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Leds vs T5 Advice

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reefmaniac

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I'm switching over to the Aqua illuminations for my tank. They are supposed to be the best LEDS you can buy, I have one unit just waiting on the 2nd one to get here. You might be able to get away with 2 units.
 
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reeferguy

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the best leds you can buy are home made. aquailuminations don't even come close to the lights that i make. so my advice to you is make your own, you save money and they can do anything AI lights can do plus more.
 
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IamRobG

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I have LED's on my Edge and 8 T5HO on my 125. For someone like me, the 650$ for the T5's was worth it because my tank is 6' long. For me to get an Acan or an AI it would cost about 1800 for the AI or 2100 for the Acan LED setups or 1,000 to do it myself. The bulbs ar 160$ a year so the payoff would be 6 years down the line. Who knows what kinda light will be out by then. If you can get away with 1 led fixture it might be better off.
 
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reefmaniac

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reeferguy said:
the best leds you can buy are home made. aquailuminations don't even come close to the lights that i make. so my advice to you is make your own, you save money and they can do anything AI lights can do plus more.
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Yea, I would like to see this as well, And are your fixtures upgradable over the internet? Any new features for the AI that will be coming out are available through a down load via your controller.
 
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reefmaniac

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molodets said:
Will Aqua Illumination SOL Blue 12" with Controller be ok for 75 gal?

my tank is 4 Feet wide.
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I would say you need at least 2, They are supposed to be in an ideanl range of 18" x 18", which would be fine for the width but I don't know if the length would get covered good enough. I have heard of people hanging them higher and then turning up the intensity of the lights as well. But I have no personal experince with this, By the way AI has a superb customer service, Not sure how that reefer guy is with his customer service.
 
rookie07

rookie07

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He did a diy led...generally rhe diy leds look like crap, but they are cheaper. I am very happy with my 2 AI leds....low energy, low heat transfer and thwy look great!


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs
 
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reefmaniac

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Yea, they might be cheaper, but you are also right I have never seen a nice looking DIY. And what about warranty issues?
 
dacaptain78

dacaptain78

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molodets said:
Will Aqua Illumination SOL Blue 12" with Controller be ok for 75 gal?

my tank is 4 Feet wide.
Click to expand...


You will need at least two units to cover your tank. I have two Sol Blues over my 50 breeder about 9 inches off of the water. I think you would have to raise the units about 14 inches above the water (give or take an inch) to get full coverage, but it should work.
 
LatinP

LatinP

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The only reason I haven't bought into LEDs yet is the user reviews I keep hearing about with LEDs losing intensity after the first year or two. Otherwise it's almost too good to be true in the long run, especially with power savings.
 
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reeferguy

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all a diy doesn't have is a cheap plastic cover around it so really the benefits beat the downsides. diy leds can do everything ai's can do plus they are completely customizable and you can build whatever you want on them. also not dissing the ai or anything but they have a HUGE spotlight effect if not very very highly elevated. the ones i made for my tank and the others i made have perfectly spaced leds across the whole tank like a tv so its even lighting everywhere not just like 1 spot and spread to the rest of the tank with lower lighting although i can make then to cut off the edges and save a couple of bucks but still look the same. but the ones i make typically hang from the ceiling, and have remote drivers with a quick disconnect plug right off the leds so all you have to do to take them off is pull the plug and the whole fixture comes down with no wires. then when its plugged in, it goes through a multicable to theres only 1 thick wire showing from the back instead of hundreds like other diys. and the drivers get mounted under the stand so theres basically no mess. mine look like diy but very clean. all you see is the metal sheet and heatsinks with wires running on the top but the wires are tied up in 1 row so all the wired run across the top of the fixture in 1 spot then join up to the quick disconnect plug and then down to the drivers. they come out really nice and this thread got me thinking about some stuff. i build big and small led fixtures for people but now thanks because this thread has me thinking about doing this as a side job and having actual plastic frames so they look professionally made. but as we all know thats not easy to get so im probably better off just forgetting the idea.
rookie07 said:
He did a diy led...generally rhe diy leds look like crap, but they are cheaper. I am very happy with my 2 AI leds....low energy, low heat transfer and thwy look great!


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs
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