Not Quite Sold on LED Lighting

I spent over 900.00 on leds bought them from boostled they work great coral grow well tank is happy and no heat so no need for a chiller. Its what the other option cost to run and how often you have change the bulbs its like every thing its an opinion and your dissision.

 

True in that experiment. I should add the video I am referring to. In response to the above poster that mentioned that there are other contributing factors (Ie parameter changes, water quality, ect) I am assuming the guy had a fairly regular maintenance routine, and not much changed during that time. All I can say, is IMO, the photos that were under halides had significantly deeper, and more dramatic colorations, then when moved to the Radion. He shows the Radion has more par at all levels, so by that figure it should have shown an improvement, so long as it is not an abundance of light and nuking the coral.

A great example would be the Setosa he is growing (Check the video) It goes from a deep red to a slightly brownish pink, in ~6 months. Hence why I was wondering if it was the rendering of the light being picked up from the camera or actual loss in color. It is hard, because a camera's sensor picks up light from the ambient area, and T5s and MH have a lot more spilling of light, therefore rendering much more color that is given off of the lighting vs LED's.

For example, If I take a photo of my SPS heavy tank, and show it to you guys, it will look completely different from if you were here in person. As well as, the quality of camera sensor (DSLR vs iPhone 4) plays a significant role in that even further.

Link to what I was talking about; Mr. Saltwater Tank's 90G Reef Tank FINAL Update - YouTube

 

He has a 225 I believe, that he had 400 watt metal halides on! He has since put a broadspectrum Cree (top bin) lighting system mostly blues and whites with uv supplementation! I agree the colors are a little different and he did have some corals bleach out on him, but he's seeing "very similar" growth! Plus the lack of heat and the savings on the electrical bill! I liked the looks of both, but just being able to control the "look" through a control for different situations is really cool! He ran through the lightning/storm etc looks while i was there which is just neat! Although, like he said, he hardly ever uses it because they freak out a few of his fish, but is a neat option! Personally, i just think they're close enough, that not having to worry about bulb's going bad, and the controllability make it worth it! I got a plug and play system coming from rapid after the last fiasco(again) so as lighting improves i can easily swap stuff out as i feel necessary! UV plug and plays are coming in 2-3 weeks so i'll be adding a strand of that!

 

It's really hard to know if it was pics or not. Mrsaltwatertank is a major Ecotech fanboy. And isn't likely to bash them as they give him lots and lots of free stuff. So even if he noticed a coloration change he never mentioned it and would have incentive not to mention it. (I don't mean to say he did, just that it's a possibility)

If he's pushing more par and an obvious spectrum shift then the corals could just be going through an adaptation phase and when they come out of it could end up better than before... but that's all speculation.

It could be the pics taken like you mentioned. Hell it could even be other water parameter changes... who knows.

 

Yeah, we'll I was just curious at someones 1st hand experience. I've loved my t5s for a good while now, and since the fixture just went to crap literally yesterday, I am trying to make a decision between Radions or an ATI Sunpower.

I was pretty much set to pull the trigger on the Ecotech, but then I watched someone of these vids and was like... Ummm no? LOL I don't wanna spend ~1200 bucks on lighting that isn't what I expected. Curious if it was spectral shift like you mentioned or just some poor photographs.

 

I don't really follow Mr. Saltwater tank. He can be fun to watch, be seriously, seeing him compare the Radions to halides was just too much LOL. I mean really, that dusty old, halide compared to a new, top of the line Radion. Come on, the halide was getting like 1/2 the PAR you would expect to get out of a decent, new halide. Now, I think the Radion is a great light, don't get me wrong, but I still just have to scratch my head on that one...

 

I prefer LEDs, Why? I'll tell you.
Leds are ....
Less Bulky and smaller
Not as much heat
Way more efficient
This depends but IMO they show better color
Last longer
Less Maintenance
Powerful, especially for their size
Etc

 

Add easier to customize and easier to control with optics etc.

Mr. Bill, I am afraid I would have to ask you what LED's you have had over your tank? I have had t-5's and 3 different sets of LED's and the LED's bring out more color, have more polyp extension and deliver more light (par meter and coral reaction based). I also spend 70 dollars less a month in electricity on my two tanks and thats a lot of beer! One of the local fish stores had a tank and their corals were very "dull" colored and were obviously having issues. They ran T-5's and MH's. Once I put them in my tank they flourish both in terms of color and growth. Not by any means the end all be all, but to say the "technology isn't proven" is no longer correct. It's like saying that new stud wide receiver for your favorite team isn;t proven because he has only been rocking it for a single season or he just hasn't run into the right combination of defensive backs. It's possible something might go wrong, but the percentages don't back this up when the majority of scouts agree!

p.s. Try a dimmable full spectrum Cree system and you will laugh when people say MH!

 

Metal halide

 

Maybe you just didn't have the right T5 bulbs.

Here's some growth, color and polyp extension photos for you.

From Corailline, with MH:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-of...al-acropora-polyps-95347-109.html#post1232384

And from 2in10, using a 4-bulb T5 unit over a 75g tank:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-of...fts-pics-page-100-a-81680-98.html#post1269956

Those are the two best SPS tanks I've ever seen. You might do as good with LED, but I doubt anything could do better. And what's the price tag on that Cree unit? I admit, I don't shop for every individual make and model on the market, but when a non-dimmable, non-controllable, non-modular no-name fixture costs $400 (and I would need 2 of them, btw) I simply cannot justify replacing my good ol' T5 just yet. Anybody that has a problem with that is more than welcome to buy an LED system for me.