LEDs Are Bad?

[Dlc27]

I am relatively new here in saying that I have done a lot of research. Looking at the good progress at the tank here on NR using different lighting I believe the kind of light is more personal preference. I also know this debate will go on till the end of time.

It'll end when someone circumnavigates the globe. LEDs will eventually replace lamps and bulbs the way lamps and bulbs replaced the torch. It's funny cause I was just listening to a podcast about this today on the way home from work.

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2014/press.html

[HecticDialectics]

The light spread on leds just suck. MH reflectors much more effectively spread out the light.

 

And totally agree with the constant "hot new led combo" that makes your year old fixture worthless. Like the "lime" led now lol. Last year is was turquoise... Near uv... Oh wait no maybe warm white! No no red! Red!

 

And now you have 6 different colored point sources with no reflector to spread it out.

[Poet]

I think triton Lani LEDs are the only ones who have come close, I've seen good top downs from maxspect razors too. Maybe people will go back to spread instead of silly pucks! I'll be going all led soon, half the problem also seems to be people constantly messing with their settings.

[calrissian]

Oh god! Now I'm really confused. I was going with t5s over my 40B, but changed my mind and thought leds would be better. Should I stick with t5s now? I'm so impressionable!

[Benny314]

Oh god! Now I'm really confused. I was going with t5s over my 40B, but changed my mind and thought leds would be better. Should I stick with t5s now? I'm so impressionable!

 

Buy a nano box hybrid or DIY something similar and have both T5 and LED. Problem solved and you've been influenced by both lol.

 

I have just got my LED build finished based on last years thinking of OCW and RB, NW with some violet for PAR and PUR.

Really happy with the result, a bit spot light like until I popped off some of my 80 degree lenses (got a little carried away with optics) and I seem to have a fairly even and pleasant lighting over my tank with amazing shimmer, no disco and my corals are showing amazing growth.

A lobo I have been nursing since buying it 18 months ago half bleached and receded has nearly doubled how much it puffs out since going under the new lighting as well as colouring up and an small elegance coral I have has also gotten noticeably larger in about 4 weeks.

 

This is always going to be a hot subject with personal opinions and wives tails rife.

But good research and careful planning should see you getting the results you want. As for the ever changing thinking of what is best, that is the same with everything these days, Apple release a new half cocked glitchy product every 6 months yet everyone queues over night to get one?

If what you have works for you, don't panic and feel you have to replace it every time someone reinvents the wheel.

[Sancho]

 

This guy so far is the only one to sum it up well. If I could find a MH small enough I would definately place it on my little tank to give it a go and shelf the LED for a while.

"Originally Posted by jackson6745

I will not go LED on my tank because:

 

1)the initial cost is way too expensive

2)To have the proper coverage I will not be much more efficient than running T5 or halide.

3)The results are inconsistent at best

4)Resale value is horrible do to the changing models constantly coming out

5)The results with T5 and halide is just too damn good.

6) I believe no matter which LED I choose, the same flaw will be present...... An intense beam of light illuminating my corals from a steep angle coming from a small diode. Essentially I am overexposing half of the coral, and under lighting the other half. No optic can fix this problem."

 

5 to 8 years ago a Japanese company came out with very small ballasted MH bulb. They looked very promising. I dont think they were ever sold in the states. I believe the Radion hype was all the rage when these bulbs came out. I find it interesting that the Japanese aquarium products are not very popular here.

[farkwar]

That sums up why leds suck pretty well.

You need to double the LEDs and cut output in half.

 

Its a pretty simple idea.

 

Buy a Vertex, you'll see that LEDs can be perfect. A perfect blend of cool running, shimmer, and diffusion in a very slim and aesthetically pleasing fixture.

 

I squarely place the blame on(non Vertex) commercial LED makers and their marketers. Sure, the light can cover 24x24, if the tank is empty. Dumb!

[cuber14]

So lighting that uses less energy,gives off less heat and is compact is BAD...ok got it moving on.

[markalot]

So lighting that uses less energy,gives off less heat and is compact is BAD...ok got it moving on.

 

I'll bite.

