Do you really need dimmable LEDs?

[Mr. E Wrasse]

I got a 90w LED system a few years ago and I love it. Only question I have is that I have seen led systems now with greens and reds and programmable seasons and dims kn the LEDs. My system has a ratio of 2:1 blues to whites but only has one power chord so when my timer turns on. All my LEDs turn on and stay on for about 11 hours which I know is supposedly way too long but I have had no issues with it. Im just wondering if I really need to upgrade to dimmables or not. Thanks

 

[Reefing Madness]

No, you can slowly acclimate your tank to the lighting. Its just easier using the dimmers, then you can achieve the sweet spot. Also, I'd get seperate cords so you can turn one on and not the other. And, dimmable drivers ain't all that expensive. =)

 

[Mr. E Wrasse]

Alright thanks so much!

 

[saratj1]

No, I got dimmable LEDs at first but I just run them at near 100% . I later bought five more led panels and did without the dimmer and haven't really missed it.

 

[Bartmmackey]

I would always say no...until I bought programmable. Sunrise-set set features are way worth it. And I'm cheapie-cheapenstien....but I think this is money well spent. Vote for programmable.

If you are at 100 and you need more...you may have the wrong lights.

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

Yes, you do. Not only can you change colors at will, and acclimate your corals, but the lower you run your LEDs, the less power they consume. I always cringe when I see XT-Es driven at 1300ma to get 5watts out of them. If you buy more of them, and run them at 350ma, they only consume 1watt, and put out plenty of power. So it is defenitly a benefit- the same goes for Bridgelux LEDs.

 

[Bartmmackey]

Yes, you do. Not only can you change colors at will, and acclimate your corals, but the lower you run your LEDs, the less power they consume. I always cringe when I see XT-Es driven at 1300ma to get 5watts out of them. If you buy more of them, and run them at 350ma, they only consume 1watt, and put out plenty of power. So it is defenitly a benefit- the same goes for Bridgelux LEDs.

Frankly, I'm quite impressed with the folks at reefbreeders. I wanted non-dim and they didn't up-sell. And then I bought the dim and it was super fly. ink about e benefit when you have a no-brainier programmed fixture with right power source applied.

 

[redtop03]

my look at this is,for your tank creatures,no dimmable LEDs is not a must have,you can raise or lower the lights as with any other lighting fixture for reefing.....but for the life of the LEDs,yes you need dimmable drivers,it's never good to run any electronics at full power,heat will eventually distroy any electronics....as for the programmable LEDs,it's purely a luxury,and a really cool one at that,but not a necessity

 

[mike007]

I use the Orpheck pr 156 leds and they have seperate timers one for blue and the other for all lights on. I run the blues an hour before and an hour after.

 

[o2manyfish]

I got a 90w LED system a few years ago and I love it. Only question I have is that I have seen led systems now with greens and reds and programmable seasons and dims kn the LEDs. My system has a ratio of 2:1 blues to whites but only has one power chord so when my timer turns on. All my LEDs turn on and stay on for about 11 hours which I know is supposedly way too long but I have had no issues with it. Im just wondering if I really need to upgrade to dimmables or not. Thanks

Regardless of the debate of halide or led, I don't recall every seeing one person say that their corals were healthier because the lights dimmed on/ dimmed off and the corals were overjoyed by seasonal programming.

I have been keeping corals for many years, and having done both ramp up lighting, and instant on lighting, not once has a coral ever thanked me for the whistle and bells.

If your tank is doing well with your existing lighting system, and the corals are happy, healthy and colorful then you don't need to upgrade just cause the new LED's have more features. And not to start another debate but LED's are still really in their infancy, with fancy new features showing up pretty regularly. What you buy today will be updated in 6 months - I'm waiting for LED's to flash morse code to the corals telling them if they don't grow faster I'm going to frag them

If you feel that your missing something by not having a couple of extra color channels, that's a different question.

Dave B

 

[Mr. E Wrasse]

Regardless of the debate of halide or led, I don't recall every seeing one person say that their corals were healthier because the lights dimmed on/ dimmed off and the corals were overjoyed by seasonal programming.

I have been keeping corals for many years, and having done both ramp up lighting, and instant on lighting, not once has a coral ever thanked me for the whistle and bells.

If your tank is doing well with your existing lighting system, and the corals are happy, healthy and colorful then you don't need to upgrade just cause the new LED's have more features. And not to start another debate but LED's are still really in their infancy, with fancy new features showing up pretty regularly. What you buy today will be updated in 6 months - I'm waiting for LED's to flash morse code to the corals telling them if they don't grow faster I'm going to frag them

If you feel that your missing something by not having a couple of extra color channels, that's a different question.

Dave B

I have gotten great growth out of my sps, clams, and lps. The only thing im worried about is my chalices. I have had them for 2 months and I have had barely any growth and I mean if I didnt check it every day, I would not be able to tell. I do barely feed them but still. You you think they would pop out at least one eye in a month...

 

[jasonrodreef]

No...never had dimmable T-5 or halides. Aquariums have done fine with out it..