Really....what bin numbers would those be and where would they be marked?
Here is a nice article I found with some excellent info: :wink:
Many do not seem to understand that not all emitters are equal even with the open source Cree-XR-E emitters, commonly sold for other applications; these are only as good as their correct wavelength output (Kelvin Temperature/Nanometers). One cannot compare a first generation CREE XR-E or similar emitter from a few years back to the newest XR-E of today anymore than you can compare first generation iPhone to the latest iPhone (same name, improved technology).
Based on email I get (some very insulting too), forums I have read, & especially YouTube videos (for DIY LED Aquarium Lights) many persons seem to make this very incorrect assumption. This has resulted in a plethora of non reef capable LED lights flooding the market, some claiming to use CREE daylight emitters while in reality these are not even close to the same currently patented emitters used by high end LED lights!
I do not know whether to laugh or cry when I read or watch YouTube videos where someone brags how cheaply that they put together a DIY LED Fixture, when in reality this is the same as bragging about making your own PC Computer using a circa 2000 Intel processor and attempting to compare it to a computer using the latest Intel processor!
Another example are the exclusive Cree Emitter bins used by Tropic Marine Center AquaRay/AquaBeam should not be confused with Cree emitters sold for other lighting applications, as these do not produce the correct Kelvin/Nanometers of Light required for delicate marine reef and freshwater inhabitants and plants. One example is the Daylight Cree XR-E from several generations back that are available to the general public, Chinese manufacturers, and used by manufacturers such as E.Shine or others and sold under USA brand names (such as Marineland). This older generation emitter ranges from 6000 to 9000K and has much more of the green/yellow bands and much less of the near infrared bands of light. Another example is the blue emitter bin used by TMC produces a rather exact 465nm - 485nm (which as per our PAR section of this article is the primary UVA wavelength for optimum PAR).
Worse would be the cheaper no name emitters used by manufacturers such as BaiSheng & others and sold under a plehtora of other names for so-called aquarium use; these use daylight emitters that can vary from 2000K to 6500K and are in reality totally useless for aquarium use other than just plain light!
Think about why a CFL 10,000K daylight is so much different and more expensive than a common household CFL sold in hardware stores, or the many decorative LED aquarium lights or even those for home or flashlight use; try using one of these to grow your delicate coral or plants (the answer is they will not). Sadly shortly before writing this update, I got a obscene email about why should he pay for a Cree emitter in a high end aquarium light such as the Aqua Ray or similar, when he could by these for much less money for other application. This shows the unfortunate lack of understanding of what is important in aquarium lighting, whether LED or other lights (hopefully this is understood better for any reader here up to this point in the article). This is the reason most earlier LED aquarium lights were not adequate for supporting life properly until recently.
Another misunderstanding about LED emitters is targeting the responsive wavelength, while exact coral responsiveness wavelengths is unknown, much is known in a more broader sense (and even more knowledge is growing such as the "blue band" of coral responsiveness). As an example we do know that much of the yellow and green bands are useless. The unfortunate aspect of this misunderstanding is that these same misunderstandings do not seem to be applied to Metal Halides to which part of their success has been the targeting of responsive wavelengths rather than the "shotgun" approach of lighting in the past.
As well many other LED lights now on the market such as the Rio Mini Sun, Marineland Double Bright, or "Ecoxotic Stunner" are only for adding highlights and supplemental lighting, not as a primary lighting source. This also is the case for the many submersible LED lights that are also available in stores or the internet.
The graph on the left shows the daylight emitter output of the popular Marineland Double Bright 1 Watt 8000K emitter (please click on the picture to enlarge). This graph is very clear that there is none of the essential near infrared spikes required for PAR/PUR, only blue and mostly wasted green/yellow visible light, this is what fools many who measure lights visually as the Double Bright will look bright to the human eye, but in reality is only a highlighting light!
This is similar to the older (now out of date) TMC LED lights from a a few years back, however the current TMC LEDs (such as the Marine White) now use the most current CRee emitter bins (with exclusive rights to these patents as noted earlier). The bottom line is the results of top notch emitters such as the patented Cree emitters speak for themselves by professional Reef Aquarium Maintenance companies, Quality Marine and others.
There is a reason many cheapie knock offs utilize 100 plus emitters (often 1 watt each), these older technology LEDs use a shotgun approach to achieving aquarium lighting (similar in principle to my use of a dozen low end T12 fluorescent light tubes 30 years ago to acheive adequate lighting).
For those interested in the best in LED technology, the TMC AquaRay as well as the Orphek and a few other truly high end LEDs are your best choices.
Please note for those who choose to dig up old graphs and diagrams from TMCs website (which is not at all current), I already have provided the most current PAR readings, graphs, etc. and you can either accept or reject this information and the many aquarium keeping professionals that are using or have tested the LEDs I have spoken of.
Comparing a TMC "Marine White" or "Full Spectrum" (which is not even sold any more) from a few years back to a latest CRee emitter bin "Marine White" is like comparing a cell phone circa 2000 to an iPhone circa 2011!
Use of LED to prevent Red Slime
Another positive attribute of LED Aquarium lights as per s recent study (August of 2009) is that LED used in marine aquariums that suffer with Marine Red Slime Algae (Cyanobacteria) can immediately eradicate Red Slime algae when used in a full spectrum lighting configuration. These "immediate" results were just two weeks all the while other lighting configurations (such as switching to 6400 K CFL from 10,000K CFL) show slight improvement, the LED lights showed much more dramatic results. I do not know (as of this update) the exact reasons, but my suspicions is that CFL (including VHO & SHO) still produce more of the yellow/green nanometer range of light which encourages Cyanobacteria and discourages more discourage competing green algae.
maybe with the new rgb series this will change.... Hope so anyways...
