AliE LED bar vs. T5

[oreo54]

Did you mean that the alie bars will create hotspots? The XR15 perform best at 8” mounting height.

Performs best is based on tank surface you want to cover and somewhat design goals (want an "island" hotspot light on the surface or blanket coverage)

I honestly think people don't spend enough time on figuring out the simple geometry involved here.
A large sheet of paper or white surface and a ruler. This gets one the max input vs min spill.
you want to get fancy simple lux meter at like $15 helps. Relative values.

Once in the tank the par meter takes over.


Sometimes its hindered by aesthetic needs though.

At 8.5" and 120 degree spread doubt if it can create a serious hot spot BUT depends on the lens design.
Never say never.

Kessil pattern:

 

[Acros]

Since the bars are so affordable, I am going to buy 2 and test the entire setup with a par meter. As of now I might go with just 470nm LEDs. I don’t know enough to select a different mix.

The area I am lighting is 24l”x19w”x12h”. Corals are all sitting 6”-9” below water level. I would imagine that the XR15 will run at a very low intensity once I have the alie bars.

My rock work is kinda flat/boring. I did it that way as it is a very shallow tank and I wanted to maximize coral growing real estate.

 

[oreo54]

Well it does get a little complicated

Depends on what you think their function should be.
Not qualified to tell you if there is growth differences in x band vs y band.
Example of picking spectrum by flourescence..Note though the lower the blue the less it interferes with your eyes.

 

[reef_ranch]

Check these out https://www.quantareef.com/

@telegraham is testing them now but has alot of good to say about them. And the price is right.

 

[Acros]

Check these out https://www.quantareef.com/

@telegraham is testing them now but has alot of good to say about them. And the price is right.

Interesting, they even have an AB+ spectrum bar. However I will have to deal with the lens again.

 

[oreo54]

Interesting, they even have an AB+ spectrum bar. However I will have to deal with the lens again.

best guess 420,440,460.. ish diodes..
Violet, Royal blue, blue. There is slop in the system
Ratio??

Getting "fancy"..
Each diode manuf nm has a range within that base frequency.
Matching "exactly " requires manuf and bin to match and a spread. Not easy nor really not critical.
Horseshoes and hand grenades.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

So i have 2 hydra 32s over my 40b. I want to add some more lighting at the back of the tank are the top of the rock work for some acros. (I don't wanna mess with my current set up bc everything else is pretty happy).

I'm debating between the AliE led bar (telegraham and inappropriate reefer have posted videos showing they're decent)
Or a diy single bulb T5 HO fixture from Amazon. (maybe get 2 and turn my lights into a hybrid fixture).

Anybody have any thoughts? Pros and cons for both?

Check out Lucas's lights, they're available now. With US support and shipping speeds is a key great option. I'm dumping my T5's for those

 

[Acros]

best guess 420,440,460.. ish diodes..
Violet, Royal blue, blue. There is slop in the system
Ratio??

Getting "fancy"..
Each diode manuf nm has a range within that base frequency.
Matching "exactly " requires manuf and bin to match and a spread. Not easy nor really not critical.
Horseshoes and hand grenades.

I need to sit down and look at this. Haha

 

[telegraham]

@telegraham I am planning on getting two of these in the 24” size to supplement an XR15 G5 Blue. The current light is only about 8.5” above the waterline. Is that too low for the alie bars for optimum spread? Do they need placed higher as they come with 120 degree lens?

Do you have any spectrum mix suggestion? I am happy with the spectrum that I have now with G5 Blue, but do not want to go any more blue.

I really appreciate your and everyone else’s input. Tank is acro dominant (small frags for now).

Quanta bars will give you better spectrum blending than any other lensed bar. He has done something that other bars can't match.

If you're on a budget, and the AliE bars are a better financial move, then I'd get a 420/470 mix to compliment the XR15 Blue. Alternating 420/470.

8.5" above the water is fine. I'm running mine at 9".

