LEDs: Where do i begin?

aaronlp · Sep 30, 2013

So, looking to upgrade my system and I am looking into LEDs. Now my question(s)
are where the heck do I begin. I've watched many videos on comparisons of
different fixtures, read lots of information about LED fixtures and I'm still
lost. I guess I just have a list of questions that fellow reefers can help me
with...so here I go.

Color Spectrum?: I know a lot of the new fixtures
have an almost "unlimited" color change possibility, but what colors really
matter to the corals? Should I just go with blue and white lights or buy a fancy
fixture with many different color options.

Degree of Optics?: I'm looking
to get a tank the 48x24x16(Frag Tank) what degree of optics should I get and how
will that selected degree benefit the corals in the long run.(And what about
upgradable lenses for some fixtures)

How many fixtures to get?: Should I
only be getting 2 fixtures or more for this tank.(I do have halides but would
like to mix the LEDs and Halides together and have them run a completely
different time settings) or even just work my way onto the LEDs.

LED
Fixtures or Strips?: Should I buy a full on fixture like a Radion or AI, or go
with reefbrite strips. Would strips grow coral just as effectively as a fixture
would?

What fixture to really buy?: From personal experience what has
everyone gone with that has bought LED and have had great outcomes with
them(using them for more than a year)

OT: Dimmable T5s?: What about
dimmable T5s would this be the same as getting LEDs that dim what's the benefit
of these T5 fixtures such as ATI that can dim?

Do I need to get a fixture
with dimming capabilities?: What if they don't dim will it hurt or "burn" the
corals, or even create hot spots?

What wattage?: I see that there is 3w,
2w, and even 1w LEDS what's the big difference and should I go higher than
3w?

DIY Fixture?: What is the benefit other than $$$ wise for doing a DIY
instead of buying a name brand fixture?

Please help me with this! I know
this is A LOT of information to cover but this will benefit my knowledge and the
knowledge of others also looking to take the path of going LED and of course
benefit corals and the growth they receive. Thanks!

AquaFX · Sep 30, 2013

Ditto

Not to ride off your thread but I have been doing the similar research and find it hard to believe some of these LED's can output what the Halides are doing.. However, they obviously can and would be a HUGE electrical saving and longevity saving too. So I say Bump..

mike007 · Sep 30, 2013

Most led manufacters can help you determine which leds are right for your tank. They will ask you the dimensions of your tank and then they can size them for you. I bought mine from Orphec and they were very helpfull.

aaronlp · Sep 30, 2013

Yeah I've checked on size I would need 2 fixtures but remember I still have the halides over the tank I would use these for added color and maybe down the road as the only units

Railcar79 · Sep 30, 2013

I am in about the same boat. From everything I can find, go dimmable, most people do not run their led at 100%, and many who do fry corals.

1.0reef · Sep 30, 2013

Look into DIY setups from ledgroupbuy and stevesleds

eyeguy · Sep 30, 2013

I bit the bullet and bought Radions G2's for my new 125 gallon that I am in the process of setting up. I like the programmability and the upgradeability of these lights. I have been testing them over my empty tank for a couple of days now and so far like what I see. Just my 2 cents.

808jaymakoa · Sep 30, 2013

I'm no expert in this matter and by no means am I expert when it comes spectrums of light and how they affect corals. I do believe dimmable to be a huge advantage. I personally have 2 Reef Radience fixtures from Rick. They are my lights on my 48 by 24 by 21. The fixtures I have are 44 led bulbs at 3 watts each. They are full spectrum lights with green red orange yellow etc bulbs. If you give Rick a call he can explain his science about the colors and how they affect corals. He is a very big help. Best part about it is they are a reasonably priced led fixture and tons of good reviews

aaronlp · Oct 1, 2013

I've been looking into hydras I really want something with a lot of user friendly control and capability. And the color spectrum seems to be nice! But there is so many options it's really hard to find that one fixture that would be worth buying

1.0reef · Oct 1, 2013

Hydras spectrum is awful IMO, I prefer Razors

aaronlp · Oct 1, 2013

How bad is the spectrum...please elaborate on this lol

reefaboo · Oct 1, 2013

Answering your questions accordingly and as far as i know.

Color Spectrum?: I know a lot of the new fixtures
have an almost "unlimited" color change possibility, but what colors really
matter to the corals? Should I just go with blue and white lights or buy a fancy
fixture with many different color options.

Many LED fixtures these days are incorporating multiple colors, most of these are only for our eyes to make the colors on corals look much better. as Leds are very particular about the color spectrum they put out. for example a 20k metal halide will have all the colors in the visible range which would make all the colors on corals pop but a white led would only have white spectrum depending on what kind of white led it is. so adding a warm white or a red led to the fixture would bring out those red colors for us to enjoy, corals dont really care. all they need is two spectrums white and blue.

Degree of Optics?: I'm looking
to get a tank the 48x24x16(Frag Tank) what degree of optics should I get and how
will that selected degree benefit the corals in the long run.(And what about
upgradable lenses for some fixtures)

How many fixtures to get?: Should I
only be getting 2 fixtures or more for this tank.(I do have halides but would
like to mix the LEDs and Halides together and have them run a completely
different time settings) or even just work my way onto the LEDs.

