Quote:
Originally Posted by Oscar
Funny you should mention the browning out. There is one thread on Reef Central that talked about browning out of SPS after a year of LEDs. That is what prompted me to ask the question. Although LEDs have been advancing rapidly and perhaps LEDs from 2 years ago are not comparable to today's versions?
Or there were other variables at play with the browning out?
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LEDs from 2 years ago most definitely don't compare to today's versions. You only need to look back a few months to see what Cree has been doing with their 3 watt X series in terms of efficiency. Wait a few months or a year and there will likely be another quantum leap or two. It's a bit like the processor speed wars of a few years ago between Intel & AMD. Things have slowed down a little in advancements there, but I think the LED game still has a way to go. We're only now seeing affordable LEDs show up at retailers to replace the CFL lamps in our homes. Once the manufacturers really get tooled up, prices will invariably drop. A DIY LED fixture will be as easy as getting a bunch of standard light sockets & screwing in LED lamps. You can already do that with the PAR38 spotlights available. Still a bit pricey though & selection is not as good as it could be.
As far as browning out, lots of factors there other than lighting. Switching from one light source to another has it's risks if not done properly though. Thing with LEDs is that they generally don't light up the tank as brightly in our eyes as MH or a bank of HO Fluorescents, but with the right mixture of emitters of the correct spectrum & sufficient wattage, you should get very good growth. You have much more flexibility in colour choice with LEDs, plus the option of nearly infinite control/dimming.
I've only been running my DIY LED effort for a bit over a month, but would never go back to MH or HO fluorescents. Controllability & power savings are huge advantages.