Show Us Your LED Tanks

[sphelps]

I'm not anti LED, I run LEDs right now on a nano and I'm considering LEDs on my 100 gallon. I just look at things from both sides rather than forming bias opinions and examples to prove a point. You need 1 LED for every 12 square inches, 3 400W halides can easily light a 9 foot x 3 foot area with the right reflectors and you could keep anything you want under that. You would need 324 LEDs to replace that and that's 900W. So it's all on how you look at it and how you compare, very easy to come up with bias examples to support either side. Here's another one:

Reflector design for reef aquariums has improved considerably allowing for more efficient use of light. With these reflectors we can now light reef aquarium with fewer lamps, get deeper light penetration over larger areas. As an example, I am currently lighting my 500G reef aquarium (84"LX48"WX30"D) with just 3 400W metal halide lamps in Lumenarc reflectors with no supplemental lighting.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/1/review
That tank will require on the low side 1 LED per 15sqin meaning close to 270 LEDs or 810W

I think it's just hilarious how some people worship LEDs like it's the second coming of Christ, they just simply aren't as good as some people seem to think. Yes they are a good option but certainly not the only one or always the best.

I'm not trying to support or not support LEDs, OP asked about LEDs for a 100 gallon, since I'm considering the same thing and have experience with almost all forms of lighting I simply stated the saving will not be "huge" and it may not be worth while if the tank won't be kept for long term and if the goal is better color for SPS.

Steve, do you even currently run an LED setup on one of your tanks? Has anyone run an LED fixture for 11 years and compared PAR ratings?

[Aquattro]

I think the overall tone of the topic is that nobody is really sure..ok, they look pretty, they can do lightning storms and adjust color a bit. But my primary objective is to grow the blueist and purplist corals I can, long term. I don't believe that LEDs can do that (yet?). Also, the cost over five years, for new lighting setups may be beneficial over five years, but I couldn't afford a LED fixture up front, even if it's going to save me money in the long term. I can however afford 300/yr for bulbs over the next five years without a problem. It's the same principle of my mortgage, I'd save tons if I had that kind of cash
I have run 400w radiums for years, and continue to do so. I can find years worth of awesome tanks running the same config, so I know that these do the job I need done. LED, at this point, is still a lot of speculation on what MAY be a good lighting system 4 or 5 years down the road.
No lighting system is the best for every application, so one needs to decide what is best for their application, and for me, the MHs are the system of choice. Maybe it costs me more over 5 years, but so what? This isn't a budget hobby, and for my money, I know what I'm getting in terms of light. It's tried and true. 5 years from now, I may look at LED when it's affordable by the common peasant, but for now, to me anyway, it's a rich man's lighting experiment!!

[reefermadness]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I think the overall tone of the topic is that nobody is really sure..ok, they look pretty, they can do lightning storms and adjust color a bit. But my primary objective is to grow the blueist and purplist corals I can, long term. I don't believe that LEDs can do that (yet?). Also, the cost over five years, for new lighting setups may be beneficial over five years, but I couldn't afford a LED fixture up front, even if it's going to save me money in the long term. I can however afford 300/yr for bulbs over the next five years without a problem. It's the same principle of my mortgage, I'd save tons if I had that kind of cash
I have run 400w radiums for years, and continue to do so. I can find years worth of awesome tanks running the same config, so I know that these do the job I need done. LED, at this point, is still a lot of speculation on what MAY be a good lighting system 4 or 5 years down the road.
No lighting system is the best for every application, so one needs to decide what is best for their application, and for me, the MHs are the system of choice. Maybe it costs me more over 5 years, but so what? This isn't a budget hobby, and for my money, I know what I'm getting in terms of light. It's tried and true. 5 years from now, I may look at LED when it's affordable by the common peasant, but for now, to me anyway, it's a rich man's lighting experiment!!

My sediments exactly. I think there is great future for LED but I'll let others be the guinea pigs. When I start seeing TOTMs using LED for years, and the economics make sense....I will make the switch.

