Steve's LEDS - The benefits

[dgilbert2]

The thread below by Greg already contains massive amounts of really good information to help when first installing and setting up a stevesleds system.

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/steves-leds.85536/

The purpose of this thread is NOT to go down that same path. So ignoring all the well documented benefits of less heating, no lamp replacements etc etc, would those who have had their system up and running for a few months, or even years, post the benefits of what our hobby is all about;

e.g.
- Long term health & appearance of corals, both LPS & SPS
- Visual impact of aquarium under LED compared to T5's / MH's.
- Side effects on the health of the aquarium , good and bad, which have become apparent

 

[Pat24601]

As I mentioned in the other thread, I personally think the aesthetics on the LEDs is a huge improvement over T5s. I can't speak to MH. That's a personal judgement, though, and your mileage may vary.

As for the long term impact on corals, one of the reasons I got the LEDs was so that I could get better intensity for my corals that want that either for coloration or just health...including possibly clams. I've only just had them for a few months, so I can't judge long term if that's proven true or not. My corals are doing great under them, but they were doing well under T5s too.

@DianaKay has had hers for 2 years and her tank looks great.

 

[dgilbert2]

Thanks for the reply and feedback, sounds quite positive

I'm surprised more have not posted their long term findings?

 

[Danreef]

Thanks for the reply and feedback, sounds quite positive

I'm surprised more have not posted their long term findings?

There are hundred of threads about LEDS vs T5 vs MH.

It's not about Steve's LED in particular. These LEDs can be better than others, no doubt there. But for your questions I would rather look around on internet to more general threads.

There is a big and ongoing thread on the SPS forum on Reef Central. For sure there is one here too.

For the last year reading Reef Sanctuary I have not seen a negative comment concerning Steve's LEDs in relation to coral growth that I can remember.

His LEDS do the job as many others brands do too. Others are really bad.....

Cheers
Daniel

Ps: you have to pounder on the answers what type if reef the owner has: SPS, Softies or Mix. etc

 

[dgilbert2]

I need to stop googling , not very conclusive. Metal Halide stills seems to get a lot of votes which I found surprising.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

glennf runs T5s one of the prettiest tanks I have seen full of sps corals, there are many great MH tanks too, leds are used in many coral farms now & lots of great tanks running leds

if you google "coral farms using leds" lots using leds now... a couple examples below using leds - no wrong answer.

one thing I have found as the years have gone by I didn't know early on... looks become more important than coral growth, as your tank matures & you have to constantly frag, frag and you have no more room to add new corals you will wish they didn't grow so fast.

 

[dgilbert2]

..... as your tank matures & you have to constantly frag, frag and you have no more room to add new corals you will wish they didn't grow so fast.

Thanks Glenn for a really informative and interesting post.

It would be a lovely problem for me to have to regularly frag because my coral growth was so high. Over the years I've never been in that position but fingers crossed with my new C130, combined with the stevesleds retrofit, perhaps it will unlock my potential to achieve this goal. Time will tell

 

[DaveK]

I've written a lot about lighting on RS, Let me give you a few insights beyond the specifics of one type of lighting over another.

There are good, solid reasons for using MH, T5 or LED. There is no "one size fits all".

Many people endorse the type of lighting they are using. Few will say something like "I bought the 'Bigtime super delux MTL model X' lighting and something else is better. Also, few people have worked with many types of lighting over extended periods.

Good lighting of one type is better than marginal lighting of the other types.

Even the older types of lighting can still give you good light, although it might not be as nice as some of the newer products. In other words, unless your haveing a problem with lighting, you need not run out and replace it.

 

[StevesLEDs]

I personally have seen a zoa colony, 4 subspecies on the same rock on under t-12's vho (old school), then placed under t-5, then under MH , then under LEDs. So when basically compared side by side, I do favor the LEDs. No other lighting offers comparable iridescence or contrast that LEDs do, thus, I'm a believer in LEDs. I also practice what I preach, in all 7 of my personal aquariums. Prior to that I was big into T5s and MH, but there is no going back now. Those other types of lighting just can't compete with the looks or growth rates of a well designed LED system.

Granted there are some awesome MH bulbs paired with excellent reflectors and some high end T5 bulbs that will look better than a poor quality LED system, no doubt! But when there is an "unlimited class" competition, LEDs tend to come out on top, all for the same price as that high end MH setup.

