LED lighting

I currently have PC on 120 gallon tank and think i need more light. Band besides ican tellfrom readingthe posts they are really no favored. I do not want to buy MH, one is for the electric bill that will surge and 2 for the chiller i will have to buy. I have been doing research the LED lights that are on the market and even with the price tag they seem worth it to not have to replace bulbs and the heat factor. Does anyone have these fixtures and are they worth it?

 

Good question. It's been mulled over frequently on this forum, as you'll find if you search. The opinions differ greatly. "Worth it" is difficult to quantify. LED bulbs will last 50,000 hours or more. They create nearly no heat. Some say they rival metal halides in PAR, some don't. Last price I saw for a fully reef-compatible 48" LED fixture was nearly 3 grand. That might have come down since, but I don't know.

If I could give you an analogy--if you bought a car with no money down, your monthly payments would be X. If you stretch out the term of the loan, the payments would be lower, but you'd pay more in the long run. If you put 50% down payment, and financed the rest, your monthly payments would be half--meaning you can drive that BMW and enjoy a monthly payment tantamount to driving a Kia. If you bought the car outright, you'd have no monthly payments. The question "is it worth it?" is hard to answer.

The more important question is "Do you have the money?" Sure, LEDs will save you lots over the long run, but the up-front cash outlay is huge. With metal halides, you'll spend less for the fixture, but more for monthly energy costs, and maybe a chiller.

Finances notwithstanding, my opinion of the $3,000 fixture I saw atop the 90G tank in my LFS didn't impress me. The corals seemed to be doing ok, but I perceived the lighting in whole to be dim. Some might see it otherwise.

In my opinion, LEDs are up and coming, but not quite there yet in terms of performance versus their price.

A much less costly alternative would be a T5 fixture. T5's are a nice compromise in that they don't have to be replaced as often as halides, generate much less heat, won't require you buy a chiller; and finally, are very high quality in terms of PAR.

Don't you hate it when you ask a question that results in more head scratching?

Good luck, whatever your choice.

 

Do you guys think over time LED fixtures will come down in price?

 

Not at all I appreciate your advise. I just chenged the bulbs on the PC and was thinking about adding some T5's to enhace the light instead of totally just srapping the PC. I think that it sounds like a better option for today and let them tweak the LED's for a later date. I am of the mind to buy once since I have started this hobby from experience at buying several times that is why i was thinking about the LED's. After having my tank for 2 years i feel that i am justnow ready to start with the corals, and i do not want to deprive them in no means.

BTW i am installing my new refugium tomorrow whoo hoo and getting rid of the bioballs

 

Without a doubt.

 

Arch/Plasma lighting is on the horizon now ..Its been in the works for several yrs..Kind of like a welding wire in a tube ..

 

check out Powerbrite LED strips. Ive seen them in action.. not bad.. only thing 1 12" strip only covers about 20" of width/span.. so youd probly need 3 or 4 depending.. probly be cheap though to add a couple t5 ho bulbs to your current setup.. I'm planning on adding 2x54w t5 bulbs in addition to my PC setup on my 55g.

 

A local reefer here is running one of these fixtures and has gotten great growth out of it and seems to love it.
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/LE...ight_System_w!_Controller_by_AquaIllumination

9 months of amazing growth - pics included - TCMAS

On a 120 it would take over 10 years of bulb replacement to cover the cost of the LED fixture so I'm going with T5.

 

IMO they will be gone from this hobby before long. Technology skips a generation.

Music: CD's - mini disc (skipped) - MP3 players
Video: Tapes - Lazer Disc (skipped) - DVD


I think that for a big technological breakthrough to truly work it has to be so revolutionary that its not only better but cheaper. LED companys can only throw so much money trying to make that break through before there gonna have to give up.