LED - opinion????

[nharbarte]

My tank is 180gal. 6' x 2' x 2' with LPS, soft corals, couple of fishes & 2 or 3 SPS. Im planning to have more SPS in the future.

Here's my question, I ordered this led fixture (10000K). This seems to be enough for my soft corals & LPS. If I get two (2) of this, do you think it will be enough for Sps at it will be (20000K)???

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300947942917?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

This is way cheaper than any other led fixture. Even if I buy two.

Your input is highly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Do yourself a favor and research led fixtures. Most ebay fixtures are garbage. ive seen great tanks that have radion and fantom led units.

 

[Nottick]

I've seen great tanks with AI's wingos, rapid, eBay fixtures. Etc. do some research for yourself and you'll find what suits your needs.

If you ask for people's opinions here it'll start a thread five miles long. Especially on the LED topic.

 

[egriesner]

I got my LEDs from reefbreeders.net. they have a built in controller and the quality is much better than that.

 

[cody0709]

Do research- I sell LED and the eBay fixtures have cheap guts- ballasts, heat sinks etc.
In my opinion with the sale until sept 30th on radions you can't go wrong.
Customer service is great and the fixtures are phenomenal.
A 120 watt fixture on a 48 inch tank is not enough for sps.
Just my opinion.

 

[nharbarte]

Thanks for all your opinions and/or comments. Highly appreciated

 

[cono]

do yourself a favor and contact Fathom led

 

[Moneymaks24]

Check out what macna 2013 had to offer. If i was in the market for led i would see what came out this year.

Do urself a fvor and do research people will always reccomend the same brand they have over their tank. Not based on facts

 

[Nottick]

Check out what macna 2013 had to offer. If i was in the market for led i would see what came out this year.

Do urself a fvor and do research people will always reccomend the same brand they have over their tank. Not based on facts

True story.

I mean from everything I see every led that's out there works. SMS have more bells and whistles some are made better but in the end you have to also do what your budget allows. Your in this for a hobby so this isn't a grow out tank. Do what looks best and fits your budget.

 

[lnevo]

There were two fixtures that caught my eye during the MACNA coverage were the New longer Maxspect Razor 200. Its a 36" fixture that for me is great cause its setup in 4 clusters which means my cross brace doesnt block it 2 of them would cover your 6' tank perfectly.

Also the new AI Hydra 52. This fixture looks hot, though you'd probably need 4, but not sure about that.

I also like the Orphek Atlantik fixture which is also a 3' fixture.

Granted this is all research done on marketing specs, i have not seen the lamps in person.

All i know my chinese blue / white 18" fixture over my 65g is growing SPS so you really can go in a lot of different directions and be ok...

 

[d5332]

To the op, if you are going to buy led then do the following

Get fixture with moonlights
Ensure leds have zener
Removable lenses
Repairable leds
Common drivers / ballasts

Your tank does not need programmable leds

Getting the above wil ensure that if your light breaks it can be repaired and 2 years from now when new leds come out or lenses you can update your fixtures

If you can afford to buy fixtures with built in timers do it

If you can afford to buy programmable do it but be aware that your tank does not need the light show

Lastly, be aware that some corals do not react well to leds, may not die but do changein apperance

 

[MikeC]

Do urself a fvor and do research people will always reccomend the same brand they have over their tank. Not based on facts

+1 or will reccomend their friends new company

 

[vio]

Evergrow IT 2080. Super :biglaugh:

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

@OP,


1 light at 10,000K but 2 lights does not add up up to 20,000K.

The K rating is color temperature not intensity. Intensity can add together but color temperature is more like average. So 2 lights of 10,000K will yield 10,000k color.

 

[nharbarte]

@OP,


1 light at 10,000K but 2 lights does not add up up to 20,000K.

The K rating is color temperature not intensity. Intensity can add together but color temperature is more like average. So 2 lights of 10,000K will yield 10,000k color.

What would you recommend as an additional for my existing led fixture?

 

[nharbarte]

There were two fixtures that caught my eye during the MACNA coverage were the New longer Maxspect Razor 200. Its a 36" fixture that for me is great cause its setup in 4 clusters which means my cross brace doesnt block it 2 of them would cover your 6' tank perfectly.

Also the new AI Hydra 52. This fixture looks hot, though you'd probably need 4, but not sure about that.

I also like the Orphek Atlantik fixture which is also a 3' fixture.

Granted this is all research done on marketing specs, i have not seen the lamps in person.

All i know my chinese blue / white 18" fixture over my 65g is growing SPS so you really can go in a lot of different directions and be ok...

My two (2) chinese blue/white fixture for my old 90gal with LPS and soft corals is sufficient for the demands of the corals.

 

[nharbarte]

To the op, if you are going to buy led then do the following

Get fixture with moonlights
Ensure leds have zener
Removable lenses
Repairable leds
Common drivers / ballasts

Your tank does not need programmable leds

Getting the above wil ensure that if your light breaks it can be repaired and 2 years from now when new leds come out or lenses you can update your fixtures

If you can afford to buy fixtures with built in timers do it

If you can afford to buy programmable do it but be aware that your tank does not need the light show

Lastly, be aware that some corals do not react well to leds, may not die but do changein apperance

Really good points (never thought about being "upgradable")

-Get fixture with moonlights
-Ensure leds have zener
-Removable lenses
-Repairable leds
-Common drivers / ballasts

 

[tomtoothdoc]

My tank is 180gal. 6' x 2' x 2' with LPS, soft corals, couple of fishes & 2 or 3 SPS. Im planning to have more SPS in the future.

Here's my question, I ordered this led fixture (10000K). This seems to be enough for my soft corals & LPS. If I get two (2) of this, do you think it will be enough for Sps at it will be (20000K)???

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300947942917?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

This is way cheaper than any other led fixture. Even if I buy two.

Your input is highly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

A 120 watt fixture on a 48 inch tank is not enough for sps.
Just my opinion.

looking at the info. provided on the listing, if you turn on only the whites, you will get (84x3) 252 watts of 10k color spectrum(assuming each diode is driven to the max of 3 w). if you turn the blues on also, you will get (84x3) +(28x3)= 336 watts of higher than 10k color....possibly closer to 14k color which has a bluer look to it. wattage to length of tank isn't a good way to determine how much light you need. you have to take into consideration the spread of the whole fixture, the depth, and the intensity at such depth. a par meter can give you an idea of how much light reaches different parts of the tank. ideally you would want the spread to cover your whole tank....72" side to side and 24" front to back. the intensity would obviously be higher at the top, closer to the fixture, than toward the bottom. lets not go into par vs pur here, but the rule of thumb is that sps needs higher intensity of useable spectrum of light than lps and soft corals. and the par meter is mentioned simply because there's a par meter one can purchase at a relatively affordable price. i do not know of any "pur meter", affordable spectroradiometer nor spectrometer available to us hobbyist.
since you already ordered one unit, i would borrow a par meter and test how much light it provides at different depth. see if you have the coveraqe of the whole tank with just one unit.