led lighting

[jones02]

so i just want to see what kind of led lighting everyone goes with any why? after reading for awhiel today on them i see i can go with AI or a diy and cost around the same price. so why go diy and spend forever putting it together? what are the pros and cons to DIY and well bought LEDS?

 

[Neopimp]

I liek how flexible the DIY is.  I can add LEDS of any color whenever whereever i want.. Change the optics to suit whatever height I am doing.  And they make sweet shelves in my hood too   I am in the process of adding some moonlights to my fixtures.  I may not have lighning effects or be able to turn the lights green and red but who cares  I know that if somethign quits on it I will be able to fix it without any issue.  Yes the commercial stuff has a sleek look to it. Yes you can have your vortechs sync up to make a storm simulation..... All shit I can do with out.   
I built my fixtures for the cost of 1 radion and hanging kit..... I woudl have needed to add a second radion to cover my tank.  Are my fixtures as bright as the radions?  Who knows.    I have added 5 peices of SPS and they all are growing and encrusting well.  If that changes in the future then I will add optics or up the driver size or add leds or.... many diffent options that you may not have with a commercial unit.
It up to you what you do.  I enjoy building things and being able to troubleshoot and fix my prjects.  If that is not for you and you want a pair of radions then you will prob spend twice as much. 

 

[yveterinarian]

I have the K.E.Y. E7848-D-TC  I really enjoy the auto programming feature which I use to simulate sunrise and sunset and it comes with a controller that can change between 12 different colours.  The reason I purchased it was that I had been looking around and found this display model in the store that they were selling off for less than1/2 price.
So far, I am happy with it and my coral frags (which are tiny) are showing some good colour.  I'm not sure about growth yet as my tank is fairly new.
I, also, love DIY projects and may have tackled it but with my seahorse tank taking a lot of time as well as the reef tank, I felt my time was too limited.
I may make one for my seahorse tank later now that I have found such wonderful instructions.

 

[Salty Cracker]

I don't have any prices...but once you pay for all the pieces and modules, the production costs and the LFS 200% markup, I can't imagine that AI would be the same price as DIY. 

I'm 96 3W CREE LED's, plus heatsinks, dimmer module and shipping/duty/taxes, and I'm around $1200. (enough to grow sps in a 125). If AI can match that, I'd like to see it. 

 

[yveterinarian]

I was very lucky in that the LFS wanted it gone (to make room for new model) and only charged me $600.00. Mine has two fans, Cree lights, Moonlights and fully controllable timer.  It is 3 feet long and gives great coverage for my tank. Not knowing much about LED I went with this one as I could dim the lights if needed for the corals.  A lot of people told me that sometimes the light is too bright for the corals and they bleach out.  So far that hasn't happened to me but I am always on the lookout for it.

However, my kind of deal doesn't come along that often and DIY is usually cheaper and you can customize it for your needs.  Plus the satisfaction of knowing it's completely yours (I think that's worth a lot)

 

[jones02]

What kind of growth are you guys with DIY fixtures are getting annd same with the ones running AI fixtures?

 

[Reef Hero]

Not to steer you away from this forum but I think you will find reef central much more useful for this type of question......they have numerous threads on DIY and AI

 

[Neopimp]

i will post some pics with growth i have seen.  Benner is right on the wealth of info about leds on othe foerums. any answers i give basically come from their anyways.

 

[Reef Hero]

If anyone has done DIY led then I would love to see more threads on here too as well as AI or other led reviews......I am currently running t5s and so cannot comment.....I should post a review thread on my ati dimmable sunpower. I would love to hear from as many people locally also about their led, DIY or factory, experiences or build threads too because I think this is where I will be going next regarding lighting and I think most others will as well.

 

[Salty Cracker]

The following corals are all grown from frags from people here (Rick for example), and grown under 100% LED's.  Everything is doing well and as I said in another thread, the only loss I've had lately was from a hairy mushroom stuck to the back of my urchin, it burned a hole in some acans  (but the colony looks to be okay). 

The last 2 photos are: 14.jpg is the same frag as 1.jpg  and 15.jpg is the same frag as 5.jpg From about 6(?) months ago, maybe less. 