BTW....I cant believe I read this whole thread...I was expecting to see way more pictures. Im a picture book kind of guy..haha.

[someguy]

Interesting discussion, not so many photos

I'm new to this hobby and have just set up my tank using AI LED modules.
My thoughts:
1) the assertion that this technology is unproven for growing coral seems false to me. A little time spent on RC or some European forums will show a number of tanks that have been using LEDs successfully for years. Just because you haven't physically seen one with your own eyes doens't mean they don't exist.
Sanjay Joshi has also published some PAR readings from some fixtures, and the numbers seem comparable to traditional technologies.
2) Economy - yes at this point the quality fixtures are expensive, and as has been discussed here a number of different ways, they may or may not be more economical in the long run. But the reality is that today, cost does not appear to be rational reason to invest in LEDs.
3) Aesthetics - in designing my tank, I was aiming for a sleek, modern look, and MH simply are not a good option for those, without getting into the very expensive European fixtures. At that price point, there is no difference with the cost of quality LED fixtures.
Having said this, I currently have my modules mounted on the AI rails, which are admittedly ugly. I will remedy this at some point.
4)Efficiency - what has not been mentioned in this thread, outside of cost, is that LEDs are more efficient. In short, they are a greener solution, and that matters to me. In this same vein, what has not been mentioned is that LEDs are often run below their maximum capability, so when doing the cost/usage math, this should be factored in.
5) Coverage - my particular system does have a spotlighting effect currently, but that can be dealt with. I am planning on adding a third module, and raising them all higher from the water to give greater spread. The AI units come with 40 degree optics for the middle four pucks, but 70 degree optics are available if I prefer those.

And lastly a photo. Obviously this tank is very new as the bright white rocks will attest, but I'll post updates as the tank matures.

[Palmer]

This is probably a dumb question but I have three little LED light fixtures (Robot LED IQ3) that I use for a nano and within a month on one of them 3 of the 12 lights just stopped working (3 in a row.) One of my fears of going to LED's for my 120 G someday is that I get an expensive commercial system (Vertex etc) and there is so many more parts to break on it. I hate hassle's and having to deal with manufcturers etc. With my Sunlight Maristar MH T5 combo I know it could break too but it just seems to me it would be alot easier to take care of and less opportunity for something to malfunction (just in sheer number of parts and complexity)....?

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Palmer

This is probably a dumb question but I have three little LED light fixtures (Robot LED IQ3) that I use for a nano and within a month on one of them 3 of the 12 lights just stopped working (3 in a row.) One of my fears of going to LED's for my 120 G someday is that I get an expensive commercial system (Vertex etc) and there is so many more parts to break on it. I hate hassle's and having to deal with manufcturers etc. With my Sunlight Maristar MH T5 combo I know it could break too but it just seems to me it would be alot easier to take care of and less opportunity for something to malfunction (just in sheer number of parts and complexity)....?

good point...

[Palmer]

I guess if I applied my logic to cars i should be driving a vintage automobile and I am not. But lately for a lot of tings you have to bring your car to the dealer to get it fixed due to computers and specialized engineering. Will there be a local certified repair specialist for my sophisticated LED fixture?...

[abcha0s]

Some interesting comments for sure. Just for fun, I'll throw in my 2cents.

LED technology is not new and unproven. In fact, it is completely proven by many successful tanks. Fewer here in Canada but there are lot's of success stories on RC and LED lighting is hugely popular in Europe.

With that in mind, there are very few LED solutions that are really ready for mainstream SPS tanks and can fully replace MH lighting. In my opinion, the short list is Vertex Illumina 260, Pacific Sun and ReefTech. All of these solutions will exceed the PAR output of a 250W MH and depending on the configuration will also exceed the PAR output of a 400W MH. All of these solutions are fully controllable with rising sun/Kelvin/Lighting/Etc.

