LED light help

[Metrontech]

Hoping to get some insight...hoping I didn't make a stupid purchase

I purchased an ELive track system today

http://elivepet.com/fish/lighting/le...le-track-light (48" version)


It comes with 8 White & 2 Blue LED PODs which have the following output/draw:

Cool White 10,000K White 80 lumens 1W

Lunar Blue 445 nm Blue 475 mcd 1W

I added 4 more Lunar Blue, so I have 14 total

When I turned it on and observed my tank it was a lot less "bright" than my 2 T5 10K I was running

I know "brightness" has nothing to do with the PAR etc. but I am wondering if I have enough light or PAR (still learning) to maintain my softies?

I have a few leathers, kenya tree and GSP

I appreciate any input, and help!

[e46er]

Most led fixtures run 3 watt LEDs and covers a couple feet so 14 1w led over 4 feet? I'd guess yes its underpowered

How deep is your tank?
Also the link doesn't work for me

[monocus]

ok for fish only.i would use a min of 3 watt leds

[Metrontech]

So it would be 56 LEDS at 1W as there are 4 LEDs per pod

I wonder why they told me this would work for simple coral

The tank is 21" deep

How does the rating work for LED vs T5 etc.

I know they say 3W per gallon or something like that, but LED is a totally differing light

[e46er]

Ah I read it wrong. My bad.

[Metrontech]

No worries, I am more interested to know if this will be enough?

I am confused with all the information out there in regards to lighting

I know the 3W per gallon rule...but LED is different...right?

So with the 8 - 10K - 80 lumen white and 6 blue will that be enough for my coral?

Or will I need more?

Thanks again

Ah I read it wrong. My bad.

[reefwars]

Fwiw I doubt your getting more light than your 2 t5s were giving you, 1w LEDs are not all that strong and then 21" of water depth is the killer. No reason you can't supplement with other led strips or add more LEDs though if your of the creative kind , I should also note that just because you are doing softies don't mean less light is better you'd still want decent lighting;)

[Metrontech]

Maybe a dumb question but is the 1W draw, different than the output of the LED?

Also what about my 2 T5's and these LEDS? Would that work?

Mike

Fwiw I doubt your getting more light than your 2 t5s were giving you, 1w LEDs are not all that strong and then 21" of water depth is the killer. No reason you can't supplement with other led strips or add more LEDs though if your of the creative kind , I should also note that just because you are doing softies don't mean less light is better you'd still want decent lighting;)

[canadianbudz604]

Softies don't need much light, how many watts total is the fixtuee

[Metrontech]

I am not sure...this is a frustrating process, that I know

It has 14 pods in it with 4 LEDS in each...from what I gather they are 1W each (or at least that is their power draw)

So that is 56 LEDS...but I think LED and fluoresent Wattage is different

I really just want to have a couple enenemies and a bubble tipped

I have some leathers and GSP that won't grow now with my 2 T5's

Any way to make this more simple?

Softies don't need much light, how many watts total is the fixtuee

[reefwars]

Yes by buying good lights , 3w is what your after or better.

Google your fixture if success isn't rampant then it's probably not going to be ;)

[Metrontech]

Well I was certainly duped today...

I was told over and over this would be sufficient...

I will see if the store will return me the money, if not I will post not too nice things on here...

Thanks for help

[reefwars]

Alive and thrive are two diff things but yes lighting is important be it soft or hard corals :) they should have no issue exchanging towards something else I wouldn't think :)

[Metrontech]

I hope so, but the other stuff was super expensive and out of my current budget

So I will see

I wish they were more accurate

Thanks again

Alive and thrive are two diff things but yes lighting is important be it soft or hard corals :) they should have no issue exchanging towards something else I wouldn't think :)

[Metrontech]

So apparently I was give 4 extra blue "high output" LED pods

There is a HIGH OUTPUT version which is apparently 3X's the light

I will keep you posted

[e46er]

If it doesn't work out in your favor Chaulk it up to a learning experience. Do your homework and research what your going to buy. Theres not a single person on this site who hasn't wasted money on something to do with this hobby that could have been avoided with some reseach.

