LED light review

[supernip]

Nano-reefing is all about innovation and progress. Each reef seems to defy convention in its size, style and components. Today, I am reviewing a product which, hopefully, will continue that inventive tradition.

 

Next to water chemistry, the most important part of a reef has always been lighting. And for those of us with smaller reefs, lighting has always been a tremendous issue. Too much light bleaches coral. Too little light results in the death of the coral. And of course, there are other issues such as heat, size and expense.

 

So, what is a good answer to these problems? LED lighting. Not only does LED light produce minimal heat, it also has no shift in spectrum, lasts forever, are extremely compact and blue LEDs gives certain corals a beautiful

fluorescent effect. Despite all its pros, LEDs have never been strong enough to be anything more than moon lighting.. until now.

 

 

This post will be reviewing Lumiled's LED system. The lights are available in one watt modules, driven by an electronic ballast which can power anywhere from 1-32 individual modules. The actual set-up's are manufactured by Ice cap and can be purchased through nano-reef member Absolutc. The actual review product is composed of six 1-watt 450nm (comparable to a high quality 03 bulb) LED, driven by an advance transformer "Xitanium" ballast. The tank set up is a Tru-Vu 4gal cube, Pengiun mini-bio whell filter, rena air pump, 10LB black aragonite sand and 6LB fiji live rock. Corals include clove polyps, anthelia, xenia, ricordia, mushrooms and zoos.

 

 

Pros:

 

When I first installed the LEDs, I was a little skeptical that six watts of light would be enough to light my 4gal tank but I was wrong. Upon turning the lights on, my zoos immediatedly open and have stayed open since. The frags of anthelia and clove coral took about 15 minutes to adjust to the light and are also doing well. Noticably, my corals seem to be enjoying the light's bluer spectrum. My cloves had gotten a much fluffier look to them, as did my anthelia; something that never would have happened in my minibow. As I sat and looked at my zoos, I noticed colors I have never seen before. Every possible pigment is brought out under the 450nm lights and zoos that were once drab brown have become blue with green and red. One more odd thing was that the tentacles on my zoos split into two different rows, giving my zoos a more solid look. While it was in my minibow for the 3 months or so, my zoos never looked so gorgeous.

 

Speaking of fluorescing, would you believe me if I told you some of my livestock does it too? I shined the light over a Randall's goby and a threadfin goby from another tank. They had slight pigmentations on fins that starting glowing, giving the fish a psychadelic look. Overall, the light had a very uniform look to it and created this beautiful twilight effect. There is a bit of shimmer but the effect are not too noticable. Shadows made my swimming fish gave the illusion of greater depth to the tank, which I think plays in nicely with the blue look of the light. While staring at my tank, I looked closely at the shadow areas formed by the rocks. These areas are completely dark, which gave my tank even greater depth.

 

I think this light might be enough to substain soft corals, though I would like to try more light loving softies like fiji xenia [Frags are ready to go from my 40]. I've yet to try LPS or SPS so I cannot speak on their behalf. Because I have only had this lighting system for about a week, I was not able to log any growth. However, I will post updates when I can. ALso, the lack of equipment prevented me from being able to compare the 1-watt LEDs to regular LEDs.

 

Cos:

 

Depending on how you see it, this aspect of the light could be a con. It hurts my eyes. I couldn't look at my tank for more than a few minutes because it was so blue. The effect was lessen when I turned the room's lights on but in the dark, it gets a little annoying. Though the lights do put a strain on the eyes, they look rather dim and seem insufficient. It's rather amazing that my corals are doing so well under them. Please keep in mind though that all the lights were 450nm, I ordered no white lights from Absolutc. After staring at my tank, I would see green patches for a few seconds and I think in the long run this could have an adverse effect for my vision. So the only logical thing to do is add some white lighting. Ok so that's not really a con, just my fault for getting all blues but I think it's worth mentioning.

 

Anothering thing that was kind of disappointing was the LEDs are not strong enough to compete with my existing PC's. I took my 32watt 50/50 and put it next to the 6 watt LED system. The PC's totally over powered the LEDs. I had wanted to try with a 13watt PC but I butchered mine and couldn't do the comparison. The same was true with my 20watt halogen light. When shined next to the tank, all the fluorescent effects from the LED were gone; though it did give a very interesting effect which I will mention in the next section.

 

Speaking of lighting effects, this may come as a big disappointment as well. Only corals with naturally fluorescing pigments will color up. Any coral that isn't as colorful will fade into the background. My pom pom xenia for example, are impossible to find as they now bear the same coloration as the rockwork. And coralline? Under all blues, coralline is no longer visible. Although, the same argument could be made for an actinic bulb, the effects of the LEDs were much more compounded. The colors of everything in the tank also shifts. Whites are made extremely pure and all other color are darken. For me, it was either fluoresce or black and white. My Ocellaris clown became black and white and, as did my gobies [besides their fins]. Almost all color is lost or dulled down.

