Are you happy with your LED's???

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by nc208082

Your not quite right on your led rant sorry. Mh and t5's and pc the best method of comparison is par. But for LEDs the best measurement of their effectiveness is pur.
Mh and t5 only have the blue an white look. LEDs have numerous color combinations blue, royal blue, white , red, violet, ultraviolet to just name a few. LEDs are replacing hid lighting in the rest of worlds application so its safe to assume they will be here for a while. They run a lot more efficient than halides an cooler.

Long term resale is not something most companies are looking for. Because they designed their units to be able to be upgraded that is why they are modular. You don't have to buy bulbs every eight months but you will have the option to swap put for better diodes.

Mh are awesome for coral growth but LEDs are now showing to be as effective. And have more of an ability to make your colors pop. The long term data isn't there yet. But it will be after the short term results we have seen.

This is all mostly true but has nothing to do with my previous comments. To contradict MH and T5s have more options than blue and white and LED fixtures that are available today for the most part only offer blue and white, yes other colors are available but are they used in fixtures?. Resale is not usually the concern of the manufacturer but it is something a customer should consider. And yes like I mentioned many fixtures are now upgradeable but how much will this cost and when buying a fixture with a premium price for the intention of it lasting many years how financially feasible is it to spend additional money on such a fixture well before it's lifespan?

As it stands LEDs cost more money but have a good potential of saving you time and money down the road and of course offer other advantages relating to heat and controllability. But you still have to consider if this will pay off for the individual. First you should plan on keeping the fixture long enough for it to pay off. Then you need to weigh whether you need/want that controllability as many actually don't. As for heat this can vary as well, people with T5s don't typically have issues and if they do it's a result from a combination of equipment and environment, using LEDs may not solve the problem completely.

As for color saying LEDs is better is providing false information. This completely depends on the individual and like I said is personal preference. I personally like the single light source effect from halides for a more natural look. Also T5s IMO offer better color distribution and the actinic effect available just doesn't compare to what's available in today's LED fixtures.

One needs to consider more than efficiency alone, doesn't matter if you compare PAR or PUR you're still talking about efficiency and there are many debates regarding which is the better measurement. Don't get me wrong I'm not anti-LED I'm actually currently building a custom LED fixture but it's important to consider everything and remember LEDs may not be for everyone. This is not a rant, simply providing information to consider.

[doch]

sphelps - I agree with you to some extent in regards to the timing of this poll. Unfortunately, I'm in the market today, not 4 years from now, hahaha! I'm looking specifically for info in regards to coral growth and coloration... essentially, I want to know if these fixtures are worth it.

Since I can't afford to buy an AI, or vertex fixture (read: my wife would castrate me)... one new question for those of you who have built a DIY fixture... can you still get the lightning storm effects and things like that? Can you run them off of your controller (I have an RKE)? I really like the idea of the sunrise, sunset, cloudy day, and lightning storm effects. If I can't do this, I may end up waiting until the prices come down.

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by doch

sphelps - I agree with you to some extent in regards to the timing of this poll. Unfortunately, I'm in the market today, not 4 years from now, hahaha! I'm looking specifically for info in regards to coral growth and coloration... essentially, I want to know if these fixtures are worth it.

Since I can't afford to buy an AI, or vertex fixture (read: my wife would castrate me)... one new question for those of you who have built a DIY fixture... can you still get the lightning storm effects and things like that? Can you run them off of your controller (I have an RKE)? I really like the idea of the sunrise, sunset, cloudy day, and lightning storm effects. If I can't do this, I may end up waiting until the prices come down.

Yes you absolutely can still take advantage of the features of external controllers with a DIY build, if anything it opens more options. If you're thinking of using a profilux you can get a PWM modual from them which can link up to 4 different sets of drivers to open up the full control you're looking for. However there may be a little more expereince needed as I believe some drivers such as meanwell do not have an open drain PWM input and will require the addition of a pull up resistor. This isn't hard to do but again something to be aware of as it's not aways a simple plug and play DIY project.

[parkinsn]

Originally Posted by sphelps

To contradict MH and T5s have more options than blue and white and LED fixtures that are available today for the most part only offer blue and white, yes other colors are available but are they used in fixtures?.

Have you seen the Sfiligoi Genisis? They are using other colors in the same diode. The colors can be seen on the thread below. Now it doesnt look like you can run all the colors at the same time, however with a custom/modular light im sure you can.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1849626

As for cost saving to the owner, I had 6 54w T5HO's and 2 250w SE MH's replaceing bulbs twice a year is roughly $500 or more in 1 year. I assume that most people will keep their light for 3 years. A $2200 LED Vertex replacement for the light above, over 3 years will be paid off with approx. $1500 in lamps in 3 years + the energy saved. Not to mention that ballasts will start to fail in 3 or more years.

I have seen many tanks running LED on RC and other sites that are now pushing 3+ years with good SPS growth. No, they are not 5 years in like you say. I feel that there are enough case studys out there if you look for them to prove that LED is a viable solution. It still remains to see what fixtures will stick around as there is new ones every month. But there are a few names out there that have lasted a few years already.

