Show Us Your LED Tanks

[Madreefer]

[quote=lastlight;634Sorry I'll go pout over in my LWL thread now.[/QUOTE]

Huh? Whats that?

[sphelps]

It's already listed on some sites for pre-order so pricing may be good:
http://www.marinedepot.com/Ecotech_M...FILDTN-vi.html

Also not sure what this is on about but worth a gander if considering the purchase:
http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/cap...nd-a-miss.html

[lastlight]

That last link is interesting but really looks to be a sales pitch for Orphek (which to me also appears to be an impressive light). Hey it could all be true but I was scrolling around afterwards looking for links etc for Orphek. Sure enough I found'em.

They link to the 1350g build which is of course a large Orphek showcase... I've since heard that the fixtures they sourced are custom and not even the same as the standard Orphek lights you or I would buy from the site.

LED is a-swirl in confusion (for me at least).

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by lastlight

That last link is interesting but really looks to be a sales pitch for Orphek (which to me also appears to be an impressive light). Hey it could all be true but I was scrolling around afterwards looking for links etc for Orphek. Sure enough I found'em.

They link to the 1350g build which is of course a large Orphek showcase... I've since heard that the fixtures they sourced are custom and not even the same as the standard Orphek lights you or I would buy from the site.

LED is a-swirl in confusion (for me at least).

I agree but it does make you wonder with all these new fixtures coming out each kicking up the gimmick level one more notch. It really gets to the point of not knowing what the heck is good and bad. But I do know that halides make great reefs

[Rice Reef]

Quote from Marine Depot
Usage Guidelines

• One Radion fixture is comparable to one 250w metal halide
• Generally, one Radion fixture should be used per 40 gallons (150L) of water volume.
• Approximate surface coverage is 24x24 inches (60x60cm).

Does this refer to water volume in the tank only and if talking about just tank size, for a 90 gallon should I go for three? Really like what I see and seriously considering switching over from MH to LED now.

[sphelps]

I'd wait for a few reviews and feedback from actual users before signing up for a pre-order. The wattage on these kinds of fixtures can be misleading as it depends on what level each set of LEDs is operating at but I would suspect 2 would be plenty for a 90 gallon.

[Rice Reef]

yeah, good point. Would suck to have blown $2 grand and not being impressed. Would be nice to have it for Xmas.

[martinmcnally]

Originally Posted by Rice Reef

Quote from Marine Depot
Usage Guidelines

• One Radion fixture is comparable to one 250w metal halide
• Generally, one Radion fixture should be used per 40 gallons (150L) of water volume.
• Approximate surface coverage is 24x24 inches (60x60cm).

Does this refer to water volume in the tank only and if talking about just tank size, for a 90 gallon should I go for three? Really like what I see and seriously considering switching over from MH to LED now.

If you are talking about the 3W Cree LEDs that are everywhere now a handy way to work it out is your tank LxHxW (all in inches) divided by 324. That will give you the number of individual LEDs recommended. Although that fixture has red and green LEDs in there too which are not factored into that formula. Their usefulness is still to be determined.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by martinmcnally

If you are talking about the 3W Cree LEDs that are everywhere now a handy way to work it out is your tank LxHxW (all in inches) divided by 324. That will give you the number of individual LEDs recommended.

um.. thats a handy way to figure out how many gallons your tank is now how many LEDs you need. LEDs are based on coverage only so how many would you need to evenly cover a surface area not a volume.

Steve

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

um.. thats a handy way to figure out how many gallons your tank is now how many LEDs you need. LEDs are based on coverage only so how many would you need to evenly cover a surface area not a volume.

Steve

You divide cubic inches by 231 to get gallons not 324. But I agree that might not be the best way to decide on the amount of LEDs, kind of similar to the 5W per gallon deal.

As far as I know you need to be in the range of one LED for each 10-15 square inches. So for example take your tank foot print to be 48"x24", that's 1152sq" meaning you'll want to aim for a range within 76 to 115 LEDs, give or take. Now deciding on a final number will depend on your tank height and coral requirements. For something average say 24" tall and mixed reef with SPS you'd probably aim right in the middle of that range.