mogurnda July 5, 2014 July 5, 2014 Hello WAMASers! Between a new job and family health issues, I have fallen off the face of the earth for the past few years. I am now back among the living, and want to get my tank and my participation in the group back on track. The good news is that I am now an expert on exactly how much neglect corals can sustain and still manage to grow. One of the first things I want to do is replace my lights with LEDs. My 2X250 watt halide + 2XT5 actinic has been great, but it is time to get something that does the same job with less heat and bulk. Although the Radion G3 would do the job, I am interested in other, less expensive alternatives for maintaining SPS high in the tank, with a mix of LPS and soft corals elsewhere. What are people using that works? Any threads that I have missed that would be useful?
GaryL July 5, 2014 July 5, 2014 welcome back dave! i have the evergrow fixtures and am happy with them. every now and then ERC has a group buy or some one may be selling theirs that they dont quite like. i even have one of the chinese fixtures from ebay that works really well on my cube. there are a lot of mixed reviews about LEDs vs MH but i love mine. very little heat and good growth especially with softies. i have seen some people ad t5s because the leds dont have reflectors that bounce around the light like t5 or mh so stoneys kind of brown out on the underside while the top has good color. HTH
smallreef July 5, 2014 July 5, 2014 i am in line with gary...i too have the evergrows...old d120 fixtures...their 'value' fixtures..though they have nicer, more controlable fixtures...they have served me well....i even have a few sps living in my lps dominated tank,lol
Cheshireboxers July 5, 2014 July 5, 2014 I bought mine through the group buy from erc I have the iIT2080's over a 125 and love the features all at a very reasonable price Talk to Marcos he has lots of knowledge
mogurnda July 5, 2014 Author July 5, 2014 welcome back dave! i have the evergrow fixtures and am happy with them. every now and then ERC has a group buy or some one may be selling theirs that they dont quite like. i even have one of the chinese fixtures from ebay that works really well on my cube. there are a lot of mixed reviews about LEDs vs MH but i love mine. very little heat and good growth especially with softies. i have seen some people ad t5s because the leds dont have reflectors that bounce around the light like t5 or mh so stoneys kind of brown out on the underside while the top has good color. HTH I bought mine through the group buy from erc I have the iIT2080's over a 125 and love the features all at a very reasonable price Talk to Marcos he has lots of knowledge Hey Gary, nice to see some of the geezers are still around. The IT2080 looks like a pretty good deal. How easy is it to program?
Coral Hind July 5, 2014 July 5, 2014 Welcome back and congrats on the new job! You still working on campus? Sorry, I'm no help on the lights.
YHSublime July 5, 2014 July 5, 2014 All the evergrows are a piece if cake to program. They work in half hour or one hour steps. It's a little tedious, and repetitive, but certainly easy!
GaryL July 5, 2014 July 5, 2014 Hey Gary, nice to see some of the geezers are still around. The IT2080 looks like a pretty good deal. How easy is it to program? I have the it 2080 I left it to the default so it follows a solar cycle kind of. At 6am moon lights kick on and slowly progress until full spectrum then ramps down to adding with moon light at midnight then shuts off till 6 am. And if you can design your own spectrum (arrangement if lights and color temp if you want) but it takes longer to get them. I have a d120 that is adjustable on my cube that I have totally blue like actinics and then the full kicks on and then off at a certain time back to actinics then off. Of course with anything the corals may have to adjust to the new lights but I like mine Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
mogurnda July 5, 2014 Author July 5, 2014 Wow, the programming sounds hard to beat. Am checking with ERC about availability. Welcome back and congrats on the new job! You still working on campus? Thanks, Dave. I left NIH at the end of 2012 to start teaching at U of Md. I finished my last new class in May, so I just have to make them better from now on.
GaryL July 5, 2014 July 5, 2014 Shoot monkiboy (Marco) a pm he was instrumental in the group buys and can give you pricing Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Keraxis July 5, 2014 July 5, 2014 I have a reefbreeders 32 led fixture. It comes with a remote and can be programed to do sunrise to sunset and 2 hours of moon. Cost About $329. This is a video of a smaller one over a 40 gallon breeder. My corals seem to like it with decent growth but i havnt tried sps. It aparently will grow anything i want thought. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFagwHADcB4
Newms118 July 5, 2014 July 5, 2014 I have the 14000K, 20000K and Super Actinic fixtures from Build My LED. So far they have been great (Ive stressed the corals out by increasing the intensity too fast, so they're pretty powerful). http://www.buildmyled.com/aquarium/
scott711 July 6, 2014 July 6, 2014 Dave, Good to see you back on the board. I have quite a few different LED's on my tanks. You are welcome to stop by and take a look.
mogurnda July 6, 2014 Author July 6, 2014 Thanks, all. Scott, That sounds like a good idea. Monkiboy contacted me, and the Evergrows sound like a great deal, but it would not hurt to get more info.
scott711 July 7, 2014 July 7, 2014 Thanks, all. Scott, That sounds like a good idea. Monkiboy contacted me, and the Evergrows sound like a great deal, but it would not hurt to get more info. anytime.
Origami July 8, 2014 July 8, 2014 Welcome back, Dave. Glad to have you in the mix again. We should catch up soon.
mogurnda July 9, 2014 Author July 9, 2014 Welcome back, Dave. Glad to have you in the mix again. We should catch up soon. Thanks, Tom. Looking forward to talking with you soon.
emissary July 9, 2014 July 9, 2014 Heh, welcome back. I am likewise slowing easing my way back in. Doing a new build at the new house I just moved into. Good luck on the lights, I think I'm going Radion so unlikely going to be able to help.
mogurnda August 25, 2014 Author August 25, 2014 I went with the IT 2080s. Marcos got me a great deal, and they were as easy to set up as everyone said. I can't believe how much cooler the tank and the room are now. Plus, my ATO tank is draining so much more slowly. The corals seem happy and are maintaining their colors, so I am very pleased so far. Will post some photos in the tank build thread when I get a chance.
YHSublime August 25, 2014 August 25, 2014 You'll love the 2080s. They are fantastic LEDs at a great price!
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