LED's

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Originally Posted by ReeferRob

Great to see you made it over Evil! LED's have been on the brain for DAYS.

My first concern is the LEDS ability to penetrate deeper tanks like my own?

I like that with the DIY kits you can change the optics, which is why I am concerned with purchasing the AquaIlluminations LED light.

The Maxspect is a good looking piece, but it can't be sold in the US correct?
Plus if there is any warranty issue, its all the way back to China. Good luck calling on the phone to tell them whats wrong!

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With the right lens configuration, you can use LEDs on any tank. 40 degree optics can be used on tanks up to about 30" (bottom will be for softies and lps only at that point), but you can go tighter, like down to 25 degrees for a heavy sps tank. The spacing has to be reduced, so that adds more LEDs and cost.

The AI unit can have the lenses swapped, but I don't think many owners are willing to crack open a very expensive setup. With the new series, there are fewer lens choices, but the ones that are available are tighter than stock, if that's the direction you want to go.

The Maxspect units cannot be sold retail in the US, but there is nothing stopping you from importing from out of the country. I'm not keen on the versions that have the 30W LEDs (way too much PAR, and poor longevity on the LED). The 110W looks great for most mixed reef tanks up to about 20" deep, and the price is great.

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Originally Posted by chazde3

Crap, I didn't realize you were only running 60w of leds over your 40b. I'm running 156w over my 50b. So much better than running 2 halides or 6 t5 tubes over it.

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Different approach though. Your's is more of a T5/PC appearance with light everywhere. Mine is more in line with the Japanese style of lighting and is more spotlighty. Works pretty well though, but coral placement has to be thought out a little more.

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Originally Posted by Fishgeek88

have any pics of the set up?

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I do. These are a little old, but they show how they are mounted. I'll get some updated ones up soon.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...C_03020001.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...C_03120001.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...C_03080002.jpg

Since those pictures were taken, the lamps got raised another 8". They will be going up another 3" when I end up mounting the track to the ceiling. Currently, I get about 130 PAR on the sand with the PAR38's 30" from the sandbed. These are the first gen 15W lights, and not the newer 21W units. It's a mix of 12K and 20K lamps, alternating.

I have some new livestock in the tank and will be taking pictures of them this weekend, so I'll show you guys the newer setup then.

Awesome update, thank you.

I forgot to mention that the spotlighting in the fts has been greatly reduced since the lamps have moved up. It's also hard to really capture exactly what the LEDs look like over the tank. Anyne who has LEDs will tell you the same, no matter the camera used (I have a Nikon D40 DSLR and it's still a pain).

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Originally Posted by evilc66

I forgot to mention that the spotlighting in the fts has been greatly reduced since the lamps have moved up. It's also hard to really capture exactly what the LEDs look like over the tank. Anyne who has LEDs will tell you the same, no matter the camera used (I have a Nikon D40 DSLR and it's still a pain).

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No kidding, I shoot with a Sony a300 and I have to do some pretty heavy post editing to get anywhere near what they look like in real life.

What about these panels found on eBay?

http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/1Som_Bidsome/2501B_W.jpg

Specifications:
Body material: Thermoplastic
Circuitry board material: Diecast Chrome
225 Super Bright LEDs 112 Blue, 113 White
Color: WHITE 6000-7000K Blue = 450 nM

Working Voltage: 110V (Plug in To North America Standard Outlet)
Power: 13.8 Watts
Dimensions: 12

Not worth the trouble. They are very low power, and would only be even partially useful for very shallow tanks. Even then it would only be considered low to medium-low light.

What you want to be looking for is something with at least 1W LEDs. Even then the usefulness will be limited by what you want to keep, and the size of the tank. Ideally you need to be looking for 3W LEDs. Some manufacturers try to compensate for lack of individual LED power with sheer quantity. Doesn't work as well as having higher output LEDs.

Thanks Evil - just trying to figure out an inexpensive way to light my new 24G Aquapod instead of the 70w MH I have

Sadly, there isn't a cheap way to properly execute LEDs. Cheapest alternative is going to be a 150W MH DIY retro.

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Originally Posted by Argent

What about these panels found on eBay?
http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/...ads/2501wh.jpg

Specifications:
Body material: Thermoplastic
Circuitry board material: Diecast Chrome
225 Super Bright White
Color: WHITE 6000-7000K

Power: 13.8 Watts
Dimensions: 12

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I if course I am planing to use it for the refugium anybody in the are that wants to check them out is free too.

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Originally Posted by Argent

Thanks Evil - just trying to figure out an inexpensive way to light my new 24G Aquapod instead of the 70w MH I have

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Argent, are you looking to add some LED supplemental lighting, or you want LEDs to be the only light source?