Advice, Kim before you go out and buy any item do your research before you invest no matter if you can afford it or not. LEDs are nice but if you dont understand what you are getting into or how they work you may be disappointed. I dont agree with if you can afford it just jump into it. All LEDs dont grow everything and if you buy the wrong fixture you may not be able to grow what you want. LEDs have not and dont work for everyone. Think about what you want in your tank and make your decision off that. MHs, T5s and LEDs all have there pros and cons but MHs and T5s has been proven and easier to use and understand. Just like the other light options LEDs will get cheaper and more user friendly. Don't get caught up in the hype. Now to the fellow hobbyist. The saltwater hobby isn't a easy or cheap one. I have seen to many people get into this hobby given the wrong information get over whelmed and get out the hobby. I enjoy this hobby and take pride in my tank. If we as hobbyist give good advice from the beginning more people would understand and enjoy the hobby as we do. The club will beneifit by getting more members and the stores will benefit from the purchase.
Hiya, Hmmm, I've just about scared myself back to the T5's which is what I currently have on my tank and understand. Seems like there's less chance of hurting your corals using them. Price is a concern, but I do want to get above average equipment for this tank. My current tank is a successful mix of LPS, softies and one or two SPS. I would like to add more SPS's and my husband would like to see me try a clam. I like the ability of turning on certain lights at certain times. There should be some what of doing this. Oh, well, I'll get this figured out eventually. Kim/Benton, AR
You can keep clams under T5s. I have done it for years. I have five now. There are ways to have lights coming on at different times. Just take your time and research what you want, T5s or LEDs. I always say if it works why change it.
Hey Kim, there are lots and lots of viable options out there for LED fixtures. Two you might look into is the AI Sol fixtures and the Apollo fixtures. Personally Michael and I are having amazing luck with the Apollo's and our mainly SPS tank. As for clams, you might start out with a smaller maxima clam if you're concerned about lighting. At less than 2" maxima clams aren't fully photosynthetic and require some phytoplankton as a booster. I know of several people successfully keeping clams in LED tanks and T5 tanks. Maxima's in my opinion are one of the easier clams to keep happy and crocea's one of the more light intensive. Hope this helps!
There will be a lot of new models coming out in time for Christmas. Also the Apollo LEDs are made in China by the same company that make the D120 & IT2040.
Hiya, I think I've looked at the Sol, but not the Apollo's. Thank you for telling me you're having luck with your apollo's. This is the kind of things I wanted to hear. Are the China fixtures good though? Are they consistent in their production? Kim/Benton, AR
The Apollo is based on the Chinese box design They order the parts from there and then assemble them here in the USA using mean well dimmable drivers I'll see if I can find the post with all the pictures. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
http://www.njreefers.org/showthread.php?75608-Apollo-Reef-LED-s-anyone-have-them/page3 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hiya, Oh, great, these fixtures aren't plug and play. I need something that I don't have to assemble! Sigh...as much as I the LED idea, I'm thinking even more and more that I need to stick with T5s. Kim/Benton AR
You may be interested in getting the new AI VEGA LED lights or the Ecotech Radion LED lights. Both have shown great results in growing and managing coral and cost only $500- $650 per fixture not to mention that they are plug and play. With these you can customize all sorts of color configurations with different K temps as well as simulate lunar modes and sunrise/sunset with the dimming capabilities. Plus they will save in energy costs and keep your tank cooler. These two seem to be the most popular choice for someone not looking to spend $2000 on lights alone but want something that will still work no problem. http://www.aquaillumination.com/vega/ http://ecotechmarine.com/products/radion/radion-xr30w/ Good luck in finding something.
Thanks for the info! It's going to take me a while to get the money together for my tank. Sigh...got to get some houses closed, moving into the house drained all extra funds. Kim/Benton, AR
