taking a break from LED

[dz6t]

After playing with LED for 6 month, I switch back to t-5 and metal halide. Coral has ok growth under LED but much better growth under t-5 and/or Metal halide. Some LPS and clam just doesn't like LED. By no means I give up on LED, I am thinking about gutting the Chinese LED and replace the bulb combination in the future.

 

[frank180reef]

what did u notice with the LPS and clam?

 

[mnavick]

True life stories.......love them.
Please let us know more.

I have run MH w/CF and T5 for 12 yrs and have been looking at LED but keep seing these stories

 

[dz6t]

what did u notice with the LPS and clam?

I have a big brain coral was start bleaching under the LED just several days and start dying. I caught it quick and move it under metal halide. The brain bounced back after a week under metal halie. Now the brain is happy with tenticles flying but lost most of its original color. The clam was gaping after two week under LED, after I moved it under halide, it bounced back also.

 

[dannyp02908]

Dong,

Do you think it is a spectrum issue? These stories come a lot with the LEDs that have RB/CW combos. Do you think adding some reds and greens would help? I know the Pacific Sun and EcoTech lights use more than just blue and white. Curious on your thoughts from first hand experience as these stories are what keep me from going LED. I'm sure a lot of others feel the same.

 

[dz6t]

Also, an orange acan was under LED turned bright red after it was under metal halide. A pretty large red acan colony stop glowing under LED for month, after I moved it under halide, it has very visible grow again. A montipora plate was not getting any growth under LED for month and now grow 1/4 of its size under halide for just a month.

 

[dz6t]

Dong,

Do you think it is a spectrum issue? These stories come a lot with the LEDs that have RB/CW combos. Do you think adding some reds and greens would help? I know the Pacific Sun and EcoTech lights use more than just blue and white. Curious on your thoughts from first hand experience as these stories are what keep me from going LED. I'm sure a lot of others feel the same.

I believe it is spectrum issue, not intensity. I don't think adding red and green will help (just my opinion), when I compare those published spectrum graph for LED and halide, LED lacks some spectrum in the ultra violet range. UV is tricky, too much of it kills and too little of it is bad also.

 

[dz6t]

Here is my though, MH is not perfect either, it is the Sun's spectrum under 10 feet of ocean water should be used as the guideline for designing LED. With that said, if any company want to patent this idea, too bad, I just put the idea under public domain...

 

[HuuTa]

Not all led are created equal.I just move my radion from the upstaire tank down to another tank and i can tell you that my sps are doing great.almost a 1/4 inch growth in one week on my red planet and neon green milli.The only problem i have is one of my rainbow acan is loosing it's colors but then again the same rainbow cut from the same mother colony lost all it's colors under t5.Still alive and puffy just no color so i don't know if the radion is the cause of it

 

[dannyp02908]

UV is interesting and has been talked about a lot. I thought MH lighting had UV filtered glass. Does some UV light still get through? If it is completely filtered, wouldn't that make UV a moot point? I am not sure of the Radion colors but I think (don't quote me) that the PacSuns use UV LEDs.

 

[HuuTa]

iirc the pac sun has 9 or 10 diferrent colors according to the rep at the June 30 meeting

 

[dz6t]

UV is not completely filtered out on metal halide. Just like in the ocean, most UV from the sun filtered out by the water and there is still significant amount of UV reaches coral reef. According to many books, the beautiful color we are seeing on coral are their UV shields. So, in theory, when UV is absent, UV shield may fade away then cause the brown out of coral (lost of color), also will increase light penetration of other spectrum, then cause bleach, the cause death of coral.

 

[Ellabug]

The chinese knock-off LEDs and older generation LEDs (including the AI Sols) have a very limited spectrum. Many people have supplemented with T5s, and a few of us are now exploring the use of UV and other colored LEDs to supplement - RapidLED just came out with 3w UV bulbs w/ 60 and 80 degree optics that I personally will be using over my 90g. Folks with full-spectrum LEDs haven't found the same issues. Also, the chinese knock-off's probably have a far poorer spectrum than some of the other LEDs like radion or AIs. You also have to be very careful with LEDs to not fry your corals, particularly if they've been used to MH or T5 - a lot of people have melted or bleached coral by switching to LEDs due to their intensity. Glad your corals are thriving again, but I wouldn't totally write off LEDs just yet!

