http://www.marinedepot.com/Elos_E_L..._Aluminum_Fixture_20_Inch_LED_Light_Fixtures-Elos_USA-EO7131-FILTFILDTN-vi.html and you will need two.
if your looking for a reasonably priced light, use T5ho. if your looking for good light, at an ok to expensive light go MH if your looking for the best light, for a high price, than you go LED.

 

I have been wondering the same thing about LED's. They do not seem to be much out of line with MH systems as for the price. From what I read in the savings for the energy used and the price of replacing the bulbs they are a great deal. My question is do they do the job of keeping the corals not just alive but thriving?

 

Holy Cow, do a retrofit system. It would be MUCH cheaper. I've been researching it extensively and am in preparation to start a 90 gal reef myself. I am definitely going the LED route. I already have a PC light but am most likely making a 42 led light system and ditching the PC. I may just start with 28 and go from there. I want to make it a little less painful on the wallet. It looks like stevesleds dot com is the best bang for the buck. I will post my build once it gets off the ground. Does anyone have wiring diagrams handy for leds in different configurations?

 

Led

I've also been researching the whole LED vs everything else issue. Hard to differentiate "true" reviews from "promotional" reviews.

I like the idea of being able to choose different light spectrums and intensities, along with the decreased cost and possibly decreased fire risk.

I have heard that the LED's may not penetrate depth as well. Anyone know what the depth limits are? Any suggestions on brands that have all the options?

Thx
SB

 

LED Resource

I can tell you that I have recently purchased a system of LED lighting from Ecoxotic, through Marine Depot. I mention this because they have been two of the most resourceful and customer service oriented companies that I have ever done business with.

If you visit the Ecoxotic site, there are many FAQ's that will help you through the decision making process, and they offer almost every type of configuration that you could ask for.

I have been pleasantly surprised with the heat reduction even from 110W T5's on my Red Sea Max. I now need a heater, but will not need a chiller!!! The light is great, but I have only had it on for near a month. Hard to give a true description of growth yet, although there has been no digression at all.

 

120w LED light fixture

I took a chance and purchased two led lights (20K version) from Luke.
His website is... www.shop.reeffiltration.com/
I contacted him via email to purchase the 20k version as it is not listed on his site. I paid him via PayPal on a Tuesday morning and it arrived to my door that Thursday.

Specs for the 120w fixture are:
- Approx. one unit for every 24"L x 24"D x 30"H
- $325+15 shipping (per fixture as of 4-26-2011)
- 3w epistar led's (running at 2w)
- It is 55 led's for 110w + 10w for the fans.
- They are CE certified, (European standards), not UL certified (US Standards).
- At 24" the 20k version pulls 194 at its peak and the 14k version pulls 222 at its peak
- The 18-20k fixture's are all 90 degree optics and the 14-16k fixture's are a mix of 60 and 90 degree optics
- Parallel circuits: if one led goes out the rest stay on
- Two power cords (No on/off switches) Use of a timer(s) are recommended for dusk/dawn effect
- fans (three per unit)
- 3 year warrenty (All warranty work serviced in the USA)

I have only had them for a few days. I have them hanging 7.5" above my waters surface. All fans on are about as loud as the single fan that was on our MH unit.

Currently our tank is being acclimated to the lights. The corals seem to love it. The blue led's really make the color of the corals pop. The overall color temp of the lights (20k) appears fairly accurate. I also installed two blue stunner strips for moon lights.

One of the first things I did after install was to look at our electric meter. It is going much slower compared to when the the MH unit was on.

FYI: The cooler tempature of running the led lights and the lower electric cost was the primary reason for the purchase.

Attached is a picture of the lights hanging above our 75g tank. Sorry for the bad photo but it is very hard to get a picture that looks what it looks like in person. Even more difficult since the camera is a cheesy digital point and shoot.

It is still to early to give my final verdict of the fixture(s). So far, I love the lights.

Thanks for reading,
dtssyst

PS. You can also see more here...
http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-filtration/55925-new-led-fixture-must-see.html

 

It depends on what you are wanting! I went with LEDs and love it! I went the DIY route as there werent very many econimical options when I was looking! My tank is still fairly new but the Xenias I have cam from my buddies tank under a 250W Metal halide and in the 2 months I have had it it has grown probably 6x. I have several flavours of zoas and they have muliplied several times as well. My other corals are very happy but its too early to tell if they are thriving! I have mushrooms that are huge and you can see all the different colors in each mushroom. I just added an Open Brain to the mix a couple weeks ago and it was under a 400watt Metal Halide and it seems to be very happy. I have pictures of my setup on here somewhere...

 

Just wanted to say that I am extremely happy that I purchased these led lights.
The photo below was taken today.
I did not do any adjustments or alter the image in any way. All I did was crop it.