LEDs for nanos?

[BigSlimeSucker]

I'm thinking about trying some of these LED lights on my 7gal eclipse tank and was wondering if anyone here has tried these yet and what your experience is with them. I currantly have only a 9w NO flourescent and just added a Rio Mini Sun LED lamp. The mini-sun is really a neat lamp and my one coral seems to really like it, so, I wanted to try using LED lighting installed in the hood of the tank to replace the NO and the clip on. Here is a link to the stip lights I am considering on ebay. Check out the sellers other LED options, too. I was thinking of using 4 12" stips like this and maybe later on, adding some small spotlights if needed. Would this be enough for a low light coral reef? My main reason for going this route is to eliminate the heat from all the other lighting options. Even a small PC would raise the temps too high in this tank and a chiller is not an option. I would appreciate any feedback regarding these LEDs. Thanks!


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=001

[Zombo]

Those will not have enough PAR to punch to the bottom of your tank, I guarantee it. If you're serious about doing LED lighting, either pony up the cash for a commercially built system, or do a DIY like I did. Anything else will be woefully inadequate for relying on as the sole lighting for a reef tank.

[BigSlimeSucker]

Thanks for the reply, Zombo! I checked out the nano-reefs site and the link to the LED seller. I didn't realize there was such a differance in LEDs! OK, I know nothing of electronics...so, I think I am going to have to stick with a plug n play unit, as much as I would really like to try building one myself. Do you have a thread about your DIY LED project? I'd like to check it out.
Thanks

[OneDummHikk]

The light itself will reach the bottom of the tank. The bigger question is what spectrum the lights are burning at. If the light is in the wrong spectrum, it won't matter if it would shine through 1,000 feet of water

[BigSlimeSucker]

Good point, and, I have no idea what the color temp is on the Mini Sun lamp I have now. The blue LEDs do bring out the green flourescence of the corals, and, the lamp does create beautiful shimmer effects, but, I don't know what spectrum they are. It is just listed as daylight and deep sea blue. I'll certainly be more specific on future purchases of these lights and make sure I have workable spectrums for the corals.

[BigSlimeSucker]

I just posted a few pics of this tank in my specs thread here http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f7...ml#post1398678

They aren't the best pics, but show how narrow the beam from the LEDs are. The shimmer lines and flourescence in the coral do not show up in these pics, but, without the other lights on the tank is almost this dark outside the range of this light.

[Zombo]

Originally Posted by BigSlimeSucker

Thanks for the reply, Zombo! I checked out the nano-reefs site and the link to the LED seller. I didn't realize there was such a differance in LEDs! OK, I know nothing of electronics...so, I think I am going to have to stick with a plug n play unit, as much as I would really like to try building one myself. Do you have a thread about your DIY LED project? I'd like to check it out.
Thanks

Here you go:
http://http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=160646&st=60&p=1809603&#entry1809603

Enjoy!!

[BigSlimeSucker]

Good read! Doesn't look like I am going the LED route just yet. Can't afford it, and, can't build my own. I'm going to keep looking for a bit and save some $ before I fianally decide on what to go with.

[Gilghamesh]

Just read this. If you are talking about blue LED to simulate dark moonlight, check out the Oceanic Systems Biocube. They come standard on it and I must say they look very nice in mine.

http://www.oceanicsystems.com/

Gil

[Alittlefishy]

I also did a DIY LED setup for my AP24...however I did not use the best LEDs. It was great...It was bright...It had an overall color temp of about 12-14K...It lasted about 3-4 months before the LED's started to dim. Eventually, I added 2x32W PC's over the tank because the LEDs dimmed so much. Then after I lost several corals I ended up tearing it down and putting in a 55 with T-5 lighting. I've said it before...LEDs are the future of reef lighting, but can't be had cheaply. I think the rule of thumb for lighting should be "Don't go cheap...You will be disappointed." That said, there are great LEDs like Zombo pointed out for DIY use, and good premade systems. Personally, if I had the $$$, I would buy the Aqua Illumination, but the Solaris is a good fixture as well.

[Eric949]

I use LED's in the evening... white and blue for a couple hours to simulate sunset, then blue all night for moonlight... fish and corals really seem to love it. I use the bright intense lighting all day when I'm at work.

[odie]

From what I have discovered is that for a decent working setup it is very expensive. Prices will go down once bigger companys start making them in bulk. But at this time for the right amount of output will too expensive imho.