Lighting the reef: LED or non-LED, that is the question.

Kellie

Good afternoon, everyone. In the sales topic, I raised the issue of using LED lighting. I don't want to engage in a debate there, so I created this topic. My question to the user: you mentioned that you replaced bulbs from one brand with another and are very satisfied with the result. In your next message, you stated that the light spectrum for corals doesn't matter. My question to you is: what has changed, if not the spectrum, when switching from one manufacturer to another? You didn't change the light output or the duration of lighting? I have more than two years of experience in aquaristics (approximately over twenty) and have learned to see the relationship between spectrum, intensity, and duration of lighting. In my opinion, LED lighting is very difficult to adjust and understand these spectrum settings. Let's discuss this issue together.

Sharon

I agree with you. I had LED and then T5. I took T5 with ATI bulbs, and everything worked out with both hard and soft corals. With LED, it also worked, but not consistently, mainly with soft corals. LED really needs to be carefully selected for each type of coral. I continue to use both. For now, I trust T5 + LED for the main reef.

Brooke3987

Thank you for your attention to this matter! I am currently in the process of setting up and determining the optimal spectrum. At first, I thought it was simple - I took a standard set of colors in the ratio: one cool white + one blue + two royal blues, added a bit of violet, and went ahead, just adjusting the brightness by groups. Now I don't think so. With the abundance of the blue part of the spectrum, which specialists believe is needed for corals, it seems to me that the condition of the corals is deteriorating. I add white - the corals do better and the picture looks livelier. I want to add warm white or add LLL.

Michael

I completely agree! The whole problem is that LED lights can be adjusted, and this is the main issue with LED lighting. If LED lights were as simple as regular lamps, there wouldn't be any problems. Simply put, no adjustments, no problems. A lamp doesn't have a regulator, which makes it easier; the manufacturer has thought of everything, and everyone just uses it. From personal experience, I can say that everything grows under LED lights; the main thing is to monitor the water parameters. However, LED lights distort and change the color of SPS corals, and this is their main problem, probably the only one.

Rick

The growth/reproduction rate under LED is lower than under T5. I am not satisfied with LED.

Dawn6148

It all depends not only on the light. Perhaps experienced hobbyists have a different perspective, but personally, I had T5 and LED, and the results were disappointing in both cases, while others have decent aquariums regardless. Next, it seems to me that when we talk about lamps, we mean ATI and other branded products, while when we talk about LED, we think of DIY setups like airsoft or "Pastukh" (no offense to DIYers). By the way, it will be interesting to hear what owners of "Radions" and other cool stuff have to say.

Laura3615

User reviews of factory LED lights are very interesting. There is a lot of information on the reef central that their settings are not so straightforward either.

Marie5735

There is another "problem" with LEDs - their cost. Only branded products can be called good fixtures. I think the current leader is Radion from ecotech. They have both a selection of diodes and well-thought-out optics, as well as presets for fixture settings... Meanwhile, DIY enthusiasts have only learned to solder diodes onto substrates and glue them onto aluminum housings (and controllers as well), and that's it. This is closer to the Stone Age. There is no talk of well-thought-out optics yet, and they probably don't have quantum meters either. So if you don't have enough funds for a branded fixture, for now, it's only T5 (or in combination with MH).

Natasha

I came to write about this topic, but someone already beat me to it.))

Zachary

Wait, wait. You say "Stone Age." Here is a photo of Sergei's aquarium from Zaporizhzhia. The light is a homemade LED. The corals are already coming to the surface. The growth rate is insane - the consumption of crumbs in the aquarium is about a kilogram every two weeks. He is a modest and private person; otherwise, there would be another aquarium of the month besides Taki. If you can do this with a "stone axe," then pardon me. Buy branded items and enjoy "Leiba," while we will take a different path. By the way, I forgot to mention that the photo is from last year. And here is a second photo of mine. The light is also a homemade LED.

Bethany

Interesting video. It's in English, but very understandable. It will probably be very relevant here.

