what you should care for when choosing led reef lights?

In the last 20 years of fish keeping, nothing has rivaled the explosive growth and popularity of the "reef"; nor has anything stirred up so much discussion. While many people attempted various modes of reef keeping, it was the introduction of the Dutch reefs with wet/dry filters, which triggered the hobby's growth in the U.S. With the new biological wet/dry filters, it became possible to have stable, large, bio-load systems which could support more delicate life, such as corals and anemones. Once the filter platform was available, other shortcomings in chemical filtration and   led aquarium lighting   became evident, spurring the evolution of new products and controversy.

Please remember that led aquarium lighting guide is still relatively new, and many successful systems are available. If you have talked to other enthusiasts, you are aware that there are several ways to set up your reef. Keep in mind that what works for someone else may not work for you; you may need to set up a traditional wet/dry system or jump into the latest "Berlin" skimmer system. Plan your approach to avoid frustration.

Proper aquarium size

The first step to a successful reef is to obtain the proper size of aquarium. Ideally, you want a fairly large tank; a minimum would be 18" wide x 48" long x 18" deep. Large, wide tanks are advantageous because they include more area for aquascaping and for the lighting system.
led aquarium lights

Among the most important aspects of reef keeping is the lighting system. With lighting, we want to provide the proper photoperiod, intensity, and spectrum for good coral and anemone growth. Most applications use a 12-hour photoperiod. With multi-light systems, you can use timers to vary the intensity by varying the number of lights on at any one time. Usually, one bulb comes on for an hour, then all bulbs for 10 hours, then one light is left on for an additional hour while the others are turned off. This is one method to duplicate the sun passing over the reef. On really elaborate systems, some hobbyists have even designed cloud cover patterns.

To provide proper light intensity, use 3-5 watts per gallon and use multiple fluorescent lights if the tank is 30" deep or less. Deeper tanks require more elaborate systems, usually involving hanging metal halide pendant lighting. Most books suggest one 175-watt metal halide per 4 square feet of surface area, hanging about 1 foot above the tank.

The development of electronic ballasts for Very High Output (VHO) fluorescent lighting, has allowed enthusiasts to design high wattage systems in small spaces. A 48" VHO bulb outputs 110W, versus 40W for a standard bulb. VHO systems require special end caps to withstand the higher heat emitted. Most of these tubes are available with internal reflectors to maximize intensity. Use bulbs with a CRI of 90-99 (CRI 100=sunlight), or color temperature of 5500-10,000K.

Most corals have light intensities at which they grow best. This is important to know when selecting bulbs and determining at what depth a certain coral should be placed. Most corals are a little forgiving as light intensity goes. It is important, though, not to "blind" new coral when placing them in the tank, as this can lead to light shock or bleaching of the zooxanthellae. Place new corals deeper in the tank than the optimum and provide some shading. Once acclimated, (generally about 2 weeks), raise them to the optimal level.

DIY led reef lights

Light is one of the most important tools at the disposal of the reef aquarium hobbyist. Our corals and other photosynthetic livestock require intense light of the correct spectrum to grow and thrive.So that's why led aquarium lights has been developed

The methods commonly used today - high output fluorescent or metal halide lamps - are well established and viable sources of light. Their use has become well accepted as a standard approach, despite their shortcomings.Cheap led aquarium lights offers an alternative for people who are interested in a different approach that can address some of those shortcomings, while providing some exciting new advantages.

 As with many new technologies in the reefkeeping hobby, the DIY community has begun embracing wholesale led aquarium lights.

Lighting: Reef Aquarium Lighting System Design and Selection

In the last 20 years of fish keeping, nothing has rivaled the explosive growth and popularity of the "reef"; nor has anything stirred up so much discussion. While many people attempted various modes of reef keeping, it was the introduction of the Dutch reefs with wet/dry filters, which triggered the hobby's growth in the U.S. With the new biological wet/dry filters, it became possible to have stable, large, bio-load systems which could support more delicate life, such as corals and anemones. Once the filter platform was available, other shortcomings in chemical filtration and led aquarium lighting became evident, spurring the evolution of new products and controversy.