 

As for the actual light set up, I have few complaints. My only rants about the light were that it was wired in series. The LED modules themselves are a little bulky for the actual light and the lenses covering the bulbs focused the light too much. This gave the LEDs a ring like effect, with paler center ring and increasingly darker outer rings. This problem was easily solved though. The lenses popped off extremely easily.

 

Overall, the light was very professionally put together. Too professional in my opinion. The wires are high grade and soldered onto the modules. This made it impossible to cleanly alter the length between the modules. I also thought the wiring was a little bulky. Also, did you know the lights are fully dimmable? Yes they are but once again, the connections are so professional I couldn't bring myself to butchering it. The light comes with this neat little attachment as well. It lets you disconnect the chain of modules from the ballast. Though this was the greatest part about the set up, it was also the worst. Not only was it another connection to worry about getting water on, it was also a little fragile. When it was in certain positions or if someone moved the wiring a little bit, the lights would flicker or turn off because of this connection.

 

MIsc.

 

After using the LEDs, I have to say it was a truly different experience. When dealing with PCs, I think most people admire the overall look of the tank. With the LEDs, however, the focus is shifted from an overall harmony to individual polyps. Rockwork did not matter as much anymore. Its role was to provide contrast between light and dark areas in the tank. Only upon closer inspection will you be able to admire your rocks. And I must admit, under the LEDs, rock does look better. Although it lacked the same emphasis on coralline, theres just something about the blue cast over the rocks that gives it a more natural beauty. Using the LEDs turned my tank into an alien world. I couldn't recognize any aspects of my old tank at all. It was like owning two tanks when comparing LEDs to PCs.

 

The lighting effects you can toy with are also amazing. When I was shining my halogen light at an angle to the tank, it gave everything a purple cast. Where the halogen light did not hit, the blue was still dominant and gave gorgeous contrast to the yellower light source. I could see more coralline with the halogen light as well, and it all looked so much more colorful. It's like a whole different perspective on reefing and quite frankly, a very refreshing one.

 

Tips

 

If you are planning on buying a set up, please have a precise plan drawn out. Once you get the lights, the wire length is a real pain to adjust. Also, ask about the exact dimensions of the light. If you're buying a set up for a smaller tank, please buy some white lights. I think 6 modules will be anough for a tank 4gal and under. As for moonlighting for bigger tanks, less is more in this case. These lights are strong for their size and one or two will suffice. With too many, you get an odd effect in which your tank lights up blue like mine. However, with a few, you get an eerie twilight effect. Some of your corals will fluoresce while your tank will remain dark enough to give it a dramatic effect. The LEDs will also give a big of a spot light effect which can accent your favorite corals as well.

 

 

Conclusion:

 

Would I recommend this light? Yes. It's a little expensive but well worth it. Seeing my zoos light up was well worth the cost itself. As far as performance goes, the technology is still in its infancy and given a little time and support, could be a great alternative to PCs and maybe even Halides. Working with what I've got, I think my tank could be a success. Despite my prejudices against such weak lighting, this light does exceptionally well. I think this light would make it possible to keep some gorgeous little tanks, eclipse even. Due to its high price, it isn't for most. As for those who truly want a smaller nano, have space issues or want a killer moonlight, this is the one for you. So my conclusion is this is a damn good light set up. It was not the evolution of lighting but truly revolutionary.

[Christopher Marks]

Great review! Are you able to take any photos of the system?

[AbSoluTc]

Very Nice Review! I have a few questions for you later. Im at work so I have to make it brief

 

Thanks!

[Nanu Nanu]

have you seen the Wal-Mart Led kit. I have it for my tank it works pretty good

[Dazureus]

Good review. What about pricing?

[digitallinx]

would love to see pics, very interesting.......absolutc, the orders must be rolling in.

[AbSoluTc]

Originally posted by digitallinx

would love to see pics, very interesting.......absolutc, the orders must be rolling in.

 

I wish it were true. X)

[SaltyDawg]

So how about those pic's?

[dj_huck]

One more odd thing was that the tentacles on my zoos split into two different rows, giving my zoos a more solid look. While it was in my minibow for the 3 months or so, my zoos never looked so gorgeous.

......I've yet to try LPS or SPS so I cannot speak on their behalf. Because I have only had this lighting system for about a week, I was not able to log any growth. However, I will post updates when I can.

The first post...

[supernip]

ok first off, here are some corrections to my original review.

1. The shimmering is amazing. It varies with surface agitation and now that my air pump is working correctly again... oh my gosh... I'm in love with the shimmer.

2. I was wrong when I said a pc bulb takes off all the LED's effects. It takes off the more noticable part of it but the zoos are still a prettier color than before

 

Now notes on pics. I'm tried, my camera sucks so here are just some pictures of the tank and zoos. My best shots out of like 150 of them. Enjoy, I'll take pics of set up and other things later on.

 

 

This first one is a full tank shot.

