Are you happy with your LED's???

[intarsiabox]

Originally Posted by naesco

It is a brand new tank but he will be adding SPS a bit later on when the tank matures.
I do not have a light meter but the two units had complete coverage over the whole of the tank. In order to achieve this the pendants hang 12inches above the water line. As he likes the fluorescence the LED provides, he chose blue.
I can't comment on the technical aspects or compare this lighting to other LED lighting from a technical point of view but his tank looks great.
He chose the blue because he likes to observe them fluoresce.

A three foot tank would require one pendant at a $600.00 cost which is comparable to a MH system without the added heat and high maintenace cost.
IMO, one unit would leave the edges dimmer on a 4 foot tank.

If a reefer is starting up a new tank I could not in good conscience recommend MH.

For a reefer who has MH they may decide to wait a little longer to replace their lighting. The price of LEDs will go down a bit, there will be more selection and improvements will be made.

That's pretty amazing that only 2 of those Cannons could lighta tank that size at only 12" above the water. The picture of the units make them look like they would only produce a very focused beam of light. Thanks for the info!

[Delphinus]

Wayne his tank is 4' tall ? Wow.

When you get a chance please post some pictures, I'd love to see those. I did see those Cannons when they first came out and thought that might be a good way to get into LED's but unfortunately even at $600 versus money already spent for the existing halides it will still be a while before I pull the trigger on the switch over but I'd still love to see them in action besides just the usual promotional stuff out there. Thanks!

[naesco]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Wayne his tank is 4' tall ? Wow.

When you get a chance please post some pictures, I'd love to see those. I did see those Cannons when they first came out and thought that might be a good way to get into LED's but unfortunately even at $600 versus money already spent for the existing halides it will still be a while before I pull the trigger on the switch over but I'd still love to see them in action besides just the usual promotional stuff out there. Thanks!

No, it is six feet long and four feet wide. I will try to get him to post a pic here.

[phi delt reefer]

orphek and Kriesel (sp?) make multi chip LED cannon that uses a mix of different colors vs. the Ecoxotic solution which uses one color. Meant to be a halide replacement (ie. strong point source light).

keep an eye out on Dave Fason of Nano Box. He's a hobbyiest doing some CRAZY custom stuff with LEDs that he's trying to bring into the mainstream market.

http://nano-box-reef.com/blog/?categ...me=nanoboxnews

the NANO Pulsar looks pretty awesome and might be something you big tank folk may want to consider vs. a $5000 fixture. He's got a pretty sweet controller (Ryujin)designed for the system as well.

[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.

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by RuGlu6

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

This really is irrelevant, like I said earlier you can beet this argument to death as everyone has a different example of how much they spend on bulbs and energy and how much they would invest in a new fixture, also have to consider if they are replacing a fixture or setting up 100% as used fixtures can pull in some cash to speed up the return but regardless completely dependent on each person.

[parkinsn]

Originally Posted by RuGlu6

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

Most MH lamps will depriciate 50-60% of lumens by 50% of lamp life (dependant on brand, and yes you will find that the MFR will try to hide that and post better findings). So what one person does for lamp change will be different than another. I changed mine 6-8 months, while you do it 16-18 months, to each their own. If you look at a statement like Aquattro, he will keep his MH for 10 more years. Figure out your lamp replacement and Electric/hydro and figure out if you can pay it off in 10 years. Either you justify it or you dont.

Originally Posted by sphelps

This really is irrelevant, like I said earlier you can beet this argument to death as everyone has a different example of how much they spend on bulbs and energy and how much they would invest in a new fixture, also have to consider if they are replacing a fixture or setting up 100% as used fixtures can pull in some cash to speed up the return but regardless completely dependent on each person.

That is really the bottom line. Each person will justify LED one way or the other. Either you see a pay off or not. Like the look or not etc.

[abcha0s]

Least we forget that it's worth paying more for a superior solution. It is not necessary to recover costs or break even. Better is simply better.

- Brad

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by abcha0s@conceptaquatics

Least we forget that it's worth paying more for a superior solution. It is not necessary to recover costs or break even. Better is simply better.

- Brad

Couldn't agree more. I have no concerns over what I'm going to spend over the next 5 years, for me, it's MH all the way. It's what I like, it works for my setup, I've had great success and I have no reason to change. Better is simply better!

[Rice Reef]

I am staying with MH at this time as the LED tech is changing so fast and being still relatively new, I am still not totally convinced of it's reliabllity. Everyone says that they are good for 5 years but I do not see the warranty reflecting that. In addition, with the price of LED dropping (especially from things coming out of Asia) I am willing to wait it out.