There are of course many niche players in the LED market place, but in my opinion, none of the other solutions are ready for full SPS tanks. There are many reasons for this including light spread, LED density, LED Watts and manufacturer, etc. We can argue this point, but I personally woundn't invest in any solution other than the ones listed above.

Of the three manufactures that I listed, none are first generation solutions. The Vertex product is second generation, the Pacific Sun solution is third generation with the fourth generation set to launch very soon. ReefTech is a new company but the technology is an evolution of Pacific Sun.

LED pricing will come down a little bit, but not enough to justify waiting if you need the lights now. All of the solutions I mentioned are modular and upgradable when new LED chips come out.

Specifically, CREE has released a new XPE High Effeciency White (HEW) chip that I figure will show up in Reef lights soon. It is said to be 50% brighter than the standard XPE chip which should make it equivelent to the XPG chips but at a lower cost.

Also interesting is the trend away from optics. Of the three leading manufactures (Vertex, Pacific Sun, ReefTech), none of these use optics. Pacific Sun and ReefTech have optics as an option, but they basically only recommend them for very deep tanks. I personally agree that if the light intensity is sufficient without optics, they should not be necessary and I would not use them.

I guess we have to mention AI - They use optics, but but I have concerns about the solution in general. I'm not going to say much about this solution other than I just don't think it qualifies for the short list.

The magic number for LED lighting seems to be 160W per 2 foot of tank based on CREE XPG White.

Vertex Illuminata X00 series - 80W per foot
Vertex Illuminata 260 series - Can't find the data - It's at least the same as the X00
Pacific Sun - 160W and 190W modules
ReefTech LED - 180W modules

There will continue to be more and more inovation and the next generation fixtures will likely be even more impressive, but that is true of everything in the consumer market. At some point you have to buy in. The real question is whether the technology has matured enough to justify the investment and in my opinion it has.

[Milad]

abcha0s im not sure if i agree with you on the optics

if you do not use optics, you are restricted to the old way of thinking on mounting a light over your tank. few inches above the water level.

If you use optics, you got alot more options to think out of the box. Mounting it up against the ceiling high above your tank for a unique look.

I think part of the problem with these pre made fixtures is that everyone is following the old school way of doing lighting. LEDs give you so many new options like spot lighting an area in your tank and having shadows in other areas, using different colors all along your tank, etc etc

thanks one of my pep peevs about "kits". you are restricted to what someone says it should be made like.

dont think inside the box!

[Lampshade]

Wow, this turned from a tank shot page to a Why LED page quick :P

My 2 cents. Cost isn't going to be huge saving, like people have said and showed, cost of builds and electricity savings are going to eventually pay off the LEDS. But as also stated, people are assuming the LED's and drivers won't malfunction during that time (technically they shouldn't... but...). Same goes with MH too though, as i'm sure anybody using an old humming ballast knows.

The HUGE benifit in my opinion is the wave length on LED's... it doesn't change. No color shifting after 6 months like MH(even the best bulb will have some shift.) The output is at least 70% after 5 years of 12 hours a day use. Most people are underdriving their DIY systems, so they can increase to get that 70% back later on. Big setups are usually driven to max, but have sufficient cooling so that it won't matter.

People ahave been arguing the PAR rating etc, but PAR is a poor measure of what we need, most meters check all light between 400nm-700nm and give back the average over that amount. What we really need is the used wavelengthss since coral doesn't use an average from 400nm-700nm. PUR is better, but hard to measure. What you CAN see is the output of LED's on a wavelenth compared to what algee needs to grow. This is why i'm going LED's(not cree LED's or a good MH bulb/balast, but you can find wavelengths for both from cree's site and from sanjay's site, just a good general example)


Here's some links on LED's that should relate to this "tank pics":

benfits:
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...owtopic=186982
Tank Pics(nano's but shows):
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...owtopic=200335
LED build with par readings(my favorite LED tank so far):
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1761942
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...&postcount=388 (vid's)

Here's a pic of that tank(Not Mine, one on RC):