LED lighting article

[krisw]

Ben, let me know what you're looking for, and I can try to make a few suggestions...

[sukrol]

The link works, but if it doesn't work for you It's a good thing, these people were just shilling.

Try this:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160131035 ... ght-levels

Hopefully it works. If not you can find the best LED talk IMO in the 2014 AGA DVD.

Good luck!

[Ben Belton]

I hope to get a new tank going sometime before the holidays get cranked up. I was going to just set up a 75 because I have all the equipment except a tank. Would be cheap, but I want to do a real aquascape this time. Not just my usual half ass farm. Finding the hardscape stuff was going to be hard for a 75. I found a 45gal rimless cube 24 x 24 x 19H at a local shop this week, and I think it would be perfect to start with. Price wasn't crazy, but the light that came with it sucked. So if I'm going to shop for a light, I want to try what is new and learn about it. LED has been a bit hard to figure out what you need, and then many of the fixtures do crazy things. I remember the good old days of two functions.... on/off. I say good old days nostalgically, but I don't plan to stay stuck there. The new LED fixtures are cool, but like everyone, I want to buy the right thing and not spend $200 to find it is junk or doesn't suit my needs.

[krisw]

As you mention, LEDs have all kinds of features... For starters, what price range are you hoping to fit into, and how important are things like sunsets, color calibration vs fixed, wifi control, etc to you? And, are you looking to make sure whatever you get can output high light or something less?

[Bossanova]

So, I read the entire article, and my summary is as follows:
Cheap LEDs aren't very good.
You should spend some bucks to get the better LEDs, and if you wait two more years, they will be even better.
Also, the good LEDs are still more cost efficient long term (when you consider energy costs and the cost of replacement bulbs) than T5s.

...imagine what they’ll have in, say, 7 years..! What’s a “Bluetooth”..??