Can't decide whether to abandon LEDs

[Reefcowboy]

My experience coming from MH to leds is it is possible to attain excellent results with the last one. Problem is most people only go for the same popular fixtures, and leave out others that could lead to more success.

IMO some sps corals Color better under leds than mh's. T5's are the medium ground as far as success, but the flat boring look they provide makes people want to eventually take risks and check other systems out

 

[tangdiver]

 

[tangdiver]

All LED

 

[tangdiver]

 

[tangdiver]

 

[tangdiver]

 

[tangdiver]

Let's talk tommarrow. I am in Fargo

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I use Orphek Atlantik V2.1b led fixtures. Two over a 72" x 30" x 27" tall, I will not go back to metal halide and T5 saves on cooling cost and bulb replacement along with the energy cost. If I had the spare money I would buy their new V3+ fixtures. Even sunlight has shadowing just don't want to much with the lights. It is not the type of lighting as much as the output for the corals you are growing and where they are placed in the tank. Orphek has led fixtures even to replace 1000 watt halides.

 

[Simonsen]

Sorry for the dark picture, but the fixture is ramping down for the night.

I cant complain for either the growth or the color on my SPS whit the Orphek Atlantik V3.

Only ting i miss is some more light on the sides, but i have run this setup for 12 months now and i am real happy whit the result.

And Yes, the fixture is kinda expensive, but when i think about the big cost of change all the T5 bulbs every 6 to 8 months, the answer is easy, but i love T5 aswell.

Good luck

View attachment 20160927_185356.jpg

 

[gus6464]

Hmm so much going on here. Where to begin:

1. A lux meter is absolutely useless at 420nm and below. It is a measurement of direct perceived brightness and 420nm and below look dim.

2. While lux can be used to determine watts/meter^2 or microeinsteins there is a conversion factor involved which differs on the light source. You can't just put the meter on a halide and led and use the same formula for conversion. So basically 1000 lux reading on a metal halide is not the same as 1000 lux on an LED when it comes to PAR.

3. Photon dispersion can vary greatly from light source. This means that a point source LED is NOT the same as a halide just because the light comes from one place. Halides use big reflectors in order to bounce the photons towards the intended target. Most LED fixtures like the OPs maxspect use an optic which takes photons being dispersed in a specific direction and concentrates them on an even narrower path. A reflector will bounce photons in random directions in order to maximize dispersion. Optics on the other hand are designed to maximize intensity.

4. Some manufacturers have wised up to this fact and are starting to employ reflectors instead of secondary optics to have the light behave more like a metal halide. Examples are ATI Sirius, Giesemann Vervve, Kessil AP700, etc.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Sorry for the dark picture, but the fixture is ramping down for the night.

I cant complain for either the growth or the color on my SPS whit the Orphek Atlantik V3.

Only ting i miss is some more light on the sides, but i have run this setup for 12 months now and i am real happy whit the result.

And Yes, the fixture is kinda expensive, but when i think about the big cost of change all the T5 bulbs every 6 to 8 months, the answer is easy, but i love T5 aswell.

Good luck

View attachment 20160927_185356.jpg

Not sure how long your tank is but one more fixture would fill the entire tank. 2 of the compact V3+ might have been better than one full size fixture. Even though they are expensive I figured if I went Radion I would have needed twice the fixtures to get the coverage which would have made the Radion's much more expensive. Recommended area for the New Radion G4 pro is 24x24 inches and for up to 30" deep. The Orphek V3+ can do a 48 x 30 but recommend 36 x 24 up to 42" deep. My V2.1B are good for 36 x 30 inch coverage 42" deep. The tank looks good for a year.

 

[reefwiser]

That is s beautiful tank Reefwiser!
I have always loved metal halides and T5's.
Though I've grown some fairly large sps colonies under LED's as well.

So the corals in this tank are 2 years old and used just live rock and calcium reactor very simple tank. All corals started as 1 inch frags and grew to this size in 2 years.
Here is a monthly cutting from the tank.

 

[fragit]

So the corals in this tank are 2 years old and used just live rock and calcium reactor very simple tank. All corals started as 1 inch frags and grew to this size in 2 years.
Here is a monthly cutting from the tank.

Looks like your going to throw those in the trash[emoji6]. Can you send me some cuttings? I will pay shipping.

 

[reefwiser]

Working on a few cuttings of WD that I want to get going good. I sure you would like that better. Besides nobody wants nasty old T5 MH grown corals.

 

[Ocelaris]

Maybe we should start a kickstarter campaign to support some scientific research to prove these theories like Craig bingman did years ago with salt. The contributors would get frags at the end of the experiment.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Back when LEDs first came out I experimented with the 450nm Royal Blue and this alone grew SPS well. The conclusion is the 410-460nm spectrum is the most prevalent at depths below 30 meters.

