Reefers with Successful SPS LED tanks share your experience

[FugeTown]

I was checking out the Reef2reef forums after work yesterday and found a guy talking about getting a T5 setup since he found they have better success rates according to different forums online. I did a little online search myself since I've been curious about purchasing an LED setup someday and noticed there's very little input about SPS tanks with an all LED setup having success. I'm Hoping here on Reef2reef there is some reefers with an all LED setup that could share a success story with at least 1 year of using this type of setup with SPS color popping results.

 

[Zero Nitrates]

LED lights are great. I ran a Vertex LED fixture for two years. The SPS did well, but the side of the coral that was not facing the led would brown out.
You could solve this issue by having more LEDs at different angles or supplementing with T5s or MH. Many different ways to have your lights.
LEDs do bring out some crazy colors.

 

[ca1ore]

I have been running a mostly SPS tank on LED only for about 2 years now. I don't go for artificial coral 'pop' though, aiming for a more natural look. I've been getting good color and excellent growth. My personal insights:

1. Not all fixtures are created equally - some perform better than others.
2. LED 'shading' is a function of fixture design, not inherent to the tech.
3. LEDs are misleading in terms of strength; it's very easy to burn your corals
4. Sellers of fixtures tend to underestimate how many you'll need. Figure twice as many.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I'm more or less running three Chinese black boxes over a five foot 90 gallon tank. I have two Apollos (now out of business) that claimed made in the US, but if you pop them open, it's all Chinese. I think they did the final assembly (attach the LED beads), here in the US, and that allowed them to state, made in the US. And the third LED fixture I have is a Mars Aqua.

My corals grow like weeds. I'm now trying to remove all monti cap....it truly is a weed in my tank. Here's a shot of a millepora acropora that's about two years old....don't look at that hair algae!:





I will state one thing, I have seen color shifts.....but that doesn't bother me, I simply want to see growth, and happy corals and fish.

 

[Viracon13]

I did a little online search myself since I've been curious about purchasing an LED setup someday and noticed there's very little input about SPS tanks with an all LED setup having success./QUOTE]




Very little input? There's tons of threads out there discussing this endlessly.

Yes, LEDs are used successfully on SPS tanks

 

[Flippers4pups]

I've had very little time with mine, lights went up last year in October. My SPS have doubled in size since. Frags are encrusting over thier plugs and on to the rock. Didn't have this kind of growth with my T5's in that short amount of time. Very happy!

 

[Paul B]

[QUOTE="

My corals grow like weeds. I'm now trying to remove all monti cap....it truly is a weed in my tank. Here's a shot of a millepora acropora that's about two years old....don't look at that hair algae!:

.[/QUOTE]

I'm sorry. I can't see anything but that hair algae...........And I love it.

 

[tomisw30]

I'm more or less running three Chinese black boxes over a five foot 90 gallon tank. I have two Apollos (now out of business) that claimed made in the US, but if you pop them open, it's all Chinese. I think they did the final assembly (attach the LED beads), here in the US, and that allowed them to state, made in the US. And the third LED fixture I have is a Mars Aqua.

My corals grow like weeds. I'm now trying to remove all monti cap....it truly is a weed in my tank. Here's a shot of a millepora acropora that's about two years old....don't look at that hair algae!:





I will state one thing, I have seen color shifts.....but that doesn't bother me, I simply want to see growth, and happy corals and fish.

What are the settings you run your blues and whites?

 

[redfishbluefish]

What are the settings you run your blues and whites?

The Apollos are not adjustable....either on or off. They do have two channels; blue channel and predominantly white channel. The Mars Aqua has two potentiometer dials. The blues are on all the way while the whites are on about 1/3 of the way. Note that I've pulled the lenses off the Mars Aqua....Apollos never had lenses. I also have two old four foot IceCap (LED) night-lights. Here's my light schedule....for a total of 12 hours.

Nightlights (sunrise) ------------- 1 hour
Blues only (morning) -------------3 hours
Blues and Whites (mid day) ---- 4 hours
Blues only (afternoon) ----------- 3 hours
Nightlights (sunset) -------------- 1 hour

 

[AcroNem]

LED for 2 years on my current display system. Only had maxspect razors over this reef so this is all these corals know being grown from frags. I'll put in one before and after pic of a year and a half of growth in my A. australis. I do have to add that over my propagation systems I do have T5's and halides because I like the colors more, but LED's are completely usable and work just fine.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I've been asked via PM to show other colonies grown under LED.....I think out of disbelief! All of these came from frags.

Here's a Hydnopora (Horn Coral) that's been fragged a number of times....about 8 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches




War Coral (shaded by bird's nest and teal millepora acropora)




Unknown SPS fragged a couple times.




Pink Lemonade fragged three times

 

[FugeTown]

I'm more or less running three Chinese black boxes over a five foot 90 gallon tank. I have two Apollos (now out of business) that claimed made in the US, but if you pop them open, it's all Chinese. I think they did the final assembly (attach the LED beads), here in the US, and that allowed them to state, made in the US. And the third LED fixture I have is a Mars Aqua.

My corals grow like weeds. I'm now trying to remove all monti cap....it truly is a weed in my tank. Here's a shot of a millepora acropora that's about two years old....don't look at that hair algae!:





I will state one thing, I have seen color shifts.....but that doesn't bother me, I simply want to see growth, and happy corals and fish.

Whoa! I think this is pretty good evidence an all LED light setup can keep SPS corals happy, awesome pic but I see what you mean it's grown so big it took over your tank (fraggers dream though).

 

[jalmanza]

I have two arctic t247 over my 90 and it's a mix of LPS and sps. Sps have grown and colored up nicely.

 

[FugeTown]

I have two arctic t247 over my 90 and it's a mix of LPS and sps. Sps have grown and colored up nicely.

Those colors are amazing

 

[FugeTown]

I have two arctic t247 over my 90 and it's a mix of LPS and sps. Sps have grown and colored up nicely.

How many of those t247 lights do you think would be good for a 40 gallon breeder?

 

[jalmanza]

How many of those t247 lights do you think would be good for a 40 gallon breeder?

I would still go with two. I have some shadowing in the corners so I keep less demanding corals there. Just for what it's worth, even when I keep sps frags on the bottom to acclimate they always keep their color and do well. With a 40 breeder I think you'd have plenty of light.