Please remember that reef keeping is still relatively new, and many successful systems are available. If you have talked to other enthusiasts, you are aware that there are several ways to set up your reef. Keep in mind that what works for someone else may not work for you; you may need to set up a traditional wet/dry system or jump into the latest "Berlin" skimmer system. Plan your approach to avoid frustration.

Proper aquarium size

The first step to a successful reef is to obtain the proper size of aquarium. Ideally, you want a fairly large tank; a minimum would be 18" wide x 48" long x 18" deep. Large, wide tanks are advantageous because they include more area for aquascaping and for the lighting system.

led Reef lights
Among the most important aspects of reef keeping is the lighting system. With lighting, we want to provide the proper photoperiod, intensity, and spectrum for good coral and anemone growth. Most applications use a 12-hour photoperiod. With multi-light systems, you can use timers to vary the intensity by varying the number of lights on at any one time. Usually, one bulb comes on for an hour, then all bulbs for 10 hours, then one light is left on for an additional hour while the others are turned off. This is one method to duplicate the sun passing over the reef. On really elaborate systems, some hobbyists have even designed cloud cover patterns.

To provide proper light intensity, use 3-5 watts per gallon and use multiple fluorescent lights if the tank is 30" deep or less. Deeper tanks require more elaborate systems, usually involving hanging metal halide pendant lighting. Most books suggest one 175-watt metal halide per 4 square feet of surface area, hanging about 1 foot above the tank.

The development of electronic ballasts for Very High Output (VHO) fluorescent lighting, has allowed enthusiasts to design high wattage systems in small spaces. A 48" VHO bulb outputs 110W, versus 40W for a standard bulb. VHO systems require special end caps to withstand the higher heat emitted. Most of these tubes are available with internal reflectors to maximize intensity. Use bulbs with a CRI of 90-99 (CRI 100=sunlight), or color temperature of 5500-10,000K.

Most corals have light intensities at which they grow best. This is important to know when selecting led aquarium lights and determining at what depth a certain coral should be placed. Most corals are a little forgiving as light intensity goes. It is important, though, not to "blind" new coral when placing them in the tank, as this can lead to light shock or bleaching of the zooxanthellae. Place new corals deeper in the tank than the optimum and provide some shading. Once acclimated, (generally about 2 weeks), raise them to the optimal level.

How do LEDs work ?

In order to understand LED, or to call them by their proper name, Light Emitting Diodes, we need to understand semiconductors and electroluminescence. Semiconductors are elements (or compounds) which have conductivity between that of conductors (like metals) and insulators (like glass). A process called doping is used to add impurities to the semiconductor so as to create two different types of semiconductor layers in the same chip. This happens because the impurity modifies the electron configuration of some of the atoms of the material, thereby rendering some atoms electron deficient (possessing “electron holes”) and some electron surplus. One layer becomes electron deficient, while the other becomes electron surplus. The junction of these two layers is called a p-n junction, and this p-n junction forms the foundation of all LEDs.

How do LEDs work

Electricity being essentially the movement of electrons through the element, it can only flow from the negatively charged electron-excess region to the positively charged electron-deficit region, or in other words, electricity can flow only in one direction across the p-n junction. Now electrons move from the negatively charged atoms to positively charged atoms, they fill the deficit areas (called “electron holes”) in the positively charged atoms. While filling them, they emit photons by the process of electroluminescence. These photons are “particles” of light, and when they are emitted in sufficient quantity, we can say that the p-n junction is emitting light.

The process by which this is turned into a fully functional Full spectrum LED grow lights is too complex to cover here, though if you want a more in-depth analysis, you can refer to this paper.