Ryan

Regarding energy savings. 1 watt per liter for LED is a lot. I currently have a 300-liter aquarium with a 180-watt light running at about 80% power. That is 150 watts. This is 0.5 watts per liter. It is sufficient for everyone. The height of the aquarium is 65 cm.

Amber6362

- Consumption is not so straightforward. - And savings are similar. - Consumption and savings are approximately the same.

Andrea8397

Bravo!!! He has silenced all the skeptics of LED lighting. Probably, the old sailors with their pipes don't have such aquariums.

James

There are also "skeptics," you are mistaken, and many of them... and they are no worse at all. Just don't exaggerate with the "shovels," okay? There are also foreign marine aquariums, on the same ATI, or are these not facts?

Gabriel

Moreover, if you look at the aquariums of the month on Reef Central, most of them use T5 lighting. Not everyone liked LEDs. As for watts per liter... these dogmas should be forgotten. What do liters have to do with it? In fact, a more decisive factor is the height of the aquarium and the inhabitants (soft corals, LPS, SPS).

Cassandra7840

The question is not about what is better (undoubtedly, T5 is the main light for the sea as of yesterday), but whether LEDs can completely replace T5 fluorescent lights today. Are you showing your aquarium in the link from 2015?

Laurie3842

Firstly, the aquarium in the link from 2015 does not belong to me and never has. And I apologize to its owners for presenting it in this topic without their knowledge, but it was impressive in 2015 and is still impressive now. It is illuminated with LED lights selected for this type of coral through professional selection. Secondly, if you really want to see their display not from 2015 but from the nearest period of this year, please take a look...

Cassandra7840

I'm not interested in looking at a marine aquarium with lighting selected "by professional selection." I'm interested in looking at an aquarium with LED lighting chosen simply by Max. He shows his aquarium, rather than referencing someone else's aquariums that have nothing to do with him. I also want a small sea and have thought a lot about the lighting. And thanks to Max, there definitely won't be T5.

Martin3206

Let's not get personal in the debate. Everyone has their own preferences. Some want fluorescent lights - that's fine. However, replacing bulbs every 10 months is a concern given their cost. You say that the fluorescent light manufacturer has thought through the spectrum - why are there so many questions about their arrangement and combination? It's not so simple with LEDs either: initial cost and settings. Just don't make bold statements that it's only fluorescent lights and only ATI. In my opinion, lighting for corals is third in importance after water quality and flow.

Lindsay

I don't understand... you only want a small sea, which is still uncertain whether you will have it, and you are already pointing out "foreign" links to me. You are starting to spam. When you have it, then we can talk. For now, I consider these conversations pointless...

Jennifer7578

Can I ask an immodest question - have you tried LED yourself? You seem to be educating everyone about whether there is a sea or not. How are you with light?

Kenneth2761

I understand that you have experience using both LLL and LED in marine aquariums? You confidently showcase other people's aquariums. I agree with you, you have something to show both under LEDs and T5?

Erin

I still don't understand... Who is raising whom here?... And what are these questions for?... I won't repeat for the tenth time what I use. Dear ones, what do you want to prove here? What "loud statements" are we talking about? Everyone decides for themselves what and how to illuminate. Your arrogance is inappropriate here. As for what I should show, that's my personal business. Please don't try to teach me. For those who are interested. Here too, there are foreign aquariums with ATI lighting and combined options. Such are also shown in my profile: LL, MH, LED.

Kathy

No one is educating anyone here. You were simply asked about your experience with LED lighting. We won't teach you. I couldn't find anything specific about LED lighting in your profile.

Ronald5720

a worthy response of an adult sailor, I will die along with my knowledge, farewell sailor

Jessica5348

Instead of arguing, read the topic on Riffcentral: I think it will also be relevant. I have a question for domestic lighting manufacturers: why do you just stick LEDs without optics and call it a light fixture? Moreover, the set of diodes is each from a different source... Why can't you simply copy the quantity and type of diodes from the same Radiona and group them into the same 6 channels? So that it would be possible to use presets from the Ecotech website. The phrase "we do it better" makes me laugh...

Stefanie9771

The growth/reproduction rate under LED is lower than under T5. I am not satisfied with LED.