Need to know the ins and outs of LEDs

KingOfPain86 · Mar 27, 2013

Just picked up a new AGA 210. It's gonna be my project from the ground up. Need to be educated on LEDs.

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Liquid360 · Mar 27, 2013

Good luck!! My advice is to read up on review sites. People here who like LEDs seem to be of one of two camps. Either DIY or plugnplay. The DIYers are a passionate bunch to say the least. Are you looking to build your own or buy premade?

GHill762 · Mar 27, 2013

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/261164-a-complete-idiots-guide-to-building-an-led-array/

Diy is great, but not for everyone. If going prebuilt I'd recommend maxspect razor, ledtric inspire, par38s, etc..

What is it going over?

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GHill762 · Mar 27, 2013

Oh completely missed the aga 210.. lol..

For a tank that size it will definitely be cheaper to build your own.. otherwise look into multiple units.. I'd check out the ledtric inspire.. probably 3 of those would do it (maybe 2, ask mike).. plenty of control..

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DerekFF · Mar 27, 2013

Your $1500 in LEDs no matter if its DIY or plug n play. 3 kessils? $1500. 3 maxspecs? $1500. 3 rapid led onyx fixtures? $1000 for 3 but these are new and I haven't heard much feedback about them on big deep tanks. Radions? Oh god lol. DIY won't be much cheaper, and will be an easy $1000-1500. I'm just talking price here also. In no way could I ever sum up LEDs in one post. There's hundreds of posts and convos and it just needs your time taken to read through them. Plug n play will almost always look better than DIY though unless you're a really talented DIY person

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GHill762 · Mar 27, 2013

^+1

Same for ledtric inspire. 500 each.. you MIGHT squeeze by with 2 of those but I really doubt it. This is a pretty big tank and won't be cheap to light.

On the flip side of that coin, the lights will be low maintenance (bulb replacement), low energy, no need for a chiller (like with mh), and many are programmable...

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KingOfPain86 · Mar 28, 2013

Ill do what ever is best for the tank in regards to DIY and plug in play. I have done a bunch of reading on it and what not. I appreciate all the feed back btw. I have a 55gal SW now in which I'm battling an out break of ich. The 210 is on the porch till I get the girlfriend to calm down about me getting a bigger tank. Lol. I'm going to be posting pic the entire time seeing as it is a ground up build.

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KingOfPain86 · Mar 28, 2013

That's another thing. If I were to go with something like the kessils how many would I need to accurately light a tank that size?

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ruppertb · Mar 29, 2013

I haven't seen any reviews after a few months of use with the ledtric inspire. Any one running thesez?

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Toomnymods · Mar 29, 2013

I love my radion G2's..

gmoney243 · Mar 29, 2013

If money is no object go with the new radion pros. I have seen these in person and they put out a great looking light and corals look amazing. If you want budget go diy from aquastyleonline.com you can get all the colors you need to make full spectrum. Also consider adding t5 supplements it really looks great and is what i use led+t5 and i get great color. You dont need as many leds as people think you do and it usually leads to problems. Mrsaltwatertank runs 4 radin pros.over his 375 @18% max intensity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtHDLLtQCiU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

gmoney243 · Mar 29, 2013

Heres a good diy thread using aquastyleonline.com kit full spectrum build. Wouldnt cost you but about $400 to build for your 210.

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111421

jt17 · Mar 29, 2013

You want your LEDs to be Cree. These are the best and is what's in the top of the line plug and play. I have the vertex lumina because i have a low canopy and this fixture is designed for closer placement to the water. I also chose this fixture because the cree leds are 3 watts instead of 5. Youll never run the fixture at 100% so 5 watts snt necessary. Also 5 watt leds use more energy and generate more heat than the 3s and heat is the biggest threat to led longevity. Another awesome feature of the illumina is it is one continuous fixture, not multiple units, which allows the firmware to do some amazing tricks like sunrise to sunset from one side of the tank to the other. The cloud feature allows you to program how many clouds per day, their intensity and how fast they move across the tank. It does have the storm feature but I never use it. I've added red LEDs to my fixture for beautiful sunrises and sunsets and I've added the UVs as well. This fixture has a lot of bells and whistles and is a little more expensive than some of the other options but well worth it if you can afford it.

GHill762 · Mar 29, 2013

Mike at ledtric said he'd offer you a discounted price for ordering multiple if you email him. I contacted him and he recommended a minimum of 3 for a 210. Pm me If you're interested.. I think diy will probably still be cheapest.

Edit: I'm not affiliated or anything I just think it's a great fixture and a great company imo..

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ruppertb · Mar 29, 2013

I have been thinking azbout ordering 3 ledtric fixtures but haven't seen much reviews

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GHill762 · Mar 29, 2013

ruppertb said:
I have been thinking azbout ordering 3 ledtric fixtures but haven't seen much reviews

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Yeah idk where all the reviews are. I have only seen two but they were both excellent.. and if you know ledtric you know it's a great company and he'll stand behind his products.

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bigfoot86 · Mar 29, 2013

Radions are good, but really just overpriced with some extra colored leds that serve no use. If you want to look into some reasonably priced led fixtures that incorporate 3W CREE leds and are built well, look towards the Maxspect Razors. Sure you'll be more than satisfied as well as your tank!