What LED setups are people liking these days? - Page 2

ReefIslandLight · 08/23/2012, 10:09 PM

Kessil is pretty bad @ss!!!... very compact and super cannon!
not sure how many I would need for the 1,000g tho and how to mount the lights...

ReefIslandLight · 08/23/2012, 10:15 PM

what I really like is how compact they are... im considering not mounting a canopy over the large tank so at least these wouldn't be an eyesore... just wondering how many i would need to cover the span of a 8x4 footprint

ReefIslandLight · 08/23/2012, 10:22 PM

the specs on the tank are 8'x4'x4'
If I was interested in possibly using those lights to supply the system.
My plans are mostly fish and easier to keep corals. But with a 48" surface to sand bed im sure you can see my issue....

Im wondering about placement
over the 8x4 surface footprint to avoid dark spots....

dsdaley77 · 08/23/2012, 11:54 PM

Was thinking the same thing, my AC set for 77 and man do I pay for it. My tank with 8 t5's & 3 led strips is 79.5 pretty consistently but if I put on mh I would have to lower air to 70 and in the process have to sell my kids on the black market or go broke lol

dsdaley77 · 08/23/2012, 11:59 PM

Yes I love the kessil's and the Ecoxotic cannons. Wish I could afford them myself as that's they ones I'd buy if I could. Love that the eco's are used at legoland

I would mount at opposite ends at an angle so to blend in the middle and then play with the hight to get coverage.

ReefIslandLight · 08/27/2012, 10:03 PM

now just need to decide exactly what and how I want to plan it out...
I was recently in contact with Kessil but they said that the a350w probably wouldn't have penetration power past 36" but I would be fine if I stuck with LPS but anything past that the regular a350 would be best but I would probably need 5 instead of 4 of the a350w's

sounds like a toss up.... with each unit costing $(aTON) this seems to add up quick

garryclarkfl · 09/02/2012, 10:20 PM

honestly that will your best bet the kessil 350 narrow optics or the ecoxotic 100 watt pendants, my opinion is based on some tanks i have seen down in Louisiana on a very similar tank, even though I am using diy leds from rapid in a 30" deep tank and requires a lot of research of which I am still ironing out all the kinks.

madean · 09/02/2012, 10:52 PM

This is a tough situation because of the tank depth. Looking around at "most" (IMO) led fixtures, they are built for much shallower style tanks. You are going to need a bunch of lights to light that tank, there is no question about that. And at this point you are going to spend a "ton" of money on lights with leds with the initial investment. You can spend a lot of time and plan exactly where you are going to place certain corals and design you light system around that. Thats probably the cheapest way for your lighting system. Or you can design the system to light the whole tank and be able to place a coral whereever you want and pretty much any type of coral you want. This will be the most expensive lighting system for your needs. You need to figure out which angle you want to approach and what exactly your needs are with the lights them selves. Do you want control of the lights and be able to manually/ or electronically dim the lights? Do you want a cloud cover simulation? Also what overall look do you want or color temp CCT? I personally have been all over the new kessils, except for the fact that I cant control them with my apex. For me thats a big downside to the lights. I want to be able to ramp up and down the lights for dawn and dusk effect. Thats part of the reasoning for buying the apex controller. Not the only reason but part of it. The other downside for me is the overall look of the kessil A350 at full power. Its comporable to a 14-16K look. My desire is more of a 10-12K look. In order for me to acheive that I would have to dial down the blue considerably and the end result is loosing par. So my advice is to figure out what your needs are and to find lights that fit your needs and then figure out a way to see the light in person. I have to admit the kessil light is really impressive in person as well. The shimmer is awesome. I am holding out for that light and seeing if they modify it in any way to fit my needs within the next six or so months. I have that luxury as I am still planning my tank and slowely building it. A diy build would appear to be cheaper and you would have more control over how you would forfill your needs. But that will depend on your diy skills and how much of a learning curve you will need on leds and whether you burn or screw anything up.

Toadally · 09/03/2012, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReefIslandLight

Appreciate the reply... I will look into it...
My tank is 1,000 gallon (48" tall) and trying to figure out what might be best here will be a bit difficult. I do not want to run power hungry MH and prefer the LED look and low power demands

Honestly, with a tank that deep I would go with metal halides. It's going to give you more penetration and the initial costs will be cheaper. Of course, it will produce more heat and cost more to more to run.

BfishLpond78 · 09/03/2012, 05:58 AM

I'm no expert by any means. But here are my thoughts, why not do a mixture of MH & LED's.

If you decide to have a main pillar or rock structure center piece I would position the MH over this section in order to get the penetration needed to punch to the bottom. Also get controllable LED's in order to fill the other areas of the tank but also match the color of the MH. Best of both world IMO.

Good luck...seems like a great build.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

jerpa · 09/03/2012, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BfishLpond78

I'm no expert by any means. But here are my thoughts, why not do a mixture of MH & LED's.

If you decide to have a main pillar or rock structure center piece I would position the MH over this section in order to get the penetration needed to punch to the bottom. Also get controllable LED's in order to fill the other areas of the tank but also match the color of the MH. Best of both world IMO.

