LED experience for under $2

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Milad

You guys realize LEDs are cheaper than MH in about 2-3 years time if you do a DIY.

Think of the bulb cost, electricity cost of the MH, electricity cost of the cooler to cool the tank because its getting hot.


Aquattro you just need to see the right LEDs, not your standard LFS issued marineland strips. I konw there are a few guys in Victoria that have picked up LEDs from me, you should hit them up for a tour of a real LED fixture with quality LEDs.

thats if your leds even last 3 yrs and what if you upgrade then you need more leds while a mh can be used on a variety of tanks.if not installed correctly leds burn out if you want to up grade its a pita and its trial and error on colour like t5's are if you order too many blues your screwed if you order too many whites your screwed.mh have been proven year after year and they work we know this leds are still in the experimental stage and sure they have their benefits but so do mh.im thinking about trying out some leds from you milad so dont think im bashing but at this time they def arent supperior.its kinda like acryliuc vs glass both have pros and cons

[intarsiabox]

Or just wait 3 years and really good quality manufactured LED fixtures will probably be cheaper than DIY is now and you still would break even.

[Milad]

Originally Posted by reefwars

thats if your leds even last 3 yrs and what if you upgrade then you need more leds while a mh can be used on a variety of tanks.if not installed correctly leds burn out if you want to up grade its a pita and its trial and error on colour like t5's are if you order too many blues your screwed if you order too many whites your screwed.mh have been proven year after year and they work we know this leds are still in the experimental stage and sure they have their benefits but so do mh.im thinking about trying out some leds from you milad so dont think im bashing but at this time they def arent supperior.its kinda like acryliuc vs glass both have pros and cons

Some good points.

They can burn out on you if you over power them or get less quality ones or mount them incorrectly. I guess I just have faith people use them correctly.

As far as too many of a certain color, thats not big deal as long as you get dimmable drivers. If you dont, then you are screwed. Most people get close the 14K look then adjust their light using the dimmable drivers to the color they want.

So lets say you are like my girlfriend and you go through mood swings... Ok I dont have a GF but lets pretend I do.... And one day you like 14K look and 3 months from now you decide you want more of a 20K look. As long as you have dimmable drivers, its a flick of a switch to switch between the looks. Cant do that with MHs.


I currently work for a company that deals with maintenance and building of buildings. We did a pilot project on street lighting around one of our campuses by switching out the lighting which was MH or HPS to LEDs. First people are amazed by the color the LED lighting is producing, second the maintenance superintendents are shocked because over the last 2 years they havent had to touch any of the lamps, zero maintenance. Not only that, the energy manager for the campus is high fiving the lighting superintendent because hes saving him so much money.

I know its not a reef example but out in the field, LEDs are being proven day after day as zero maintenance.

[marie]

I will stick with my MH's. I actually use them to heat my tanks because I don't use heaters and I am one of the few people that actually prefer the 10K colour and use XM 10Ks with no actinic supplements

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Milad

You guys realize LEDs are cheaper than MH in about 2-3 years time if you do a DIY.

for me it's not entirely about cost, although there is no way I could afford a new light setup if even I thought they'd stop the aging process

I like the light I get from MH point source lighting, and I don't like LED lights. I don't like the shadows or the colors or even the flicker. Some may be better than others, but they just aren't what I'm looking for. I have my heat handled, bulb replacement annually doesn't hurt financially and hydro is hidden in my bill, and as far as I'm concerned, a part of the hobby I chose.

The lights posted above by Ryan7 may alleviate some of this, and if I get robbed and someone steals my tank and insurance will buy me a new one, I might look at them. Maybe.
but for now, I prefer MH, which works out well since that's what I have, and I'm not throwing away perfectly good lights to get something I like less.
Lighting always comes down to personal taste, and LED are not to my taste.