Yes!!!!!!!!! SPS Success with Leds! Come in and Share your Story!
- Thread starter tdb320reef
- Start date
brad65ford
New member
Dummyforclownfi
New member
I have the exact same issue with my reefbreeders and I have even removed the optics. I don't think we can get around this. The lights are too direct. Tubular lights definitely spread a lot more due to their shape and there reflectors. Only thing I can think of, as in my case, would be to raise the lights a bit more to get more spread. I only have mine about 8 inches above water so I think I will try 12-14 inches next.
DavidinGA
Active member
Mine are at 10" with the problem...
Dummyforclownfi
New member
You have no shadowing?
jackson6745
Yeah Yeah
I heard of guys using various light diffusers to spread LED light. Not sure how it's working out.
DavidinGA
Active member
No problems with visual spread. I have two photon 32's over my 210gal (standard 6ft tank) so I'm overkill on coverage already.
DavidinGA
Active member
I kinda on the fence with leds and thinking of trying a mh setup (probably 250w x3 running either radiums or Phoenix 14k on m80 ballasts) here if things don't get better. Really my main issue with led is the die off on the base of corals and the slower growth vs mh. A little more in electricity and paying for new bulbs won't bother me if the growth improves dramatically...
Dummyforclownfi
New member
Isn't your die off due to shadowing?
DavidinGA
Active member
I hear lots of people have the same issue and it's unresolved irregardless of using optics or not though. To me shadowing simply comes with the tech and no fix has really been found.... Right?
Dummyforclownfi
New member
Its more related to the reef breeders and not so much with kessel or radions.
DavidinGA
Active member
Why wouldn't Kessel or radions have the issue? Same direct led tech right?
Dummyforclownfi
New member
Not at all! Kessil, correct me if I am mistaken, even uses reflectors in there A350/360 series.
stickleback
Member
I,d imagine shadowing is even worse with radion and such led units where the LEDs are close together. IMO the best way to overcome shadowing is to not use optics and spread the LEDs out over the surfice as much as possible.
Your better off using multiple units run at lower intensity rather than one or two at high intensity.
If you have a 4" tank and running a 32" reef reeder on it your going to get shadowing and a lot of low light areas all around the edge. Your better off having 3 or 4 18" reef breeders mounted sideways.
Your better off using multiple units run at lower intensity rather than one or two at high intensity.
If you have a 4" tank and running a 32" reef reeder on it your going to get shadowing and a lot of low light areas all around the edge. Your better off having 3 or 4 18" reef breeders mounted sideways.
Dummyforclownfi
New member
I have to disagree with everything you just said.
Wazzel
New member
I'm surprised nobody has linked to the August TOTM yet. Its a beautiful tank using only cool white and royal blue LEDs.
I hope my 60 cube grows in that well.
usingthejohn
New member
My friend recently won the brs reefers challenge. Here's his tank off their website, lit up with only radions. 
And one I took of the monti.
And one I took of the monti.
xtlosx
Just Reefin'
Just an FYI, I had red bugs and a fat Mandarin. I treated three weeks in a row, and while my Mandarin had a harder time finding food, three months later now he is getting fatter, and finding more food. once you nuke, throw in a fresh clump up chaeto from a local reefer, and watch those pods reproduce like mad. Don't let a Mandarin hold you back, they will be fine.
The outcome from killing RB was HUGE almost overnight on all of my SPS.
stickleback
Member
ritter6788
Say no to clove polyps
Thanks. Since I posted this I got AEFW too so I broke the whole thing down and dipped everything in Bayer. I QT'd all the sps and let the tank go fallow. I've eliminated red bugs and aefw. I got some residual Bayer in my tank and killed off my pod population and had to re-seed. My mandarin got thin but I've restocked the tank will amphipods and copepods and he's gaining some weight.
I'm restarting with sps frags but they all look better than ever and are growing fast. In a few months I'll be on my 4th year with these leds.
FTS 9/6/14 by ritter6788, on Flickr
IMG_7852 by ritter6788, on Flickr
Tyree Bali Tricolor Acro by ritter6788, on Flickr
IMG_7765 by ritter6788, on Flickr
Garf Bonsai by ritter6788, on Flickr
Montipora Capitata by ritter6788, on Flickr
Orange Cap by ritter6788, on Flickr
