lighting whats best

I've been running LED's on my system for about 6 months. Getting the right amount of light seems to be the biggest issue when running LED's only. The light isn't the same as T5 or MH and I did have an issue with it bleaching out certain corals because of the amount of light directed at the corals.

For this reason I would only go with a dimmable fixture. I built my 24 LED fixture with dual dimming modules so I can control the intensity of the whites and blues independently. This has allowed me to fine tune the light output without having to raise or lower the fixture. I have found that as the coral acclimate to the LED light that I have been able to gradually increase the light output till it now at the same level as what used to bleach my corals.

I'm not familiar with the Apollo LED fixture but I assume it is non dimmable. I would keep the fixture mounted high for now and reduce the photo period to about 4 hours per day and then increase it gradually as you see the corals respond. I also like running the Blue LED's for a little longer than the whites. The whites promote rapid growth while the blues seem to intensify the colors.

Check out this on Reefs.com of a local reef that run's LED's supplimented by VHOs on a 210 gallon tank for an idea of the color health a properly tuned LED lighting system can produce.

http://www.reefs.com/blog/2011/11/28/terence-fugazzi-210-reef/

Edited by bfessler - November 30 2011 at 6:57am

I will just throw out my 2 cents here. I have been in the hobby for almost 6 years and used almost every type of lighting there is.

I started with Power compacts, switched to T5, back to power compacts (new tank), tried Metal Halide, back to T5 and now LED for the last 8 months.

Which is the best for me and my tanks? T5, hands down no questions.

Why? I am SICK AND TIRED of not knowing where to put corals under my LEDs. One coral does great 8" from the lights and another has to be shaded and another wants to be right under the light source. Yet, all these corals were in the same place with my T5 setup.

I am also tired of limited spectrum and trying to get certain colors to come out. Pinks, forget about it! They dull out under LEDs over time. People that want to argue that with me, let's see your tank a year apart with the LEDs.

For me the blue LEDs are AMAZING at making things pop. T5 and VHO can NOT compete with a good blue LED. White LEDs can NOT compete with MH, T5 or even VHO. The spectra is so limited in them.

I will give LEDs another 6 months over my tank. They work great for softies and LPS but every SPS that goes in, dies in days. Water quality? I highly doubt it. I like to think I have a very small idea of what I am doing. I kept SPS in this tank under the Power Compact lights that it comes with. Put SPS under the LEDs and death.

In 6 months my wife and I should be moving into a house and at that point I really hope to set up a new tank. If my LEDs have kept SPS alive, happy and growing I will keep the LEDs. If not, I am going back to T5s in a heartbeat.

For me, I don't think there is a huge difference between manufactures. As long as they are using good LEDs and properly drive them, they are all pretty equal. LEDs have major cons that no one will ever point out. If you point them out, the LED lovers jump down your throat.

That is all MY experience and MY opinion.

It is called light acclimation. I wouldn't plan on too much growth for a little bit. The corals have to adjust to an all new light. This can take months for some of them.

Leave it at 15" and decrease the photo period. If they don't respond within a couple weeks then try raising it up higher.

Hi Ryan, I don't want to argue with you but I've had just the opposite results with SPS. My slow growing Acro's have tripled their growth rate and the colors have become much more intense. Especially the Pinks. I have some Pink Monti Cap and Pink Digi that were more orange till I put them under the LED's. When I get back to UT. I'll post some before and after pics of the same colonies.

Now I do have to say that I think the best growth I have seen has been with my LED's supplemented by my T5's for about 4 to 6 hours per day. I am coming to believe that the ideal fixture may be a T5/LED combo. I'm not sure there is a perfect single light source out there and a Hybrid may just be the answer.

Just out of curiosity are your LED's a DIY fixture or manufactured product? Also are you running with or without optics. I don't bother with the optics in a shallow 24" or less tank and find that I get better spread and more uniform growth. For deeper tanks I think a combination of LED's with and without optics gives better penetration and still adequate spread.

For my next build I am planning a 24 LED fixture using Cool White, Neutral White, Blue and Royal Blue LED's to try to get a little more spectrum out of the LED's. It will also have 2 dimming channels so I can adjust the intensity of the blues and whites independently. This is a feature I believe should be standard on any serious LED fixture. My current fixture uses only Cool White and Royal Blue. I think you're right about the limited spectrum from a single white and even blue LED. Until I move to a larger tank I won't be experimenting with violet, greens or red LED's though they intrigue me. I don't think putting the added complexity into a smaller DIY fixture would be worth wile.

Another option for that "LED pop" without going full LED is to supplement your light source with stunner strips.  I am looking at adding some to my T-5's.

I have been using a blue Panarma LED fixture with my MH and have seen a lot of corals color up and "pop" more. I'm not sold 100% on LEDs on due to the price and I love that I can change the light spectrum with my MH easily. I
I guess you could do that with DIY LEDs.

I also have the ATI fixture on my other tank and love the way it looks. With LEDs on there as supplemental lighting I still get the shimmer that I love. It's safe to say its all personal preference.

What is you did LED with T5s as a supplement? Buy 2 T5s to bring out differant colors?

I think really that the companies out there may not have the right idea for the type of LED they should have on their fixtures. I built mine with 450nm actinic and cool white leds. Some colors have faded as i have kept the color temp lower by decreasing the output but recently i've noticed better growth and some color returning in the corals. When i build my next fixutre for my 75 gallon, i'll be doing much like Bfessler will be. I'll definately do a mixture of warm and cool white LEDs with a few red, blue and green in the mix possibly. Its only a thought so far but when the time gets closer to getting it, i'll post about the design.

Edited by phys - December 02 2011 at 5:04pm

If you are looking to get some new LEDs, check this out: http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-led-lights/69574-cree-xp-g-cool-white-spectrum.htmlThey basically go through (towards the end) what i am looking for. They sell their fixtures or DIY fixtures for a decent price. http://reefledlights.com/

i think you're definately on the right track! Id be very interested in seeing your setup when you're finished. I am going to have to agree with you that cool whites do cut off too much color.

Edited by phys - December 20 2011 at 3:31pm