mobilewelder98
Non-member
thinking about starting the 180 again
needs lights ? stay with vho or t5 ?
needs lights ? stay with vho or t5 ?
stop me
- Thread starter mobilewelder98
- Start date
frank180reef
Well-Known Member
t5 for electricity
beckisguy73
Non-member
or you could go all out and go with an DIY LED set up.....
mobilewelder98
Non-member
i can only dream about that
NeverlosT
Engineer with a reefing problem
DIY LED isnt actually as expensive as you'd think. $500 can get you a pretty solid fixture.... definitely dont go VHO. Lots of power used, it is a dying technology. T5 setups are nice, lots of variation in color output and good par, but you have to replace the bulbs every 6-12 months.
I run a DIY hybrid 2x250W Halide, 4x54W T5 and it is great, but if I had it to do again, I think I would either go all T5 or go LED. The big attraction for LED is not changing led's for 10 years and the immediate power savings.
I run a DIY hybrid 2x250W Halide, 4x54W T5 and it is great, but if I had it to do again, I think I would either go all T5 or go LED. The big attraction for LED is not changing led's for 10 years and the immediate power savings.
JasonandRay
Non-member
Cheetos
7 Gallon Cube
I agree with KSC we where talking about this last night
Why is it a myth?
delta
Impatient Reefer
Bulb life it not what it is stated. It is still a new technology that surface is just being scratched.
But I disagree the attraction to LED is not bulb life but efficiency, compact size, heat output and the
ability to tune color & output. It is it's versatility that make it a better light source than MH.
Ever since the energy crunch, anything that may reduce running cost has had a huge attraction.
Last edited:
Cheetos
7 Gallon Cube
But how do we know bulb (diode not bulb) life will not be 10 years if this is new technology? Wouldn't we have to wait for the shortcomings of LEDs before we can say this?
"Why is it a myth?" Because all the data supporting the "50,000 hour myth" is based on a test on a single diode under laboratory conditions (and the life is estimated). If you read the manufacturers data on the life of a floro, pc, or mh, you will see their "life" is in the 20-30,000 hour range. We all no that isn't the case for our reef lighting. Once you take that diode off the laboratory bench and put it in a housing, it's anyones guess how long it will put out useful light for a reef tank. That said, my par38 led bulbs have lost 10-20% of their par output in only 8-9 months, compared to 20-30% for my t5 fixture and 10% for my mh fixture.
Scroll down to the "Leds are not everlasting gobstoppers" graph. The Dept of Energy shows how these leds degrade consistently with MH and Fl lighting. I think 2 years will be quite a stretch, especially with these low end uncooled fixtures:
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/greenbuild2010_richman_ledtech.pdf
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/greenbuild2010_richman_ledtech.pdf
Last edited:
Cheetos
7 Gallon Cube
Right, it's anyone's guess. So until it's proven on how long these diodes will last then there is no myth. I believe in scientific data, not one person's opinion. It will take time and data from many people before we can make a statement like this. When the data comes in saying that LED life is only 2 years then and only then will I buy that. Just because your par 38 led has lost some par doesn't mean squat. Maybe par 38's aren't practical for the use of diodes. Perhaps they run too hot. I've been running LEDs for over a year now on one of my tanks with no loss in par. NONE! I've built many LED setups for people who have been running them at least a year and have no loss in par. So just because your one par 38 LED shows a loss in par doesn't mean anything in my book.
