PRIMARY LED lit Custom glass tank
- Thread starter zachtos
- Start date
zachtos
Active member
my macro growth is about a 2-3" ball every week w/ nothing but red/blue/uv light. I have photos and documented this a few pages back. It is a nice pink light that runs 16hr/day. It runs cool and puts out a ton of LUX for having no white light. It costs around $75 or so to make a 6"x6" LED fuge light.
ChemE
New member
Thanks. After I move and have more space and time I'm going to have to set up a controlled experiment to measure the different growth rates obtained by Melev's 5100K spiral PC bulb and an array like yours. What I would love to prove is that the LED array is the watt-for-watt winner but we have to do it correctly to know for sure.
melev
Well-known member
I just saw this post by Travis, and figured you might be interested:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7287695#post7287695
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7287695#post7287695
FiberLux
New member
Zachtos, I'll repreat what I said in the other thread.
I saw the PFO hood in person and still think you should continue your research. The PFO is likely going only high end, based upon the prices that were quoted. There's lots of room for those of us that cannot afford the PFO prices.
Keep working on your system!
I saw the PFO hood in person and still think you should continue your research. The PFO is likely going only high end, based upon the prices that were quoted. There's lots of room for those of us that cannot afford the PFO prices.
Keep working on your system!
zachtos
Active member
PFO LED hoods pre-order sheet
Atleast I can say I was on the frontlines when this new lighting technology hit our hobby...
I think if I ever were to scale up, I would either design a unit just like this using lumileds and buy the PFO controller seperately, or just shell out the cash... waranties aren't nothing to scoff at.
Atleast I can say I was on the frontlines when this new lighting technology hit our hobby...
I think if I ever were to scale up, I would either design a unit just like this using lumileds and buy the PFO controller seperately, or just shell out the cash... waranties aren't nothing to scoff at.
zachtos
Active member
Added:
1 Green Clown Goby
2 Pulsing Xenia
1 button polyp bunch
1 green star polyp, different variety then the other
xenia is pulsing under the LEDs very quickly, polyps are open and green star polyps are all still closed since the new lights. I think I did not acclimate them to the light.
1 Green Clown Goby
2 Pulsing Xenia
1 button polyp bunch
1 green star polyp, different variety then the other
xenia is pulsing under the LEDs very quickly, polyps are open and green star polyps are all still closed since the new lights. I think I did not acclimate them to the light.
$2k for a 6' light..that's crazy
zachtos
Active member
I've only seen my green clown goby once in the last week. He looks rather pinched, I have yet to see him feed. I have been feeding 4 times a week frozen mysis. There are amphipods in the tank for him to feed on too.
looks like my array intensity is dying off already. not sure if it will settle after a "burn in period" or not. I initially recorded an average of 24,000 LUX at the surface and now get around 14-18,000 LUX. I hope this settles above 10,000 LUX otherwise I'm going to scrap the project and go to 3x13W PC's and leave the macro LED light.
looks like my array intensity is dying off already. not sure if it will settle after a "burn in period" or not. I initially recorded an average of 24,000 LUX at the surface and now get around 14-18,000 LUX. I hope this settles above 10,000 LUX otherwise I'm going to scrap the project and go to 3x13W PC's and leave the macro LED light.
zachtos
Active member
Project Closed:
PROs:
-LEDs theoretically can last for many years until replacement
-LEDs will help keep heat down
-LEDs will help keep evaporation rates low
-LEDs can be mounted very close to the water surface
-LEDs use 66% less electricity than traditional lighting
-LEDs at this point in time, can equal a 250W MH intensity.
-LEDs are very good at penetrating deep water due to the focused light.
CONs:
-2-3 times initial installation cost, this is offset by long life though
Final Conclusions:
-LEDs can and will grow coral and corraline algae
-it is important to find a good source for QUALITY LEDs
-LEDs are a VERY good lighting option for tanks under 10gallons
-Cost is very high for tanks over 10 gallons
-LEDs in red/blue/uv configuration are excellent refugium lighting options, but are costly compared to other options.
Results:
-80% loss in intensity within 90 days. This is a result of a POOR POOR manufacturer. STAY AWAY FROM BESTOFHONGKONG.com and their EBAY store. Their Blue and reds are still running strong. All of the white and UVs have been losing intensity rapidly.