[supernip]

Check out the light and dark areas of the tank. Another great side effect of the LEDs. Also notice how my zoos are open under just 6 watts of light! Wow everyone buy lights so I get some kickbacks!

[supernip]

This is that gorgeous effect I ws talking about with the halogen light. Can you see the contrast between the led and the mix? also notice the purple look, it's nice huh? and my clove corals are also open. Cool ain't it?

[supernip]

Close up's. I cant seem to get the glow of the zoos with my camera. It's really frustrating because it's the most noticable effect of the LEDs and you guys are totally missing its hotness.

[supernip]

here's that effect with the halogen again.

[supernip]

Can you believe these were a drab brown under PC's? Man you can save a load by buying duller zoos and having them look kick ass under actinics.

[supernip]

Ok here's the last shot out of my 150 or so shots. This is the best shot I can get of the glow. It really does not do the LEDs and my corals justice but bare with me. And finally.... If anyone orders lights from Abs, tell him I sent ya.

[supernip]

here's an informative link from rc.

 

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.p...threadid=138335

 

Here's more advice I thought of that I really should have done if I could do it over. I'd get the max amount of lights if I could afford it on the dimmable ballast. that way I can control the amount of light and if I had a big tank, I could supplement actinics this way. If you want just one or two then thats good too but if you decide to upgrade later, it'll be a pain. So yeah... try to get all the light you'll need at once. I still stand by the fact that a few will suffice as moonlighting, just that I like overkill

[Spencerx]

why would you buy this instead of lets say a 13w pc? or a 19w screw-in bulb? isnt the price on the leds very high? i dont mean to sound like a dick, just playing devils advocate...

[supernip]

spencerx: depends on your tank. I'm gonna try a 13 watt retro and see how well it works. The problems I can see in advance are heat, and waterproofing the damn thing. These already come with a water proof coat and you wouldn't have to change the bulb every year. The ballast itself is very quite as well. I would say money is the biggest determining factor. So definitely, I'd pay more for the better product. The lights are definitely better in the long run. If you're gonna keep a reef for just bit and scrap it, then the 19 bulb would be best. The 13 for regular reefs and the LEDs for the serious hobbyist or one with more money to send.

[SaltyDawg]

WHA????????????? Halogen? I didnt think you could get them in the 10k or actinic spectrum? or even 6,5k for that matter? Totaly different animal all together then pc's mogule based MH as well as doubled ended HQI halide. WHat is the color temp of your Halogen? as wel what wattage is it? and where did you get it?

[DarkDevil]

absolutc, I read your post over the reefcentral, I mean, if you really want to ask for opinion, you shouldn't post it there, coz all you see will be some stupid ass replying with nonsense, as I see your main application is for nano, you should have post it here, hehe, anyways, actually I was "trying" to design a controller for LED for sunrise/sunset, got out of time, so maybe you can include that in that "Xitanium" ballast design, I see you can connect up to 30 LED at the same time, that is good, but how about the dimming function? is it manual or automatic? coz my idea was doing a automatic dimming function, so it will slowly turn up the light to its maximum power, maybe a switch to control the duration of the time to get to maximum? I don't know, that's what my idea is, and of course a couple other stuffs that I want to add, and got to a point it's too complicated that I say forget it..... well anyways.... any solid state EE or microcontroller E would like to help?

[Chamkeeper]

The dimmer thing is as complicated as you want to make it. How many LED's and how much Current are we dimming? How long do you want the sunrise/sunset period and are we lengthening the daytime period each day, (i.e. Nature), and are we doing a Lunar Cycle with the moonlights? I have been working on the Lunar Cycle thing and daylight duration for a while, it will be quite a bit easier using LEDs as the main light.

[DarkDevil]

well, I got a 10G so I was thinking about 10 LEDs, 5 pointing at the sandbed and 5 pointing to the middle, something like that, and I was thinking to use a programmable E-PROM to make it, so all the timing and current limiting would be programmable, the current would be from 0 to around 35mA(or max), and maybe stepping this current in the length of 2-3 hours, and I was thinking adding 2 more LED for moonlighting which are programed through the e-prom for the moonlight, so basically I was thinking to make a curcuit which do all the sunrise/sunset and moonlight together, and can reprogrammable through e-prom if I want to add more LED or changing the time, I don't know....

[SaltyDawg]

So how about the halogen? WHat color temp is it. If it is 10k or 6.5k where id you get it? Last but not least. I am not trying to be a "DAVESPI" but,.... if al you have is a yellow halogen and blue leds somthing is bound to happen for the worse for your corals isnt it? I mean you do need the right dayligt spectrum . Or do you already have a 10k and use the LED's as supliment lighting?

[DarkDevil]

IMO, LEDs are too weak compare to any lights that are design for the aquarium, you can only use it as moonlight or simulate sunrise/sunset, but if you want it as a main light or a suppliment light, I think it's too weak, I don't know, but just looking at the spec and stuffs, I just don't think it can....