Amazing coral growth with LEDs

[Bobbofin]

I am truly amazed at how fast my SPS corals are growing under LEDs compared to MH or T5HO. My two Brids Nest, Acans and Purple Digi are growing like weeds! See the pictures from Nov 28th to Dec 31st. I fragged the left side of this German Purple Digi and will have seven frags over an inch tall with many splits available at the next meeting. Check out the pictures!

 

[beckbrass]

Nice. Good to see the results from the led lights.

 

[afboundguy]

That's awesome growth... What are you using for leds and at what ratio blue to white? I can't remember...

 

[Bobbofin]

50/50 Cree XR-E Q5 cool white/royal blue. Got the whites dialed down to 500ma and blues at 700ma. It has a nice 14-15k look. The camera can be tricky, eveything comes out really blue even with the whites on. Took pic in November and marked my calendar to do it again in a month. I thought I'd get a little growth but 1/2" in five different areas 34 days is amazing. All the clipping for the frags on the left side is starting to recover and grow.
Thinking about bringing the light again and doing a DIY demo with diagrams and such at the next meeting. Could print info off the www.reefledlights.com website. If I decide to do that who should I get a hold of in the club?

 

[afboundguy]

I'll toss the idea around to the right people...

 

[Royalty]

I my need you help with making a creed led for my 6 gallon tank and 72 bow. If you dont mind giving me a few pointers.

 

[Edward]

ugh, this might just be the selling point for me. money to build a new, huge sump for christmas and with my birthday tomorrow...my used t5's aren't looking so hot anymore =P

 

[Bobbofin]

This is a no brainer!

ugh, this might just be the selling point for me.

It was a no brainer
Yearly savings in electricity, $180
Yearly savings not buying 14k 150w MH bulb every 8 months: $135
Yearly savings not buying T5HO actinic tubes every 10 months: $60
Total yearly savings: $375
Return on $450 investment: 1-1/2 years
MH and T5HO bulb changes over the 50,000 hours/11 years lifespan of fixture: none
Total savings over 50,000 hours/11 years lifespan of fixture: $4125.00 ::::::
Proof that corals grow under these lights: yup!

The only negative I can find is that photography under LEDs is tricky. My tank looks 14-15k under 50/50 blue/white. Using my digital camera it looks beyond 20k and with just the blues on usable photography is pretty much impossible, all you get is a blue wash. Maybe Melev will touch on this during his photography presentation.

 

[loki32687]

Man, I wish i was capable of building a fixture. That's impressive.

 

[Bobbofin]

Come to the meeting. I am going to give indepth instructions on LED, heatsink and optic selection; attaching LEDs, wiring, soldering, adjusting drivers, etc.

 

[aiaman]

I am looking forward to kowing how to do this, thanks for offering to inform

 

[KSC]

That looks like a nice light. I would highly doubt these leds will last more than a year or 2. I've noticed a significant drop in par on the leds I'm using (nanotuners par 38 bulbs). i have a feeling there are going to be a few more of these suits....
"Moreover, the FTC complaint states that in many instances, Lights of America’s LED bulbs would not last as long as the company’s promotional materials said they would. In one case, for example, the firm said that one of its LED recessed bulbs would last 30,000 hours. Independent tests, however, showed that the bulb would not last as long as claimed because it lost 80 percent of its light output after only 1,000 hours."

 

[Technorch]

Come to the meeting. I am going to give indepth instructions on LED, heatsink and optic selection; attaching LEDs, wiring, soldering, adjusting drivers, etc.

Definitely making it to this meeting for this!

I was wondering if we could tape this on video and upload it on our forum in the DIY section as a "DIY Video Tutorial"? That would be pretty awesome

 

[Andy V]

Very true...I have met with the CEO and management team of CREE many times in the past (my firm owns a significant amount of the company) and the lifespan given on LEDs is not nearly as long as claimed. There are a lot of different variables that can shorten the life of the LEDs and a lot of people are not going to be happy to find out they are lucky to get a lifespan of half of what is claimed.

 

[JayM]

Very true...I have met with the CEO and management team of CREE many times in the past (my firm owns a significant amount of the company) and the lifespan given on LEDs is not nearly as long as claimed. There are a lot of different variables that can shorten the life of the LEDs and a lot of people are not going to be happy to find out they are lucky to get a lifespan of half of what is claimed.

ouch. is there any documentation about this anywhere?

 

[STiTCH87]

That IS some impressive growth. Do you have any one-month comparison pictures documented while using other lighting to show how LED growth compares to other lighting growth though? Would be interested in seeing a T5 to LED comparison or similar. Because I know for some people, their corals simply grow fast for unknown reasons regardless of the lighting and vica versa.

 

[Andy V]

ouch. is there any documentation about this anywhere?

Well, there is the case the previous poster mentioned:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/09/lightsofamerica.shtm

There is ample anecdotal evidence out there as well, which is what prompted me to discuss this with CREE in the first place. A lot of the problem comes from improper heat sink design, which will likely be exacerbated by DIYers. There is a lot more science that goes into these things than people think. Which is why CREE is one of the best and others are not that good. They have a proprietary technology in certain components that makes them better than other LEDs.

However, even with the best designs, Lumen output declines ~25% within a couple years. This is a big problem for reefers, and the only solution is to replace, which really shreds the economic equation. Honeywell has been working on this problem as well:

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-...ng-thermal-management-to-prolong-LED-lifespan

My belief is that LED lighting is the future, but it's still a new technology and not ideal for reefing from an economic or a long-term husbandry standpoint. I think it's a shiny new "green" technology that a hobby full of people that love the new toy and want to be more environmentally friendly have tricked themselves into justifying the cost. I don't mean this to be disparaging, as I have fallen into the same trap myself. LEDs will be great in a few years, just not now.

 

[Andy V]

More stuff:

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/3-tips-for-maximizing-the-life-of-your-led-light-bulbs

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/how-long-did-you-say-that-bulb-will-last/

 

[JayM]

great info.....

 

[aiaman]

IMO - nothing is static anymore, change is the new norm
if I can DIY myself a better mouse-trap and update it from time to time
than maybe I can provide a better environment for myself & my keep