David W

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Thanks Everyone but I still am wondering if I do get this do I need two or three lol

Also Jessy what type of lights are you using on your tank? I know your using LEDs but what brand?

Personally, I would start with 2 and if down the road you need a thrid then buy it. that way you aren't going to be wasting any money on lighting you dont need.

Originally Posted by David W

Also Jessy what type of lights are you using on your tank? I know your using LEDs but what brand?

I am using the ecoxotic 36 Retro that I won at MACNA. I haven't actually set it up though.