username here
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Are LEDs as affective as the T-5s and Metal Halides? I'm trying to bring down the cost of a 55g reef that I'm planning.
LED lighting question
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well that's a loaded question 
They all perform well and have pros and cons. What are you trying to accomplish with your reef? You can pick up some value LED's for a good price and won't have heat issues or bulb replacement down the road.
check out reef radiance
They all perform well and have pros and cons. What are you trying to accomplish with your reef? You can pick up some value LED's for a good price and won't have heat issues or bulb replacement down the road.
check out reef radiance
reefer gladness
Well-Known Member
Hehe, definitely a loaded question. I'm a self-professed LED geek and admit that I'm fully biased but I'll try to give an un-biased opinion. In general, LED's are going to be more expensive when you start the tank but less expensive to maintain so the longer you use them the better return you get on your initial investment. Properly cooled and depending on how long and how hard they are driven LED's should last 5-10 years, the current generation of LED's hasn't really been around long enough to validate this claim though.
Budget LED's can be okay, stay away from the models using 0.5 or 1-watt LED's, you want 3-watt and/or 5-watt LED's to penetrate the water. Beyond that, when going budget you're trading off the ability to control each color channel independently and possibly the ability to interface with a controller. Some cheapo models suffer from cooling issues. I'd stay away from eBay or anything shipped from outside the US, most of the reef radiance models carry a 2-year warranty and can be extended to 3 so I agree it's a good place to start looking.
Budget LED's can be okay, stay away from the models using 0.5 or 1-watt LED's, you want 3-watt and/or 5-watt LED's to penetrate the water. Beyond that, when going budget you're trading off the ability to control each color channel independently and possibly the ability to interface with a controller. Some cheapo models suffer from cooling issues. I'd stay away from eBay or anything shipped from outside the US, most of the reef radiance models carry a 2-year warranty and can be extended to 3 so I agree it's a good place to start looking.
username here
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I'm going to start this tank as a FOWLR with some mobile inverts, and if it works out i'll add coral later. An LED strip I was thinking of getting had 1-watt LEDs, but it claimed that it was reef capable. Are the socket lamps affordable for a 55g, or should I look into making custom lighting?
I would guess you're talking about the MarineLand LED "Reef Capable" units. IMHO that's total hogwash and just bad business for the consumer. They are much less than "Reef Capable" unless your running low-light needing coral.
reefer gladness
Well-Known Member
For a FOWLR the 1-watt LED's would probably work out okay. The 'reef capable' claim is one we've seen many times before. This really depends on what type of corals you want and how deep your tank is. 1-watt LED's could be okay for a shallow tank and corals with low light requirements. In that sense they are 'reef capable', beyond that many reefers end up with buyers remorse and replace them if they want corals or nems with higher light requirements. I think a 55g is about 20-21 inches tall I think and the 1-watt's would not penetrate well to the bottom.
You can DIY your own LED system fairly easy if you're that sort, I've used rapidled.com for my two builds. Pretty much all the components are the same no matter who you shop with. For the price the reef radiance are a pretty good value, you could start off with one and add a second later on if you need it.
You can DIY your own LED system fairly easy if you're that sort, I've used rapidled.com for my two builds. Pretty much all the components are the same no matter who you shop with. For the price the reef radiance are a pretty good value, you could start off with one and add a second later on if you need it.
username here
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thanks for the info, looks like i'll have to research lighting a bit more
username here
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i'm planning to add in a wellsophyllia, birds nest coral, and some mushrooms, zoanthids and starburst polyps as soon as im sure the aquarium is ready for them
The Birds Nest Coral is going to want a good bit of light. I've had them in various lighting situations and they've all done best with high intensity lighting and lots of water flow. YMMV
username here
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so I've looked around a bit and i'm wondering if it is practical to use two reef radiance DM-36e's on the tank. (http://reefradiance.com/dm-36e.html)
reefer gladness
Well-Known Member
I don't think you will be satisfied with the coverage over a 55g with just two of those. Probably end up with about 5 or 6 of them if you want to support SPS corals like the birdsnest. I think they're great over small nano tanks but not a 55g.
username here
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So for the 55g, are 2 DM-132e's better? And if I do get them, do I need to buy the stands, or is it relatively easy to attach them to a canopy?
mikecc
Member
Good lights? Check these out.....link click here
Topline Marines
Member
Absolutely They are worth it. Depending on what you can afford go for it. Im using TMC Aqua ray 2000HD tiles which are excellent, my LPS love them. they even have Fiji blue built in for viewing florescent corals. Heat exchange is non existent, Running costs are unnoticeable compared to T5's or metal halides. Also nearly all LED's are programmable. You wont ever look back.