[Metrontech]

Thanks for the insight

I did research, I was trying to save money as lighting isn't cheap as we all know

I find it so complicated to understand

Watts per gallon seems to be the way to go

Mike

[daplatapus]

Theres not a single person on this site who hasn't wasted money on something to do with this hobby that could have been avoided with some reseach.


^^^This X1000, lol^^^
Education is rarely free. :(

[Aquattro]

Watts per gallon seems to be the way to go



Probably the most useless rating for choosing lights :)

[Metrontech]

So I just spoke with the Elive guys

I guess their HO LED POD is a 60 degree focused lens which allows for deeper light penetration

With a smaller tank like mine they didn't seem to think I would have to add too many more HO Pods to make it functional

I have an opportunity to purchase a 250W Halide lighting setup

What should I do?

LED or HALIDE?

[Aquattro]

What should I do?

LED or HALIDE?

Well that's going to depend on who you ask :)

But personal opinion aside, what are you going to keep eventually? Where is the tank and will heat be an issue? If so, how will you deal with the heat issue? Is it a fixture or do you need to build a canopy/hood?

[Metrontech]

So it's in our basement and heat isn't an issue so far

In using a dual Ho T5 right now

I want to keep soft coral:

Leathers
Plate coral
Enenemies
GSP
Currently have Red blasto (growing successfully)
Bubble
Hammer coral

Mike

Well that's going to depend on who you ask :)

But personal opinion aside, what are you going to keep eventually? Where is the tank and will heat be an issue? If so, how will you deal with the heat issue? Is it a fixture or do you need to build a canopy/hood?

[reefwars]

prob a bit extreme but your getting the right idea , on 4ft you would need 2 x halides. 250w at the most but 150w would do just fine too.

softies dont need a lot of light to survive but they will grow fast and do quite well under stronger lighting and then your also not limited to what you want to keep (your taste now could change in three years )

[Metrontech]

So you would go with Halides over the LED solution?

I think they are proven over time to be best from what I have read

Mike

prob a bit extreme but your getting the right idea , on 4ft you would need 2 x halides. 250w at the most but 150w would do just fine too.

softies dont need a lot of light to survive but they will grow fast and do quite well under stronger lighting and then your also not limited to what you want to keep (your taste now could change in three years )

[Aquattro]

I prefer MH over other types of lighting.

[reefwars]

so do i , i went with t5 because of the small room and heat issues...... but that aside halides are def my choice light if i had it my way:)

[lastlight]

in your case i'd probably go with halides as well.

if you do fancy 1W LED though maybe sell a few organs for something like this:

http://www.lani-led.de/index.php?id=5&L=1

[Metrontech]

I found a great place in Edmonton Alberta called T & T, hydrophonic

They have great prices and all sorts of lighting

I think I will go with a 6 bulb T5 HO light setup

For $240 that's the best I can find without dealing with the heat of Halide. It comes with 6 54W 6500K bulbs. I'll prob put my 2 10k I have now in

Any suggestions?

[reefwars]

I found a great place in Edmonton Alberta called T & T, hydrophonic

They have great prices and all sorts of lighting

I think I will go with a 6 bulb T5 HO light setup

For $240 that's the best I can find without dealing with the heat of Halide. It comes with 6 54W 6500K bulbs. I'll prob put my 2 10k I have now in

Any suggestions?



yes get rid of all the bulbs lol , google or make a post on here asking bulb combinations that people use and you'll find most are 10000k and higher:)

6500 is very very very yellow ;)

[rishu_pepper]

So it's in our basement and heat isn't an issue so far

In using a dual Ho T5 right now

I want to keep soft coral:

Leathers
Plate coral
Enenemies
GSP
Currently have Red blasto (growing successfully)
Bubble
Hammer coral

Mike

Plate, blasto, bubble, and hammers are not softies, but LPS. Anemone (if enememies :wink:) is not a coral. HTH. :biggrin:

Though I've never used T5HO, I have had experiences with 150w MH and LEDs (Hydra52) and have found the LEDs to be more productive with my corals. JME, YMMV. My new build I'm going back to LEDs, this time with Ecotech Radions.

