Awesome SPS Growth with LED's

[Alabamareef]

Hello all, I know this in reference to lighting but I'm really looking for what everyone has to say about LED's and SPS growth. I swithced from T5s to LED's about 5 months ago. I know there are lots of brands out there and I even know of lots of local reefers that have switched back from their LED's to T5's or Halides.
I was looking at the light spread across the tank and what I found was the Vertex Illumina 260's was right up my alley. It's not only has great coverage but the control ability is out of this world.
So I'm here in the SPS forum because I want to know how your LED's are holding up and the growth rate. So please give a short testimony and a photo. This is the best before and after I currently have. Thanks for looking and please lets keep this thread positive...

Color change is only related to the time of day the photo was taken. All color has improved with the LED's.

T5's about 4 months ago:

LED's, Vertex Illumina 260's, today:

T5's about 6 months ago:

LED's, Vertex Illumina 260's, This past month.

T5's about 8 months ago:

LED's, Vertex Illumina 260's, This past month.

T5's about 8 months ago:

LED's, Vertex Illumina 260's, This past month:

 

[tapout]

thanks for sharing when did you make the change from T5's to the Vertex?

 

[Saltwatercoral]

Wow!

 

[Headiesheradon]

I love my illuminas!!!!!

 

[Alabamareef]

Got them about 5 months ago. Took about a month to acclimate everything and I still am only running them at 50%.

thanks for sharing when did you make the change from T5's to the Vertex?

 

[Singlefin]

Green Monti Cap 3 1/2 months
August 20, 2012

Today

Slow your roll..

 

[Singlefin]

DIY MakersLed Heatsink w Cree LEDs.


Slow your roll..

 

[Mr. Microscope]

I'm a DIY'er and built my LED's:

I'm running them all at about 700mA without optics. They are mounted about nine inches above the water over my 25 gallon cube.

I’ve been seeing particularly good growth in the last few months. Though, this may have as much to do with a maturing reef as it does LED's. I've also been dosing Salifert Coralline Amino's recently in addition to Vitamin C. Of course, my birdsnests have all grown from little frags, but got baseball sized or bigger over the life (eight months) of the tank. I actually had to get rid of them because they got too big. The tiny frags of high-end SPS I purchased in the beginning have fully encrusted the plugs and are starting to branch out. Here are some progress pics:

Vivid Rainbow Delight getting blues and purples.

ORA Red Planet is getting a nice pink and branching out. I have two frags of Red Planet next to each other coming out of the side of the pillar. So, they should join together soon. When they start to table they will do so appropriately off the side.

Here’s a milli I got that’s turning a rose color. The funny thing is that the original branch that came on the frag plug hasn’t put out any additional branches. It just encrusted the plug and all of these branches came out of the encrustation in the last five months.

Here’s a better pic of it up close:

Some unknown acro I got at a LFS is now looking almost teal and has awesome polyp extension.

My Calitort is making nice progress. The branches are getting longer and colors are getting deeper.

I got a Tierra Del Fuego frag a while back and mounted it to the pillar. It hasn’t started branching out yet, but is certainly encrusting well.
This pic is from 2012.07.25

And here it is today. I made a little animated .gif to kinda get a 3D effect. I hope no one has a seizure looking at it.

 

[Alabamareef]

Nice. I was told at the LFS Acros do not grow well under LED. Looks like they were wrong. More photos please. And all theses look great

 

[gmoney243]

Nice. I was told at the LFS Acros do not grow well under LED. Looks like they were wrong. More photos please. And all theses look great

Was it a petco? Lol they are so wrong I would be wary of a lfs that said that.

Sent from my Vortex using Tapatalk 2

 

[Steviereefs]

Mr.Microscope I love the last 3D picture with the comment above it. LOL!!!:tongue: I don't know why but I read it and laughed out loud for sure.
Defiantly a cool picture I don't know how you did it but its a great way to give these pics some pazazz!!!

 

[Chris155hp]

nice thread keep them coming

 

[Singlefin]

Nice. I was told at the LFS Acros do not grow well under LED. Looks like they were wrong. More photos please. And all theses look great

Well... They won't grow under crappy LEDs. You have to have enough par. I bet the off the shelf LEDs from petco and such aren't strong enough.


Slow your roll..

 

[Mr. Microscope]

Mr.Microscope I love the last 3D picture with the comment above it. LOL!!!:tongue: I don't know why but I read it and laughed out loud for sure.
Defiantly a cool picture I don't know how you did it but its a great way to give these pics some pazazz!!!

Thanks Stevie! It just take two pics taken at about 6 degrees difference. Then a little photoshop to combine them into a gif.

Well... They won't grow under crappy LEDs. You have to have enough par. I bet the off the shelf LEDs from petco and such aren't strong enough.


Slow your roll..

True. Those marineland LED's are crap. You've got to get 3watt or better/LED to really get penetration to the bottom of the tank.

 

[Headiesheradon]

I am running my i lluminas at 45% right now with lps and sofites in it and the lights are 20" of the surface of the water and the the rack at its highest is 12" below the surface. I have ran various led units over the past 3 1/2 years and these units by far are the best that i have had the chance to play with the programming capabilities alone are jaw dropping compared to others. I have 5 1ft. units over 12 feet of tank and and and the corals are lovin it!!!

[/IMG]

 

[Mr. Microscope]

Wow! That's a lot of height. Must be getting great penetration. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Alabamareef]

+1, LOL
Really cool photos though. Love the TDF. Just got one myself and hope it does well. Also love the ORA red planet. Got a piece of that and its doing well, knock on wood.





QUOTE=Steviereefs;1146025]Mr.Microscope I love the last 3D picture with the comment above it. LOL!!!:tongue: I don't know why but I read it and laughed out loud for sure.
Defiantly a cool picture I don't know how you did it but its a great way to give these pics some pazazz!!![/QUOTE]

 

[Headiesheradon]

Wow! That's a lot of height. Must be getting great penetration. Thanks for sharing!

i always get good penetration.......with good led's...:angel:

 

[Alabamareef]

I am running my i lluminas at 45% right now with lps and sofites in it and the lights are 20" of the surface of the water and the the rack at its highest is 12" below the surface. I have ran various led units over the past 3 1/2 years and these units by far are the best that i have had the chance to play with the programming capabilities alone are jaw dropping compared to others. I have 5 1ft. units over 12 feet of tank and and and the corals are lovin it!!!

[/IMG]

Why so high off the tank. Is it more than 24" wide. I know MFR is 3 or 4 " off the water surface. This was another reason I love the vertex so much. Mine are 3 1/2" off the surface and like you I have SPS and LPS. My tank is also 24" deep.

Nice skimmer by the way. Post some coral photos please

 

[Alabamareef]

More iphone photos from today. Killing time........

Blue Tort Acro

Red Planet Acro

Tierra De Fuego Acro

Unknown Name, but from same family as Red Planet

Zoas, Unknown name

Deep Water Acro, unknown name