So LEDs yeah or neah?

Hello All,



As I was leaving the hobby in 2007 LED where the new thing they hadn't really been proven.



I was wondering now 5 years latter how well you all like them compared to MH and T5s.



Thanks,

Clayton

 

All good. Nothing bad. More expensive at the outset, but cost saving in the long run. Great growth, customizable, modular...like I said: all good. Nothing bad.

 

yep even my houseplants are on led now. HPS/MH/T5 is a thing of the past

 

+1.... I love mine and wouldn't think of goin back to mh or pc...

 

it cost me 2000 to put LED's over 8' of tank. But in terms of savings between electricity and bulb replacement compared to metal halides, I will SAVE that much over the course of the next ten years! Way Yeahhh! Plus there are colors popping in these corals that I never knew they had.

 

The one caution is ... stories of people switching to leds from metal halides etc and bleaching corals because some don't think the leds "seem as bright" as other lights so they crank up the light and hurt the coral. But, once you get the light dialed in, they are great.

I have them over a 20 gallon and a 135 and I love the look in the tank, both the coral colors and the shimmer of the light.

 

+1. I scorched a few of my acros doing exactly that.

 

I just switched my Mh out for leds. My coral has so much more color sence I have switched. I'll never go back.

Plus its nice not having to hear the fans kick off and on like you do with Mh. lol

 

Heck yea LEDs all the way. Heck I even have them on my sump.

 

I have a 36w PAR38 over my nano and love it.

 

I love that there is very little heat from them; so nice to not have to worry about the water heating up like it does from my halides. I like that they make the water look glistening and flickery, if that makes any sense /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif I like that they're supposed to last a long time. I don't like the cost associated with them right now, but that's with any new technology, always more when its new. I also wish that they had more variety in the fixtures available, but that's really expanding by leaps and bounds. I think I saw 3x the amount of LED vendors at MACNA this year than last year; it's really exploded!

 

Yes the heat was the biggest issue as I would go out of town alot on weekends and be worried when I would come back home to a fire. Takes a little bit to adjust but I like them now.

 

Well that seem to be a solid endorsement.

Any suggestions for a good retro fit kit?

It will be mounted in a cabinet.

 

LED's are great, but imo cost wise T5's are still pretty dang good. Granted you have to replace bulbs and the energy cost is higher, but if someone was just going to buy lights from a catalog and didn't want to DIY or do lots of research T5 is great. Lots of LED systems out there are subpar and somone could easly buy them thinking they are enough for corals. Just my 0.02

 

rapid .led get crees...

 

I have rapid leds and I love them. They are over my 20 gallon and over my 135 gallon. Great look, great color, corals love them.

 

dang...I need to get LEDs for my tank

 

Are the rapid better than ais?

 

well rapid leds are cree brand and are top notch for fish tanks for par readings for corals .

 

so ais arent good?