LED Comparison
It is important to note that much of the information in this write up is based upon my personal experience and the experiences of others. Facts regarding the different fixtures can be found using the links that I provide to their individual web sites.
To begin with I will discuss the systems before the LED's, as well as the procedures I used to test LED unit. I wish that I had known that I was going to be doing a write up and I would have changed my procedures significantly. However, that was not the case and thus some of the results are difficult to interpret. However I do feel that my experience with the four different units does have significant repeatable results.
Prior to obtaining the LED fixtures I had 3 setups: JBJ Nano 12 gal DX with 54 watts PC, 28 gal JBJ 150 Watt HQI 20 k Ushio bulb, 34 gallon Solana 150 watt Sunpod 14k Ushio bulb. The 12 gallon was, and still is, a zoa tank, the 28 gallon was my favorite and most established tank and the 34 gallon Solana was a newer setup. Prior to the LED fixtures the tanks all had good growth and excellent parameters. When reading this, it is safe to assume that my parameters are always good because I have consistently(usually every other day) checked salinity, ph , kh/dkh, calcium, temperature, calcium, nitrates, phosphates, nitrites and ammonia.
The LED wholesalers unit as well as the Evolution Lighting unit have been over the same tank for the entire test period. The AI SOL and MaxSpect units were each over the 28 gal JBJ and 34 gal Solana respectively for a period of 3 months before being interchanged.
LED Wholesalers 50
The first Led fixture I tried was the LED Wholesalers 50 watt reef LED fixture. http://www.amazon.com/Power-LED-Aquarium-corals-2514WB/sim/B0044X792Q/2
Upon setup, my initial impression was how the 50 watt led was equivalent to my 150 watt metal halide in brightness. I was thoroughly impressed that for $165 this led was a nice replacement for a 150 watt MH. This was done in November and the tank has done wonderfully since. The zoa's did take some time to adjust, which meant little growth and a few days of closed polyps, but they have taken off since and match any growth I have seen under MH. The decrease in heat is wonderful for a 12 gal tank. I have noticed that in comparison to the PC's, I now swing 2 full degrees less per day in temperature.
The fixture its self is very simple. It has one cord that controls all of the lights and has a mixture of around 3:2, blue:white led. I love the color of the light it produces although it is important to note that it is far whiter than the evolution lighting 2:1 mixture. The unit is quiet and has been nothing but quality for 6 months. There are really no features to discuss as it is just plug in to turn on and remove plug to turn off. Of course it can be put on a timer as well.
Overall for the price of $165 and taking into consideration how well my coral has done under it I would give the unit a 8/10. The only things that I dislike are the hanging system that it comes with and the fact that there is no on and off switch . Still, if you are looking to get into LED I would estimate that thus unit could light a 20"X20" square with good par values all around.
Evolution Lighting 60 Watt UFO
http://reefkoi.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20&products_id=1558
http://reefkoi.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20&products_id=1558
This unit I received about 2 months ago and thus have the least amount of experience with it. However I can speak to the build quality and make a few initial observations in regards to growth. The unit is unquestionably superior in appearance, features and build quality to the LED Wholesalers unit.
My coral seems to be very happy under it and the tank is coming along nicely. I would probably give this light a 9/10 based on price and build quality. I cannot give a rating for growth at this time. This light is very similar to the LED Wholesalers light in terms of coverage area.
Aqua Illumination Sol Blue
http://www.aquaillumination.com/
This unit was purchased in December and spent the first 3 months over the 34 gallon Solana. It is a beautiful unit and it is obvious that it is well made. The Solana is 20" wide and I noticed right off the bat that the 12" AI had difficulty with lighting coverage. I raised the light up to 24" above the tank and even then it seemed off. I ultimately bought new 70 degree lenses($25+$15 shipping) from the company which did help to even out the light. I started the AI at 30% and worked it up 10% per week until it was at 80% at which point I could tell it was plenty bright enough for all of my corals. The coral had very little polyp extension and it took several weeks for the coral to adjust. 3 months into the experiment, my coral still was not happy except for a few caps and zoas, so I decided I had to try switching out the light. I moved the AI down to my favorite tank, the 28 gal JBJ ( which had had the MaxSpect Unit for 3 months at this point) and immediately the same thing happened to the coral. Coral that had been thriving under the MaxSpect G160 (160 watt) now looked terrible under the AI unit. Another complaint that I have with the unit is that the lunar cycle is difficult to set. The company wants you to leave the bulbs on at 4% in order to get the lunar cycle to opperate properly. 4% on this unit Is actually very bright and night is never achieved. This is most likely because I have it over such a small tank but still it does not work well for me. Currently I still have the AI unit on the JBJ and things are improving. It has taken 3 months for the coral to adjust to the AI unit. I still get no polyp extension during the day but I think soon I will.
The features on the AI are unparalleled and for that reason it gains some ground in my book. I love the dimming and sunrise and sunset and even the thunderstorm is neat. However the $679 price tag on a unit that has difficulty covering a 20" cube is tough to get around. I give the unit a 6.5/10 on the basis that it is too expensive and that growth has not been great. I know that there will be people that own AI units that say this is wrong. Like I said this is my experience.
MaxSpect G2-160
http://www.finsreef.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17515&cat=0&page=1
I bought this unit in December as well as the lens kit for it. It was initially placed over my 28 gal JBJ and then placed over my 34 Gal Solana. This has by far been the best unit in my opinion. The growth is far better than the AI and I love that I can change the color of the light. The unit has a feature where you can buy led's of all different wavelengths and then replace the ones you have. Thus I have a far larger spectrum with this unit than I do with any of my other units. I have put in an almost complete spectrum. Here is a link to all the bulb colors. http://www.finsreef.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=1&sort=&sort_direction=&page=2. Swapping out the bulbs is easy and takes 5 minutes per bulb. The unit itself is well built and is very quiet. It is made in china so the instruction manual is terrible. The light comes with built in timers for each set of bulbs. The one I have has 3 separate timers. In this respect it is inferior to the AI unit because it cannot dim. However, in all honesty the three sets of lights that turn off at different times is almost as good. The moon lights on the unit are adequate and do the job nicely. I have loved this unit and plan to get another . Overall I would give this unit a 10/10 because with the lens kit it is the same price as the AI but the coverage area is literally 2X as big and its more than double the wattage. Also the ability to change out the LED's and make a spectrum that works for me is a definite plus.
Here is a great article that basically disagrees with my findings. I think it is important to look at several different opinions. Also this individual had the benefit of a par meter . The only thing that I truly disagree with him on is that the AI being brighter but looking dimmer being a good thing. I mean how my tank looks to my eye is what really matters to me. So if my AI is equivalent to my MS at 20 % but looks super dim I can't say that I like that, nor that I consider that a good thing. I think that for someone with a super deep tank the AI might be a better choice but I don’t have any results to support that. http://www.michiganreefers.com/foru...ion-vs-maxspect-g2-160w-par-measurements.html
Pictures of the tanks mentioned in this writeup can been seen in the attached pictures. From left to right: 18 gallon Frag tank with 60 Watt Evolution Lighting UFO, 12 Gal JBJ nano DX with 50 Watt Ledwholesalers reef light, 34 Gal Solana with MaxSpect G2-160, 28 gal JBJ with AI sol (72 watt @65%)
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