# LED lights for aquaria

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 18, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132 "2010-11-18T19:18:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132/1 "2010-11-18T19:18:53Z")

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A couple years ago, I looked into this for an experiment , but it seemed that Orbitech had just sued the few makers of LED light arrays for aquaria over patent infringement (and Orbitech doesn’t make LEDs for aquaria themselves ☹ ) and everything went off the market.

Since I needed 12 identical fixtures, scrounging off eBay and the like isn’t an option.  
Does anyone know if there have been recent developments in LEDs for use with aquaria? Particularly for growing corals?

ETA: Right now we’ve got 12 400W metal halides, with significant electricity cost problems and heat issues.

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132/2 "2010-11-18T20:02:06Z")

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You are not going to beat Metal Halide efficiency with LEDs, at least not today. Also, even if you double the MH efficiency, 2,400W of LED lighting is going to cost thousands of dollars.

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**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132/3 "2010-11-18T20:08:56Z")

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But I suspect LEDs will significantly alter the heat issues. You don’t disagree with that, do you?

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132/4 "2010-11-18T20:18:26Z")

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> [@wevets](#):
>
> But I suspect LEDs will significantly alter the heat issues. You don’t disagree with that, do you?

Yes, I do.  
It’s all about efficiency. If it takes 4,800 W to create enough light with LEDs, than you are still going to have to dissipate all that heat, the same as with the MH lamps.

LED’s are not magic - they are currently much more efficient than Incandescent lamps, but generally worse than Compact Fluorescent, and Metal Halide. There lifetimes are pretty good, however. LED efficiency, lifetime, lumen maintenance, and price are all improving rapidly, but I consider LEDs to be a poor choice for high-lumen lighting today.

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**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132/5 "2010-11-18T20:36:19Z")

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> [@beowulff](#):
>
> LED’s are not magic - they are currently much more efficient than Incandescent lamps, but generally worse than Compact Fluorescent, and Metal Halide.

Never said they were magic, I just thought they were more efficient than they currently are.

Looked it up and LEDs are apparently around 20 lumens/W or so vs. metal halide at around 80-90 lumens/W.

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132/6 "2010-11-18T21:33:43Z")

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Wow. And here I always thought LEDs were the most efficient lightsource available. Why are they so popular for headlamps and bike lights and such, then?

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132/7 "2010-11-18T21:46:05Z")

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> [@Reply](#):
>
> Wow. And here I always thought LEDs were the most efficient lightsource available. Why are they so popular for headlamps and bike lights and such, then?

Because for _small_ light sources (\< 10W), they are hard to beat. They have the best combination of: small size, good efficiency, long lifetime, low voltage, directional light emission, and ruggedness. Cost isn’t too bad, either, but still more than Incandescent. Once you get over 10 W, Compact Fluorescent becomes the best choice, until around 50 W, where the various gaseous discharge lamps take over.

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132/8 "2010-11-18T22:10:17Z")

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> [@beowulff](#):
>
> Because for _small_ light sources (\< 10W), they are hard to beat. They have the best combination of: small size, good efficiency, long lifetime, low voltage, directional light emission, and ruggedness. Cost isn’t too bad, either, but still more than Incandescent. Once you get over 10 W, Compact Fluorescent becomes the best choice, until around 50 W, where the various gaseous discharge lamps take over.

Hmm, interesting. So the efficiency of the various technologies change as the wattage goes up (i.e., a 15W CFL will produce more light than a 15W LED)? What would be most efficient – in terms of lumens/watt – at the 300-600 lumens range?

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132/9 "2010-11-18T22:17:57Z")

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> [@Reply](#):
>
> Hmm, interesting. So the efficiency of the various technologies change as the wattage goes up (i.e., a 15W CFL will produce more light than a 15W LED)? What would be most efficient – in terms of lumens/watt – at the 300-600 lumens range?

15W [CFLs](http://www.altestore.com/store/Lighting-Fans/Compact-Fluorescent/Compact-Fluorescent-Ac/Energy-Mad-EcoSpiral-15W-CFL-Lamp-120VAC/p7415/) produce around 950 Lumens.  
A 15W [LED](http://cgi.ebay.com/PAR38-LED-CREE-15w-WHITE-Equiv-850-Lumen-Bulb-AC-E27-/190320107559?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c4ff66027#ht_2589wt_907) (which is actually an array of smaller LEDs) produces 850 Lumens (although I have seem some rated higher).  
At this wattage, they are very close. LEDs will eventually win this race, but it’s going to take a few years.

In the 300-600 lumen range, LEDs are probably your best bet, especially for directional light, since they inherently emit light from one face.

ETA: [here](http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.49754) is a 10W, 900 lumen LED lamp. I would take all lumen ratings with a grain of salt.

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132/10 "2010-11-18T22:22:22Z")

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> [@beowulff](#):
>
> 15W [CFLs](http://www.altestore.com/store/Lighting-Fans/Compact-Fluorescent/Compact-Fluorescent-Ac/Energy-Mad-EcoSpiral-15W-CFL-Lamp-120VAC/p7415/) produce around 950 Lumens.  
> A 15W [LED](http://cgi.ebay.com/PAR38-LED-CREE-15w-WHITE-Equiv-850-Lumen-Bulb-AC-E27-/190320107559?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c4ff66027#ht_2589wt_907) (which is actually an array of smaller LEDs) produces 850 Lumens (although I have seem some rated higher).  
> At this wattage, they are very close. LEDs will eventually win this race, but it’s going to take a few years.
> 
> In the 300-600 lumen range, LEDs are probably your best bet, especially for directional light, since they inherently emit light from one face.
> 
> ETA: [here](http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.49754) is a 10W, 900 lumen LED lamp. I would take all lumen ratings with a grain of salt.

Fascinating. Thanks 🙂

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**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-lights-for-aquaria/561132/11 "2010-11-19T00:26:10Z")

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Huh… I have nothing to add except that, like _Reply_, this thread has totally turned on its head everything I’ve heard about “eco-friendly” light sources and energy savings.