A few years ago, LED kits that were available could not generate sufficient light for some coral species and plants. Technology didn’t advance a lot for the past many years, but many companies entered the realm of LED lighting and thereby the pricing of aquarium LED kits has been much lessened due to the increased competition. Why to have LED lighting for your tank? Are there any benefits? Yes, here are some.
Benefits of LED Lighting for Your Aquarium
Economy: The first benefit is LED lighting is pretty economical. If you make a quick price search, you will find that a LED lighting kit can be bought for the same price, though not less, as that of a t5 fluorescent system or metal halide for your aquarium. LED lights are even cheaper when electricity bills are concerned, because they give out around 7-8 times more light per watt of energy. This is similar to substituting a 250 watt metal halide with a 30 watt LED. Most manufacturers of LED lights also rate the lights for 30,000 to 50,000 hours. So, you won’t need to replace the lights rated at 30,000 hours for 7 years if you run them for 12 hours every day. On the contrary, a metal halide has to be replaced every 9 to 12 months.
Less Heat: Second major benefit of LED lighting is less heat produced by them. It doesn’t mean that they don’t generate any heat at all, but the heat is just around the bulb, just a little to no radiant heat in the aquarium. So, you can do away with a chiller and your power bill amount will be even less. Still you are recommended to use a thermostat and also check your water temperature.
Favorable for Corals and Plants: Third benefit is LED is indeed excellent for corals and aquatic plants. There are LED lights available that give out 8,000K to 10,000K of lighting which is sufficient to stimulate growth for a large variety of flora and make your corals happy.
Compact: Fourth benefit is LED lights are compact and can be accommodated in the tank easily, so that you have an easy access to your daily maintenance activities for your tank. Waterproof LED systems too are available which can be concealed around the aquarium’s rim. Even interchangeable and expandable LED kits are available that give more lights, colored lights and even no light when desired. You can also get dimmable lights which enable you to mimic a bright sunny day, stormy and cloudy atmosphere, and moonlight too.
Spectacular Display: The visual effects given by LED lighting are unmatched. Several of them have a glittering effect and various colors that you can use for creating a fantastic display in your tank with all the fish, corals and plants.
Safety: Lastly LED lights are much safer than t5 fluorescent lights and metal halide. No harmful gases or metal filaments are contained in LED lights and you can get them waterproof too.
At Reefled.co.uk you will get a lot of information on LED lights and a variety of them on sale. You can also get the best advice about which amongst the various types of LED aquarium lights you should buy so as to suit your needs and also about DIY LED aquarium kits. Product images given here are their courtesy.