Getting tired.....

dbrewsky · Mar 28, 2016

The great thing about the kessils is they are supposed to provide appropriate spectrum throughout its color range, making dialing a pleasing color temperature easier than attempting to mix color channels on other fixtures.

TheEngineer · Mar 28, 2016

dbrewsky said:
The great thing about the kessils is they are supposed to provide appropriate spectrum throughout its color range, making dialing a pleasing color temperature easier than attempting to mix color channels on other fixtures.

Yeah, although the intensities in the right bands matter. They're focused in the right range, but I'd like to say hit 14k and then mess with intensity to get the PAR I want. Seneye's meter does some of this, but the results seem pretty spotty.

McMullen · Mar 28, 2016

To the MH comment, I ran a 400 watt 20k radium for over a year. I'm getting better color and same growth now with LEDs.

I run 4 black boxes on a 4ft tank.
Getting just over 80k Lux with phone app.
The end two black boxes are tilted inward to eliminate any shading.

stunreefer · Mar 28, 2016

trido said:
Is it the lighting or just reefers who expected miracle results and were disappointed?

IMO you hit the nail on the head. Don't defend yourself, just look away. It's unfortunate, but I find myself on forums less and less as time goes on due to futile posts.

LED's grow coral phenomenally; on par with T5/MH results.

They're just an easy target to blame issues on, which can be seen in other areas such as salt, rock choice, etc.

Lionfish Lair · Mar 28, 2016

Real LED contenders haven't been out that long. When they actually get some history and more years under it's belt to prove itself, the "arguments" will dwindle. MH, PC and T5 have been around a looooong time. LEDs are just babies yet. You gotta wait until they grow up to see what they are going to be. I'm not arguing their effectiveness, I use LEDs. I'm just saying people question, because they really haven't proven themselves yet. In time this will be a non-issue. ya just gotta wait it out and realize this is the way it roles with new products.

There will always be pockets or pro-MH, pro-PC, etc etc because again, that's the way it goes. PC vs Mac. iPhone vs Android. Ford verses.... the other. LOL I forget. Don't take it personally. Walk away from frustrating conversations. Avoid LED conversations altogether for awhile, until you feel up to joining the debate again. I have to do it with certain topics myself.

alton · Mar 28, 2016

Mcmullen I have to ask if you are reading the lux at the water level or right under the lights? FYI my 250 watt metal halides 8" above the water level read 2500 foot candles or 27,000 lux. I used my meter once at the water level of a 400w MH and got 4,000 foot candles or 43K in lux. At 80K lux you are twice as bright as a 400w MH?

revhtree · Mar 28, 2016

trido said:
Every day I see a post stating "You will be disappointed with LED in 3-6 months and will wish you hadn't bought them". Its about enough to turn me away from the site because I feel like I have to defend a tried and true technology that does grow a great reef if done right. I have some of the cheapest LED fixtures you can buy and have greater success than most people in the hobby. Is it the lighting or just reefers who expected miracle results and were disappointed? I've been using LED for five years and have had nothing but great results. This is four months after a major reaquascape. LED's grow most of these corals an inch a month.

Bro you will find mixed feelings about LED's or any other type of lighting on every forum and social media outlet. It's easy for you. Just post a photo of your tank! HA! The threads do make for some good conversations though!

revhtree · Mar 28, 2016

stunreefer said:
IMO you hit the nail on the head. Don't defend yourself, just look away. It's unfortunate, but I find myself on forums less and less as time goes on due to futile posts.

LED's grow coral phenomenally; on par with T5/MH results.

They're just an easy target to blame issues on, which can be seen in other areas such as salt, rock choice, etc.

So where do you go to talk shop? Facebook? That's 1000 times worse.

stunreefer · Mar 28, 2016

revhtree said:
So where do you go to talk shop? Facebook? That's 1000 times worse.

Hecccck no! You know this

FB groups are an abomination to the hobby.

