LED?

[sergiotami]

Any forum members use them??


Do they really last as long as advertised???


Pros and Cons???

[chunkymonkey]

Crux load of threads. Hit the search, there are some diy posts on it too.

[ramsey]

I have AI LEDs. I love them. I love the look of corals under them and the sunrise/sunset stuff you can do. Plus no bulb changes is a huge plus. As far as growth though, I haven't had them long enough to really tell plus I've had tank leak recently. I know that some zoas I had really took off under them.

[wesheltonj]

I have had them for a couple of years, very happy.

[chunkymonkey]

I can wait to build an LED project, lower heat, no bulb changes, and energy.

[sergiotami]

What about some of the LED lights I've seen in the Maine Depot or Dr. Foster Smith catalogs? Anyone purchase them or use them? I have the Nova Extreme Pros, great, but want to upgrade...

[ramsey]

I've used the Ecoxotic stunner strips and they're cool. Not really for growing coral but more for supplementing existing lights. Honestly though, most of the fixtures are going to cost you just as much as going with AI. AI has a proven track record so I trust them more. What are the dimensions of your tank and what's your budget?

[txg8gxp]

I personally love leds. I have built several diy lights and I also have AI modules over my sps tank. I have great growth from all my sps under the AI lighting.

[Joseph]

I've had my AL's up and running for over a year now, see my album.
Low heat, adjustable. No hassel wiring. low energy consumption.
Yes, just a bit pricey, but the life span makes it worth it

[hobogato]

and wow are they bright! i think i am still seeing spots from the tank tour joseph :)

[ramsey]

Yeah, eight modules is insane. My four modules put out a lot of light!

[glennr1978]

I'd really like to believe that LED's are superior to MH and T5's, but I just can't. Actually, let me rephrase, I'd like to believe that INEXPENSIVE led's are superior (or even equal to) MH or T5's. The only really impressive tanks I've seen all seem to run the high end AI fixtures. I'm sure I could get away with a few par38's over my tank but I have yet to see a tank lit by them for even a remotely long period of time that looks as good as what can be accomplished with either T5 or MH.

I almost bought a couple of par38's this morning for my little 10g actually, now that I know what I want to do with it. Then I decided to just stick with what I KNOW works so I'm going to use a 150w mh. LED's are clearly the future of reef tank lighting, but I just don't think that our current options are better than what we already have (unless you can afford to shell out the coin for the AI fixtures).

[ramsey]

AI is coming out with a nano fixture soon. You may want to look at that. Also, figure up what bulb and electricity costs will be over the next few years. That's what I did and decided to take the LED plunge. You don't have to go with AI to get good results. There are plenty of DIY supplies (http://rapidled.com) that you could use to make your own awesome fixture. You'd be using most of the same parts that are in the AI modules.