LED Craze

Cal_stir · #1 10-20-2011, 10:25 PM

i built my 72 led fixture, the dimming feature is awesome, the colour temp can be controlled, i went 50% wh, 35% royal blue and 15% blue but wish i had went 40% wh, 30% rb, and 30%bl, very little heat, been running about a year now with no issues, bought 2 extra of each led type in case of failure, about the same wattage as my 4 bulb t5 ho,but less heat, much brighter and it shimmers, all LPS and soft corals thriving(i have no sps), i'm sure it will last 10 years but i'm also sure that in a few years i will have upgraded to a much larger system and there will be huge advances in lighting technology and i will use it for a gium light or sell it or something.
i do love my led light.

Hustler · #2 10-21-2011, 03:48 AM

Im pretty sceptical myself as I have to do an 8 foot tank and the costs are INSANE..... But I do know they work well and are way cheaper in the long run.... I wont be doing a diy but Im in the market for them for sure if they can be found for less than a few grand...

mseepman · #3 10-21-2011, 03:12 PM

I'm doing a DIY fixture for my new tank and I can't find a downside to LED. For all the statements of "Where are the nice tanks"...people obviously aren't looking very hard as LED has been around a long time and some amazing tanks are represented out there.
As with all trends...people try different things until they find the one that works...I guarantee the first people using MH were running things in the 6k range and thought it was "awesome".
With the right combination of bulbs and dimming, LED's can be made to fit almost anyone's color choice.

Just my 2 cents though and I encourage everyone to follow the lighting method of their choice.

ponokareefer · #4 10-21-2011, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mseepman

I'm doing a DIY fixture for my new tank and I can't find a downside to LED. For all the statements of "Where are the nice tanks"...people obviously aren't looking very hard as LED has been around a long time and some amazing tanks are represented out there.
As with all trends...people try different things until they find the one that works...I guarantee the first people using MH were running things in the 6k range and thought it was "awesome".
With the right combination of bulbs and dimming, LED's can be made to fit almost anyone's color choice.

Just my 2 cents though and I encourage everyone to follow the lighting method of their choice.

A lot of concerns I have are not to do with DIY fixture's. They are much simpler to modify or change and if there is an issue, you have put much less money into it. Thanks to modularled, you don't even have to solder anymore, which is a huge bonus if I ever did go this route. Are you planning on buying a bunch of extra LED's just in case you have bulbs burn out/break and the ones you are using go obsolete?

Blom · #5 10-21-2011, 04:06 PM

Im pretty sure a lot of the pre-package systems are able to be upgraded (ie remove lights/pods). I know my AI sol is, you can remove the pods from what I understand. Cant say I've taken it apart as of yet. I just thought of a point here, against the "what happens to the light in 5 /10 years" group. How many people have the same system for 10 years? Im sure there are people, but as to how many. Most of us upgrade ever other year lol

ponokareefer · #6 10-21-2011, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blom

Im pretty sure a lot of the pre-package systems are able to be upgraded (ie remove lights/pods). I know my AI sol is, you can remove the pods from what I understand. Cant say I've taken it apart as of yet. I just thought of a point here, against the "what happens to the light in 5 /10 years" group. How many people have the same system for 10 years? Im sure there are people, but as to how many. Most of us upgrade ever other year lol

With how expensive units are, I would think you would be in the minority if you are replacing them every other year. I've had mine 7 years with no issues. Also, changing out lighting fixtures seems to go against the concept of maintaining stability to a system.

mseepman · #7 10-21-2011, 06:20 PM

In regards to DIY...really there is no concern in my mind to them going obsolete. I'm using the latest XP-E and XP-G Cree's to get the best amount of light for my $ and everyone knows that the ML version has come out (new improved generation). If some of my LED's quit I would adjust accordingly. If enough quit that I needed to re-add lights, I would get another $25 driver and add whatever is the newest LED...total cost...around $60-80. In 5-10 years...I figure that's a good investment. I personally feel the drivers are more likely to give me issues than the LED's.

I don't have my house complete yet so the new tank is not up and running. I am in the middle of my LED build and will have to be patient about seeing it on a tank.