Switching to LED - Full review comming

But the K3 48 Wide(D and T) are 36"(78 cm) in length. Could you mount it say a foot above the water and get good coverage?

 

It might hard to say, still not sure the total wattage would be enough, but it would probably be close

 

I may have to try that.

 

Orphek PR-156 - Missed these guys in the original writeup but they are also on my short list now. Pretty nice looking lights that will do just about anything you want them to. They are completely programmable BUT NOT dimmible. They are also modular similar to the pythons so you can position them over the bracing of the aquarium with little light blockage. System is updatable and upgradible when it comes to lens, and led choices (not 100% sure about the controller, but it would be nice if you can download updates to it). These guys almost satisfied every point I had, but the lack of controller features and no dimmability will get them taken off my list. They have been around for a while with quite a lot of info to be found on the net, most of which is very positive.

More Info: http://www.orphek.com/index.html(no Canadian Supplier Yet)
PR-156W Lights x 2 ($1800)(Approx 300 Watts)

 

Found another to consider...

REEFTECH LED Prometheus - Yet another very sweet light like the pythons and such, similar in every aspect for upgradabilty, computer connectivity, and even has iphone support .... (I have an iphone so that would be very cool) So far looks like two modules would work, and once again does pretty much everything you could imagine....

More Info - Prometheus

2 x Prometheus Units $2300 (360 Watts!!)

 

Here is another pretty interesting article on lighting....

Aquarium Lighting; Kelvin, Nanometers, PAR, Bulb, Watt, MH, LED, Light Basics.

Cheers
TJ

 

TJSlayer...thank you for the time it took to do that LED write up. That was very impression, the added prices were great, didn't have to go searching the website to find it. I think either choice you make, it will be a good one, because of the amount of research and time you put into it. I will be sure to follow along and hope that you are satisfied once you do select the ones you want, you deserve it. I have only been in the hobby for about 2-2 1/2 years now, this question goes out to the vets. Did you see the high price range with T-5 and Halides as they came out and seen them go down as more companies and options became available. I keep hearing people say they want to wait till the LEDs come down in price, is this because of the common trend in lighting in the reef hobby or are they just being optimistic?

 

Well I think the orpheks are off the list not really dimmable at all at this point....

 

I think the LED pricing will likely cme down a little but not as much as some people are hoping or at least not any time real soon.

Moreso what I see happening is that you will see a larger number of products available (Hence which will cause te price to soften a bit) but you will get more for the money....

More programable options
More color choices
More flexibilty
Etc.

Take a look at the lower priced ones now that have been out for a while...

Maxspec.... originally just on/off, the sperae on/off for blues/whites, now they have optics, and you can already start to get different color LED's, and nw they have a dimmable option in the works....

Quality has improved as well from everything I have read.

One thing that hasn't changed is the price in fact I think they have gone up, but you get more for the dollar now....increased wattage, better design, etc.

That's what I see happening over the next 1-3 years.....

By year 5 I assume we will start to see the actual price come down, but I think it may be a while.....

Just my 2 cents..
TJ

 

Have you seen these OCreef LEDs?
OCReef XP-E® 60 Watt CREE™ LED Aquarium Light with 3 Watt High Intensity LED's
they are dimmable and according to Dave at OCreef they get good coverage and PAR. They are doing PUR readings soon too!
Review:
http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-lighting/unboxing-xp-e-60-watt-cree-led-light-104434.html
vid from TBAquatics
YouTube - SWC 60 watt CREE dimmable Led Aquarium Light
In case it is hard to read: dual CF bulbs PAR about 20 on the bottom, LED approx 90 on the bottom and 240 mid tank. LED is 18" above tank.
Just an option. No experience with it but it looks quite good and budget friendly!