Good luck...seems like a great build.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

With a tank that big I agree that lighting the tank selectively will allow for the greatest cost savings. You can use fewer lights, whatever you choose to use, where you only need light for visual appeal. Add intense lighting over the areas you want to keep corals in. IMO this would be esier to accomplish with LED's but you could do it with a combination of MH with different reflectors and wattage as well.

09/03/2012, 05:58 AM	#35
BfishLpond78 FUPA Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Seymour CT Posts: 5,796	I'm no expert by any means. But here are my thoughts, why not do a mixture of MH & LED's. If you decide to have a main pillar or rock structure center piece I would position the MH over this section in order to get the penetration needed to punch to the bottom. Also get controllable LED's in order to fill the other areas of the tank but also match the color of the MH. Best of both world IMO. Good luck...seems like a great build. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2 __________________ FUPA!!! Current Tank Info: 150G Starfire, BK DC 200, Vertex V6, PS Kore 5th, Ecotech Waves, Controlled by Apex, Topped off by Tunze

08/23/2012, 10:09 PM	#26
ReefIslandLight Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 10	Kessil is pretty bad @ss!!!... very compact and super cannon! not sure how many I would need for the 1,000g tho and how to mount the lights...

08/23/2012, 10:15 PM	#27
ReefIslandLight Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 10	what I really like is how compact they are... im considering not mounting a canopy over the large tank so at least these wouldn't be an eyesore... just wondering how many i would need to cover the span of a 8x4 footprint

08/23/2012, 10:22 PM	#28
ReefIslandLight Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 10	the specs on the tank are 8'x4'x4' If I was interested in possibly using those lights to supply the system. My plans are mostly fish and easier to keep corals. But with a 48" surface to sand bed im sure you can see my issue.... Im wondering about placement over the 8x4 surface footprint to avoid dark spots....

08/23/2012, 11:54 PM	#29
dsdaley77 Moved On Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Phoenix,AZ Posts: 172	Was thinking the same thing, my AC set for 77 and man do I pay for it. My tank with 8 t5's & 3 led strips is 79.5 pretty consistently but if I put on mh I would have to lower air to 70 and in the process have to sell my kids on the black market or go broke lol

08/23/2012, 11:59 PM	#30
dsdaley77 Moved On Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Phoenix,AZ Posts: 172	Yes I love the kessil's and the Ecoxotic cannons. Wish I could afford them myself as that's they ones I'd buy if I could. Love that the eco's are used at legoland I would mount at opposite ends at an angle so to blend in the middle and then play with the hight to get coverage.

08/27/2012, 10:03 PM	#31
ReefIslandLight Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 10	now just need to decide exactly what and how I want to plan it out... I was recently in contact with Kessil but they said that the a350w probably wouldn't have penetration power past 36" but I would be fine if I stuck with LPS but anything past that the regular a350 would be best but I would probably need 5 instead of 4 of the a350w's sounds like a toss up.... with each unit costing $(aTON) this seems to add up quick

09/02/2012, 10:20 PM	#32
garryclarkfl Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Pensacola, Florida Posts: 52	honestly that will your best bet the kessil 350 narrow optics or the ecoxotic 100 watt pendants, my opinion is based on some tanks i have seen down in Louisiana on a very similar tank, even though I am using diy leds from rapid in a 30" deep tank and requires a lot of research of which I am still ironing out all the kinks.

09/02/2012, 10:52 PM	#33
madean Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 994	This is a tough situation because of the tank depth. Looking around at "most" (IMO) led fixtures, they are built for much shallower style tanks. You are going to need a bunch of lights to light that tank, there is no question about that. And at this point you are going to spend a "ton" of money on lights with leds with the initial investment. You can spend a lot of time and plan exactly where you are going to place certain corals and design you light system around that. Thats probably the cheapest way for your lighting system. Or you can design the system to light the whole tank and be able to place a coral whereever you want and pretty much any type of coral you want. This will be the most expensive lighting system for your needs. You need to figure out which angle you want to approach and what exactly your needs are with the lights them selves. Do you want control of the lights and be able to manually/ or electronically dim the lights? Do you want a cloud cover simulation? Also what overall look do you want or color temp CCT? I personally have been all over the new kessils, except for the fact that I cant control them with my apex. For me thats a big downside to the lights. I want to be able to ramp up and down the lights for dawn and dusk effect. Thats part of the reasoning for buying the apex controller. Not the only reason but part of it. The other downside for me is the overall look of the kessil A350 at full power. Its comporable to a 14-16K look. My desire is more of a 10-12K look. In order for me to acheive that I would have to dial down the blue considerably and the end result is loosing par. So my advice is to figure out what your needs are and to find lights that fit your needs and then figure out a way to see the light in person. I have to admit the kessil light is really impressive in person as well. The shimmer is awesome. I am holding out for that light and seeing if they modify it in any way to fit my needs within the next six or so months. I have that luxury as I am still planning my tank and slowely building it. A diy build would appear to be cheaper and you would have more control over how you would forfill your needs. But that will depend on your diy skills and how much of a learning curve you will need on leds and whether you burn or screw anything up.