wvreef December 19, 2011 Share December 19, 2011 Ok I am going to start to build a led light system for my 180 gallon reef tank...I will be keeping all types of coral and fish in this tank so I want to be able to grow just about anything in the tank in any one given spot...with that said i woud like to get some input from others that have experience with leds to help with this... I will be controlling these leds with my apex to be able to do a sunrise to sunset mode as well as a full moon cycle with my system.... so any help with this is also greatly appricated... thanks, kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind December 19, 2011 Share December 19, 2011 What components are you using? How many LED's are you going to use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvreef December 19, 2011 Author Share December 19, 2011 well if u go by the square inch rule then I would need around 150 leds give or take....what do u think of that number seems like alot to me....so needing some help here on this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alieu07 December 19, 2011 Share December 19, 2011 I have the 180g mixed reef with 72 cree LEDs 50/50 and 2 T5 blue. But i am not satisfy with the SPS 's color i am not sure because the light or the water par i did not test my water. i 'll attach the pic just give you some idea. Hope it help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thefishman65 December 19, 2011 Share December 19, 2011 96 - 144 is probably where you want to be. There will be group buy mid January. I am not a great coral person, but I don't think you can do this: grow just about anything in the tank in any one given spot It is my understanding that you would not be able to grow a mushroom and an SPS in the same spot. They just want different amounts of light. If you want SPS everywhere I think you have ruled out mushrooms (maybe in a cave). That is why people tend to do SPS at the top and softer corals near the bottom. My I am understanding you wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Names Bruce December 29, 2011 Share December 29, 2011 I did a full led for my 180. 5 banks of 24 and I have what I believe is way more than enough light. You could probably get away with less depending on your aquascaping desires and what type of lighting you really like. I ran only 4 of my panels for nearly 5 months and that was enough light. I am still struggling with how much is too much or too little at this point though. I have Rob's drivers and all XR-E's and can't seem to find a good amount of light for my fully mixed tank. Most things are doing great but not as I would expect them to be yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvreef December 29, 2011 Author Share December 29, 2011 Bruce, what kind of growth r you getting, can u give me a picture of your system so I can see what it looks like...also a list of some of your corals in the tank thanks, kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basser9 December 30, 2011 Share December 30, 2011 You should think about putting your leds on a light mover. Run a full strip of leds the same way you would run vho's. And have 24 to 36 led array on a mover. The info you see about leds for the most part comes from non sps reefers who are coming from t5 setups. To get a setup that mimics a radium metal halide tank all you need is a array somewhere around this mix. 2 cree rbs [mix xpe and xte prefered] 1 cree blue 1 cree cool white [use xml if you want a more 12k look] 2 bridgelux 420nm put these in clusters in your array. You can add a deep red for every2/ 3 clusters to get a perfect match to a radium. All of these are on ledgroupbuy.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldReefer December 30, 2011 Share December 30, 2011 I have been playing with spectrum since I had some challenges with my AI Sol Blues. I am a strong believer in a mix of warm whites along with cool whites. At the very least consider neutral whites as the main light source. Also consider just a touch of green or cyan. It seems to help with the red pigments (which really look pretty bad under CW/RB systems). Go with a few more LEDs than you think you will ever need so you can have the option of dimming and adjusting spectrum I have a 150 gallon (60" x 24") with 150 LEDs running wide open with optics. It is not too much light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldReefer December 30, 2011 Share December 30, 2011 I have the 180g mixed reef with 72 cree LEDs 50/50 and 2 T5 blue. But i am not satisfy with the SPS 's color i am not sure because the light or the water par i did not test my water. i 'll attach the pic just give you some idea. Hope it help Pay attention to post like these. Many people are unhappy with the color they get under LEDs. I have spent a small fortune on these, and my corals looked far better under T5s. You really have to pay attention to the color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Names Bruce December 30, 2011 Share December 30, 2011 (edited) Kelly, My tank is a mixed tank. RBTRA, many zoos, 2 bubble corals, several chalices, acans, plate coral, and one remaining SPS. I don't have any photos on me but will be more than happy to post some up over the weekend for you. My growth has been OK. The zoos, acans, chalice, and plate coral are doing great. The RBTA and my bubbles are not happy at all. The RBTA is looking rather bleached and retracted compared to normal. I also just moved my entire tank and keep having mini cycles which could be the cause of that. The bubbles are nice and plump but laying flat with their mouths out? Never have I seen this behavior as they do look full and happy but literally all of their bubbles are of to the side with their mouths showing. I feed them regularly so I know that's not it. The SPS is now showing great polyp extension but no real growth yet. All of that being said, I fried a softball size Birdsnest and several other sps frags when I initially set the lights up. I lost many zoos and few candy canes. It took me a while to find the right location for most pieces but they seem to be doing well now. I run a 2:1 Royal Blue to Cool White ratio on each pendant and swapped out 2 RB with 2 regular blues and 2 CW with NW on each pendant as well. I have the whole thing turned up to only about 80% for the blues and 30% for the whites (I like a 20k look). My light is still sitting a good 18" above the water too. If you have any other questions just let me know. I will get some pictures for you this weekend. Jeff Edited December 30, 2011 by Names Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basser9 December 31, 2011 Share December 31, 2011 (edited) Warmer whites give the phony t5 look which some prefer but if you are a mh fan who think radiums are the best then stay away from them. Build your blues with a fatter profile buy using 420nm/400nm/445nm/455nm/470nm etc.... and you will have a better reef with little algea problems. Yellow/red need to be used in the right amount or you are asking for trouble. A light mover is a must when you go to 30/45 /60 optics unless you know what you are doing. Edited December 31, 2011 by basser9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Names Bruce January 3, 2012 Share January 3, 2012 Attached are a few images. The colors look terrible compared to real life but I don't know how to mess with that stuff but you can at least get the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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