-My improved array has suffered not one burnt out LED, the whites are simply dying too fast.
-nasty red algae bacteria infestation, likely due to lights or high nitrates from too much DTs, will see if new lights make a difference
maintenance/chemistry
-average salinity: 1.026
-average temperature: 80 deg F, spiked to 88 deg F for a week during summer heat wave, killing many corals, but they were already dying.
-average KH: 9dKH
-average calc: untested, salifert test kit powder is a block of purple goo, dont know what happened to it, doubt the calc is a problem since it's a softy tank.
-average ph: 8.4ish
-amonia/nitrites: 0ppm
-nitrates: 10ppm or less, gets to about 10ppm before a WC
-weekly 20% water changes w/ distilled water that is premixed in jugs with tropic marin salt.
-added baking soda/ kent turbo calcium rarely
-added tiny amount of iodine, once a month
-added DT phyto 2-3 times / week
-auto top off w/ 1tsp/gal kalkwasser distilled water
first 30 days:
-20,000 average LUX at surface
-GSP, Xenia, mushroom, ricordia, zooanthids all open and thriving
-mushroom split and reproduced, xenia reproduced, others grew slowly, GSP grew and started to cover rocks, but lost most colors after a month and turned white.
last 60 days:
-all of my xenia died, my green star polyps bleached their color and most of them died. Zooanthids have not opened in last 30 days. mushrooms are still fine and growing, ricordia stays alive but does not grow.
-clown goby died (most likely because he was already "pinched" and not eating when i got him)
Future of the Tank
-will buy another goby
-will replace some coral with more soft corals
-Recently installed 2 - 13W 10K PC w/ nice reflectors, I get 17,000 LUX at the surface, 65% as good as the LEDs output when first installed, but nearly 300% better then what they output after 90 days due to poor quality.
-I am keeping my red/blue/uv fuge LED. It works great and has lost only 50% intensity since installed 6 monthes ago. 5000 LUX. It has not declined in intensity since 3 months ago and still grows a baseball sized clump in my 4"x4" fuge each week of chaetomorpha.
Undetermined Results
-summer heat probably finished off most corals when the temperature made it into the high to mid 80's in the water for days on end.
-unsure if the corals started to die do to lack of light, chemistry or lack of PROPER light spectrum. But based on the fact that they were doing great for the first month when the lights were still powerful and the fact that I changed nothing and still did weekly 20% WC, I think it was the lights still.
here's a shot I took w/ my camera phone, sorry it's the best I got right now, you can see alot of corraline growth, the lights are the new dual 13W 10K PC's, the LEDs make the tank dark blue now because the whites are almost dead.
you can clearly see the great stuff foam is getting covered w/ corraline slowly but surely with nothing but LED light. This is with 6 months of LEDs on a new tank. The corraline would grow very fast during the first 30 days, but then stop once the LEDs started dying fast.
*MAKE ME AN OFFER IF YOU WANT TO BUY MY OLD LED SET, IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR NON CORAL APPLICATIONS, OR IF YOUR BRAVE YOU CAN FIND A BETTER SUPPLIER AND RESOLDER ALL THE WHITES W/ HIGH QUALITY ONES, I'M DONE SPENDING MONEY ON LEDS FOR NOW.
PROs:
-LEDs theoretically can last for many years until replacement
-LEDs will help keep heat down
-LEDs will help keep evaporation rates low
-LEDs can be mounted very close to the water surface
-LEDs use 66% less electricity than traditional lighting
-LEDs at this point in time, can equal a 250W MH intensity.
-LEDs are very good at penetrating deep water due to the focused light.
CONs:
-2-3 times initial installation cost, this is offset by long life though
Final Conclusions:
-LEDs can and will grow coral and corraline algae
-it is important to find a good source for QUALITY LEDs
-LEDs are a VERY good lighting option for tanks under 10gallons
-Cost is very high for tanks over 10 gallons
-LEDs in red/blue/uv configuration are excellent refugium lighting options, but are costly compared to other options.
