LED articles

[rockgarden]

I don't know enough about LED lighting to comment on or critique the following two articles but they are recent, they are free, and they do cover an extensive amount of ground with respect to LED lighting.

http://aquarium-digest.com/2010/04/11/led-aquarium-lights-lighting/

http://aquarium-digest.com/2010/06/30/led-light-review-tmc-xg-1500-maxspect-more/

I still have T5s over my reef (and a DIY LED unit which is still in my workshop), but there is no question in my mind that most reefs will be lit by LED within the next couple of years.  The fun part will be trying to decide when to spend the money and make the jump! Probably the next day , a new version will hit the store shelves  .

My 19 second iPad reef movie is now on Flickr  : http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjhayphotography/8564086836/in/photostream

[gerryo]

In my recent forays into LED lighting I have to say that I agree with the articles included in your 2 links.

I have to say that I was skeptical before I started to read, because of the dates quoted for the articles, but there have been very recent updates done both by the author and by companies whose job it is to test these things unbiasedly.

Yes I am sure that there will be improvements over time.  But if you sit around and wait you might never take the plunge.

Expensive to start with.  Beautiful results.   

But remember that we are trying to improve things for the Corals, not just for OUR eyes. 

[Greatwhite]

It's too bad they didn't review the Maxspect Razor...  I just installed mine yesterday and LOVE IT...

[Darth]

I have just ventured into the world of led went low end with the max spect razor, it was expensive for me thank goodness I only needed 1 fixture at the $500 price tag it's expensive but I figured I am running a 250w metal halide with 4 t5s so to replace the bulbs about $60-$90 for a good metal halide bulb and about $20 each t5 so about $150 low end to replace and I like to replace every 9 months I know I can push the halides longer but I don't . So my cost is min $600 over 3 years, so it's a lot up front but it pays for it self In the end

[wolfiewill]

I've tried both the TMC Growbeam 600 (2 x 500s side by side) and Marineland single and doubles. The only use I've found for the Marineland single is accent lighting. The double Marineland is over a low tech 10 usg Java fern only tank, which is growing slow but otherwise no trouble. The TMC 600s are capable over shallow tanks and is showing good growth over a 16" deep 25 usg tank with crypts and (surprisingly) Glosso. The really big difference is that none seem to allow algae to grow. With moderate amounts of water ferts, there's only a small amount of diatom on the glass. These are both livestock free at the moment, however.

[Greatwhite]

I replaced a 6 bulb TEK ELITE T5 with two 20" Maxspect Razors..  So yeah, I spent nearly $1000 for the pair.  I might have been "OK" with the 27" fixture, but I would have had a light over the cross brace, and then dark on either end.  I think this setup is best.

I love the shimmer... and love the way it ramps up the light on the schedule... From 10PM until 8AM, it's 1% blue only.  Then from 8am until 10am, it gradually goes up to 50% lights.. Then from 10 to noon, gradual up to 100% light.  And then down, starting at 6pm, I think.

No more CLICK it's daytime!!!  CLICK - it's night!

I ALMOST went DIY... I was looking at the kits from RapidLED.. I could have made a fixture with dimmable LEDs, and use an APEX controller to handle 4 channels of LEDs.  It would have cost me around the same as 2 Razors, but I wouldn't have had the sexy sleek finished product.

[gerryo]

The reason that I went with DIY Rapid LED is that they supply a kit which fits, dead certain, into the original hood on the 28g Nano Cube tank.   

By incorporating their dimmer kit, which has seperate controls for white and blue, I can have times of day when only either one or both colours are on. 

They don't have an automatic variable dimmer which would make for morning and/or evening.  Just ON or OFF.   

[Greatwhite]

The reason that I went with DIY Rapid LED is that they supply a kit which fits, dead certain, into the original hood on the 28g Nano Cube tank.   

By incorporating their dimmer kit, which has seperate controls for white and blue, I can have times of day when only either one or both colours are on. 

They don't have an automatic variable dimmer which would make for morning and/or evening.  Just ON or OFF.   

That is where the Apex system comes in handy...  Along with dimmable controllers of course.  You program the apex to run the lights, turn them off, whatever you want at certain times of day. That is where you get the automation.

I learned after what else the apex can do. Pretty schnazzy system, really.

[gerryo]

Yes, pretty schnazzy piece of equipment at about $500.00 a copy.      (This, by the way, is almost twice what I paid for my light and dimmer.)

I think there are a lot cheaper ways to do the same or similar thing.  They are just not available to the Canadian market - yet.