Leds as supplements?

J

johntran216

I'm using 2x 14,000k 250w halides on my 75g and was wondering if it's a good idea to add blue leds for supplements. I notice the corals are a lot more pale under halides versus when they were under my t5ho's. I know leds are complicated and require a certain spectrum to work, but if i'm just looking to pull out some more color, what do u guys recommend? I would use t5s and make things more simple, but i can't seem to find any single t5ho retros. My halide light setup only gives me enough room for a single t5 in front of, and in back of the halides. Most retro kits are dual bulb, which I've tried and couldn't get to fit. Thanks
 
From my experience, I would go with the T5's if you can find the right retro kit. Maybe Geissman has something. If not, I would not go with a blue LED supplement, I would go with a UV LED supplement. Much better choice. Go to the Radium Bulb as well if you want more pop out of your corals.
 
Have you checked out these guy's, total plug and play and they can even design something to fit your tank if the standard unit's don't work. http://www.buildmyled.com/supplemental-aquarium-lights/

Cheers,
 
Well my problem was whether the corals will color up with the supplement. I didn't want them to just glow/pop but slowly lose color over time. I've seen a few people w/ leds that had corals slowly lose color. Will definitely check those out. thanks!
 
Actually...500 watts plus is wayyyy overkill on tbat sized tank imo. Sound's like your coral's are telling you they are receiving too much light. If you stay with the 250Watters then try switching to a quality 20K bulb.

Cheers,
 
In addition to whats already been stated how long are you running your halides? I run. 250W phoenix 14k on a 40b but I only run that joker for like 3.5-4 hours to not over expose the corals. I then run a combo of royal blue and uv leds as my actinic lighting and I am very pleased with the color of my corals and im not talking about just the blue leds. Feel free to check my old build thread the most recent pics should give you a good indication on how my stuff has reacted.

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I run for about 6hrs. I did a little researching before deciding on the 250s. Figured more is better than less. Also, will i still get good growth w/ 20k's? JB, how many leds and what type are you using? Thanks
 
As beauty is "eye of the beholder". Everyone likes a different color spectrum of light on their aquarium, and that is why we have so many great options for our reefs. That being said, when people start saying that they want more pop with their corals with the MH's, I think that the Radium bulb gives the best color for the coral, but the MH's alone will not give what I like to call POP.

I ran this bulb for many years with actinic supplement. Now that is the best combo IMO. My actinics went out several months before I just switched to LED's, and the corals lost all that really nice what I call "POP". The extra glow on the corals, and the distinct colored tips and rims on the corals as well as the glowing spots on the fish. When my actinics went out, this all went away over time.

So basically what I'm saying is you don't get "POP" without some type of actinics. So that is what you are missing. YOu can have any color bulb you like that gives you the color you desire or want to see on your corals, but you wont get pop until you get some type of actinic. IE. (T5,T12, or LED).

To answer your question on 20K bulb. You will not get as much growth on the 20K. Only way you can get your cake and eat it too, is get the 400Watt Radium if you like the color.
 
That's what i was thinking on needing actinics for better coloration. What kind of bulbs were you using when u said u had the best colors? I definitely want to add actinics, leds originally/specifically, but i wanted to make sure it won't cause me to lose colors like a few other people's. Also, now i have to worry about having too much lighting. Do you think adding actinics to 2x 250w over 75g will make a big difference and possibly cause corals to bleach/whiten even more?
 
Well I had 20K radiums with T12 Actinics. If you start using 20K Radium bulbs your PAR will go down (Not going to hurt you at all with the lights you have), but you will have some awesome colors IMO. I would personally add t5 over T12 if I were you. They have some awesome bulbs for actinics. I always wanted to switch mine over to t5, but just waited for new system in which I decided on LED now. You can also go LED, which are super nice. You cant go wrong with T5 or LED. Either will do and they are pretty close to what they provide.

There is no worry what so ever of any choice you make for actinics on your aquarium that your corals will loose color. Its only a supplement. Only the POP factor. The main source of food for the corals in your system in the MH's. The reason people were loosing colors on LED's, was because they were solely using LED's and didn't have the proper spectrum for their corals.

Keep in mind. The LED's have some dimming effects that other lights don't. Not sure what your needs are.
 
So do you think i will get decent growth with 20k bulbs, since my 2x 250w at 6'' over water surface is a bit too much for my tank size? I don't know whether it's more about the light spectrum or the par that gives me growth. I guess that's where i'm a little confused. I will still try to add actinics for viewing purposes after lights go out, etc, but i want to make sure i have the main light source figured out first.
 
Well you will get good growth out of the corals with the 20K. You wont have any issues. The higher the PAR the more growth you will get from my experience. You will want to run the actinic pretty much all day if you want to establish the pop from the corals. Not just when the halides are off. You can work that out when ever you decide on what supplements you will go with.
 
Would it work....yes, my first choice....no. I would get a reefbreeders controllable fixture before having that many different fixtures over a tank. You can wait until you need new bulb's or sell your current setup. YMMV http://www.reefbreeders.com/it2040.html

Cheers,
 
Thanks for the guidance. I just ordered one of reefbreeders fixtures. They look amazing and I'd rather spend that money on cool new lights rather than a boring old chiller. Can't wait for it to get here, then someone is going to get a great deal on new t5 bulbs and some Ecoxotic pros.
 
I run two 175 10K's and a 48" rapid LED supplement kit over my 120 colors are great. I do wish I had purchased another LED kit balanced to run when the halides are off so I don't have a blue tank, seriously the acitinic LED's take a while for my eyes to adjust to the spectrum. The rapid LED heatsink was way easy to install into my DIY canopy, and at near the same price as a retro T5 I'm glad I chose it.
 
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