 

Might want to read the thread and then make a better comment. The way most LED fixtures have been designed and marketed for this hobby is bad, with a few notable exceptions. It also applies less to nano tanks than it does to big tanks, but the problem of a single point light source still applies. Hold a flashlight over your head in a dark room with a mirror. How do you look?

 

So in fact the problem is not the LED but the LED lighting design, IMO.

 

If my T5 fixture was filled with LEDs it would look fantastic, but it would also use a LOT of power. If the price was right I would still do it to eliminate bulb replacement.

[farkwar]

Umm, at Home Depot tonight....

 

I saw Cree T12 "flourescent" tubes, for sale.

[jedimasterben]

Umm, at Home Depot tonight....

 

I saw Cree T12 "flourescent" tubes, for sale.

Yep, http://www.cree.com/News-and-Events/Cree-News/Press-Releases/2014/May/T8-tube-release

[jamescstein]

So now you just need to rip one of those apart and put some other color led's on it.

[farkwar]

They may have been T8s.

 

I didn't look that hard. They go right in regular florescent fixtures, shop lights, etc. Can T8s go in those?

 

I can't find them on the website, they were on end cap of lighting aisle.

[GHill762]

They may have been T8s.

 

I didn't look that hard. They go right in regular florescent fixtures, shop lights, etc. Can T8s go in those?

 

I can't find them on the website, they were on end cap of lighting aisle.

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Cree/T8/N-5yc1vZbolZ1z0vvri

[jamescstein]

Well in your standard 'shop' florescent fixtures you have T12, T8 and T5. T8's are the more common size you'll see in fixtures now. T12's 1 1/2" diameter are big ass bulbs and I don't think they make them anymore. T8's and T12's are pin compatible so you can use the same fixture though you would need to upgrade the ballast.

[markalot]

Yep, http://www.cree.com/News-and-Events/Cree-News/Press-Releases/2014/May/T8-tube-release

 

They must hold a patent and this is why the T5 LED's that were touted a few years ago never hit the market.

 

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/new-t5-t8-led-tubes-debut-from-orphek

 

As far as I know these were never made.

 

... though the last reply in this thread makes me think some were made.

 

http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-discussion/126096-t5-light-emitting-diodes-bulbs.html

[KnH]

this local tank is a failed atempt at using LEDs

[basser1]

2 Things about the vid:

 

1.) Good to see the dude stopped wiggling his foot....... annoying

 

2.) Probably spent thousands of dollars on equipment and plumbing and the water still looked cloudy

[Arkayology]

There is a very large group of LED-haters on RC. Don't pay them any mind. They will not listen to reason at any level.

[HecticDialectics]

There is a very large group of LED-haters on RC. Don't pay them any mind. They will not listen to reason at any level.

There are plenty of valid reasons. A few people are actually engaging in conversation on it, such as the Vertex comment. You're the one provoking unreasonable discourse.

[GokesReef]

this local tank is a failed atempt at using LEDs

 

What's the fail there?

[Simplicity]

I'm far from an expert on lighting but I like LEDs. Here's why:

 

1.) Energy efficient

2.) No regular bulb replacements

3.) Hardly any heat put into tank

4.) Controllability (smooth transition from sunrise to sunset)

5.) Long term savings due to energy efficiency and no regular bulb replacements

[DurocShark]

 

What's the fail there?

 

I think it was said sarcastically. I love that tank, but 40hrs/wk of maintenance? Ugh.

[Arkayology]

There are plenty of valid reasons. A few people are actually engaging in conversation on it, such as the Vertex comment. You're the one provoking unreasonable discourse.

I disagree. While there may be some people who have valid comments about LEDs (they are not the best), most outright just bash them after trying them for two months and did not use them correctly. Either way, I'm not getting into this with you or anyone else. I have used mh, t5, and led and I like them all.

[KnH]

 

What's the fail there?

sarcasm

Not long ago, I remember when the ushio 65k/ ACTINIC "03" were king of the hill.

Ask anybody who has been in the hobby any length of time how many skimmers they have tried

 

LEDs are just like anything else, YOU have to find the best way to use them in your particular setup

 

Are LEDs perfect, No, But they are the reason that Ice Cap closed its doors.

If you don’t know who Icecap was, O-Well

 

Here is a nice article on lighting, http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/10/aafeature