Affordable LEP Lighting?

[subnet88]

Found this on Kickstarter via ReefBuilders, Anybody looking into getting one of these bad boys?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1051430234/sunstream-400-a-plasma-grow-light-for-everyone

[Delphinus]

That would be pretty cool to see. I remember there were some really promising demos with plasma when LED was in its infancy, but it looks like LED's surged while the plasma ideas remained mostly ideas.

The only thing with plasma is that the light will appear very yellow over a reef tank (6500k) so to get the ambient colours we tend to like for our tanks I think they will need a fair amount of blue to the side. But I bet the growth of corals (or plants for that matter) would be pretty impressive.

Currently only $10k pledged out of a $250k goal for this kickstarter campaign .. will this be going anywhere?

But if plasma does become available and viably priced consumer item ... I'd love to see that. :)

[subnet88]

I think once some other hobbies get wind of this, especially for its plant growing potential, the kickstarter will take off.

[The Codfather]

The only thing with plasma is that the light will appear very yellow over a reef tank (6500k) so to get the ambient colours we tend to like for our tanks I think they will need a fair amount of blue to the side. But I bet the growth of corals (or plants for that matter) would be pretty impressive.

Tony,
They can be controlled via 1-10v input, so colour can be changed I believe to around 12K. Im trying to get some more information on these, as the older generation was adjustable.

[lastlight]

i think you have to turn the power down to shift the spectrum do you not? So a bluer LEP will not have nearly the punch of the daylight one. I could be wrong it's been a few years since this was talked about much.

[asylumdown]

i think you have to turn the power down to shift the spectrum do you not? So a bluer LEP will not have nearly the punch of the daylight one. I could be wrong it's been a few years since this was talked about much.

Yup, that's exactly how they worked. I think if I remember correctly they dim from 100% down to 20%, which alters the colour in a sliding range from 6500k to 20k at 20% power. The people who thought these things were the bees knees had the idea that if you had them hooked up to a controller you could ramp them up and down over the course of the day like a sunrise/sunset, and that you could set it so that the yellowest time of day would be when you weren't home.

I kind of like that idea as I love how my tank changes over the course of a day, but with my LEDs even at their brightest and yellowest, my tank still looks like it has a 12K bulb over it. I suppose if you could get used to it, you'd get an even more dynamic tank, as you'd see your corals from 'full sun' all the way to 'super blue' every day, but I'm not sure I like the look of corals under natural sunlight enough to try getting used to it.