GreenNeedle
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LED lighting discussion carried over from Scott's journal
LED lighting discussion
- Thread starter GreenNeedle
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Post from Saintly:
i'm looking at buying this.....http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... ts_id=2238
just not sure if LED's are the future. i know the t5s are the core...but do LEDS add the certain something?
i'm looking at buying this.....http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... ts_id=2238
just not sure if LED's are the future. i know the t5s are the core...but do LEDS add the certain something?
Post from Supercoley1:
Not sure on these strips but from my first test where I only used 8.4W (0.25WPG) of Luxeons, they definately are better, definately are the future and the sight of ripples, shadows is uber cool.
Check out the DIY LED thread as there are several of us in the process of trying and testing at the moment. (For a lot less money and retrofitted.)
Not sure on these strips but from my first test where I only used 8.4W (0.25WPG) of Luxeons, they definately are better, definately are the future and the sight of ripples, shadows is uber cool.
Check out the DIY LED thread as there are several of us in the process of trying and testing at the moment. (For a lot less money and retrofitted.)
Post from Scotturnbull:
I'm not getting as much pearling with LEDs alone, as I did with T8 combined with LEDs. (The photos above were taken after a water change, technically cheating.) I'm not sure if the LEDs are to blame, or whether my 'scape is still stabilising. One other thing: when you use more than one LED strip, the shadows are less pronounced. That's why I have mine switch on/off independently; so I can enjoy the shadows in the morning and at night, for a couple of hours.
I'm not getting as much pearling with LEDs alone, as I did with T8 combined with LEDs. (The photos above were taken after a water change, technically cheating.) I'm not sure if the LEDs are to blame, or whether my 'scape is still stabilising. One other thing: when you use more than one LED strip, the shadows are less pronounced. That's why I have mine switch on/off independently; so I can enjoy the shadows in the morning and at night, for a couple of hours.
Post from Supercoley1:
I'm not overly keen on those TMC setups. Both price and the look of them doesn't really do it for me. We'll see once all the DIY ones are completed how they compare!!! The jury is still out. lol
I'm not overly keen on those TMC setups. Both price and the look of them doesn't really do it for me. We'll see once all the DIY ones are completed how they compare!!! The jury is still out. lol
Post from Scotturnbull:
I upped the photoperiod of each LED strip. They're still on for 10 hours in total, but now there's an 8 hour overlap instead of 6 hours. I also tweaked the surface agitation. The pearling has returned with a vengeance, probably due to increased oxygen.
I upped the photoperiod of each LED strip. They're still on for 10 hours in total, but now there's an 8 hour overlap instead of 6 hours. I also tweaked the surface agitation. The pearling has returned with a vengeance, probably due to increased oxygen.
Postfrom Sanj:
Why do say that Saintly? I have little doubt that they will eventually be the mainstay of aquarium and many other forms of lighting.
Why do say that Saintly? I have little doubt that they will eventually be the mainstay of aquarium and many other forms of lighting.
Post from Saintly:
like i said...i'm not sure. it seems its for appearances only. i dont see any of the bigger lighting firms producing anything as of yet.
maybe your right. maybe it is the future. i'll wait untill prices drop in 4 years
like i said...i'm not sure. it seems its for appearances only. i dont see any of the bigger lighting firms producing anything as of yet.
maybe your right. maybe it is the future. i'll wait untill prices drop in 4 years
Post from Supercoley1:
The big firms will stay where the main sales are at the moment which is in cheaper fluorescent fixtures. As high powered LEDs come down in price they will switch. They are after high volume sales whereas lesser known brands are prepared to gamble a little more to gain a share of the market.
Arcadia will wait until then as they sell plenty of fluoros even at their inflated prices!!!
The big firms will stay where the main sales are at the moment which is in cheaper fluorescent fixtures. As high powered LEDs come down in price they will switch. They are after high volume sales whereas lesser known brands are prepared to gamble a little more to gain a share of the market.
Arcadia will wait until then as they sell plenty of fluoros even at their inflated prices!!!
Post from Garuf:
LED's themselves could themselves be rendered obsolete, I was recently reading that they have found a new set of chemical floresence that produce a pure white light rather than the blue you get with LED'S.
