Long Term Success LED?

[SnowManSnow]

I want to get in touch with someone who has had long term (3+ years) success with LED lighting over a dedicated SPS system.

I'm considering upgrading tanks soon, and am wondering if LEDs have arrived yet..

I've had really good success over the last 5 years with T5, but I'm always open to new tech.

so... anyone? long term success?
what leds?
how long?

Just need some specifics

thanks for any help.

B Snow:deadhorse1:

[vessxpress1]

Im interested too. Ive been out of the hobby for a few years now. Always used T-5s but looks like alot of places making led fixtures now.

Im kind of itching to start up a nano of some sort again for sps or lps only. Whos considered the good led companies these days? And how have your colors held up over the years? How has the led intensities held up?

[redwhiteandblue]

I have not ran leds for 3 years, but have had moderate success with ai sols and will share my experience.

I started my 180 in oct 2011 using t5, switched to ai sol blues in jan '13
I have gotten pretty good growth since the sols were added. most non-blue/green sps turned brown, lps stayed the same color.

ended up adding 4- 80w t5 and am slowly getting my colors back. Many people seem to be going this route to capture the best of both worlds.

[XxRingoxX]

Come to the dark side B........we have punch and pie.

[d2mini]

If you like your T5, i would stick with it.
LED will be a wholllllle different look.

After running off the shelf high end LED units for almost 2 years, I can tell that they can grow SPS ok, but you will be compromising in some areas. Some sps will do great, some maybe not so great, some may do great but change color… stuff like that. And you may need a lot more leds than you initially thought. Expect your tank to look a lot dimmer overall.

If you had a sps/softie tank, I'd say go for it if you don't mind the different look.

[meshwheel]

The tank is actually not dimmer. Its the simple fact that led's blow out less light. Much less. So to your eye they look dimmer. But to the corals they do not.
If you want a great fixture with spread just like T5's and better then halides, the ReefBreeders is excellent.
Much less heat, much less electricity, and the programs are awesome! Full sunrise and sunset! Plus moon lights. Not to mention 1 cord for everything. Hangers included as well.
I love mine! It's only been 4 months, and I have a few corals that lost colors, but totally my fault. I was dialing in my water and stripped the tank too clean!
Colors coming back now on the 3 corals! All the "after the fact" corals i have added have held their colors and some have gotten even better!
SPS take time and patience. I like the NON puck leds. The leds the full length if the fixture seem to get a much better spread.
Look at the Mitras also. They are pucks, but in a rectangular layout. Much much better then pucks in a straight line.

[d2mini]

So to your eye they look dimmer.

How ever you want to say it, this is what I said.

[echoreef]

Get the hybrid if you like T5 but want to try LED.

[WestTexasReefer]

I have had Gen 2 AI Lights (before the SOL's) on my tank for about 7 years and have run flawlessly. My tank is mostly LPS with some SPS and everything is growing fast and doing extremely well.

[mixedreefjunky]

I believe there is a thread about this in the sps forum titled "Sps success with LED's" and that thread is pages long with lots of good info.