MH v LED

Agree with most of the points/info mentioned thus far, and I very much agree it is not possible to have a simple statement on what LED type/wattage/combo is equivalent to T5 or MH. Different brands/types of LEDs simply have too much variance in both spectral output and intensity.

For those questioning growth, I'll offer this:

First day of LEDs, photo taken on 10/25/10 (only the royal blues were on here, but this is the best angle I have to do a grow comparison with the next picture):


Photo taken 2.5 months later on 1/11/11:

 

LED is very nice but IMO for the $ it's not worth it to drop that kind of dough on something that may have consequences later on down the road. We know LED work but what is the long term? I have seen amazing corals grown from LED however. I do still prefer my halides until I can get an LED setup that will give me more than just the blue color of lighting and not cost $500+

 

There are probably more fixtures under $500 than over.

There are many options for CCT or light spectrum from below 10K to over 20K. There are hardly on the "blue" LED fixtures out there - they do exist but they are joined by many variations.

I feel some ppl confuse LED SUPPLEMENTAL lights with actual full-blown reef lighting. There are a number of cheaper LED fixtures that will do a good job of "highlighting" or enhancing a given non-LED system but it takes a good ammount of power, proper LED diodes and good lenses (most of the time) to give LED's their power.

As for "consequences later on down the road" - not sure what exactly you mean there. Halides certainly have "consequences down the road" - the bulb's spectrum shifts undesireably (and predictably) over time - necessitating the frequent changes if the bulbs which certainly add up after you replace them every 9 months. Even if you only have a SINGLE bulb - you are looking at $60/bulb. Let's say you have the tank over 6 years - you are looking at 72 months or about 7 bulb changes (assuming none die prematurely). That is about $420 right there in bulbs alone.

LEDs - if the do indeed live up to their reputation - are touted to last in excess of 20000 - 50000+ hours of use so at even 12hrs/day you are looking at about 4300 hours of use/year. On the high end you are over 10 YEARS of use. Try that with a single MH bulb!!?!!? Even at the MINIMUM of 20000 hours you are looking at just short of 5 YEARS before you can expect any kind of failure. With that said the other major factors to be considered: actual electric draw. Most LED fixtures put out a lot more PAR/PUR per watt than any other MH fixture - not OVERALL - but PER WATT - this is extremely important in terms of electrical efficiency.

All other things being equal (bulb replacement, fixture cost) LEDs will kill MH for their much lower power draw. If you can replace a 250MH by 135 watts of LED with comparible PAR/PUR - why in the world not!!! It will pay for itself over the period of ownership.

 

IMO great growth for 2.5 months. What type of LED is that and how many bulbs are you using?

 

Agreed. If you can get a good LED fixture for under $500 than you will save money in the long run (or short run I've seen mh fixtures in the $1500).

When I say long run I mean 2+ years. I am trying to figure out the difference between a "supplemental" LED and a "reef growing LED" I understand PAR but also understand that PAR ratings can be misleading if you don't understand the conversion factor that company is using.

 

Looks like a DIY Rapid LED kit, no?!

 

In short, yes, it's my own DIY with a RapidLED kit. 60 Cree's total, mix of XR-E Royal Blues, XR-E Warm Whites, and XP-G Cool Whites. 60/65 degree optics.

Full details here: http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/diy-dimmable-rapidled-kit-converting-mhs-96138.html

 

Oh yea I read that one I'll have to save it. Great work by the way if I didn't tell you on your post, lol. Is there a reason you chose royal blues instead of regular blues?

 

Thank you.

Yes; wavelength. Not only are the royal blues in a better area of the spectrum for corals, but they also make colors pop much better.

CREE XR-E datasheet; note page 5: http://www.cree.com/products/pdf/xlamp7090xr-e.pdf

 

Thank you this will help me a lot. I even printed it, lol. I am starting to build a new tank I got from craigslist to replace the "learner tank" I have now and want to make sure I use the lights I want for long term. Wife has me on a tight budjet. Thanks again and great growth that I suspect has more to it than just lights.