Led question.
- Thread starter CLR48
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Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
I definitely don't think this would be a good coral light. The white to blue ratios are way off (too much white and not enough blue), and that's just to start. I also don't see any kind of name as to which LEDs are being used, and I wouldn't trust something that didn't give that info...
It might help us to know what you're planning to do with this. You MIGHT be able to keep softies with this, but I wouldn't trust it for anything more than that... Wouldn't be a bad fixture for a Fish only tank. my .02.
It might help us to know what you're planning to do with this. You MIGHT be able to keep softies with this, but I wouldn't trust it for anything more than that... Wouldn't be a bad fixture for a Fish only tank. my .02.
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Not one I would use. 2 of those units would give you a great amount of light though.
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
That fixture definitely won't work for SPS. You're in a tight spot with a budget that small for LEDs on a tank that big. You might get some chinese LEDs (like Taotronics or Evergrow) or some from these guys (Chester Aquaria), but even then you're only getting one fixture. You could use it over the middle of your tank (which is going to leave some HUGE shadows on either side if it's a 6ft tank) and keep your SPS under the lights. For that budget though, I'd probably recommend T5s or metal halides.
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
Yeah. I wasn't suggesting that as a permanent fix. I just thought if he is determined to use LEDs that those fixtures might keep his SPS alive.
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Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
+1 this is a better idea.
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No, LPS would be out also. Those are more or less Softy and FOWLR LEDs.
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
light spectrum and strength to start. I'd recommend doing some major research on photosynthesis in corals using LEDs before doing the swap. You don't need to get a degree in it or anything, but you should at least know the spectrums you are shooting for and what types of lights to trust. For starters, you'll want more blue than white, and on a 6ft tank, you're probably going to need about 360 watts in total LED power more or less. These aren't "rules" but are helpful guidelines. I'd recommend 3 120w fixtures that use LEDs that are 3w each in power (per LED) and are either CREE, Luxeon, Bridgelux, or Epistar (there are a lot of "knock off" brands that aren't worth the money spent, but these are brands that have been tested as reef worthy). I'd also recommend you be sure that your fixtures have dimmers. Lots of guys are going full spectrum (which means they're using reds, greens, and violets, in addition to blues and whites), but you're fine with just blues and whites. These are just my suggestions and other guys can weigh in with more/better suggestions. I can tell you that you don't have to break the bank on LEDs, but you do have to be ready to invest more than $200 for a 6ft tank. Best budget LEDs are going to be DIY or Chinese fixtures (though some guys will steer you away from them, they have been proven to work fine). If you're staying with the $200 budget, then you should go with MH or T5s.
Hope this helps. I know this is an expensive hobby, and there are ways to save money, but you also definitely don't want to spend money on fixtures that won't do what you want them to do.
Hope this helps. I know this is an expensive hobby, and there are ways to save money, but you also definitely don't want to spend money on fixtures that won't do what you want them to do.
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But, for a 6' tank you'll need 2 of that set up for the appropriate amount of light.
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
Much better lights! :bigsmile:
