Question on LED's

[nanafish]

I am totally lost in the sea of lighting. I have a 36L x 18D x 21.5H tank in which I am going to get seahorses. I am considering using LEDS to light the tank but I am stumped as to what type of LEDS I really need. I amy have a few LPS in there, definetly NO SPS. There are so many choices for styles of lighting. I think the most important issue I am up against is the wattage. I will want to try and repicate the reef for seahorses as much as possible. I will also want to try growing some Macroalgae in the tank as well. In addition to the amout of watts I would need, for the size tank I have what size would be the most appropriate size? Do I want to go for a full 36 inch LED fixture or should I get one smaller?

 

[gnu]

I have a seahorse tank with close to those dimensions, and I have dimmable LEDs on the tank. It's just one of the cheap Chinese knockoffs, and it's fine, but I'm upgrading soon. The wattage is fine (3 watts/bulb), but the optics are way off, so I need to scrape the glass constantly. I would suggest getting a DIY kit, it's what we have on our reef tank, you can customize whatever color combination you'd like, and the price isn't bad for a tank that size...around $200, I think.
I'm able to grow macro, LPS, SPS, softies, etc. under the LEDs I currently have without issue. My sponges and gorgs do really well, also. But so does the ****ing film algae on the glass...

 

[pledosophy]

I have a 12" unit on a 48" tank and I am very not happy with it. It has 120 3w cree bulbs and produces a lot of light. The model I have is from Reefstar.

My issue is the fixture does not appear to support corals, perhaps lacking in UV light. I can not keep even the simplest corals like zoas alive. I have a similiar problem with my reef after 9 months the corals are just not doing well.

I kinda feel like a sucker for switching to fast and wish i would have stuck with my T5's that I was very succsessful with for many many years.

JME

 

[SpartaReef]

gnu, could you post a link... I want to use LED's for a mixed reef but find far more discouragement in the LED arena from all the "professionals"... I keep hearing good things about LED but what I hear (read) is rare. Mostly people complaining about not the right kind of light etc and their corals and sponges are unhappy. I'm very new and in the research phase, but my goals are lofty and I usually achieve greater than newbie results when I start a new hobby (I research like a mad man).

 

[gnu]

I don't have a link, but Reef Breeders sells the Chinese LEDs, and the DIY kit we have is from Rapid LED. Let me know if you need any more info

 

[SpartaReef]

:bounce3:It looks like I will be getting a 120gal tank... :idea:not sure what existing lighting it has, but would like to switch to LED's so long as they will provide what I need for a mixed reef... I want to have a lot of biodiversity but I don't want a chaotic tank either... I want to be able to have room to grow. Anyway, the lights... I haven't been able to understand whats what... I heard it cost $1000:eek1: for good LEDs... I plan on spending less than that.... much less. Honestly ANY information you have on your experience including model of lights etc... what should I look for (you know... if I google it)... and most importantly.... will the corals and sponges thrive in the LED... :uhoh2:

 

[Dashiki]

I ordered a radion pro for my 60 cube. It all depends on what you want from the light

 

[SpartaReef]

I wanna run LED's and grow a mixed reef that includes fish. got 120g. currently gotta clean the thing... its really stinky

 

[MrsHavoc]

I use a 2 bulb t5 on my horse tank, just macros no corals. I just replaced my 8 bulb t5 fixture on my reef with LEDs. I hope I don't have issues like Pled. So far everything is open but zoos.