LEDS or MH PLUS T5HO?

[AloysiusMun]

Hi Bros,

I am wondering which light is better in maintaining coloration of Exotic Zoas, Rics and Yumas. I am looking at the Maxspec G2-110W and the Illummax MH Plus 2ft currently. The display tank dimension is 25"x12"x18".

I have heard that the LEDS will tend to bleach out the corals. Could the reason be due to the spectrum of light output?

Please advise.

Thank you!

[onizukaa]

have been using LED and so far,zoas have been growing.

if possible,would recommend LED + T5. (though LED should be sufficient but sometimes it doesn't really bring out the "exact true colours",so if adding abit of T5 would be perfect).

bleach zoas never had it before and can even susbtain sps.

rics/yuma all also growing.

Suggest MH is not needed for a LPS enviroment and it's hot and makes your electricity boomz

(chiller kicking in more often e.t.c)

[TayHongSiang]

i will go for LED...less heat, less energy consumption, less damage when yr chiller fails....colouration wise, LED alone may lose out to MH + T5 combi...but u can use LED + T5 combi to give u the best of both worlds...

if u r afraid your maxspect is too strong for your corals...dun switch on for 8-9hrs after u install...start off with 5-6 hrs for a few days then increase the duration as days goes by....or u can hang your maxspect higher, further away from your surface of your water....u can check with dr evil on the customise hanging kit for maxspect G2 models....

[oceanviper]

have been using LED and so far,zoas have been growing.

if possible,would recommend LED + T5. (though LED should be sufficient but sometimes it doesn't really bring out the "exact true colours",so if adding abit of T5 would be perfect).

bleach zoas never had it before and can even susbtain sps.

rics/yuma all also growing.

Suggest MH is not needed for a LPS enviroment and it's hot and makes your electricity boomz

(chiller kicking in more often e.t.c)

Hi bro....

Agree....

Me with some other reefers also in the process of DIY the LED......

[onizukaa]

Hi bro....

Agree....

Me with some other reefers also in the process of DIY the LED......

nice keep us updated !~~

[AloysiusMun]

From what I read online,

Color pigments are formed to protect the Corals from UV light radiation. UV from the sun comes in the form of UV-A UV-B and UV-C. Most of the UV-B and C is blocked out by the ozone layer leaving us with only UV-A. The wavelength of UV-A ranges from 400nm-315nm.

Color pigments such as Pink/Blue/Purple in corals are produced to protect themselves.

I believe that continual stimulation of the coral at this range of wavelengths is crucial to sustaining the Corals intense coloration or maybe even create new colorations out of the corals!

Its like 'sun-tanning' the coral. Humans turn tan due to the pigment melanin so as to protect our cells under the skin. Corals produce PINK/BLUE/PURPLE pigments to protect themselves. You need to continually stimulate the coral so as to keep the coral producing the pigments.

Photosynthesis peaks at about 450nm (Actinics ) though it varies for individuals, so its better to give it a wider spectrum and not only at around 450nm. More photosynthesis equates to more growth in your Corals. However coloration is another issue all together (as mentioned above).

Now for typical lighting characteristics of the different lights, T5 (using ATI Aquablue as example), MH (typical MH spectrum obtained from Wikipedia) and Maxspect LED (chart from another reefer on ReefCentral).

Refer to chart on MH,

You can see that there is still a decent amount of UV (light under 400nm) produced on top of the wide spectrum output.

Refer to chart on Aquablue,

The output spectrum is mainly between 400-500nm which is optimum for photosynthesis. However under 400nm there is minimal output.

Refer to chart on phosphor-based led white,

Most white LEDS are actually LED of one color (mostly blue LED made of InGaN) with coated with phosphor of different colors to produce white light, the resultant LEDs are called phosphor-based white LEDs. The chart shows majority of the output spectrum between 500-700nm and the peak at 465nm.

Refer to chart on maxspect,

You can see that the 3w light output chart is similar to the phosphor-based led white. The 3w Royal blue LED peaks at 445nm and range I estimate between 400-500nm. The 3w LED Violet peaks at 403nm and range I estimate between 350-450nm.

