Some people love LED's... my corals do not love my LED's".
+1, I was going to go with "People love LEDs...but some corals might not."
BTW, all HID and fluorescent lamps are classified as hazardous waste, I hope we are all disposing of our used bulbs in an appropriate manner. The Hg contained in these lamps is not something you want to send "just anywhere."
EDIT; Thanks for adding the photos, the tank and pond are both beautiful.
I still hope you will change up the lighting to get the tank doing better - even in its declined state it is still gorgeous.