Don't get me wrong, it's not the forum, it's the posters. For whatever reason people are more and more unwilling to read and/or absorb read information. Where's the content? Why are we seeing one-off anecdotal accounts being praised as fact?

This is the only forum I frequent anymore. I think you should touch on parroting information that's not first hand experience, or at the least linking/sourcing other's experiences rather than parroting, during your talk in SD this summer

revhtree · Mar 28, 2016

stunreefer said:
Hecccck no! You know this FB groups are an abomination to the hobby.

Don't get me wrong, it's not the forum, it's the posters. For whatever reason people are more and more unwilling to read and/or absorb read information. Where's the content? Why are we seeing one-off anecdotal accounts being praised as fact?

This is the only forum I frequent anymore. I think you should touch on parroting information that's not first hand experience, or at the least linking/sourcing other's experiences rather than parroting, during your talk in SD this summer

HA! I agree about "parroting." That's why we have to keep knowledgeable resources like you posting!

McMullen · Mar 28, 2016

@alton, taking lux at water level with my phone. Yeah, probably overkill, the first time I measured I was at 120k......yikes! Coral look much better now. My goal was Sps in the bottom or sandbed, probably could still turn them down.

Quick pic showing end units angled.

alton · Mar 28, 2016

Wow I wish you could beg, borrow, or steal a PAR meter. I would love to find out how much PAR you have ?

McMullen · Mar 28, 2016

Club has one, I'll see if I can aquire it. It would be interesting to compare the lux and par.

Rob's Reef · Mar 28, 2016

Humblefish said:
I think the issue most people have with LEDs is around the 3 year mark you have to start messing with the settings to compensate for the diodes decrease in light intensity. This gets tricky as you have to keep "dialing it up" without burning your corals.

I'm more of a set it and forget it type. Which is why I just pay every 12-18 months for new MH lamps/T5 bulbs.

I have a sweet MH/T5 light for a good price if interested... ;p 72" with 3 400w's in it.... ;p. Hamilton Belize it just sits in my garage now...

smiley28 · Mar 28, 2016

That and the stickies @revhtree

On topic with the LEDs , I see people opting for more fixtures/LEDs these days maybe the coverage thing has some worth to it?

McMullen · Mar 28, 2016

@smiley28, IMO manufacturers over estimate the coverage of units. For even "color" distribution and less shadows I feel you need about 1/3 overlap fixture to fixture. You perhaps could get away from this with creative angling of the units.

Rob's Reef · Mar 28, 2016

Paul B said:
I have been running LEDs for quite a while and I just don't argue as I am to old for that. I don't care if other people use whale oil, Krill oil, LEDs or reflected light from the moon. I also don't care if instead of water you keep your fish in damp sawdust or newspapers. It's up to you. Do whatever you want because no one cares how other people run their tank. I also run a reverse undergravel filter. How stupid is that?

Love your tank! Looks awesome!

Salty1962 · Mar 28, 2016

I've run LEDs for over 5 years now and I love them. It does take a little while, at least for me, to get them where the corals like them. I had shadowing issues, so when I setup my new tank I added T5s to the mix. I run the Aquaticlife XS series and Aquaticlife quad T5 with 3x ATI Blue+ and 1x Purple+ and my tank has been very happy, at least with respects to lighting

jackson6745 · Mar 28, 2016

@McMullen what brand fixtures are you running?

jackson6745 · Mar 28, 2016

smiley28 said:
That and the stickies @revhtree

On topic with the LEDs , I see people opting for more fixtures/LEDs these days maybe the coverage thing has some worth to it?

I think so. Problem is when you start stacking LED fixtures the cost is through the roof, and you're not much more efficient than other lightings. Hard for me to spend $2k to replace my used $400 Giesemann Spectra that absolutely kicks ****!

But, I like that Trido is getting these results with $200 fixtures. That, I can afford and may experiment soon