[sphelps]

Yeap seen them and the price tag to match makes them out of the average budget. Like I said for the MOST part fixtures don't offer such options.

Also lets not get into specific examples of return as this will vary greatly for each idividual and therefore should be left up to them to decide if it's worth while. They certainly do have pay back periods but it will vary and the individual needs to decide if it will pay off or not, this was my only point but as an average I would say 5 years is fair.

Also I don't doubt the LED fixtures will last but my comments were more based on if people would still be happy with the purchase after several years as aspose to several months.

As for ballasts failing after 3 years, that's total BS and you know it.

[parkinsn]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Yeap seen them and the price tag to match makes them out of the average budget. Like I said for the MOST part fixtures don't offer such options.

Also lets not get into specific examples of return as this will vary greatly for each idividual and therefore should be left up to them to decide if it's worth while. They certainly do have pay back periods but it will vary and the individual needs to decide if it will pay off or not, this was my only point but as an average I would say 5 years is fair.

Also I don't doubt the LED fixtures will last but my comments were more based on if people would still be happy with the purchase after several years as aspose to several months.

As for ballasts failing after 3 years, that's total BS and you know it.

I dont think that the genisis is that out to lunch. All dependent on your application and budget of course. When you look at this model it is far less than the equvelant all in one or pendant.

http://www.aquaticselite.com/Product...ode=GE-LED-348

Or look at the Pacific Sun, more than likely your going to need a master and a slave to get the proper coverage and par on your tank. Depending on depth you may have to step up to the next wattage of these pendants.(based on a 48" tank)

http://www.conceptaquatics.ca/index....rp-master.html

Absolutly It will be up to the consumer to justify the upfront cost and if it will work for them or not. Is anyone really happy with their fixture in 5 years? Seeing all the technology change so rapidly from T12 to MH to T5 to LED, dont discount plasma as well, its hard to keep up. There will always be something newer and better that you will want to have.

Im not here to argue your point, I see what your saying. I'm on the fence still with LED. I would like to look in my crystal ball and see how they work and customer satisfaction in 5 years, but its broken right now. However that was not the point of this thread. Are you happy with your current store bought or DIY LED or not? I would like to hear on this thread or in PM from the few people that voted unhappy, as to why they are unhappy fixture type, system etc.

(I guess the ballast that I have seen fail were in my dreams... lol but that's not the point here)

[lastlight]

Scott I'd like to just chime in and say the banged-up old PFO you sold me is still rocking hard lol =)

I'm also still on the fence with LED. I enjoy the thread as I enjoy the other 10 new threads that are started daily. It should be noted that LED thread generation still lags new LED company generation. It's the gold rush!

[parkinsn]

Originally Posted by lastlight

Scott I'd like to just chime in and say the banged-up old PFO you sold me is still rocking hard lol =)

I'm also still on the fence with LED. I enjoy the thread as I enjoy the other 10 new threads that are started daily. It should be noted that LED thread generation still lags new LED company generation. It's the gold rush!

I will show you banged up!! That thing is the exception, its built like a tank.

[sphelps]

Kind of my point regarding people not being happy in general with equipment after so many years with new and better stuff always coming out. Since LEDs in general require you to keep them for about 5 years for the efficiency to pay off and the fact this specific technology continues to advance more rapidly than anything else it's something you really need to consider. It's also why I mentioned resale as continuously upgrading LED fixtures will not likely pay off financially.

As for the price of the fixture we discussed it is certainly cheaper than I expected as when they came out I recall pricing one out for around $4K. The price you linked is much more reasonable at $1600 however this is only a 120W fixture which I don't believe is ideal for sps in a 48" tank. The 240W verson is probably a better match for the average reef application which will cost you over $3K with the RGB option. If compared to other fixtures like the vertex in terms of wattage you'll see a bigger premium involved in going this route.

Also didn't mean to suggest products don't fail as pretty much anything can including LEDs. But to suggest ballasts will begin to fail after 3 years isn't accurate.

[RuGlu6]

Originally Posted by parkinsn

Have you seen the Sfiligoi Genisis? They are using other colors in the same diode. The colors can be seen on the thread below. Now it doesnt look like you can run all the colors at the same time, however with a custom/modular light im sure you can.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1849626

As for cost saving to the owner, I had 6 54w T5HO's and 2 250w SE MH's replaceing bulbs twice a year is roughly $500 or more in 1 year. I assume that most people will keep their light for 3 years. A $2200 LED Vertex replacement for the light above, over 3 years will be paid off with approx. $1500 in lamps in 3 years + the energy saved. Not to mention that ballasts will start to fail in 3 or more years.

I have seen many tanks running LED on RC and other sites that are now pushing 3+ years with good SPS growth. No, they are not 5 years in like you say. I feel that there are enough case studys out there if you look for them to prove that LED is a viable solution. It still remains to see what fixtures will stick around as there is new ones every month. But there are a few names out there that have lasted a few years already.

I dont see many people replacing MH bulbs twice a year, i see many people replacing MH bulbs every 16-18 month.