Show Us Your LED Tanks

[reefermadness]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I think the overall tone of the topic is that nobody is really sure..ok, they look pretty, they can do lightning storms and adjust color a bit. But my primary objective is to grow the blueist and purplist corals I can, long term. I don't believe that LEDs can do that (yet?). Also, the cost over five years, for new lighting setups may be beneficial over five years, but I couldn't afford a LED fixture up front, even if it's going to save me money in the long term. I can however afford 300/yr for bulbs over the next five years without a problem. It's the same principle of my mortgage, I'd save tons if I had that kind of cash
I have run 400w radiums for years, and continue to do so. I can find years worth of awesome tanks running the same config, so I know that these do the job I need done. LED, at this point, is still a lot of speculation on what MAY be a good lighting system 4 or 5 years down the road.
No lighting system is the best for every application, so one needs to decide what is best for their application, and for me, the MHs are the system of choice. Maybe it costs me more over 5 years, but so what? This isn't a budget hobby, and for my money, I know what I'm getting in terms of light. It's tried and true. 5 years from now, I may look at LED when it's affordable by the common peasant, but for now, to me anyway, it's a rich man's lighting experiment!!

My sediments exactly. I think there is great future for LED but I'll let others be the guinea pigs. When I start seeing TOTMs using LED for years, and the economics make sense....I will make the switch.

BTW....I cant believe I read this whole thread...I was expecting to see way more pictures. Im a picture book kind of guy..haha.

[someguy]

Interesting discussion, not so many photos

I'm new to this hobby and have just set up my tank using AI LED modules.
My thoughts:
1) the assertion that this technology is unproven for growing coral seems false to me. A little time spent on RC or some European forums will show a number of tanks that have been using LEDs successfully for years. Just because you haven't physically seen one with your own eyes doens't mean they don't exist.
Sanjay Joshi has also published some PAR readings from some fixtures, and the numbers seem comparable to traditional technologies.
2) Economy - yes at this point the quality fixtures are expensive, and as has been discussed here a number of different ways, they may or may not be more economical in the long run. But the reality is that today, cost does not appear to be rational reason to invest in LEDs.
3) Aesthetics - in designing my tank, I was aiming for a sleek, modern look, and MH simply are not a good option for those, without getting into the very expensive European fixtures. At that price point, there is no difference with the cost of quality LED fixtures.
Having said this, I currently have my modules mounted on the AI rails, which are admittedly ugly. I will remedy this at some point.
4)Efficiency - what has not been mentioned in this thread, outside of cost, is that LEDs are more efficient. In short, they are a greener solution, and that matters to me. In this same vein, what has not been mentioned is that LEDs are often run below their maximum capability, so when doing the cost/usage math, this should be factored in.
5) Coverage - my particular system does have a spotlighting effect currently, but that can be dealt with. I am planning on adding a third module, and raising them all higher from the water to give greater spread. The AI units come with 40 degree optics for the middle four pucks, but 70 degree optics are available if I prefer those.

And lastly a photo. Obviously this tank is very new as the bright white rocks will attest, but I'll post updates as the tank matures.