- Are LED lights good for a saltwater aquarium?
Yeah, absolutely, without a doubt.
And if that's all you were looking for,
then you've got your answer.
But if you wanna know why they're a great option
for all kinds of saltwater aquariums,
including the most light-demanding reef tanks
filled with SPS, and also how you can make sure
you are using your exact LED light fixture
with the best settings possible
for growing the types of corals you have in your tank,
then let's get started.
LED lighting has come a remarkably long way
since it first appeared in the reefing hobby decades ago.
And not only
has the technology itself progressed leaps and bounds,
but so has our understanding
on how to successfully apply it to our reef tanks
for growing even the most light-demanding SPS corals
into stunning colonies.
And there are lots of reasons why LED lighting
is so popular.
The fixtures themselves are compact and unobtrusive.
Even the larger panel style fixtures are very sleek.
And that not only looks great over the tank,
but it also leaves lots of room above the tank
for access to feed and maintain it.
Visually, LED lights can produce a beautiful shimmer
like metal halides, or if you prefer,
you can also get heavily-diffused LED fixtures
that look just like T5s.
LED also shows off a ton of color pop and fluorescence
in corals compared to that older technology.
In fact, many reefers that use T5 often supplement with LED
to show off those crazy colors.
Speaking of color, the majority of reef LED light fixtures
are also controllable,
giving you the ability to adjust the color
or spectrum of the light to what suits your taste.
They also allow you to adjust the intensity of the light
for the corals that you're keeping, which is great,
since LEDs are able to produce plenty of PAR.
They often have app control
for setting up a custom lighting schedule,
as well as presets for those who want to keep things simple.
There are also LED lighting options out there
to fit a wide range of budgets.
And unlike metal halides and T5s,
there are no bulb changes to worry about.
They are so popular in fact,
that the vast majority of reefers out there today
are using LEDs over their reef tanks.
Now, that isn't to say
that LED lighting doesn't have its quirks.
Many of those point source LED lights
that have awesome shimmer also create a high contrast look
which means shadowing.
So if you're keeping a tank filled with branching SPS corals
that need lots of even light coverage,
then adding more fixtures to create a bank of LED lights
or adding an LED
or T5 hybrid fixture to the mix as a fill light
is a great solution.
Panel style LED fixtures on the other hand
are purpose built for this kind of job.
And while they produce less shimmer,
they have much less shadowing.
LED prices can also range quite a bit,
and some of the most popular lights are quite spendy
when you compare them to older technology.
But there are lots of budget options
that have a proven track record
of growing great-looking reef tanks,
so don't feel pressured to blow your budget.
And unless you're aiming for an SPS-dominated reef
that really needs tons of light,
most softy and LPS and even well-thought-out mixed reefs
can do very well
under those more affordable LED lighting options
with lower PAR.
And while the ability to tinker around
with the spectrum of your LED fixture in an app
is lots of fun, it can actually be detrimental
when you dot don't know what's best for the corals.
Thankfully, many manufacturers have presets
that you can choose from instead,
or have a single point of control,
so you can just adjust how white or blue
the light appears to your eye
without creating a spectrum
that could negatively affect your corals.
The truth is, setting up a spectrum and schedule
that's perfect for the types of corals you want to keep
can be a challenge without the right tools like a PAR meter.
But thankfully, Randy's already done
all of the legwork for you
and found the right spectrum and intensity settings
for all of the most popular LED light fixtures out there.
So click here, find your light in the playlist
and get all of the info you need
to set it up just right for your corals.
(gentle music)