liquafried Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I've read great reviews on thease in the bang per buck regards. However this is my first go round with leds. I was wondering if anyone had opinions or experience with them? I've purchased 2 and have 1 running on my holdover tank, waiting for my main tank to be oporational. Problem is its hard to tell what Kelvin degree and intensity I've got it set at! What's to much? Do I need an exact 10k, 20k, 14? Do I need a supplement? I've always ran mh lights with cfl. So any help would b appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I looked at these and almost pulled the trigger on one but found a deal here on Reef Breeders and went that way because of the great support they provide. But from what i remember reading up on the MARS 300 watt it has a good complete color spectrum only lacking in UV As far as intensity and such start low and work your way up. And depends greatly on where the coral are coming from. IE: LEDs MH T5 etc... These lights will not have the intensity per watt of say Kessils but I would figure them at about 1.5 - 1.75 of MH at full power. So my SWAG would think ~ 500watts MH per unit at full power would be max. Don't know the size of your holding tank but I would start with the old math at around 3 watts per gallon to be safe or Example 100 gal tank = 300 watts MH / 1.75 = 171 watts LED so 171 / 300 = 57% total 50/50 gives you ~ 10K and 60/40 closer to 12K which IMHO is optimal for both growth and color So I'd split that 60 / 40 Blue / White Channel. And go 34% Blue and 23% white channel would be a good safe start for most coral. Then after a few days look to the coral and they'll tell you by color and polyp extension. Soft coral and LPS will shrink down in too intense lighting and balloon out in too low of lighting. SPS will darken in low light and bleach in too bright of light with no or little polyp extension. If you like it bluer than blue it up a bit but always remember the entire intensity. Up the blue a bit and lower the white a bit to match. Until you are ready to up the total wattage on the coral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 If MARS 300 are lacking UV, I would not get them. I have DYI LEDs. I set them up originally 4 years ago and added UV 2 yrs ago and it made a huge difference in coral color and growth! After that experience in seeing the results I am seeing, I wouldn't buy a fixture that doesn't have UV. It should be full spectrum, including UV or I wouldn't buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I have the Ocean Revive fixtures and I like their performance so far for the price. They're $200/fixture and have a full array of leds, including 420 nm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 You should be aware having a strong "UV" component will strongly stimulate the prodution of bright green flourescing pigments. You may like this but with some corals that are orange to red, like lopophyllia, it will shift their colors to the green. What light a coral likes best for growing also depends on the particular variety or species. Acropora tortusa has really nice greens, purples and blues with a strong "UV" component but I find it grows faster under 10,000K MH even though it has about the same PAR level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Tim, I added some UV, but I didn't go too strong. You are there is definitely a balance of colors that are needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liquafried Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Thank you all for the responses. It's hard to beat good ole mh. Thease leds were a leap for me, but I think I'm gonna like them! I'll do some research on diy leds, and c what I need to add the right amount of uv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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