Results:
-80% loss in intensity within 90 days. This is a result of a POOR POOR manufacturer. STAY AWAY FROM BESTOFHONGKONG.com and their EBAY store. Their Blue and reds are still running strong. All of the white and UVs have been losing intensity rapidly.
-My improved array has suffered not one burnt out LED, the whites are simply dying too fast.
-nasty red algae bacteria infestation, likely due to lights or high nitrates from too much DTs, will see if new lights make a difference
maintenance/chemistry
-average salinity: 1.026
-average temperature: 80 deg F, spiked to 88 deg F for a week during summer heat wave, killing many corals, but they were already dying.
-average KH: 9dKH
-average calc: untested, salifert test kit powder is a block of purple goo, dont know what happened to it, doubt the calc is a problem since it's a softy tank.
-average ph: 8.4ish
-amonia/nitrites: 0ppm
-nitrates: 10ppm or less, gets to about 10ppm before a WC
-weekly 20% water changes w/ distilled water that is premixed in jugs with tropic marin salt.
-added baking soda/ kent turbo calcium rarely
-added tiny amount of iodine, once a month
-added DT phyto 2-3 times / week
-auto top off w/ 1tsp/gal kalkwasser distilled water
first 30 days:
-20,000 average LUX at surface
-GSP, Xenia, mushroom, ricordia, zooanthids all open and thriving
-mushroom split and reproduced, xenia reproduced, others grew slowly, GSP grew and started to cover rocks, but lost most colors after a month and turned white.
last 60 days:
-all of my xenia died, my green star polyps bleached their color and most of them died. Zooanthids have not opened in last 30 days. mushrooms are still fine and growing, ricordia stays alive but does not grow.
-clown goby died (most likely because he was already "pinched" and not eating when i got him)
Future of the Tank
-will buy another goby
-will replace some coral with more soft corals
-Recently installed 2 - 13W 10K PC w/ nice reflectors, I get 17,000 LUX at the surface, 65% as good as the LEDs output when first installed, but nearly 300% better then what they output after 90 days due to poor quality.
-I am keeping my red/blue/uv fuge LED. It works great and has lost only 50% intensity since installed 6 monthes ago. 5000 LUX. It has not declined in intensity since 3 months ago and still grows a baseball sized clump in my 4"x4" fuge each week of chaetomorpha.
Undetermined Results
-summer heat probably finished off most corals when the temperature made it into the high to mid 80's in the water for days on end.
-unsure if the corals started to die do to lack of light, chemistry or lack of PROPER light spectrum. But based on the fact that they were doing great for the first month when the lights were still powerful and the fact that I changed nothing and still did weekly 20% WC, I think it was the lights still.
here's a shot I took w/ my camera phone, sorry it's the best I got right now, you can see alot of corraline growth, the lights are the new dual 13W 10K PC's, the LEDs make the tank dark blue now because the whites are almost dead.
you can clearly see the great stuff foam is getting covered w/ corraline slowly but surely with nothing but LED light. This is with 6 months of LEDs on a new tank. The corraline would grow very fast during the first 30 days, but then stop once the LEDs started dying fast.
*MAKE ME AN OFFER IF YOU WANT TO BUY MY OLD LED SET, IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR NON CORAL APPLICATIONS, OR IF YOUR BRAVE YOU CAN FIND A BETTER SUPPLIER AND RESOLDER ALL THE WHITES W/ HIGH QUALITY ONES, I'M DONE SPENDING MONEY ON LEDS FOR NOW.
I as well noticed a very severe 'burn in' period with my 'actinic suplimentation led array" on my 5.5 gal. It hasn't visualy gotten any dimmer for a while now but it isn't putting of to much light either. it used to light up the entire tank pretty well, now it is just right over where it is sitting.
I may install the rest of the led's that I have sitting around just because i have them, we will see
-Tyler
I may install the rest of the led's that I have sitting around just because i have them, we will see
-Tyler
Ursus
New member
Excellent thread! I was going to start something like this but have since changed directions. My plan now is to emulate a solaris fixture; 3w LED's, Fraen lenses, all that good stuff, just less. In a solaris they use 25 LED's per 12" of tank which would be overkill for a nano with less than 12" of water in it. Watch for a thread about it eventually.
