Switching to LED - Full Review Comming

[Rogue951]

Vertex last I saw... if it's the same tank we're talking about.

[OscarMeyer]

Originally Posted by RuGlu6

J&L is trying to get their SPS LED tank to look good for a year now and still cant get it done.
And even after they ripped it off to pieces and rebuild it all, it is still looks mediocre at best! SPS just does not look good under their LED; unhappy, bad color, bad polyp extension.
Until i see at least three tanks that will show excellent SPS results similar to MH lighting i am not sold on LED at all.

umm i think this is due to the fact that they are handled often? or maybe the water parameters are alittle off? or it could be the fact that the corals in the sps tank dont really stay there to long? there are multiple things that could cause this?

with that being said I have a Vertex Illumina and my PE and the growth of all my corals have been amazing! and that goes for my SPS, LPS, and Clams, Ive also had to turn down the lights to only 30% power cause it is to strong!

LED over MH any day of the week, oh and you MH guys must just love changing the bulbs every 6 months too

[liz]

K3 Dimmable LED's - anybody know the par value on these fixtures?

I have a 18" deep SPS tank and wondering if they would do the job?

[TJSlayer]

Orphek PR-156 - Missed these guys in the original writeup but they are also on my short list now. Pretty nice looking lights that will do just about anything you want them to. They are completely programmable BUT NOT dimmible. They are also modular similar to the pythons so you can position them over the bracing of the aquarium with little light blockage. System is updatable and upgradible when it comes to lens, and led choices (not 100% sure about the controller, but it would be nice if you can download updates to it). These guys almost satisfied every point I had, but the lack of controller features and no dimmability will get them taken off my list. They have been around for a while with quite a lot of info to be found on the net, most of which is very positive.

More Info: http://www.orphek.com/index.html(no Canadian Supplier Yet)
PR-156W Lights x 2 ($1800)(Approx 300 Watts)

[TJSlayer]

Not sure about the PAR value on the KEY's you'd have to get in touch with them or Eric from the link I provided. He's quick to respond, but can be hard to understand...

[Bblinks]

This is gonna be good. I had a chance to get my hands on a "premium quality led light system" but it really didn't turn out like I have expected it. It was really a shame since I had high hopes for them. I would love to see what you get and what kind of result you are gonna get from them. So mysterious.
I think out of all the choices you have listed here, vertex will be one of the top picks, but I would still wait till they come out with a few more color options like red or green to complete the full color spectrum. just my 2 cents.

[Myka]

Simply design-wise I like the modular fixtures because of the ability to move the lights around. That way if you want more intense lighting you can move the pods closer to eachother or off to one side. I find with the amount of light in my tank (halide+T5) that I have several corals I am constantly trying to find a better place to shade them from the intensity.

[TJSlayer]

Found another to consider...

REEFTECH LED Prometheus - Yet another very sweet light like the pythons and such, similar in every aspect for upgradabilty, computer connectivity, and even has iphone support .... (I have an iphone so that would be very cool) So far looks like two modules would work, and once again does pretty much everything you could imagine....

More Info - http://www.reeftechled.com/?page_id=64

2 x Prometheus Units $2300 (360 Watts!!)

[RuGlu6]

Originally Posted by abcha0s

That's very interesting. Can you share what brand of LED lighting they are using? - If you don't want to post to the forum, please send me a PM. I expect the OP might also be interested in the brand of LED that JL is trying.

- Brad

Not sure exactly what they are using , i will try to remember to check next time i am there but i think its this one.

http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/vt...8+Inch%29.html

May be its because this is the frag tank.. who knows but maan... they just cant get it to look good and Corals are definitely not happy there. i have seen many frag tanks that look way better under regular MH DE and or SE and corals look fantastic.
Sure LED is a cool new toy but i prefer to have better looking corals then a fancy light fixture.

[cale262]

Originally Posted by TJSlayer

...
The Contenders (In no particular order)

Pacific Sun – Incredible lights that will do just about anything you want them to. They are completely programmable and they are even developing an app for smart phones/iPhones, etc. that will allow you to make adjustments and changes to the light with them, currently they hook up to PC’s and Mac’s via blue tooth, and the entire systems is updatable. In my opinion probably the most advanced light out there right now. They also have several configurations available so your really can design a fixture for any aquariums size. They are also releasing a new version of the Metis fixture that uses the new CREE XM led’s, (The only ones that I know of that use these) These guys satisfy every point in my wish list. They also use 4 different colors of LED, so you get a great balance of color. They have been around for a while but there is still not a lot of info on the net, but from what I have found it is very positive. Great Support in talking with the suppliers.

,...

Pacific Sun does not have any software available for Mac's that I can find, Did you find some?


I have a Black Python 200W unit and would love to be able to program it via one of my Mac's...