220 LED Questions

[Jmar101786]

So.... For starters I know that there are a ton of threads that relate to what i'm asking here and I have read quite a few...at this point my brain is fried and I am still at a loss on what to do...

In the next few weeks I will be getting a 220 Gal tank from a friend who is getting out of the hobby...i can't even begin to explain the excitement of getting back into a larger tank...for the past 3 years i have had smaller tanks and they just don't do it for me...so the timing worked out and i'll be joining the large tank community once again

About the tank:

- L X W X H - 72" X 30" X 24"

- 3 Sides starphire Glass

- Coast to Coast overflow


Equipment wise i'm pretty much good to go at the moment however i will be updating and adding things between now and the new year.

The question at hand is lighting....I have always ran metal halides...currently I have (2) 400 Watt 20K Radium but the electric bill is beating me up and one of the agreements to setting up this tank was that I try to make it a little less demanding on the electric bill....so LED is my plan.

I have been looking into a few different types but i really can't decide on which ones to go with...the following ones are what i've been looking at


Acan Lighting
Ecotech Radion
AI Sol & Vega

The question here is what are the pros and cons and how many units would i need of each...from the people ive been talking to everyone seems to have a different number

My calculations from what ive learned is i would need the following to cover the tank

Ecotech - 6
AI Sol - 4
Vega ?
Acan
Lighting ?

I'm not even sure if these are correct but from what i've understood while reading its what i've come up with...

- Side Notes -


* I keep a mixed reef but I do tend to lean towards the SPS world...i know i would like the luxury of being able to place pieces almost anywhere i want without having to worry about if there is enough light in that area.


** I currently don't have any clams but i would be interested in introducing some in the future not sure if this affects anyones suggestions/Info.


*** I would like to have as much control over lights as possible but I mainly roll towards the 20K spectrum.

**** Bells and whistles like rolling clouds and thunderstorms are cool...but not a must for me.


Well thats all i can think of at the moment with writing this thread...i appreciate any and all information given...i'll be honest i've wanted to switch for a while but the technology kind of scares me as when i hear LED...the first thing i think of is my T.V. not my reef lol


Thanks,
Joe

 

[Timfish]

. . . I will be getting a 220 Gal tank from a friend who is getting out of the hobby...i can't even begin to explain the excitement of getting back into a larger tank . . .

Joe, I'm envious! I'm always planning and dreaming about the next tank! Just don't have room right now.

. . . I keep a mixed reef but I do tend to lean towards the SPS world...i know i would like the luxury of being able to place pieces almost anywhere i want without having to worry about if there is enough light in that area. . .

I would encourage you to get a PAR meter and take readings in different tanks. Light field will vary quite a bit in just a few inches. I would argue that lighting and corals need to be matched to each other. No matter how lighting is designed there are going to be locations some corals will do well and locations some don't won't do well. Some corals adapt well to a range of lighting conditions and some do not. (Porites porites and Porites banneri are two good examles, P. porites is found from the surface to depth of 160' while P. banneri is only found 15' to 30'.) Using LED fixtures with just 2 colors and using them with multiple colors I feel I get better results with multiple colors and the DIY I build use 2 different white and two different blue.

 

[Jmar101786]

I would encourage you to get a PAR meter and take readings in different tanks. Light field will vary quite a bit in just a few inches. I would argue that lighting and corals need to be matched to each other. No matter how lighting is designed there are going to be locations some corals will do well and locations some don't won't do well. Some corals adapt well to a range of lighting conditions and some do not. (Porites porites and Porites banneri are two good examles, P. porites is found from the surface to depth of 160' while P. banneri is only found 15' to 30'.) Using LED fixtures with just 2 colors and using them with multiple colors I feel I get better results with multiple colors and the DIY I build use 2 different white and two different blue.

Personally I don't want to do a DIY fixture as its much more electrical work than i am capable of ... as for using multiple colors i was looking at the vega or the sol because if i'm not mistaken the sol uses multiple blues and whites....the vega i'm a little confused on at the moment because it shows so many different colors that i'm not sure how it works....not sure if that makes sense lol

I totally agree with you that a lot of times corals are - location location location....no matter what kind of lights its just i don't want to be limited because i made a poor choice when it came to a fixture....personally i really like AI's units...but i do have a soft spot for the sleek look of Radions and thier wireless ability to connect to other ecotech pieces of equipment.

Thanks for your response though...i appreciate it.

 

[Cl0ne1]

Will the tank be topless or will it have a canopy? Because if it is topless, looks matter. If it is going to have a canopy, have you considered a combination of different types of lights. Perhaps a couple 250 MH and a couple LED's. The idea being that you only turn the metal halides on for a couple hours a day, mostly when you are not home. That way you have the other lights on, bringing out the colors of the corals more for when you are home. You could also consider using LED cannons. Cannons would allow you to isolate a concentrated area of strong light without doing it to the whole tank where it may not be necessary. Ecoxotic has one or two or perhaps other companies. That way you get a couple hours of strong light without destroying your electric bill, and a good 6-8 hours of constant light. I have an AquaticLIFE LED fixture on my 55 gallon and it works great. Keep in mind though that I have mostly softies. I am bleaching a meteor shower though and am forced to move it even further down in the tank. I am currently successful with a torch, green polyp leather, a mystic sunset monti and a couple bird nests though.

I too am envious, for I would love a 200+ gal reef tank....my wife would never let that happen though. I already spend enough money on a 55.

Tank you for your time,

Kevin

 

[Pappy]

I would def go with the radions as they're the only full spectrum in your list plug and play. I've found believe it or not that par with LEDs is not as important because the blues don't read well. This is just my experience only but I only have about 120 on sand, 250 half way, and 400 up top. Stuff grows like a weed and by far looks better that 90% of tanks I've seen in person. I have a DIY fixture which is what I recommend the most!