I used to try to pinch pennies in the hobby but I changed my stance eventually as I want the best for my tank's inhabitants. Not to say you can't keep a tank with a small budget, in fact many are successful with the basics. I'd rather buy once cry once though. :lol:

[jason604]

If u don't want to spend to much u can try those chinese made leds on eBay. They are super cheap(around 100-150) and can grow everything including sps. They might not thrive n best colors might not come out in sps but it's more than enough for Ur applications. Just type in 165w dimmable led fixture on ebay. Good luck!

[gobytron]

just get a 4 bulb t5 ho fixture or a couple of 150W MH.

They will grow all the coral you have listed.

I ran those lights over a 72 gallon bowfront over the course of a few years and no problems.

My preference is for a combo of T5 AND MH.

LED can be super fancy, but it's still an emerging technology (solaris anyone) and until the hobby reaches a consensus on it, I'm out.

[Metrontech]

I have ordered a 6 bulb T5 kit and its coming tomorrow

I will have to figure out the combination that I want for blue and white...

There is so much out there and I don't know what the best would be

Any suggestions?

[gobytron]

Get a couple of blue actinic (any actinics really) for your sunrise/sunset and then get a fiji purple (do they still make those) and the rest, go with 12-20K bulbs.

Its really going to come down to the look you like the most yourself.

Almost any 6 bulbs made by quality manufacturers will do a good job of maintaining the corals you have listed.

[Metrontech]

At this stage it comes with 6 HO T5 6500K white bulbs

I am going to put my new Blue and White 10k's in there with the other 4 whites for now

See what happens

Then I will move into the 12-20K and purple (not sure where to get those in Canada)

Get a couple of blue actinic (any actinics really) for your sunrise/sunset and then get a fiji purple (do they still make those) and the rest, go with 12-20K bulbs.

Its really going to come down to the look you like the most yourself.

Almost any 6 bulbs made by quality manufacturers will do a good job of maintaining the corals you have listed.

[reefwars]

At this stage it comes with 6 HO T5 6500K white bulbs

I am going to put my new Blue and White 10k's in there with the other 4 whites for now

See what happens

Then I will move into the 12-20K and purple (not sure where to get those in Canada)

you can get them at concept aquariums we have a full stock of t5 bulbs:)

[gobytron]

At this stage it comes with 6 HO T5 6500K white bulbs

I am going to put my new Blue and White 10k's in there with the other 4 whites for now

See what happens

Then I will move into the 12-20K and purple (not sure where to get those in Canada)

just FYI - 65ooK is really yellow.
You might like it, you might not.

best to try it out and then swap bulbs as you get a better sense for your personal preference.

You can also put a post up here and see if any reefers near you have some older bulbs you can have for free or cheap to at least see how the colors look.
many of us don;t even know what to do with old bulbs once they're past their prime.

[JmeJReefer]

Go online and check out ppls bulb configurations. Some very interesting combos of t5's! And better Colors for bulbs these days! 6500k usually is a "plant bulb" and very yellowish. IMO, doesn't look good on reef tanks. North Americans seem to prefer the bluer spectrum for reefing....
Good luck

[Metrontech]

Ocean Creation calgary was amazing to deal with here in Calgary

Just a wealth of knowledge and great customer service

So I have a 6 bulb T5 HO hanging over my tank now

1 - 10k daylight 54W
1 - Actinic blue 54W
1 - Purple 54W
1- Actuablue special 54W

2 - Pro light grow T5 54W 865 HO (white) 6500k

Should I even use the last 2? I know they may cause algae but will it help with coral?

