Quote:
Originally Posted by medhatreefguy
How many watts per LED bulb is needed to grow SPS coral? Our benchmark for MH or T5 was wattage, how does this compare to LED? Is PAR the only reference available? If someone said they were runnung a 400W 14K MH bulb, you would know it would be awesome for SPS, this doesn't seem to exist in LED. All I hear is brand (mostly Cree) number of bulbs, and number of watts per bulb.
|
It's not so much a watts per gallon type thing with LEDs as it more depends on how you set up the array. how many LEDs, what optics, how are they spaced. You can set them up to have high or low PAR depending on what you do and your budget.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sphelps
While LEDs are looking more promising these days my main issue with them is the complexity and reliability. Not too much information out there regarding long term experience and performance. The only fixture that had been out for a while was the solarus but everyone I've heard of using one has had some kind of issue with them relating to either the drivers or LED arrays. In both cases servicing them isn't exactly easy. Other fixtures may be better but their popularity and presence isn't high enough to provide much experience. They also only come with a 1 year warranty which is complete garbage for a fixture that is suppose to last 10 years. Others may disagree but as an engineer in a manufacturing company I know exactly how warranty life is determined and limiting warranty to one year for a such a product is pretty big red flag.
I prefer to spend money on a quality fixture that not only looks good but works all the time. I can't justify spending more up front for a fixture that doesn't look as good, may require constant attention and maintenance and might not even last as long as suggested. Despite the potential energy savings the chance of spending less in the end isn't exactly that good which defeats the purpose IMO.
For now I think the LEDs belong to the DIY electronic guys who can easily fix there own work or build it better with quality parts and those with nano and smaller tanks where the upfront cost is less.
|
The Solaris fixtures were really poorly built. They had flawed power supplies and no heatsinks so LEDs overheated and burned out. They really weren't designed well. There are some good systems such as the AI ones but also many others that make compromises that reduce output etc.
It's really not hard to design a decent LED system that will be properly cooled and durable. But the costs are still a bit high so if you want a decent LED fixture you have t pay for it. There's no free lunch. Longevity should not be an issue if it is designed well as LEDs are well understood and their lifespan and degradation properties are well known. LEDs have been around since the early 1960s. Ones with enough power for more intense lighting started to appear about 9 or 10 years ago. The technology still has room to grow in terms of output and efficiency etc. so it will only get better.