 

[unibob]

I ordered one of these, supposed to be here Thursday or Friday.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AQUARIUM-LED-LIGHT-55x3W-BRIDGELUX-Coral-Reef-Dimmable-120W-GROW-LIGHT-BLACK-/290726447591?

 

[Salty Cracker]

That's cheaper than the DIY parts (at least I think, I've never used the bridgelux).  I'd be interested to see if it puts out enough light for coral (and longevity).

 

[TORX]

Oh no, Bridgelux vs Cree again lol.

 

[billyboy61]

Hi. I am still a rookie at the saltwater and reef game, but this is my opinion. On my 90 tank I have a Marineland reef intensity 48" led light. Looks bright, the night setting is cool but I don't think it has the intensity to grow anything. Checked back with the nice store owner that talked me into the led in the first place and he agreed .Obviously didn't recognize me. My softies are fine, but no growth. zoas are fine, but no growth. 3 small sps frags are slowly draining away. Cal, mag & alk. are all good. Feed them 2 times a week. I'm going to buy a T5HO set. Sorry for the rant, just my 15 cents worth. Bill

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

The marineland LEDs are not worth shit for growing and popping ....I use mine on the sump tank

 

[TORX]

Below is an old post from me...Bridgelux and Cree are basically the same.

I would like to bring one line into light. "Cree will become a significant supplier to Bridgelux". I have not completely researched it, but pretty sure that brings them up to equivilent status. Read more below....

Press Room

Cree Settles Patent Litigation with Bridgelux

[sub]Cree and Bridgelux Sign Supply Agreement[/sub]

DURHAM, NC, DECEMBER 29, 2008 – Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE), a leader in LED lighting, announces that Cree and Boston University have agreed with Bridgelux, Inc. to settle the parties’ patent infringement litigation and to dismiss all claims and counterclaims in the suits. As part of the settlement, Cree granted Bridgelux a license to the Cree and Boston University patents at issue in the litigation, and Bridgelux agreed to pay a license fee and royalties. In addition, Bridgelux and Cree have entered into a supply agreement under which Cree will become a significant supplier to Bridgelux. Other terms of the settlement are confidential.
“We are pleased that Cree and Bridgelux were able to resolve the litigation through a supply agreement and licensing arrangement,” stated Adam Broome, Cree vice president-Legal and general counsel. “This resolution underscores the importance of intellectual property in the nitride LED market. We look forward to working with Bridgelux.”

[sub]{Source: CREE Press Releases 2008}[/sub]

 

[Salty Cracker]

I had no knowledge of any of this, I just thought bridgelux only made 1W leds.  I'm all for competition, as it brings prices down, and sometimes spurs competition and improvements.  I'm all for that.  I've been a CREE shill for ages, but only because I know they work, and good while back people on RC were complaingin about the quality of the 'lux. 

Just keep bringin' those prices down,and keep making cool-ass shit with LED's.  I want my whole backyard lit with LED's soon...ones that last more than a year.  ;D

 

[jones02]

Hi. I am still a rookie at the saltwater and reef game, but this is my opinion. On my 90 tank I have a Marineland reef intensity 48\" led light. Looks bright, the night setting is cool but I don't think it has the intensity to grow anything. Checked back with the nice store owner that talked me into the led in the first place and he agreed .Obviously didn't recognize me. My softies are fine, but no growth. zoas are fine, but no growth. 3 small sps frags are slowly draining away. Cal, mag & alk. are all good. Feed them 2 times a week. I'm going to buy a T5HO set. Sorry for the rant, just my 15 cents worth. Bill

the marineland says "reef compatible" but i was reading somewhere that some people are running 2-3 to cover the top of there tank and having a hard time keeping softies. def wouldnt use one for my DT unless it was fish only. but i was looking for a cheap one for over my broodstock tank, so if you sell hit me up.

 

[jones02]

I ordered one of these, supposed to be here Thursday or Friday.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AQUARIUM-LED-LIGHT-55x3W-BRIDGELUX-Coral-Reef-Dimmable-120W-GROW-LIGHT-BLACK-/290726447591?

im interested to see the results of this. for the price? you cant go wrong. does it have an adapter so you can plug it into are outlets? looks like it does?

 

[unibob]

Yes I think that was one of the FAQ.