Mike



Go online and check out ppls bulb configurations. Some very interesting combos of t5's! And better Colors for bulbs these days! 6500k usually is a "plant bulb" and very yellowish. IMO, doesn't look good on reef tanks. North Americans seem to prefer the bluer spectrum for reefing....
Good luck

[crimper]

Ocean Creation calgary was amazing to deal with here in Calgary

2 - Pro light grow T5 54W 865 HO (white) 6500k

Should I even use the last 2? I know they may cause algae but will it help with coral?

Mike

Don't even bother, first it is too yellow.... second, algae love that spectrum. If you want whitish light, go with a 10K.

But if I were you I will throw in a couple of ATI Blue Plus and Coral Plus in there. There are lots of people having good coral coloration on this two types of bulb combo alone esp SPSs. There rest is much for color taste.

Google Best 6 T5 Bulb Combo, and check how their coral response.

Good luck.

[Metrontech]

So because my tank is 13" deep and the fixture is 19"

The back and front bulb of the 6 aren't really doing much

Can I get away with 4 or will the extra 2 really do much?

Thanks

Mike

[reefwars]

You can get away with two if you really needed to:)

[Metrontech]

What do you mean only 2?

After days of research and input everyone says at least 4 54W HO bulbs for this tank...

What do you mean?


You can get away with two if you really needed to:)

[reefwars]

What do you mean only 2?

After days of research and input everyone says at least 4 54W HO bulbs for this tank...

What do you mean?


Did they not grow under your first 2 bulb?

2 bulbs aren't ideal , 4 bulbs are better , 6 bulbs better agin etc.

At the end of the day 2 bulbs will get you out of the red zone.....like I say there's a diff in surviving and thriving , they will survive under 2 bulbs but thrive when there's more than enough light;)

[crimper]

If you only intend to grow leather and GSP, then the existing 2 T5 bulb fixture you have maybe good enough to grow those softies. :mrgreen:

Your 6 bulb combo will grow SPS. I have grown a few sps on my T5 x 4 Bulb TEK fixture. :biggrin:

[Metrontech]

I was told leathers wouldn't grow with 2 bulbs...which is why I started down this path of expanding my lighting

I was running 2 bulbs and seeing no growth. With the 3W rule (I know its not the end all be all) I was only at 108W, so around 2W/gallon.

Now I have doubled that, I am at 216W which in theory should allow for deeper light penetration, right?

I have already in 3 hours seen massive amounts of polyps coming out of the leathers...thats more than I have seen in 3 weeks.

I have taken out the "yellow" bulbs and will see what happens

The problem is the 1 and 6 bulb aren't directly over the tank. So I am not sure if that would really help having 2 more in there. Or maybe should I raise the light up allowing for a broader cover?

Thanks

If you only intend to grow leather and GSP, then the existing 2 T5 bulb fixture you have maybe good enough to grow those softies. :mrgreen:

Your 6 bulb combo will grow SPS. I have grown a few sps on my T5 x 4 Bulb TEK fixture. :biggrin:

[crimper]

The Watts/Gallon rule is obsolete, it is just a guideline but might not be accurate. The Ballast/Bulb/Reflector combination plays a vital role on the light directed to your corals.

If you can borrow a PAR/PUR meter, (at least PAR meter is very accessible these days). That's how you can exactly tell wether your light is enough for specific corals.

[Metrontech]

Those are hard to come by...but that would be awesome to finally get to the bottom of all the opinions. Maybe I'll buy one and post my findings

[gobytron]

you should be just fine with softies and even some LPS (closer to the surface) with 4 bulbs.

Don't even bother running the other 2 bulbs if they are not even over your tank.

Honestly, there has been enough reefers and manufacturers taking par readings and your desired corals are such low light specimens that buying a par meter is overkill.

Ask how many reefers own one and you will find not many.

Probably not even the ones who suggested you get one do.

just run your 4 T5HO's and you will be just fine with the corals you specified.