LED Degrees?

RadReef · Nov 13, 2013

I'm looking at upgrading my dated lighting system (MHs) to LED. I noticed on Reef Breeders they state 60, 90, 120 degree optics. What are LED degree optics?

GHill762 · Nov 13, 2013

it's how concentrated the light is.. primary optics (part of the LED) are 120*, secondary optics are attached to the LED. the tighter the cone (60 is tighter than 90, 120 is no secondary optics) the more par you'll get out of your LEDs, but the smaller area they will cover and the higher likelihood you'll get spotlighting.. most people are fine with either 90* optics or 120*s unless they have really deep tanks or are planning to hang the fixture extra high.. your best spread and color blend will be with 120's but you'll lose quite a bit of par..

Choosing the right optic

RadReef · Nov 13, 2013

GHill762 said:
it's how concentrated the light is.. the tighter the cone (60 is tighter than 90, 120 is no optics) the more par you'll get out of your LEDs, but the smaller area they will cover and the higher liklihood you'll get spotlighting.. most people are fine with 90* optics unless they have really deep tanks or are planning to hang the fixture extra high.. your best spread and color blend will be with 120's but you'll lose quite a bit of par..

Choosing the right optic

Nice link GHill, thanks! My tank is 18" deep, so it sounds like I would want to go with either a 90 or 120......

RadReef · Nov 13, 2013

Would I need to have a fixture or fixtures that take up the entire length of six feet on my tank for a good coverage with LEDs?

redfishbluefish · Nov 13, 2013

RadReef said:
Would I need to have a fixture or fixtures that take up the entire length of six feet on my tank for a good coverage with LEDs?

The answer is no, you do not need to cover the entire length.

You only mention the length of your tank at six feet…and nothing about the corals you have. If we wish to stick with ReefBreeders, at a minimum I’d put three Value or Photon 16’s over that six feet. If it was extra wide or very deep, I’d add one more fixture.

Ron Reefman · Nov 14, 2013

Three OceanRevive Artic S026 fixtures (you'll like them better than the D120 Chinese 'brick fixture' look) or 2 OR-IT2080's which would be 25% more leds, better PAR, moonlights and controllers (if you want to spend the extra for controllers). I've had 2 OR-IT2080's over my 6' 180g DT for 11 months now, running 24/7 without a single issue.

aslmx · Nov 14, 2013

Ron Reefman said:
Three OceanRevive Artic S026 fixtures (you'll like them better than the D120 Chinese 'brick fixture' look) or 2 OR-IT2080's which would be 25% more leds, better PAR, moonlights and controllers (if you want to spend the extra for controllers). I've had 2 OR-IT2080's over my 6' 180g DT for 11 months now, running 24/7 without a single issue.

Ive had my arctic so26s a week now and love them. I will need a new heater though because getting rid of the halides I have no heat in the top of the tank( a good thing). I am seeing colors that were not visible with halides. Its awesome thanks for recommending them. I actually bumped the blues up to 50% today...Thats right im a rebel.