Anyone seen these LED systems?

[7digits]

I found these Oceanbright LED systems. I'm looking for a lighting system for a 30x12x18Deep 29 gallon tank. I came across these, but I can't find any info on them other than their site - AquaShop Online - Aquashoponline.com -- Aquarium Lighting Wholesaler . I need some advice on what kind of lighting I need. I would like to have some zoa's, some Lps, and possibly a Sps or 2. It's been difficult to find a fixture for a 30" tank. These LEDs are a curiousity mainly because of the price considering the current price of led fixtures. My local reef shop is a AquaticLife dealer, and it's a very small shop ran by 2 brothers who just really seem to enjoy reefing in their spare time, and see it as a way to support their hobby as they both work full time jobs. CharlotteSteve if you get a chance, go up to Granite Falls, just west of Hickory, NC and check out Beyond the Reef. Anyway, I've built a good repore with them, and they are willing to get me an AquaticLife fixture at slightly above their cost. I'm considering the AquaticLife 150w HID Swingarm - AquaticLife LLC | Live It Today! Premium Marine Aquarium Products - or the 30" 4x24w T5HO - AquaticLife LLC | Live It Today! Premium Marine Aquarium Products. Any thoughts on which way I should go? I like both, but would 96 watts be strong enough for sps? I really can't decide because I like the 150w HID, and I know I could have whatever with it, but I also like the T5HO, but I don't want to limit what I can have in the tank. Would the 96 watt T5HO support sps if it were high in the tank? I have a 4" sand bed, the lowest any coral would sit would be only 14" deep. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[MyNameIsJoe]

hello... My LFS has 2 LED fixtures on one of their display reefs and all of the corals look great in that tank. The guy that works their said they are equivalent to metal halides. LED's seem to be new to the open market, so you might have a hard time finding somebody that has experience with them. T5HO's seem to work good from what I've read, but you might be limited with 96 watts. Not 100% sure on that tho, I am new to corals myself. Some of the experienced reefers here use T5HO's and seem to have nice corals growing. With MH's you might want to consider energy consumption and heat production. You should browse the other threads on lighting as there is a lot of input on the different types of lighting for corals. I'm sure someone with more experience will comment on this. Good luck!

[Chasman]

7digits

I purchased the exact T5 fixture from AquaticLife you are speaking of. I ended up not using it. It's brand new and sitting in the basement. What I didn't like about it was the lamps were only 24" long. This left the ends of the tank a bit dark. Plus the wattage is a bit lower than the 29" lamps in the Coralife fixture I already had. So I bought another 30" Coralife fixture and use two of them. Although I think the AquaticLife fixture would work. They have nice features (great timer built in) and seems to be very well made. I paid $280 for mine at Marine Depot. See what price you can get. I'd sell you mine for $100 plus shipping if you have any interest. I like the result I get with the Coralife fixtures I have. Petco even sells them at a good price. You just need two of them.

As far as sps corals go, I haven't tried it yet, but plan too. When my tank gets a bit more mature, I'm going to try a small frag high in the tank to see how it does. I've seen alot of tanks with T5's that grow sps and all types of coral quite well.

The MH bulbs will definitely work. You may have some heat issues though with tanks our size. It all depends on how you mount them. If you close them up to get rid of the light glare, they get quite hot.

I like the idea of the LED's. Especially for a small tank. The down side is the price is staggering at the moment and they're still a bit on the new technology side of things. I could see using them down the road as they get better and cheaper.

The above response probably doesn't help at all does it. Lots of ways to go with lighting.

Chasman.

[7digits]

Chasman I might have to take you up on that offer. It will be 3 weeks before I can do anything though. I've just been trying to do my research to get the right fixture. Let me think about it and talk to the wife. I may be able to do it sooner. Where are you located at so I can get an idea of the shipping cost if you are serious. If it comes down to it I could probably live without the sps, or maybe put them high in the tank.

[Chasman]

7digits

I have no problem shipping to you via UPS. I'm in Cleveland, Ohio. No rush either. It's not going anywhere. You can send me a PM when the time comes.

Chasman