Totally depends on the led fixture you are going with. for example again . kessils are beautifull light with wonderful lens and if you get their A360W versions you can hang them high above your tank and you woould have to get 2 lights. same with the Maxspect razors a 120w version has 2 clusters and would cover upto 24x24 inches and 160w has 3 clusters so would cover a little more. getting 2 120W versions would be ideal. same with the radions. 2 would light up your tank perfectly. (this is as far as i know)

LED
Fixtures or Strips?: Should I buy a full on fixture like a Radion or AI, or go
with reefbrite strips. Would strips grow coral just as effectively as a fixture
would?

i personally would go with fixtures over strips as they look better and also would be better payback when/if you decide to sell

What fixture to really buy?: From personal experience what has
everyone gone with that has bought LED and have had great outcomes with
them(using them for more than a year)

i used Kessils and maxspects both are wonderfull lights .. if i had to choose again i would go with 2 Kessil a360Ws. your budget is also a very important thing here .

OT: Dimmable T5s?: What about
dimmable T5s would this be the same as getting LEDs that dim what's the benefit
of these T5 fixtures such as ATI that can dim?

Do I need to get a fixture
with dimming capabilities?: What if they don't dim will it hurt or "burn" the
corals, or even create hot spots?

again, corals dont care about dimming or not. its just our way of trying to mimic the nature. and well something fancy and nice to our eyes. along with the capability to increase the photo period.

What wattage?: I see that there is 3w,
2w, and even 1w LEDS what's the big difference and should I go higher than
3w?

DIY Fixture?: What is the benefit other than $$$ wise for doing a DIY
instead of buying a name brand fixture?

if you have never done DIY leds before then id say go with a branded one so as to escape the headaches of leds burning on you and you having to replace them. Era of 1w and 3 watts is over now its 5watts and multi chip leds.

Please help me with this! I know
this is A LOT of information to cover but this will benefit my knowledge and the
knowledge of others also looking to take the path of going LED and of course
benefit corals and the growth they receive. Thanks

well summing it up. i have never used T5s or Mhs and below are the led fixures you can consider for your tank. i might be wrong but im sure someone would correct me if i am wrong.

Kessil A360 : 2 lights
Maxspect razors : 120w 2 lights
radions : 2
AI ...not sure

Hope this helps you a bit. Phewww i'm done.

Good luck

aaronlp · Oct 1, 2013

Yes this is exactly what I needed for this thank you so much for the information this will help me a lot here

Djtonton · Oct 1, 2013

Just Sent you PM hope that helps!

Djtonton · Oct 1, 2013

I would like to clarify to im not an expert on LED's that's just what i have found out in my search on LED's lol

aaronlp · Oct 1, 2013

How come led lights come with other colors when yet don't really have a need to grow but just for show or the human eye? Why pay $$$$$ for stuff we don't need when we only need white and blue colors

1.0reef · Oct 1, 2013

Maxspect is coming out with a 4 cluster Razor and a spotlight like a Kessil a150 but better spectrum and controllable.
The Hydra's spectrum isn't ideal because.... <70 CRI CW, that's just sad, Greens, there's enough of that in Whites IMO, 400nm UV/TV, not needed when TV/HV is in there, and Osram Deep Blue which are RB but less efficient and IIRC more expensive.

jackers · Oct 2, 2013

I just went through the same process. I have a flat back hex tanks, 48" long, 18" front to back, 24" tall.

I decided to go with two Evergrow IT2040 fixtures. There are a bunch of people who sell those here in the US, but they are manufactured in China. Do a search on "IT2040" here and RC, there are plenty of good threads.

The IT2040 is 16" long, 8" wide, 2.5" tall. They have 55 LEDs, with 2 channels plus moonlights. The channels are dimmable and the moonlights come on once the blue channel is turned down below 10% or something like that.

I have mine setup with very high (relatively speaking) blue:white ratio with four reds and two greens thrown in. Most people were running their blues at 100% but their whites at 20-30%. I wanted to get this more towards 100% on both blue and white. I don't think many people have a layout like mine so we'll see how it turns out. I am shooting for the 10K white look on my tank and not the windex look.

Anyway, Reefer Ron really helped me with my custom LED layout. My advice is to do a search here and on RC with his user name and start reading his posts/threads. There is a lot of good information.

As for the Radions and Hydras, they seem to be nice fixtures. They have a bunch of channels so each color is controllable. It was a personal choice (and a hard one) to miss out on the ability to completely dial in the perfect color by sticking with the 2 channel fixture over the Radion. Some of the stuff is cool, like storm mode, but how often would I use that besides when I'm showing off the tank? I wanted a light that I could dim, still have the ability to go from moonlights, to slowly brightening blues to a 10K look at mid-day, then back to slowly darkening blues, and finally back to moonlights. I got that with the IT2040.I think my corals will be really happy with all the extra blues.

And I got two custom IT2040's for the price of one Radion Gen2 at their sale price!

OceanRevive · Oct 2, 2013

Aaron,

You asked a lot of questions, and there are a lot of answers out there if you look. You made the right first step by asking for help. Unfortunately, a lot of help is based on old info, old wive's tales and misunderstanding. Here is a fairly new article that covers light, spectrum, Kelvin Color Temperature, and a lot more. It is a long read and can be fairly technical, so if you have questions, ask away. And read it carefully (even the author asks that you read it all and read it well) as he covers light for terrestrial plants, freshwater plants, freshwater aquariums, marine aquariums, corals and zooxanthellae, so it can get a bit confusing. We are going to post it up in our OceanRevive sponsorship forum here so everybody can read it, ask questions and we can all discuss it. I hope it helps.

Aquarium Lighting & Light Information | Reef & Planted | PAR PUR

mike007 · Oct 2, 2013

As the saying goes you pay for what you get. When upgrading to leds you need to do your research and you will find not all leds are the same. Look at reviews from other users and find out what they they think. Before investing your money on leds you need to find a company that has proven results. Too many people focus on what will my tank look like with these. More important is what will be the best light for your corals.