Evolution of LED Performance



Commercial marketing of LEDs had begun much before of course, with Texas Instruments getting the first patent for the commercial LED in 1962. The product them came up with, however, cost $130 apiece, which made it extremely costly for the time. Over the years, however, prices of LEDs have dropped, and today we have LEDs being used in the great majority of electrical implements.
History of best LED grow lights

Such diversification of LED applications influenced the grow lights industry rather late. It was only in the early 21st Century that attempts were made to create arrays of 120 5mm diodes to produce commercial grow lights. Such arrays made use of up to 5 different types of LEDs, two in the red light region, one in the orange/yellow region and two in the blue region. Such an arrangement attempted to create the natural absorption spectrum of chlorophyll and carotenoids, which are the primary energy conversion materials in the plant leaves. The original attempt offered very poor wattage, leading to less than promising results when applied in indoor gardening. Coupled with the fact that one array cost about $100, this method offered too low a rate of returns on investment to be sustainable in the long run.



Today LED grow lights offer a wide range of spectrums and users can choose to buy light arrays catering to various “bands” of spectrum depending on what the needs of their plants are (see “Types of LED lights”). More importantly, the prices offered today allow the average grower to recoup the price difference in just 18 months (assuming the replacement of 1000W of HID lighting with 350W LED lighting, which provide the same light output due to greater efficacy of the latter). Indeed, the time period is even lower in cases of large commercial entities. It is not surprising, therefore, that LED lights are rapidly displacing MH and HPS grow lights as the favorite type of lighting for indoor horticultural twilight projects.

Why LED Grow Light Is The Best Choice?

Firstly,we can analyze the characteristic benefits of LED grow lights in greater detail.

# Specific wavelengths can be targeted

As we noted above, the use of LED technology allows for creation of lights which target certain specific wavelengths rather than provide a broad and often inefficient distribution of light over a large spectrum. Though full spectrum LED grow lights do exist (and indeed are the most common), wisdom lies in using LEDs which provide the maximum light in the 400 to 500nm (nanometer) and 600 to 700nm regions, which are most preferred by plants for photosynthesis.

Such grow lights will allow the plants to absorb the right amount of light energy at the right time, provided the right LEDs are used during the corresponding part of the growth process. This, apart from benefitting the plants, ensures that there is little wastage of electricity in producing lights which the plants have no use of.

# Excellent lifetime


LED lights produce very little heat and this, coupled with their internal dynamics, ensures a long lifetime of between 50,000 to 100, 000 hours. What this means is that these lights can be used for up to 11 hours continuously, and more practically, for 22 years at half time. Not only is this time frame enough to recover the initial input costs many times over, it also ensures that frequent maintenance (due to dead bulbs or other problems) is not an issue. Given that plants need continuous lighting for long periods of time, frequent maintenance disruptions can have an adverse effect on the overall growth cycle, and this can impact the quality of the output regardless of the availability of other factors.

# Gradual dimming

LED grow lights gradually fade out, losing luminosity as they near the end of their long lifespan. Of course such fading out reduces the overall efficacy of the light produced, but this also gives the user a forewarning of the approaching demise of the LED bulb. A panel with a number of such gradually dimming bulbs can be replaced ahead of its actual expiry, so as to ensure that the plants don’t have to suffer from “dark days”. This is in marked contrast to the incandescent and HID bulbs, which tend to die out quickly when they reach the end of their lifespan, thus giving the user no time to stock a spare bulb or panel in advance.

# Flexibility of Design

Unlike the other types of grow lights, which are bulky and hence can be arranged in a finite number of arrangements, LED grow lights can be arranged in a wide range of arrays depending on the growing needs of the horticulturist. Indeed, LED strips and even individual LEDs can be taken and combined into structures capable of working together to illuminate unconventional plant grids.

