Timfish Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 Friend of mine just told me about this - Check it out http://glassbox-design.com/2009/eco-friendly-plasma-lighting-technology-reaches-aquariums/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derry Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 My armchair analysis is that MH bulbs are going to become the aquarist's equivalent of the cassette tape within five years. This is really cool stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 My armchair analysis is that MH bulbs are going to become the aquarist's equivalent of the cassette tape within five years. This is really cool stuff. he he...shorter than that. I say 1-2 yr for reef enthusiasts. Tank dabblers can get in now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 It might be a couple of years before this technology is available but it will take a long time to phase out HID lighting. They should give you initial investement cost per watt b/c I guarantee you that it will be VERY expensive and will take many years for the price to come down far enough to be widely used. A perfect example is 3d LED tv's, they are avaiable but how many of us are going to rush down and pay $4K for a TV? There are some for sure but 99.9% of tvs sold are not 3d LED. I'm playing devils advocate here but I really do like where this type lighting is headed. Either this type lighting or something similiar will definately replace MH but IMO it will take many years for it to become affordable for the average joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 I found a company already selling them for aquarium use in 3 different sizes. All run about $1000 a piece. Not that bad when you consider the electricity and bulb replacement savings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Do you have a link, I would like to check them out. Is it the same plasma bulbs, same company? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Here you go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 ive been looking hard at changing to LEDs, here is a link to a DIY LED setup.My link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 ive been looking hard at changing to LEDs, here is a link to a DIY LED setup.My link I have done lots of testing of LEDs in my business and for the most part they are very disappointing for growth of plants. If you are only using them for lighting they are great but IMO after testng them they don't have the "punch" that MH lighting has and the growth in plants is noticably less. I have no experience with trying to grow corals with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Here you go! Awesome, I'm going to contact that company about getting a sample. If they are as bada** as advertised I would like to sell them to the gardening industry through my distribution company. My problem is that we get contacted every few months from companies that tell us "We have the LED that works!" and we get samples to test and it's always disappointing, especially as the plants get taller. The LEP on the other hand seems to pack a punch that is needed to reach down in to the canopy, it seems to put out light similiar to MH. I'll talk to them Monday and post what I find out. Thank you for the link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labradorduck Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Along a similar vein, I've been following this blog about the new high intensity LEDs. http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatfishblog/2009/12/23/new-led-lighting-technology-coming-to-tfp-part-1/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Along a similar vein, I've been following this blog about the new high intensity LEDs. http://blogs.thatpet...-to-tfp-part-1/ I'm skeptical honestly about the performance. The indoor gardening industry is where most LED companies want to sell their products b/c its a multi billion dollar a year market, so this industry gets to test drive all of the most advanced units. If an LED came through that delivered what they promise we would know about it, it has been a hot topic for a couple of years now. I can just tell by looking at the fixture that it doesn't have near enough LEDs to produce even what a VHO flourescent will do. When companies claim their LEDs produce as much light as a 400 watt light (which is never true) there is a panel about 3' x 3' completely coverd in bulbs, hundreds of them. I have seen plants die underneath them. I hate to be such a skeptic of LED but it frustrates me that these companies make claims that can never be backed up, I feel like its a scam to some degree b/c of my experience with them. I fixture that claims to put out as much lumens as a 400 watt are around $2k, a guy buys it and his plants won't grow. Maybe one day they will be ready but right now they are starting to get a bad wrap in my industry. Just to be clear, just used as lighting LEDs are awesome in many ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Here is an article that I read a few weeks ago that was recently published in a gardening magazine, pretty interesting. http://urbangardenmagazine.com/2010/02/plasma-grow-lights-the-promises-of-full-spectrum-plant-lighting/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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