alton
Wed, 3rd Aug 2011, 10:09 AM
Since I started in the aquarium hobby 40 years ago I have always looked for better lighting. My first aquarium was a 5 gallon with a 10 watt incandescent lamp that my mother bought from the Winn’s Store in UC, which was in the shopping center where Polly’s is today. Actually there was a Piggly Wiggly and the Winn’s was next to that. A little history the same person developed Winncrest. Of course TG & Y came in, and then Woolco, Kmart, and then Wal Mart.
Okay back on subject from incandescent to regular fluorescent, compact fluorescent, metal halide, T5HO, back to metal halide, and now hoping LED will be the answer to all our problems. At this time I am on my 3rd Marineland LED light fixture, like always companies are quick to release something that is not proven or tested. Microsoft does this all the time, last one was Vista. It seems the first to try something new are the guinea pigs but thanks to good fish stores and warranties we make it through.
What I am hoping for is others will post there experience’s with the different brands. I know that Karin has done very well with Aqua Illuminations SOL Units. Some have had very good luck with the evolution fixtures. I have a friend who has the 200 watt evolution on his 70 gallon and it looks good and grows coral very well. And although 200 watts the heat goes into the air versus into the water, so his tank never gets warmer when the light comes on. I saw a 60w Cree unit at Reefs 2 U yesterday that had dimming for both white and blue with two cords for separate controls. It seems dimming is a big issue with LED so not to burn your corals when first introduced.
I will start this with my experience with Marinelands Reef Capable LED 36” to 48”
I have it on my 36” long 40 gallon tank. With most LED fixtures around 16” there was no way of getting by with just one fixture. This one being 36” long covers the whole tank and since the tank is only 12” wide it is perfect. If you had an 18” deep tank it would require two of these fixtures unless you only kept coral in the center.
Positives: Grows corals and has a crisp white light and only draws 55 watts with 42 LEDs and replaced a 156 watt T5HO light fixture. So I am saving a 100 watts in electrical cost plus saving $80 dollars a year in lamp cost. Light fixture cost $369 versus the $225 T5HO light, so if it last me 3 years it will pay for itself. And like most LED Light fixtures the lamps are more spot than flood, so I do not clean my glass very often.
Negatives: I had to add two blue stunners because I like the bluer look, plus Marineland does not give you two cords to control the blue and white lights separately. And like I mentioned before I am on my third one, so hopefully the third one is the charm.
So let us here from others please, list positives and negatives of your LED lights
Okay back on subject from incandescent to regular fluorescent, compact fluorescent, metal halide, T5HO, back to metal halide, and now hoping LED will be the answer to all our problems. At this time I am on my 3rd Marineland LED light fixture, like always companies are quick to release something that is not proven or tested. Microsoft does this all the time, last one was Vista. It seems the first to try something new are the guinea pigs but thanks to good fish stores and warranties we make it through.
What I am hoping for is others will post there experience’s with the different brands. I know that Karin has done very well with Aqua Illuminations SOL Units. Some have had very good luck with the evolution fixtures. I have a friend who has the 200 watt evolution on his 70 gallon and it looks good and grows coral very well. And although 200 watts the heat goes into the air versus into the water, so his tank never gets warmer when the light comes on. I saw a 60w Cree unit at Reefs 2 U yesterday that had dimming for both white and blue with two cords for separate controls. It seems dimming is a big issue with LED so not to burn your corals when first introduced.
I will start this with my experience with Marinelands Reef Capable LED 36” to 48”
I have it on my 36” long 40 gallon tank. With most LED fixtures around 16” there was no way of getting by with just one fixture. This one being 36” long covers the whole tank and since the tank is only 12” wide it is perfect. If you had an 18” deep tank it would require two of these fixtures unless you only kept coral in the center.
Positives: Grows corals and has a crisp white light and only draws 55 watts with 42 LEDs and replaced a 156 watt T5HO light fixture. So I am saving a 100 watts in electrical cost plus saving $80 dollars a year in lamp cost. Light fixture cost $369 versus the $225 T5HO light, so if it last me 3 years it will pay for itself. And like most LED Light fixtures the lamps are more spot than flood, so I do not clean my glass very often.
Negatives: I had to add two blue stunners because I like the bluer look, plus Marineland does not give you two cords to control the blue and white lights separately. And like I mentioned before I am on my third one, so hopefully the third one is the charm.
So let us here from others please, list positives and negatives of your LED lights