If I could remember where I saw it I'd post it up as it was good reading.
LED's themselves could themselves be rendered obsolete, I was recently reading that they have found a new set of chemical floresence that produce a pure white light rather than the blue you get with LED'S.
If I could remember where I saw it I'd post it up as it was good reading.
Post from Scotturnbull:
LEDs are still in early development at the moment. They work. I'm getting decent growth. Nothing is dying off and shrivelling.
A couple of things need ironing out, though. The shadows cut off light to lower growing plants. And taller plants seem to gravitate towards the emitters, making the shadowing worse. Lots of small emitters might be a better solution.
LEDs are still in early development at the moment. They work. I'm getting decent growth. Nothing is dying off and shrivelling.
A couple of things need ironing out, though. The shadows cut off light to lower growing plants. And taller plants seem to gravitate towards the emitters, making the shadowing worse. Lots of small emitters might be a better solution.
Post from Sanj:
Hi Saintly,
I understood peoples scepticism when the Aquarays came put in April, information was so sketchy, but since then there have been a few successful tanks amongst those who were brave enough to take the plunge. Have you seen George's Tank under Aquarays?
I am currently setting up a reef aquarium and will use soley LED lighting. I am confident having seen a few 6-9 month old setups with thriving soft coral and LPS coral setups. it already seems to be working for both environments and this is first generation in the UK.
I understand the issue of the initial expense, although it does pay off in a couple of years at todays leccy prices. You are right though they will come down in the future.
There are other makes around; Green skies, Eleos a few others i cant remeber the name off, but they are very expensive at the moment and have ot be imported.
There is a lot of pressure to move towards energy efficency and reducing power demand in europe, that is one of the big reasons i think LEDs are going to gain popularity over the next few years.
Hi Saintly,
I understood peoples scepticism when the Aquarays came put in April, information was so sketchy, but since then there have been a few successful tanks amongst those who were brave enough to take the plunge. Have you seen George's Tank under Aquarays?
I am currently setting up a reef aquarium and will use soley LED lighting. I am confident having seen a few 6-9 month old setups with thriving soft coral and LPS coral setups. it already seems to be working for both environments and this is first generation in the UK.
I understand the issue of the initial expense, although it does pay off in a couple of years at todays leccy prices. You are right though they will come down in the future.
There are other makes around; Green skies, Eleos a few others i cant remeber the name off, but they are very expensive at the moment and have ot be imported.
There is a lot of pressure to move towards energy efficency and reducing power demand in europe, that is one of the big reasons i think LEDs are going to gain popularity over the next few years.
Post from Garuf:
Scott, are you using a tmc or a diy set? I'm still watching the led move, when I did my research a year or so back I found that LED's can be fitted with reflectors and soeul recommended they were.
There was a website going by something like glassbox or clearbox who had a series of reviews of led's and of new ones coming onto the market and there was one which was a retrofit for metal halide and this to me looked by far the most promising.
The problem with many most led luminairs I've seen is that they all look so very star trek and to me just look silly. Just because it's a new technology doesn't mean it has to look all starship when there could be something more industrial in aesthetic.
Scott, are you using a tmc or a diy set? I'm still watching the led move, when I did my research a year or so back I found that LED's can be fitted with reflectors and soeul recommended they were.
There was a website going by something like glassbox or clearbox who had a series of reviews of led's and of new ones coming onto the market and there was one which was a retrofit for metal halide and this to me looked by far the most promising.
The problem with many most led luminairs I've seen is that they all look so very star trek and to me just look silly. Just because it's a new technology doesn't mean it has to look all starship when there could be something more industrial in aesthetic.
The Luxeon III 3W ones I have apparently have a reflector fitted WITHIN them as in underneath the die.
Then you can fit collimators as well to focus the beam etc.
Then you also have the different shapes of the die:
Lambertian being a semi sphere and outputtin glight equally in all direction,
Side emitters which are like wide end of a triangle andfocus the light out from the side and the face with a lesser beam through the 'corner'
and then there is the batwing where the edges are rounded and the face is flat. most of the light comes out of the face with an equal spread from the curved edges.
Mine are the lambertian type
AC
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