Three choices...Who gives me best bang for buck...

I have narrowed down the LED choice to, three different choices. My dad/ reef partner, said that he will cover the upfront costs. So he decided to jump right into the AI SOL, I dont know if we would go with the white or the blue, thats the first choice. I really like the Mu w series from boost, I showed them to him, he liked them as we well. I also was checking out the Memorial Day sale and saw these
Blueline 120w VHO LED Fixture :: LED Lighting Systems :: Lighting :: Champion Lighting & Supply Does anyone have experience with these ones. I think these would be my final 3 choices, since DIY is just not an option for me.

Sorry, this is for a 6 foot 125 gallon standard. We want softy, lps some sps, birdsnest, pocclipora (sp), no acros or anything. We want something that we can turn down or ramp up if needed. 18,728

 

It seems everyone talks highly of AI SOL (blue). If I had a bigger budget, I'd go with that too. I've seen a number of tanks using this setup and the tanks are doing very well. They're dimmable so you can turn them down or ramp up as needed.

 

I like the Boost model over the AI because of the greater spectrum range with their actinic lights.

 

I would go with the AI SOL Blue, the blue is bluer as the name states because it adds the 420nm to mix with the white and royal blue. Each color is dimmable from 0-100% and you can get it a controller as well. Not to mention they are built to be expanded on. the pucks holding the leds can be swapped out if new, better tech comes out. If it were me, i would probably go with AI SOL blue.

On a 2nd note, i have a soft spot for Boostled, i have one of their par 30 bulbs and love it. so on that note, boost is a great choice for the money, its just not as controllable.

 

AI Sol Blue. They have 3 separate settings, so you can turn up and down white, blue and royal blue. The controller is very flexible too.

 

i like the boost also, plus its on sale right now for 350 each. Ai sol's are 70w each boost are 135w. I like the boost better than the Sol because it uses violet leds as well to give it an amazing look.

 

I would be very careful with violet LEDs, especially on a fixture that isn't controllable (like the Boost fixture, AFAIK). UV radiation at too high a level is harmful to anything living, and the fishes and your eyes.

I would also point out that raw wattage is kinda irrelevant, since the efficiencies of LED fixtures can be wildly different. Just look at the PAR graphs for each to see what I mean.

 

Sorry but have to disagree, from many sources i have seen uv light is harmful to the coral at intense amounts but are important to a reef system

this blurb is from liveaquaria
"Color change due to UV light
In nature, ultraviolet light waves (UV-A and UV-B) penetrate the ocean's surface but are filtered out as the light travels through the water. Both UV-A and UV-B light waves have been found to cause destruction of DNA and RNA within coral tissue. In response, many corals have made adaptations to reduce the effects of these harmful rays. These corals developed protective pigments that are often blue, purple, or pink in color. Most corals that contain these pigments come from shallow waters where the amount of UV-A and UV-B light is higher than in deeper areas of the reef.

In home reef aquariums that rely on metal halide lighting, it is important to protect corals from UV light. Coral without these protective pigments as well as shallow water corals that may have lost their pigments during transportation are especially susceptible to the effects of UV light. Fortunately, preventing any UV light from entering the aquarium is as simple as employing glass aquarium canopies and making sure the protective glass lens on the metal halide fixture is properly installed.

It is not uncommon for corals with these bright colors to adjust to the lower UV-A and UV-B conditions found within home aquariums. The loss of colorful pigmentation is not necessarily a sign of an unhealthy coral - it is simply a normal coral adjusting to its new environment.

It is a common misconception among many hobbyists that color changes in newly received coral is an indication of unhealthy coral. Many times the color change is merely the result of corals adjusting to the new lighting intensity, spectrum, and change in UV light. With this in mind, it is important to consider the color of newly received corals and understand their lighting requirements. Be sure to properly acclimate corals to new lighting conditions and allow time for them to establish their coloration.

so it seems that coloration of coral is directly related to UV exposure and is a genetic mutation that helps protect their supporting algea."

Yes they can be harmful if used in a diy kit and too many are added but i do not think this is the case from boost.

And about dimming why would i want to dim my led's. we dont dim halides or t5's. IF you build the light to be a certain spectrum and hit certain par values and you run the units at 40% are you getting that par when the light was designed to hit that par at 100% efficiency?

 

I have two of the MU135 from boost on my 6ft 125gal They are awesome I was planning on buying a third but in stead I will get a couple of the par 30 type tank needs some shade.

 

Dim your LEDs to both save the life of the LED (it increases the Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF), the standard measure of the longevity of electronic components), and to adjust your corals to the lights (on a new tank). You have T5-like switches and multiple plugs on the Boost fixture, which is reminiscent of a cheap construction that doesn't take advantage of the technical strengths of LEDs compared to T5.

Also, you can set it to dim from straight Royal Blue in the morning and evening, to full daylight midday, and anything in between, instead of the harsh on/off transition you see on T5 and MH/T5 combo fixtures. You can even go 100% Royal Blue during the morning and evening, 100% blue a bit later on, and 100% white midday; impossible with other fixtures. You can also use the dimming to do this, and keep from burning your coral to death, by turning down (by a significant amount) the other two colors during specific times of day. Then, you can make it more blue for when guest come over and show your colors off, then turn it a bit more white for better growth when it's not gonna be shown.

He also said he wanted to turn it up or down as needed, which the Boost just can't do.