 

[dannyp02908]

Hmm. Interesting. Would be kool to see this as a comparison. You have the corals and the 2 LED fixtures. Maybe take two frags of the same animal. An animal you know lost color under your LEDs (acan for example). Add UV on to one LED and see if it makes an honest difference in coloration and growth. I not, then you would know for a fact and could try the same experiment adding other colows until you find the combo.

 

[arch85]

Sorry about your experience with LEDs ... I have been using Current TrueLumen Pro led strips for about 9 months now, and can vouch for leds myself. I've had no issues growing anything whatsoever ... I did have issues with my acans losing color (reds turned orange as you mentioned).

The led's I have right now are just white and blue, and I have 0 complaints when it comes to growth. Even for the color the corals, except for the red acans everything has been fantastic.

Anyhow, I ordered a couple of those chinese led fixtures with custom light combo, and will let you guys know of the results. I will also be using a whole bunch of Pacific Sun leds for my grow out tanks; will keep all the info updated on both my web site forum as well as forum on BRS (working on becoming a BRS sponsor soon).

 

[afsportsguy000]

Here is my though, MH is not perfect either, it is the Sun's spectrum under 10 feet of ocean water should be used as the guideline for designing LED. With that said, if any company want to patent this idea, too bad, I just put the idea under public domain...

Great Idea with the standard being 10ft under the ocean. What percentage of reefs are at 10ft under ocean floor? Another food for thought, In the radius of your tank, is there anywhere in the world that many variations of corals are that close together? If so what type and why do they work well together?

 

[dz6t]

The chinese knock-off LEDs and older generation LEDs (including the AI Sols) have a very limited spectrum. Many people have supplemented with T5s, and a few of us are now exploring the use of UV and other colored LEDs to supplement - RapidLED just came out with 3w UV bulbs w/ 60 and 80 degree optics that I personally will be using over my 90g. Folks with full-spectrum LEDs haven't found the same issues. Also, the chinese knock-off's probably have a far poorer spectrum than some of the other LEDs like radion or AIs. You also have to be very careful with LEDs to not fry your corals, particularly if they've been used to MH or T5 - a lot of people have melted or bleached coral by switching to LEDs due to their intensity. Glad your corals are thriving again, but I wouldn't totally write off LEDs just yet!

There are extensive review on RC about Chinese LED. They don't have far-pooper spectrum than Radion or AI. The problem I encountered are common to LED light, not specific to Chinese LED. The problems only limited to certern type of coral and clam. Zoas and other soft coral are very happy under the chinese LED.

 

[dz6t]

Sorry about your experience with LEDs ... I have been using Current TrueLumen Pro led strips for about 9 months now, and can vouch for leds myself. I've had no issues growing anything whatsoever ... I did have issues with my acans losing color (reds turned orange as you mentioned).

The led's I have right now are just white and blue, and I have 0 complaints when it comes to growth. Even for the color the corals, except for the red acans everything has been fantastic.

Anyhow, I ordered a couple of those chinese led fixtures with custom light combo, and will let you guys know of the results. I will also be using a whole bunch of Pacific Sun leds for my grow out tanks; will keep all the info updated on both my web site forum as well as forum on BRS (working on becoming a BRS sponsor soon).

Where is your website, love to take a look.

 

[Matt L.]

Dong, I'm sorry I haven't been following your story in detail.

Specifically, what type of LEDs were you using?

Were these cheap, knockoff Chinese LEDs or a brand name fixture?

I was interested in reviews of:
EcoTech Marine Radion XR30w LED Light Fixture
Orphek Power Reef PR156 LED Light Fixture

Matt

 

[dz6t]

Dong, I'm sorry I haven't been following your story in detail.

Specifically, what type of LEDs were you using?

Were these cheap, knockoff Chinese LEDs or a brand name fixture?

I was interested in reviews of:
EcoTech Marine Radion XR30w LED Light Fixture
Orphek Power Reef PR156 LED Light Fixture

Matt

It is the Chinese Taotronic LED.