Another topic to discuss relating to LEDs is resale. Many of us constantly change our tanks out for bigger or smaller versions and sometimes sh** happens and we need to sell it all or most of it. So how will LED fixtures do in the used market?
Since LED fixtures can in theory last 10+ years how will one confirm the life remaining on the LEDs? With halide and T5 fixtures bulbs are typically replaced anyway to be on the safe side since they aren't too expensive.
If you buy a fixture today for $4K how much can you realistically sell it for in a few years? Since solaris fixtures are one of the few that have been around for long enough I would opt to use that as a guideline although the prehaps not the best example but when they came out reviews were still on average pretty good. The fixtures cost over $3K when they came out, recently seen people trying to sell them for around $600-$700 with little luck.
If you build your own fixture I think your chances of selling it for close to what you paid are significantly lower, although a simple system to the builder the buyer will see something significantly more complicated and may be concerned about integrity, especially when DIY controllers are also introduced. Those with LED experience will see more value but will most likely opt to build their own rather than buy someone elses.
Halide and T5 fixtures can sell for a reasonable amount, especially lower end fixtures that didn't cost that much new such as TEKs and PFOs. I purchased a used giesemann fixture a few years back, with new bulbs that fixture was as good as new, I'm confident I could sell that fixture for pretty much the same price I paid and the buyer would simply stick in new bulbs and the fixture again would be as good as new. Can the same be said about LED fixtures?
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