 

[Acros]

Quanta bars will give you better spectrum blending than any other lensed bar. He has done something that other bars can't match.

If you're on a budget, and the AliE bars are a better financial move, then I'd get a 420/470 mix to compliment the XR15 Blue. Alternating 420/470.

8.5" above the water is fine. I'm running mine at 9".

Would you say 8.5” is a good height for the Quanta bars as well (if I decide to go that route)?

 

[oreo54]

Quanta bars will give you better spectrum blending than any other lensed bar. He has done something that other bars can't match.

Lenses have always been an annoying "convenience"..

LEDs: Understanding Optical Performance

Solid-state lighting can offer unparalleled performance if accompanied by the right lenses and reflectors.

www.architectmagazine.com

Just for fun.

 

[telegraham]

Would you say 8.5” is a good height for the Quanta bars as well (if I decide to go that route)?

Absolutely. Both bars use 120-degree lenses.

 

[Acros]

Just put in an order or 2 54w (24”) alie bars with alternating 420nm and 470nm LEDs. Quite excited about it. I am ditching the 3D printed hanging idea and is going to fashion something to use the included hanging brackets.

 

[wrassie86]

Been using a few of lights for a while now with no issues, was thinking of having a custom light made. But before I do that wondering if it is possible or worth it to bump the power a bit? for the 48" light listed as 108w but really only uses 50 watts per popular grows website. I don't know much about LED lights, But thought it must be possible to get a little more out them.

 

[telegraham]

Been using a few of lights for a while now with no issues, was thinking of having a custom light made. But before I do that wondering if it is possible or worth it to bump the power a bit? for the 48" light listed as 108w but really only uses 50 watts per popular grows website. I don't know much about LED lights, But thought it must be possible to get a little more out them.

I wouldn't, as the diodes could be negatively impacted. A passively cooled light should be underdriven to near 1W/diode.

 

[wrassie86]

I wouldn't, as the diodes could be negatively impacted. A passively cooled light should be underdriven to near 1W/diode.

got it, thanks for the answer.

 

[Acros]

Is there a tool where I could simulate the look/color of an LED combination and not just see the resulting spectrum? Still waiting on my custom bars. Looks like there is some shipping delay.

 

[oreo54]

Is there a tool where I could simulate the look/color of an LED combination and not just see the resulting spectrum? Still waiting on my custom bars. Looks like there is some shipping delay.

SPECTRA

SPECTRA can perform the optical simulation of many required for coral breeding. SPECTRAはサンゴ飼育に必要な多くの光学シミュレーションを行う事が可能です。

spectra.1023world.net

CIE chart, abd the " tone" box gives you a hint
Problem is not all people "see" the same way as each other or see the spectrum the same way either.
Anyways.
MIXING LIST
----------------------------------------
ATI T5 Actinic (Actinic) [90°] x1
ATI T5 AquablueSpecial (3 band) [90°] x1
----------------------------------------

* SIMULATION DATA
----------------------------------------
Luminous flux : 2,099 lm
Radiant flux : 11,188 mW
PPF : 44 umol/s
TCP : ‑ K
CRI : ‑
λp : 434 nm
Color : #6663FF

#6663ff Hex Color Codes

#6663ff color hex, #6663ff color chart,rgb,hsl,hsv color number values, html css color codes and html code samples.

color-hex.org

 

[oreo54]

It''s complicated ...

Colorimetry of Light Sources Gigahertz-Optik

Introduction into the colorimetry with parameters like: CRI, color coordinates, CQS, dominant wavlength, CCT, purity, etc.

www.gigahertz-optik.com

 

[Acros]

My lights came in today. Love the look on my tank. I was worried that it would look very blue, to my surprise 420nm, 470nm bar is ‘whiter’ than my G5 Blue. Now I have to make a hanging bracket for these bars. Thank you for the help @oreo5457, @telegraham and everyone else.