Indeed, some of the most efficient new-age arrangements such as inter-lighting designs between plants and multilayer vertical systems can only be achieved using LED lights.

twilight spider 16

# Greater energy conversion efficiency

One of the primary concerns of growers regarding HIDs or incandescents is the high amount of heat produced. Heat, as we noted above, can prove detrimental to the lifespan of the plant, and even kill it off. The traditional solution to this has been to keep the lights at a great distance from the plants, but this proves to be a problem due to the operation of the inverse square law (explained below). LED lights, however, produce little to no heat (less than 10% of the heat produced by HPS bulbs of similar wattage) as they convert a large portion of their electricity supply to light energy. This means that the LED lights can be placed in close proximity to the plants, thereby ensuring optimal absorption of light. Coupled with the flexibility of design mentioned above, this proximity has made possible close multi-layered arrays which would have earlier been unthinkable.


# Huge Energy Savings

Energy efficiency converts directly into reduction of electricity costs, and through it, to the lessening of the overhead cost involved in growing plants indoors. Studies have shown that the higher efficiency of the LED lights translates directly into 40% lower electricity costs as compared to HIDs of similar power in a general setting. A more specific study using tomato plants showed a much higher – 75% – saving of electricity as compared to a similar setup using HPS bulbs. As these indicate quite clearly, LED lights are the more pocket friendly solution for small home growers (who do not have economies of scale on their side to cover the huge overhead costs), while offering a more economical option for commercial growers. Last but not least, such energy efficiency reduces the burden on our limited conventional sources of energy and through it, gives impetus to the vision of a sustainable future for human energy needs.

# Now Available In Required Wattage

The earliest iterations of LED grow lights were weak products of just 10 to 20W. However, these days products of 100W or more have appeared, which can successfully challenge the efficacy of older incandescent and HID lights of much higher wattage in terms of luminosity, while saving the user valuable money. This means that grow lights of the LED variety are now applicable in a wide range of indoor horticultural setups, instead of being limited to just the smaller ones. Furthermore, though LEDs with higher wattage produce more heat, the rise is insignificant compared to the rise in heat output noted in case of HIDs.
The “How” and “What” of LED Grow Lights

We mentioned earlier that the LED grow lights are a recent innovation, with the fall in prices of these lights being an even more recent development. Such statements raise the question – “How did these lights emerge?”. Before we can answer this question, we need to see the history of LEDs briefly, and figure out just how they work.

The outlook of LED GROW LIGHTS

One of the most recent innovations in this field is the introduction of LED technology. LED grow lights , like older types, provide the necessary spectrum to plants, but do so through a method which is far more energy conserving than any previously known. This, along with a number of benefits which are limited to LED technology alone and the steady reduction of the cost, has made LED lights one of the most preferred types of grow lights in the world today.

the market for best LED grow lights is set to grow rapidly in the next six years, moving from $395 million in 2013 to about $3.6 billion in 2020. Indeed, the major part of this growth will be driven by increased demand from restaurant and home owners who are becoming increasingly conscious of the deleterious effects of fast foods, etc. ,and wish to replace eating out habits with home-grown foods using efficient lighting technology and advanced automated indoor farming processes.

As noted above, these lights are witnessing a phenomenal growth in the indoor growing industry. Full spectrum LED grow lights use diodes to produce the necessary light, which allows engineers to control the light spectrum in much greater detail than is possible for other types of bulbs. They typically come in arrays of small LEDs, which can be fixed over plant grids as per convenience. This implies that while you can purchase readymade arrays to fix quickly, you can also order individual LEDs to arrange according to the grids you are creating in your indoor garden. Furthermore, since they produce little heat as compared to light, they can be placed quite close to the plants without risk of the latter drying up. Despite these advantages (which will be explored in greater detail below), the price of LEDs proved to be prohibitive for growers for a long time. Only recently has this changed, and though they may still be costlier than incandescents, they are now well within the budget of the ordinary grower, which goes a long way in explaining the trends forecasted by the WinterGreen Research LED Grow Light Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2014-2020.

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