According to what I have stated above,

I am planning to get the Maxspect G2-110W and replace some of the 3w White LED to 3w Violet LED to ensure that the corals receive sufficient UV to maintain pigmentation. I will probably buy another 6 3w Violet LED to play around with.

This way I am able to save cost in the long run as running MH plus T5 is very expensive. Not to mention I think my Mom will make me pay for the hike in Utilities!

Anyone knows if the Maxspect G2 LEDS are easy to swap around and the cost of each 3w LED?

All these above is just what information I gathered online. Hopefully you guys can give me your inputs too!

[Harlequinmania]

Hi Bros,

I am wondering which light is better in maintaining coloration of Exotic Zoas, Rics and Yumas. I am looking at the Maxspec G2-110W and the Illummax MH Plus 2ft currently. The display tank dimension is 25"x12"x18".

I have heard that the LEDS will tend to bleach out the corals. Could the reason be due to the spectrum of light output?

Please advise.

Thank you!

Bleach corals may not due solely on the light spectrum alone, as it maybe beached due to strong light source from the LED light which some LPS cannot withstand. Some people may think that the Output from LEDs is not as bright as MH with our naked eyes, but it should alway be guage with a PAR meter.

[K3nneth]

Hi bro....

Agree....

Me with some other reefers also in the process of DIY the LED......

Hi i'm quite new in the forum looking for light set as well saw through a few brands like de lighting and illumax. i be keen to get led light set as well hope you can keep me updated. thanks

[K3nneth]

From what I read online,

Color pigments are formed to protect the Corals from UV light radiation. UV from the sun comes in the form of UV-A UV-B and UV-C. Most of the UV-B and C is blocked out by the ozone layer leaving us with only UV-A. The wavelength of UV-A ranges from 400nm-315nm.

Color pigments such as Pink/Blue/Purple in corals are produced to protect themselves.

I believe that continual stimulation of the coral at this range of wavelengths is crucial to sustaining the Corals intense coloration or maybe even create new colorations out of the corals!

Its like 'sun-tanning' the coral. Humans turn tan due to the pigment melanin so as to protect our cells under the skin. Corals produce PINK/BLUE/PURPLE pigments to protect themselves. You need to continually stimulate the coral so as to keep the coral producing the pigments.

Photosynthesis peaks at about 450nm (Actinics ) though it varies for individuals, so its better to give it a wider spectrum and not only at around 450nm. More photosynthesis equates to more growth in your Corals. However coloration is another issue all together (as mentioned above).

Now for typical lighting characteristics of the different lights, T5 (using ATI Aquablue as example), MH (typical MH spectrum obtained from Wikipedia) and Maxspect LED (chart from another reefer on ReefCentral).

Refer to chart on MH,

You can see that there is still a decent amount of UV (light under 400nm) produced on top of the wide spectrum output.

Refer to chart on Aquablue,

The output spectrum is mainly between 400-500nm which is optimum for photosynthesis. However under 400nm there is minimal output.

Refer to chart on phosphor-based led white,

Most white LEDS are actually LED of one color (mostly blue LED made of InGaN) with coated with phosphor of different colors to produce white light, the resultant LEDs are called phosphor-based white LEDs. The chart shows majority of the output spectrum between 500-700nm and the peak at 465nm.

Refer to chart on maxspect,

You can see that the 3w light output chart is similar to the phosphor-based led white. The 3w Royal blue LED peaks at 445nm and range I estimate between 400-500nm. The 3w LED Violet peaks at 403nm and range I estimate between 350-450nm.

According to what I have stated above,

I am planning to get the Maxspect G2-110W and replace some of the 3w White LED to 3w Violet LED to ensure that the corals receive sufficient UV to maintain pigmentation. I will probably buy another 6 3w Violet LED to play around with.

This way I am able to save cost in the long run as running MH plus T5 is very expensive. Not to mention I think my Mom will make me pay for the hike in Utilities!

Anyone knows if the Maxspect G2 LEDS are easy to swap around and the cost of each 3w LED?

All these above is just what information I gathered online. Hopefully you guys can give me your inputs too!

thanks for sharing the info i think i have a better understanding as well... can you post some review on the maxspect G2 led?