From Radion's to Radiums

When I got into this hobby, LEDs for the Aquarium Trade were nonexistent. The main choices for a reef were Metal Halide, T5HO and Power Compact. My first fixture was a Dual 250W MH with 2 T5HO supplements built in. I loved the look of the Phoenix 14K HQI, but always had issues with heat due to the 3" off the water type fixture. I saw a thread on another forum of someone trying out some "Blue LEDs for Nightlights". I contacted them, found out where they got the supply, and did some research. 1 month later, I had a DIY LED fixture, full of XR-E Blues and Whites. I retrofit a 2 bulb T5HO on for color supplements. I then found some Edison UV LEDs on eBay and added those onto the fixture. The year was 2010...August. 2 Years later, and well over 1000 diodes later, I am back where I started, 250W MH's sitting over a 75 gallon. I will supplement these with some Blue/Royal and UV diodes for color rendition.


Findings:

I have found in the month after my switch from EcoTech Radions to 250W Mogul Radiums that I have seemingly ZERO algae forming. My film algae has decreased to the level that I only have to clean the glass once a week (and that's if I want to...still clear!). The polyp extension on my SPS has increased immensely on some species, and remained very nice on others. I just got my power bill, and it went up 9 cents...I know there was no control in my "experiment" but...WOW! How will I send my kids ot college with the 9 cent increase these inefficient MH's are costing me! Arrghhhh! Jokes of course. I have no heat issues due to my canopy design with fans and height above the water.


While I love LEDs and think they have a real place in our hobby, as of right now, I haven't found a combination of diodes that replicate the MH results. We all know the PAR numbers are there with optics! I believe that soon, within a couple of years, some company will put together a truly "full-spectrum" LED fixture, and reef enthusiasts will finally have what they want.


Background:

What I have used over the years on multiple tanks--

EcoTech Radion
AI Sol Blue
Ecoxotic Stunner Strip
Ecoxotic Panorama
BoostLED Mu135W
Ecoxotic PAR38
DIY Fixture consisting of CREE, Bridgelux, Edison diodes.
-XR-E, XP-E, XT-E

I will continue to post results over the next few months as I noticed changes from the switch. Today, the only change that has been made is the lighting. Maintenance has remained consistent, and params have been pretty consistent...after that doser malfunction , the only thing yet to be locked down is the Alk...but it is pretty stable now. In the next couple of weeks, changes will be happening as I will be transitioning to a larger tank, so subtle changes I see will not be able to be locked down to lighting or otherwise. I will also be adding the supplemental LEDs at this time.

 

Great combo if you ask me... Has worked wonders on my tank for years

Good to hear all is well though. Hope it stays that way!

 

That is weird, after switching from metal halide to diy cree's i found the complete opposite effect. I've had hardly any algae growth for months now. I will occasionally get a little film on the glass but very minimal compared to how much grew with metal halide.

I know that radions come with red, green leds which IMO is probably what caused your algae growth. Being that reef led technology is fairly new, most companies are playing with the spectrum with no scientific research and basically adding different leds to differentiate themselves from other manufacturers.

If i hadnt diy'd my fixture for a cost of 400 bucks to go over a 125 gallon i would have also stayed with my MH. There is no justification of the high price of pre built fixtures were most companies basically are only assembling the fixture for you out of relatively cheap chinese parts.

 

I can not blame you.... I myself still have a pair of Radiums in between all my LED pendants.

I am curious what your long term effects will be. Personally, I love the colors that the Radiums provide next to my LED pendants. Just not the same warmth in the coral colors.

 

Depending on your LED fixture and optics, your algae growth, or lack there of, could be due to the LED spotlighting effect. A halide reflector can spread more light to the glass. The reds and greens I'm sure did play a role.

 

i have a radion and love it. i have never had an algae issue with it. but i do run a uv sterilizer also. i can say my switch from metal halide to led radion was a definite good move.

 

Red and green Leds, and Metal Halides do not cause algae growth. They can help accelerate it. But the cause is most likely due to a spike in your nutrients or something related to water chemistry. It very inaccurate to make simple based statements like leds dont cause algae growth. My metal halides did however. If your MH bulbs were too old and losing their spectrum yes it can help grow algae, but if you have a clean tank and either option of lighting, then algae wont be an issue for you.

I agree 100% with you about companies just making guesses as to spectrum's in the different fixtures versus studying scientific data to supporting what we know.

 

NC- the reverse statement was also made in this thread. Lighting changes can certainly help create an environment where algae can grow. Some light spectrum, or even more light, can enhance this.

 

I'm confused tom, Your saying the opposite was stated, but yet your next point was exactly what I said, Its not the cause but a contributing factor. Are you saying im wrong? or agreeing?

 

I went back to the radiums as well. Ai sols did not do it for me