 

[Jmar101786]

I would def go with the radions as they're the only full spectrum in your list plug and play. I've found believe it or not that par with LEDs is not as important because the blues don't read well. This is just my experience only but I only have about 120 on sand, 250 half way, and 400 up top. Stuff grows like a weed and by far looks better that 90% of tanks I've seen in person. I have a DIY fixture which is what I recommend the most!

What about the AI Vega - won't that be full spectrum...or atleast thats what i heard.... i really do like the radions however my wallet doesn't... lol... how many would you say i'd need on a tank my size?

 

[Jmar101786]

Will the tank be topless or will it have a canopy? Because if it is topless, looks matter. If it is going to have a canopy, have you considered a combination of different types of lights. Perhaps a couple 250 MH and a couple LED's. The idea being that you only turn the metal halides on for a couple hours a day, mostly when you are not home. That way you have the other lights on, bringing out the colors of the corals more for when you are home. You could also consider using LED cannons. Cannons would allow you to isolate a concentrated area of strong light without doing it to the whole tank where it may not be necessary. Ecoxotic has one or two or perhaps other companies. That way you get a couple hours of strong light without destroying your electric bill, and a good 6-8 hours of constant light. I have an AquaticLIFE LED fixture on my 55 gallon and it works great. Keep in mind though that I have mostly softies. I am bleaching a meteor shower though and am forced to move it even further down in the tank. I am currently successful with a torch, green polyp leather, a mystic sunset monti and a couple bird nests though.

I too am envious, for I would love a 200+ gal reef tank....my wife would never let that happen though. I already spend enough money on a 55.

Tank you for your time,

Kevin

Tank will be topless which is why i wanted to go with a nice fixture...DIY is great beacause you make it to your own specs but it just won't work as this will be a high traffic area in my house and i entertain quite often...so i want it to look nice and sleek

 

[Pappy]

Not sure what the spread would be so can't say how many the ledtric who is a sponsor on here seems to have a nice fixture as well at a very affordable price too.

 

[TD2K]

tagging along. these are the exact dimensions of my tank and lighting is my next step

 

[Jmar101786]

tagging along. these are the exact dimensions of my tank and lighting is my next step

Let me know if you get any information from any other threads....i am about a month out before i put lights up so i'm not rushing...i want to do this right...not look back in 6 months and say oh...****...i should of went in this direction.

Thanks

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

Let me know if you get any information from any other threads....i am about a month out before i put lights up so i'm not rushing...i want to do this right...not look back in 6 months and say oh...****...i should of went in this direction.

Thanks

You will want it to be full spectrum, and more importantly, dimmable. You need to start any LED system at around 20% power, and raise it about 5% a week until it is around 75% power.

 

[TD2K]

Let me know if you get any information from any other threads....i am about a month out before i put lights up so i'm not rushing...i want to do this right...not look back in 6 months and say oh...****...i should of went in this direction.

Thanks

my feelings exactly. hubby and I are reading and reading and reading. I know we want full spectrum (some reds, purples, and even greens) in the lights, and we want to be able to dim using an Apex (or similar) controller. We also probably won't use a canopy so it has to look nice.

 

[TD2K]

You will want it to be full spectrum, and more importantly, dimmable. You need to start any LED system at around 20% power, and raise it about 5% a week until it is around 75% power.

looks like you beat me to it.

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

my feelings exactly. hubby and I are reading and reading and reading. I know we want full spectrum (some reds, purples, and even greens) in the lights, and we want to be able to dim using an Apex (or similar) controller. We also probably won't use a canopy so it has to look nice.

The big three are red, 420nm violet, and blue. They will provide the biggest benefit in addition to royal blue and cool white. Greens provide some subtle colors, purples I would love to try, I would imagine they give corals more dark blue color.

 

[TD2K]

when I said "purple" I was referring to the violets.

 

[Jmar101786]

You will want it to be full spectrum, and more importantly, dimmable. You need to start any LED system at around 20% power, and raise it about 5% a week until it is around 75% power.

Ok...so now this is something i would do in the controller interface of the unit if i go with a fabricated fixture...and if i go with a DIY or Retro fit unit something i would do manually with a dimmer on the driver correct?

I know we want full spectrum (some reds, purples, and even greens) in the lights, and we want to be able to dim using an Apex (or similar) controller. We also probably won't use a canopy so it has to look nice.

The big three are red, 420nm violet, and blue. They will provide the biggest benefit in addition to royal blue and cool white. Greens provide some subtle colors, purples I would love to try, I would imagine they give corals more dark blue color.

Being as how full spectrum includes all of these colors...this is what the AI Vega is zeroing in on correct?

 

[Jmar101786]

Can anyone please advise to my last post

 

[TD2K]

well we've narrowed it down to 2 choices.

3 Orphek DIF-100 XP 18k Type 2 (5 UV emitters) with Meanwell drivers and 90 degree lenses
or
5? AI Vega Color fixtures (if they are ever released)

we'll be using an Apex controller

My LFS pushes the AI because that's what he carries. He called his supplier yesterday and they told him these lights would work with Apex. However, this is on the AI Facebook Page "The Vega will only be controlled with our own proprietary controllers as it will be a wireless module"

:banghead:

 

[3Twinklets]

I believe the choice is personal preference. I have the AI sols and I love them but I can't wait to see the Vega. It sounds like you are wanting the color choices which the Vega is supposed to include. I want to see them compared side by side. I hope AI will have them demonstrated that way at MACNA because I believe I will be buying them!

 

[TD2K]

yes, I want the violets and reds

I *could* wait until MACNA, but I really want to be able to buy coral and other goodies while I'm there, so I need lights before then.