The problem with a lot of LED fixtures is their intensity. For some LPS and soft coral having an intensity less than or equal to a 250 watt MH is OK, but SPS have done and look better under a more intense light equivalent to a 400 watt MH. To this for best looks most LED fixtures lack a strong 410-430nm...These LEDs are rather expensive and most companies to cut cost only toss in a token one ore two to claim a "full spectrum"

When ever changing Lights I highly recommend a PAR Meter for a baseline and acclimate from there.

MH and VHO combinations offer an outstanding light but its extremely expensive and the heat problematic. On my personal tank I switched to 100% LEDs and reduced my electricity from 26 Amps to 12 Amps at high noon. I now have more light, natural sunrise and sunset and after much tweaking have found the right mix for better looks...Growth has been outstanding.

 

[hart24601]

Back when LEDs first came out I experimented with the 450nm Royal Blue and this alone grew SPS well. The conclusion is the 410-460nm spectrum is the most prevalent at depths below 30 meters.

The problem with a lot of LED fixtures is their intensity. For some LPS and soft coral having an intensity less than or equal to a 250 watt MH is OK, but SPS have done and look better under a more intense light equivalent to a 400 watt MH. To this for best looks most LED fixtures lack a strong 410-430nm...These LEDs are rather expensive and most companies to cut cost only toss in a token one ore two to claim a "full spectrum"

When ever changing Lights I highly recommend a PAR Meter for a baseline and acclimate from there.

MH and VHO combinations offer an outstanding light but its extremely expensive and the heat problematic. On my personal tank I switched to 100% LEDs and reduced my electricity from 26 Amps to 12 Amps at high noon. I now have more light, natural sunrise and sunset and after much tweaking have found the right mix for better looks...Growth has been outstanding.

Wow!

 

[Simonsen]

Not sure how long your tank is but one more fixture would fill the entire tank. 2 of the compact V3+ might have been better than one full size fixture. Even though they are expensive I figured if I went Radion I would have needed twice the fixtures to get the coverage which would have made the Radion's much more expensive. Recommended area for the New Radion G4 pro is 24x24 inches and for up to 30" deep. The Orphek V3+ can do a 48 x 30 but recommend 36 x 24 up to 42" deep. My V2.1B are good for 36 x 30 inch coverage 42" deep. The tank looks good for a year.

My tank is 120 cm long.

But yes, i think i gonna order a new compact version. Think that is gonna fill up the sides good!
Thank you!

 

[imustbenuts]

I've been giving these lights a lot of thought with everyone's opinions, and adjusted the white/blue balance and came to a much happier color balance. I'm going to stick with the Razor for now. Corals are growing fine as far as I can tell, the fixture it's self is beautiful, and the color is probably close to as good as I'd get with the money I want to spend (still wish it had more red pop). I may just get the 120 reflectors and call it a day. The tank is only 7 months old at this point, so still kind of barren.

@Ocelaris I have the 27" 16k razor. The light is entry level LED. I see you have hung the light pretty high. Why is it that high? I switched over to the 120* reflector and like the spread and light blending much better. I was at MACNA 2016 and spoke to Chris with Coral Vue. Come to find out they have a program for those with the 16k fixture to upgrade to the 15k pads and 120* reflector for $120. Your light may be different since it has 6 pads. You'll need to contact Coral Vue or look at the website for the repair program. http://www.coralvue.com/maxspect-razor-repair-service
To see an example of the wider spread, remove the 90* lens' from the fixture. The 90* lens is an actual lens. It focuses the light. That's why they had more disco effect. I changed my pads to 15k. The knock on the 16k were looking more purple to the eye. The 15k pads didn't seem to change that much. If anything it reminds me of adding a Figi pink t5 bulb to a fixture. You could even DIY an acrylic cover to fit how the lens' fit without needing to get the 120* reflector.

 

[Reefcowboy]

Not sure how long your tank is but one more fixture would fill the entire tank. 2 of the compact V3+ might have been better than one full size fixture. Even though they are expensive I figured if I went Radion I would have needed twice the fixtures to get the coverage which would have made the Radion's much more expensive. Recommended area for the New Radion G4 pro is 24x24 inches and for up to 30" deep. The Orphek V3+ can do a 48 x 30 but recommend 36 x 24 up to 42" deep. My V2.1B are good for 36 x 30 inch coverage 42" deep. The tank looks good for a year.

Agreed. I have one Atlantik V3+ over a 36" tank, and in my next build, a 60" 150 gal, will get a second one. V3's are the best Leds in the market IMO