Blog Comments

There is pro's and con's to LED's. I have researched the heck out of this subject. There are pro's to the 1 watt LED. In the versions, if I recall correctly, it runs 119 leds. YOu getting better spread for the same wattage than the 3 watters. The evolution does not run any optics. IMO, it is better to run more lights with less watts than less lights with more for LEDs. Now saying this there is some limations. If I was lighting a deep tank, than 3 watts are the way to go but you need more of them which causes they power consumpation to go up. To answer your questions, yes they will work but keeping high light corals on the bottom may prove to be difficult. As far as color changing, it could be many things but I learn towards water quality issue/changes. I have ordered parts to make some prototypes with both 3 and 1 watters and will show the build here when I am completed.

If you follow this link http://www.reefaddicts.com/content.p...Reefkoi-Corals the video at the bottom Chris (owner of reefkoi) talks about the evolution LED's lightly. From what I gathered there are a few prop tanks that house a variety of corals (no clams though) that do great under his fixtures. Granted the 3w counterparts are going to be much more intense and thus would be a safer bet than the 1w versions for sps and clams as if they are too much you could always just dial them back or raise them off the tank. I would say it would depend on what species of clams and what type of sps you intend on keeping. Even then, with the std 55g only being 21" deep I dont see why you couldn't keep most species of clams or varieties of sps in there, you just may have to have them towards the top of the tank if they aren't getting intense enough light.

Interesting...I'll be keeping an eye on these then. I've been waiting for some good information to come around on whether 1 watt LED's would be capable of sustaining a reef tank or not, and if so then at what depth do they drop off before they no longer put out enough par for hard corals. There are so many folks out there who tout that it can only be done with the higher powered LED's and yet so many of those same people are running them with dimmers and only pushing them at about a 1/3rd of their cababilities. Curious to see how well they will do in the long run. Perhaps I'll even be able to save myself a few bucks. Thanks for the tip!

Actually based on the talk by Jake Adams and some of my own research, a lot of 1W LEDs actually are better than fewer 3w LED's. This fixture will grow SPS and Clams (and of course softies) fine, as it is what Chris (owner of evolution) uses over a few of his tanks. I do agree that some fixtures brown out, and that supplemental spectrum lighting may be preferred. I do not know if that is the case with this fixture.

For SPS, clams and softies I'd probably stear clear of any fixtures that use only the 1watt LED's. The ones that most everyone is using for reef tanks utilize 3watt LED's. They produce far better output. I've read and heard of alot of people having trouble with their SPS under the traditional 50/50 mix of white and blue. Many people have noticed loss of color and growth in their SPS. Most reports seem good for softies. Guys are beginning to experiment with a mix of different colors to help fill in some of the color spectrum. This is not an expert opinion by any means it's just what I've found in some of my observations. I plan on DIY'ing my own array for my current build before long. LED's are still in their infancy when it comes to reef tanks and finding the right mix of color and output IMO.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. The T5s you suggested are very nice and seem like pretty good prices for how good they are. I'll keep them in mind when I finally get the money together. Hope to hear about the LEDs Jessy.

I have a 4 lamp Icecap T5 HO (not overdriven) retrofit kit over my 50 long, which is the same dimentions as your tank, except about 2" shorter. I'm actually having trouble because it's too much light for my mushrooms and leathers. However, my LPS's love it. T5 also has the advantage of a huge selection of spectrums available so you can mix and match for whatever color effects you like.

I agree with Steven Pro, with a long narrow tank it's going to be hard not to waste a lot of the light from a Metal halide set up. The work better with tanks that are at least 18" wide (front to back).

I don't have any experience with LED's myself, but there seems to be some ongoing debate as to how well they hold output and color 2 or 3 years down the road.

I've been running on an ATI Sunpower 6 bulb T5 system for the last year on my 90G Oceanic Tech tank. I can keep anything in my tank, and have to work at shading my LPS at the bottom so they don't get fried. From your 48"x12" Dimensions, I am guessing you have a 55G. The width of the Sunpower 6x54w lights is 12" and would be perfect for a 55 with high lighting needs. Keep in mind you would probably want to raise it up off the tank 6-12" depending on what you are keeping, because it is pretty powerful and your tank is not as deep as a 90G. However, I just noticed your budget is $400 and this fixture may be too expensive at $619 (Reefgeek) w/bulbs. You might be OK with the 4 bulb version but that's still $479 with bulbs. But, I really like these fixtures and think they are worth the money. My tank runs at 78 degrees constant and I don't get any heat transfer from the fixture. It has a pretty intelligent cooling system that exhausts all the hot air out the left side. My house temp. is set at 75 degrees in summer and 70-72 in winter. No need for a chiller with the ATI.

Originally Posted by David W

Thanks all. This helps especially because led and metal halide are so expensive. I think now I will go with my original choice and go with the T5s.

I think t5's are a great choice for a 48" tank. If you had a bit more money you could try LED's but I don't know how they work yet. I'm a T5 lover, but i'm trying LED's on my new tank. I'll let everyone know if I like them.

Thanks all. This helps especially because led and metal halide are so expensive. I think now I will go with my original choice and go with the T5s.

I would not use MH on such a narrow aquarium. T5's would be a good choice. LED's would work as well, but they are still fairly expensive for brands that I think are going to stand the test of time.

I would go with t5's for that size tank, but that's JMO. The 48" sunlight supply 4 bulb t5 tek fixture is what I have over my 48" 55g reef which has sps, lps, zoas, and clams. My maxima clam is halfway to the top and I have a derasa on the sand. Definitely enough light with this fixture, it's almost too much for some of my lps. Led's are also a good choice, but they can get expensive if you don't like to do DIY projects.

Oh ok thanks

A lot of people use T5s as their primary lighting source and they have no problems keeping clams, hard corals, etc.

While T5s are usually billed as being cooler then MHs, I find when running them you need just as much ventilation as MHs.

Oh ok I live in Florida.

I was referring to where you are. E.g. I'm in Canada and I definitely don't need a chiller because my tank is located in my basement, and because of my local temperatures.

My tank is 21 inches tall. Inside it's about 78 degrees. It's in the house. Clams, soft corals, zoos, lps, sps. So basically a lot of corals. The reason I question the T5s is because I don't know if it will be sufficient lighting. Very nice setup mledford I will look into that Great price.

I think you're best bet is this lighting fixture right here... http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php...ctinic-Fixture

Just my opinion...

So before you completely rule out MH I'd ask a few more questions; a) what size is your tank (how tall?), b) is it hot where you live, c) is your tank located in a basement, and d) what kind of coral are you wanting to keep?

Not all tanks automatically require a chiller when MHs are used. T5s are also quite hot. Depending where you live and where you take is situated makes a big difference in determining what equipment you'd need.

i agree with the red octopus skimmer. i had another big name skimmer in my sump for over a year, and never had much output. i just thought i had a light bio load, until i bought the red octopus. in the first 24 hours it put out as much skimmate as my other skimmer would in 1-2 weeks. totally amazing difference.