Are LEDs a suitable primary light source?

[Mandrew]

Insane coloration, can you discuss a bit about your tank, lighting? Good job, it is beautiful

I would like to hear details as well!

 

[A. grandis]

I opened a thread about LEDs, MHs and T5s here:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/l...oas-discussion-what-are-your-thoughts.268851/
Please feel free to check it out and participate!
Grandis.

 

[Cory]

You cannot classify led as all led imo.

The difference between one and another is night and day.

Kessils are point source led clusters. While most of the others are not point source but spread out.

Just as some metal halide bulbs are not good for growing coral, like a 4000k bulb, the same is true with led.

 

[A. grandis]

Thanks for reviewing the article!

Grandis.

 

[A. grandis]

You cannot classify led as all led imo.

The difference between one and another is night and day.

Kessils are point source led clusters. While most of the others are not point source but spread out.

Just as some metal halide bulbs are not good for growing coral, like a 4000k bulb, the same is true with led.

I would think the quality of light is what determinate the ability and extension of it's use.
The quality of LEDs can't change. The lenses are what makes their angle different. That's all.
Marketing.

Grandis.

 

[enzo]

"In my reef, PAR readings within 10 inches of an LED puck’s output range, a few inches below the water’s surface, usually hover around 250-300, dropping sharply the deeper an object is. Outside of that 10-inch range, PAR quickly drops to 160 on down to 100 and below. Considering that even LPS corals often grow best under blue spectrum light of at least 200 PAR, this can make for challenging growing conditions. Adding an additional fixture creates another lighting hotspot, which similar range. Many aquarists install LED lights thinking they are capable of growing corals in a 24x24 inch area of a tank. This is solely dependent on how the corals are placed and the depth of the tank, along with how high the lights are mounted. This fact has also encouraged the development of “frag flat” style tanks, which use a shallow build to maximize light penetration. We want coral frags to grow a uniform pattern with lots of surface area, making a desirable colony. Shadowing and PAR drops can cause corals to grow strange patterns, where one area of a coral has accelerated growth but other areas maintain dwarfed, due to lack of useable light. I would say that using LED lighting only requires careful, creative placement of corals, to ensure all the animals are getting adequate light."

When the PAR meter is used on the LED's what intensity setting was the LED set on 10% 40% 60% or 100% it's not mentioned. Maybe those readings came at 50% intensity was this even looked at?

 

[enzo]

I would think the quality of light is what determinate the ability and extension of it's use.
The quality of LEDs can't change. The lenses are what makes their angle different. That's all.
Marketing.

Grandis.

" We often think of LED lighting as relatively new technology, yet the ability to create electroluminescence was discovered in 1907. It wasn’t until 1951 that the first LED lights were created, primarily for commercial and industrial purposes."

So your saying that since 1907 when LED's where first discovered they haven't changed?

 

[JEKK]

Some could argue that an LED is only as good as its lenses, and it would be an argument with merit. Lenses make a huge difference in how LED light is disbursed. Ecotech (which my auto-correct swears is Scotch) hopes to revolutionize lens technology with their upcoming hemispherical lens. We will have to see how the new lenses perform once they are released. One thing worth noting, it takes a lot of time to really notice subtle changes in how a lighting type performs. For a while, even for several years, things can seem relatively in line with previous results, but as our tanks evolve and we closely monitor coral health, it's often then that shortcomings become apparent. My point, aquarium media and various aquarists may very well claim that Ecotech's new lenses (or any new product for that matter) has sealed the gap regarding LED lighting concerns, but in reality it will take a long time and the reports of a lot of reef keepers to really paint a complete picture.

One thing worth noting, there are so many variations between individual LED diodes, lenses and configurations, it's impossible to pan LED lights as universally insufficient. In fact, if an aquarist invests time and effort into monitoring their PAR readings and carefully placing their corals while using only LEDs, chances are they will achieve good results.

just saw this post, maybe you should check these lights out. (www.focustronic.net). They may give you a second view on LED as primary light source. Agree that LED is only as good as its lenses but a different story when you have an add-on technology to help with LED's disadvantage alone.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

I run primarily on LED, simply because electricity is considered as premium utility in my country. To save cost.even further, I built my own fixture. It does grow coral with good coloration. Here are my tank with all channels are on. I do have SSC, I think the color is good.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Hopefully these corals will grow as good as what I have seen in R2R. 93 pieces of 3W generic LED from china, driven by 600ma driver. I am getting around 87000 LUX 6" from light source with all channels turned on.

 

[jason2459]

I think it's kind of silly to question if LED only can be used successfully in 2017. For almost decade (or more?) now many reefers have successfully used LEDs for a primary or only light source.

An article/research would be better spent on how to properly use LEDs as a primary or only light source. What style is better, puck, clusters, spread out, diffused, lens angels, brands, which color spectrums of LEDs are benificial, how many, does par = par etc etc etc. There's a huge topic there.

As to the topic of this thread I kind of have a hybrid where my T5 is my primary focus but my LEDs are my primary light source.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r...nd-t5-installation-testing-and-review.292314/

 

[jason2459]

" We often think of LED lighting as relatively new technology, yet the ability to create electroluminescence was discovered in 1907. It wasn’t until 1951 that the first LED lights were created, primarily for commercial and industrial purposes."

So your saying that since 1907 when LED's where first discovered they haven't changed?

An LED from one brand is not the same as an LED from another brand. Even from with in a Brand one LED from one bin is not the same as an LED from another bin.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I think it's kind of silly to question if LED only can be used successfully in 2017. For almost decade (or more?) now many reefers have successfully used LEDs for a primary or only light source.

An article/research would be better spent on how to properly use LEDs as a primary or only light source. What style is better, puck, clusters, spread out, diffused, lens angels, brands, which color spectrums of LEDs are benificial, how many, does par = par etc etc etc. There's a huge topic there.

As to the topic I kind of have a hybrid where my T5 is my primary focus but my LEDs are my primary light source.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r...nd-t5-installation-testing-and-review.292314/

For several months after this article I wound up fielding questions as to why the photons from leds weren't any good.

 

[Dave1045]

I have 2 65 gallon reef tanks. One tank I am running T5's and metal Hailides and the other tank in running LED's. Both tanks have SPS and LPS but the tank with the LED's everything grows like weeds. I have even gone as far are buying 2 of the same frags and putting one in each tank and with in weeks there is a noticeable difference in the LED tank.

I use RapidLED fixtures and my coral growth just explodes. I love that Company! GREAT customer support too.