Jeff

 

[Jadziapax]

I don't have tons of experience with different lighting, but u love my Steve's led retrofit in my 29 biocube. Have had them over a year and LPS and soft corals all do great. Wish I could spend the $$ for my RSM 250 but I had to go with lower priced leds. I'm in the process of setting that tank up so I can't comment on new unit yet.

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[DaveK]

I personally have seen a zoa colony, 4 subspecies on the same rock on under t-12's vho (old school), then placed under t-5, then under MH , then under LEDs. So when basically compared side by side, I do favor the LEDs. No other lighting offers comparable iridescence or contrast that LEDs do, thus, I'm a believer in LEDs. I also practice what I preach, in all 7 of my personal aquariums. Prior to that I was big into T5s and MH, but there is no going back now. Those other types of lighting just can't compete with the looks or growth rates of a well designed LED system.

Granted there are some awesome MH bulbs paired with excellent reflectors and some high end T5 bulbs that will look better than a poor quality LED system, no doubt! But when there is an "unlimited class" competition, LEDs tend to come out on top, all for the same price as that high end MH setup.

Jeff

I have to disagree with you here. In my opinion it is almost impossible do a fair side by side comparison between the various types of lighting. There are just too many factors involved. Each type of lighting had many possible variations in the bulbs used, and the reflectors used in the fixture.

Also, I have seen fantastic reef system using all of the types of lighting you mentioned, and some using combinations of them. It all comes down to what you want out of the lighting system.

In really large tanks, and I'm talking something like 500 gal plus and deep, MH is still the only real choice, since it is about the only lighting that can penetrate a really deep tank.

Yes, I use LED lightning on my reef, and I like it a lot, but over the years on the same tank, I have had MH (175w bulbs), T12, MH and PC (250w bulbs), AI Hydras (six fixtures), and the current AI Hydra 52 (4 fixtures). All of them gave good light. What I did get over the years with all these upgrades was a higher amount of light, and better distribution across the tank.

There are also people that use actinic T5s along with LED or MH, and claim they get much better color out of corals than they get with LEDs or MH alone.

The bottom line is that there are many good ways to get excellent light. LED lighting is the current popular lighting. There are may reasons to go with a different type of lighting.

 

[Leo]

Dave K. Well said!!!!


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[Leo]

I used to have a 150 gallon with 1- 400watt MH and 2 36" actinic's. ( can't remember the wattage) but the lighting combined was some of the most beautiful lighting and I have yet to see anything a whole lot better. My corals had beautiful color and the tank looked outstanding. Now, I'm not saying I'm going to go that route. I have a Red Sea 250. And I was not a big fan of the lights until I added a dozen single LED bulbs. It gave it a bit more color and added a dimension that I was strongly missing. Probably will upgrade to all LED as that seems to be the most cost effective on a few different fronts. Time will tell[emoji4]


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[StevesLEDs]

Well, I do admit my test was subjective, I might find one woman pretty that you dislike, and vice versa. However, deciding that an iridescent green red mushroom that grew under LEDs is likely prettier to most people than a plain brown/red mushroom that grew under MH, should be relatively obvious. (Both mushrooms were originally from the same colony, so same species)

I assisted one customer with outfitting a 2,000 gallon aquarium with LEDs (switching from MH). This aquarium, at 60" deep, did pose some challenges in getting enough PAR on the sandbed to be able to support corals. He originally had 2x 2,500W MH bulbs hanging above it, and was barely able to get LPS to grow near the bottom. We made a custom fixture that had 700 LEDs 3W LEDs in it, totaling more than 2,100W and that outputted more than 4 times the lumens. By the end of it, he was able to sustain quite a variety of LPS on the sandbed, and cut his electric bill by more than half (since the central A/C wasn't running as much due to 75% less heat output. This install also required a variety of optic angles as well. I'm just saying it is possible for the larger aquariums, just a bit more planning is involved to get the right combination of LEDs and optics for proper penetration. You just cannot get several fixtures that were made for a 55 gallon, and put them over a 600 gallon aquarium and expect it to work, there is a bit more math to it.

Hope that helps clarify.

Jeff