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Unread 07/31/2010, 10:46 AM   #1
scolley
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: CT
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LED Color Aesthetics: The Emperor’s got no clothes. Or does he?

I’ve just finished my DIY LED fixture; 12 XR-E Cool Whites, 12 XR-E Royal Blues. Apex dimming to provide and mix of those two color lights that I desire. It’s the first time I’ve seen all LED lighting over my tank, and honestly, I’m not impressed.

Sure, when I crank the blue and turn down the white there are AMAZING colors popping in my tank that I’ve never seen before. But then you are in that heavy blue world that to me looks like an aquarium in a Tim Burton dream. If you want something that comes close to natural sunlight at shallow depth, the whites wash everything out. The colors that aren’t “popping” from the Royal Blues all look flat and washed out.

In all the hours and hours I’ve spent reading about LEDs to get this constructed, why have I not run into a thread dealing with the truth about the esthetics of LED color? Maybe no one wants to admit that for a “white” tank LEDs compare somewhat poorly to nice a Metal Halide/T5 or PC mix?

For contrast my tank normally runs a 150w 20k DE Radium on a Orbit ballast, supplemented with a pair of actinic PC bulbs. And while not the best Raduim, nor the best ballast, it doesn’t look half bad IMO. Good color, nice saturation, not too blue.

I’ve also got a 250w 20k SE Radium in a Lumen Bright pendant driven by a Lumatek 250/400w dimmable ballast. I don't use it, but have hung it just to check the difference between it and my normal lighting. And honestly it was not a dramatic change.

But in contrast – if I ignore the black light like excitation of certain fluorescent corals – these XR-E Cool Whites look flat and washed out in comparison. At least to my eyes.

Are there people out there with similar experiences? Disappointment with your LEDs vs. your MH, unless you skew the mix into that spooky blue space?


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