Lighting Questions!!!

[BPUMFREY]

OK so we have Compact Lighting Fixtures on our 29 gallon reef tank 12k Daylight and a 420 nm Actinic Blue bulb... We are interested in maybe switching to LED lights and we are shopping around and found what we believe to be a good deal on a fixture...Marineland Reef LED Light Fixture what we are wondering will this fixture work as well for our corals as our current fixture and is it really worth the small investment to swap over any advice would be GREATLY appreciated

 

[Dasani]

I don't think those can support a lot of corals. Is this a standard 29g? Or like a biocube?

 

[BPUMFREY]

I don't think those can support a lot of corals. Is this a standard 29g? Or like a biocube?

We have a 29G Tall... I say its a reef tank but its still in its beginning stages Wood Polyps some Zo's, Mushroom's, Feather Dusters, Frogspawn, not any corals that require intensive care just yet...

 

[Dasani]

I think if you wanted to go LED, DIY would be the best option
Here's a kit..
24 Ultra Premium LED DIY Kit with Dimmable Drivers - Rapid LED

But you would still need a heatsink, a soldering iron, and pots

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I have been looking at LED fixtures for a few years, but I have not converted to LED's yet for a few reasons. The biggest reason is the color rendering ability of the current LED fixtures. They are improving by leaps and bounds, and it may be a matter of short time before they come out with better color rendering ability in pink and red spectrums.

Here's the URL for Dr. Sanjay Joshi's great article on various LED fixtures: Feature Article: Spectral Distributions of LEDs: AI-Sol, Radion, Orphek, EcoRay, Mvava — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

In the discussion section of the article , he wrote:
"As seen from the data, there are significant spectral differences between the LED spectrum and those of the most popular MH lamps. The LEDs tend to have more output in the blue regions 400-500 nm range, while lacking in the warmer regions of the spectrum. This could explain why the aquariums tend to have a "flat" look when lit by LEDs. Lack of the red spectrum results in corals and fish with red color to look lack lustre. Lack of a broader spectrum and missing quantities of output at wavelengths to promote a more full spectrum is often a concern cited with LEDs, and it is obvious when comparing the spectrums to metal halides."

The light intensities of high-end LED fixtures are generally good enough to grow any light demanding corals including SPS's, but the pink colors look rather brownish under the majority of LED fixtures that I have seen in person including AI Sol and Radion. I have yet to see Eco-Lamps full spectrum KR93, which supposedly has closed the gap in terms of the color rendering ability.

I am hoping that someone will develop an affordable LED fixture that is comparable in color to metal halide lamps in a few years.

 

[dictionaaron]

i would recommend also looking into one of these for a 29 Evo100 Dimmable LED Fixture : REEFKOI CORALS, SPS, LPS, Zoanthids they are 2w leds but are not bad considering the price. I would think they would be more than enough for your setup. i have an older model and i am pleased with the results.

 

[pickupman66]

Tomoko. I agree with you on the factory made fixtures. that is why I am so glad the DIY over my tank has more than just blues and whites mixed in. there are some that are much warmer bulbs and it really helps make the pinks pop in my tank.

 

[JSB]

Tomoko,

Since you were here to see my Radion, I have been adding back more red to the color spectrum, and I see more pinks coming out. The 20KK setting that I was using had the red (and the green) LEDs completely off. While I still am not using any reds midday, I have been adding it in the morning and evenings and there is improvement in color. By the time I get the midday colors just right, I am certain the reds will be back on then. I have shied away from the 12KK setting, (which use 100% of all 5 colors including red and green) as it makes for a warmer color than I like, but little by little I am getting there.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Thanks, guys.

While I love the appearance of certain corals under LED's, I am still waiting for the further improvement. In a few years, there may be a reasonbaly priced LED's with high CRI with the advancement of the newer LED's produced in combination of a blue diode and various phosphors. I guess that I will hold onto my MH lamps till that time. I might add royal blue LED strips to my lighting in order to get some colors to pop in the mean time.

I hope to switch the light fixture for my FW planted tank to an LED fixture before I switch the fixtures on my reef. I have been very happy with relatively inexpensive 6500K LED lamps for my terrariums for dart frogs. Plants look great and grow very well, too.