I agree, we could go on and on crunching the numbers, but the fact that many quality Mh bulbs can last 1.5-2 years negates any bulb savings compared to led. There's no need for a chiller if you're using quality reflectors mounted at the proper height, a couple of 10w fans take care of that. Plus, in this climate, the MH setup gets a 200w credit for about 8 months a year becuse the heater doesn't come on during the light period. If you factor in the initial cost and the horrendus track record of failure these led components have, it makes MH cheaper, more powerful, and more cost effective in the long run. Those blue leds sure are nice though...
opinion on LED retrofit
- Thread starter Bobbofin
- Start date
DoctaQ
Non-member
par is not just par, it is not the end all of all lighting measurement, coral have a peak photosynthetic response around 460 nm, but light in the 500-600 range will still contribute to the par, even though it is less useful to coral
i will be building a 2 ft led fixture that not only will toast a 150w , probably even a 250w if i had the optics for it. halide, but it will do it for 100 watts and none of the heat, look way better and cover more evenly. lifespan is clearly not something i can test in a day or two
i will be building a 2 ft led fixture that not only will toast a 150w , probably even a 250w if i had the optics for it. halide, but it will do it for 100 watts and none of the heat, look way better and cover more evenly. lifespan is clearly not something i can test in a day or two
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afboundguy
Acan's are inedible candy
I'd be interested to see how the MH bulbs that last 1.5-2 years spectrums look compared to when they were new... I've heard 6 months a year maybe... I'm sure nuscience algae would grow nice with 2 year old MH bulbs and that's about it 
NeverlosT
Engineer with a reefing problem
the doc is right here. PAR can be misleading. A PAR meter reads differently depending on the spectrum being read and takes all of the light that does not directly benefit your corals into account too as "overall PAR".
I have seen tanks with LED's that have less PAR but if you could get a PAR meter that read just at the most useful parts of the spectrum, it would have considerably more. LED allows you to fine tune the high points of your lighting spectrum without having to try 56 different bulbs, 9 different kinds of supplemental lighting, and rob a bank. Then again, those new plasma bulbs may do so as well....
Basically the old school analog (metal halide) is being slowly overtaken by the new school digital (LED/other) and the science to support the takeover is just beginning. The advancement curve of LED has not even started to level out. Things will continue to improve and Halide will eventually be considered along the lines of normal output flourescents, your "grand pappy's" way to light a reef.
aint technology grand? (Im bummed though since I just build a hood centered around metal halide pendant lighting, DOH!)
I have seen tanks with LED's that have less PAR but if you could get a PAR meter that read just at the most useful parts of the spectrum, it would have considerably more. LED allows you to fine tune the high points of your lighting spectrum without having to try 56 different bulbs, 9 different kinds of supplemental lighting, and rob a bank. Then again, those new plasma bulbs may do so as well....
Basically the old school analog (metal halide) is being slowly overtaken by the new school digital (LED/other) and the science to support the takeover is just beginning. The advancement curve of LED has not even started to level out. Things will continue to improve and Halide will eventually be considered along the lines of normal output flourescents, your "grand pappy's" way to light a reef.
aint technology grand? (Im bummed though since I just build a hood centered around metal halide pendant lighting, DOH!)
DoctaQ
Non-member
the plasma seems pretty craziness, i think the main kink in the road aside from the price right now is the lifespan of these guys, along with OLED which also have a short lifespan, but the applications are crazy, its like fiberoptics compared to dialup. think about having a shirt with a funny gif or something just constantly playing,(i guess that would get annoying) and the display portion could be as flexible as cotton
Cheetos
7 Gallon Cube
Speaking of plasma, check this out!
http://www.reefbuilders.com/2009/06/16/aqua-illumination-plasma-lighting-closer-reality/#more-7779
http://www.reefbuilders.com/2009/06/16/aqua-illumination-plasma-lighting-closer-reality/#more-7779
Muddskipper35
Non-member
WOOOHOOO recieved my package from rapidled today!! Gonna start my build thread tomorrow!
DoctaQ
Non-member
heres the real deal on plasma
http://reefbuilders.com/2010/01/26/commercially-lifi-plasma-light-hobbyists-launching/
i completeley lied about plasma and lifetime rating, but it seems to me that the color temp is rather low?
http://reefbuilders.com/2010/01/26/commercially-lifi-plasma-light-hobbyists-launching/
i completeley lied about plasma and lifetime rating, but it seems to me that the color temp is rather low?
N
number1gsxxr
Guest
I have a friend who is an electrical engineer and is working on an LED setup for my tank. What he was saying is that most powered LEDs will a retain a 70% luminance after 5 years. That's under continuous use and at full power. If you factor in that most DIY LED setups people are doing use 1000 or 750 mA LEDs that are dialed back, and the fact that they will not be run 24/7, you should be able to get even more than 5 years out of them.
N
number1gsxxr
Guest
Well get a big heatsink and some fans across it.
