ATI t5 to LED conversion, fun with charts

jrp1588 · Jun 25, 2018

After getting tired of my 6 bulb t5 constantly pumping hot air into my living room, I decided to take another foray into LED lighting and picked up some used AI Vegas and installed them Saturday.

So far, the corals all look business as usual, but my Apex can sure tell something has changed. Obviously power usage has dropped considerably as you can tell.

Temp is also holding much better within my ascribed set points. Usually by mid afternoon, it would be flirting with the setpoint where my Apex shuts off the lights. Now it just bounces up and down all day with the heater.

The pH graph is probably the most interesting. I don't have a par meter, so I don't know if the par is a lot lower or the photosynthetic coral and algae just haven't figured out what to do with the different light source yet, but I'm seeing a much smaller pH increase when lights go on. They're currently set at a peak of around 70%.

Alk levels have risen about .1dkh per day since switching over. I'll probably tweak my doser down a tick tomorrow if the trend keeps up.

Anyway, no real question here. Just nice to have some data when making big changes like this. Wanted to hear if others had similar experiences.

BoomCorals · Jun 25, 2018

They are effectively getting less light, hence the lower PH and drop in alk uptake. So the coral will grow slower. It’s a trade off.

jrp1588 · Jun 25, 2018

You think? You always hear about people switching to LEDs starting them dimmed extremely low. I thought I was being really aggressive starting them at ~70%. I'll probably leave it as it for a week or two and consider turning the LEDs up a bit, or shortening the ramp time so they're at peak output for longer.

BoomCorals · Jun 25, 2018

jrp1588 said:
You think? You always hear about people switching to LEDs starting them dimmed extremely low. I thought I was being really aggressive starting them at ~70%. I'll probably leave it as it for a week or two and consider turning the LEDs up a bit, or shortening the ramp time so they're at peak output for longer.

That’s because LED are more “focused” like spotlights. Acros don’t like that. Truth be told coral will grow better under halide or T5. They’ll grow under LED too just not as fast.

jrp1588 · Jun 28, 2018

Looks like the pH is starting to come back up. I guess the corals and algae are starting to catch on.

Screen Shot 2018-06-28 at 3.54.31 PM.png

dz6t · Jun 29, 2018

BoomCorals said:
That’s because LED are more “focused” like spotlights. Acros don’t like that. Truth be told coral will grow better under halide or T5. They’ll grow under LED too just not as fast.

If you are using Kessil, what you said is true.

jrp1588 · Jun 29, 2018

dz6t said:
If you are using Kessil, what you said is true.

Nope AI Vega

BoomCorals · Jun 29, 2018

dz6t said:
If you are using Kessil, what you said is true.

No this is how it is with any LED.

dz6t · Jun 30, 2018

jrp1588 said:
Nope AI Vega

Ai Vega is pretty good light as long as the LED chips still working as they suppose to. I was referring to BoomCoral’s common about LED.

dz6t · Jun 30, 2018

What size 6 bulb t5 you replaced? 48 inch?

jrp1588 · Jun 30, 2018

dz6t said:
What size 6 bulb t5 you replaced? 48 inch?

60". I've got a 6' 125gal, and i got 3 Vegas to put over it. So far I really like the lights, especially when the moonlights are on. I'm probably going to modify them sometime this weekend and put some thermal compound between the LED pucks and the heat sinks for better heat dissipation. I can't believe they didn't come like that from the factory.

hanas · Jun 30, 2018

If you’re going to want to get good growth with SPS, you’re going to need more AI’s over that tank. I have a 4 foot long tank, and am running 3 - hydra 52 HD’s over it about 14” off the water. Growth has been good thus far but I just added frags a couple months ago. My previous 90G had a 6 bulb ATI powermodule over it so I’m curious to see how the growth compares. Eventually, once things grow in more, I’ll add a 4th unit.

I would strongly recommend using a PAR meter to determine what amount of coverage you currently have.

jrp1588 · Jun 30, 2018

That seems excessive to me. They claim to have a 24" spread. I'm sure my par isn't 100% even across the tank, but I've seen noticeable new growth since installing the lights just last weekend. That's with the lights peaking around 70% for 4 hours, then a 4 hour ramp up and down. These things are selling for cheap though. I'll consider adding a forth down the line if I feel like I need it. You'd be surprised at how adaptable SPS are to different PAR levels.

dz6t · Jun 30, 2018

Please keep in mind that AI vega are very old. There is no repair option for them, AI wont service them at all because there is no parts available.
Used Vega is going for about $75 each locally provided it is fully functional.

hanas · Jun 30, 2018

SPS are certainly adaptable to all levels of PAR, but it’s the shading issue with LEDs that calls for the need of more than the manufacturers recommendation. The 52’s are supposed to cover a 3x3 area (from the manufacturer) but that’s simply not true as most people are using more to compensate for the lack of spread. Either way, best of luck and keep us posted on how it works out.

jrp1588 · Jul 1, 2018

Yeah, I'm aware. Maybe I'll pick up another one just to have parts on hand. Maybe I'll just drive these into the ground and upgrade them with newer stuff as needed.

I wonder how hard it would be to solder in new LEDs if these start going bad. For that matter, I wonder if I could just drop in the newer and improved Cree equivalents of the various diodes. All I'm really worried about going bad is the control boards.

dz6t · Jul 1, 2018

There is no longer an upgrade path for Vega, AI no longer sells upgrade kit for years

jrp1588 · Jul 1, 2018

I'm talking a DIY solder upgrade with individual LEDs. I don't know enough about them to know if the drivers would be compatible with newer style chips though.