chuysvt
hi
Im looking in to leds light for my tank but.. What's the Watts for led for a reef tank. Or as long the really strong. Plz help.
led question.
- Thread starter chuysvt
- Start date
texreefer
Battle Dwarf
A good fixture will use 3w led's. As far as a fixture wattage, that really isn't the same as other lighting types. With led its more PAR levels than anything else. One thing to keep in mind is that leds are very strong and bigger isn't always better. What size tank are you working with and what coral do you wish to keep ? With that info maybe some of us cam steer you towards a few different options and get you going.
chuysvt
hi
30g all corals.
texreefer
Battle Dwarf
30g what?
Long ?
Shallow ?
Deep ?
I know it sounds picky, but it makes a difference. Provide tank dimensions if you can please.
Long ?
Shallow ?
Deep ?
I know it sounds picky, but it makes a difference. Provide tank dimensions if you can please.
chuysvt
hi
Ok 36” long ,h 16” 1/2,w 12”. Im thinking its a 29g.
texreefer
Battle Dwarf
almost any route you take will run you around $300 minimum for something that is plug and play. If you are handy and are the DIY type then you can get out MUCH cheaper.
One option would be PAR bulbs like these
7 LED PAR38 Bulb
or
PAR30 LED Reef Lamps by BoostLED?
Notice the Rapidled has 7 led's in it while the Boost only has 5 that is where the price difference comes in.
(these bulbs are NOT dimmable, they are either on or off.)
(These bulbs are HEAVY, so sturdy mounting surface is a must)
I have the Rapidled bulb over my 5.5g and I really like it.
There are a few other PAR manufacturers out Orphek is one, but I really havent seen anyone use them. These are the two that are highly used.
Option 2
you could go with aquaillumination sol $399 each but would need 2 to get 100% tank coverage. These are controllable for dawn/dusk setting and get great reviews.
OR
Ecotech Radions if you are really wanting to show off. These are one of the newer units to come out , but at $750.00 each they are not seen as much right now. Again these are controllable and will talk to wireless vortech pumps.
There are other pre-built fixtures, many of them actually but these are the 2 popular ones .
Option 3
DIY
there are many sites that sell DIY kits, and it really depends on what you want and how big your budget is. I will point you toward a couple of kits , and then maybe others will chime in and give an opinion as well.
(I HAVE NOT USED ANY OF THESE. THIS IS JUST SHOWING WHAT IS NEEDED FOR THIS OPTION)
36 Ultra Premium LED DIY Kit with Dimmable Drivers
SPS LED Retrofit Kit Package ? 24"-32" tanks
Aquarium 36 LEDs Dimmable DIY LED kit with optics
(ANY DIY KIT YOU BUY WILL ALSO NEED A HEAT SINK. SOME OF THESE INCLUDE ONE, BUT OTHERS DO NOT)
Hopefully this will help you out a bit. If you have anymore questions feel free to hit me up and I will help the best I can.
One option would be PAR bulbs like these
7 LED PAR38 Bulb
or
PAR30 LED Reef Lamps by BoostLED?
Notice the Rapidled has 7 led's in it while the Boost only has 5 that is where the price difference comes in.
(these bulbs are NOT dimmable, they are either on or off.)
(These bulbs are HEAVY, so sturdy mounting surface is a must)
I have the Rapidled bulb over my 5.5g and I really like it.
There are a few other PAR manufacturers out Orphek is one, but I really havent seen anyone use them. These are the two that are highly used.
Option 2
you could go with aquaillumination sol $399 each but would need 2 to get 100% tank coverage. These are controllable for dawn/dusk setting and get great reviews.
OR
Ecotech Radions if you are really wanting to show off. These are one of the newer units to come out , but at $750.00 each they are not seen as much right now. Again these are controllable and will talk to wireless vortech pumps.
There are other pre-built fixtures, many of them actually but these are the 2 popular ones .
Option 3
DIY
there are many sites that sell DIY kits, and it really depends on what you want and how big your budget is. I will point you toward a couple of kits , and then maybe others will chime in and give an opinion as well.
(I HAVE NOT USED ANY OF THESE. THIS IS JUST SHOWING WHAT IS NEEDED FOR THIS OPTION)
36 Ultra Premium LED DIY Kit with Dimmable Drivers
SPS LED Retrofit Kit Package ? 24"-32" tanks
Aquarium 36 LEDs Dimmable DIY LED kit with optics
(ANY DIY KIT YOU BUY WILL ALSO NEED A HEAT SINK. SOME OF THESE INCLUDE ONE, BUT OTHERS DO NOT)
Hopefully this will help you out a bit. If you have anymore questions feel free to hit me up and I will help the best I can.
texreefer
Battle Dwarf
Forgot to mention, on the PAR bulbs you are going to need at least 3 of them. Also be sure to mention which optics you want when you buy. I got the 80* optics on mine to prevent the "spotlight" effect, and to cut down on the risk of scorching my coral.
(the lower the optic degree the more intense the light beam will be. )
(the lower the optic degree the more intense the light beam will be. )
FishyReef
Broke Reefer!
I've been wondering about LED lights too, for a 90g (48" wide). Anybody ever tried these fixtures before? At least from the description, they seem like a better option than the larger fixtures, since you could get a few strips with different colors (all blue, mixed, etc) and put them on individual timers to simulate day/night. The online reviews are good, but curious what thoughts here are...
AquaticLife Expandable LED Fixture
AquaticLife Expandable LED Fixture
chuysvt
hi
After seeing the prices for leds lights.my wife told me no, that was to much..so im going with t5's..I think we should give led more time.
Northstar24
The Tang Herder
Those are .5 watt LED's - you wont be able to do anything but accent lighting with those. You'd need some other fixture in addition to those to grow corals
texreefer
Battle Dwarf
+1
.5w is not enough to support the animals we care for. They would be great for supplementing your main lighting, but not a good choice for main source.
FishyReef
Broke Reefer!
Thanks Northstar24 & Bryan! Someone posted earlier that they should be 3w LEDs, but I wasn't sure if that was per bulb or for the entire unit! This clears it up and I won't go with this option. I looked up the AI Sol and think they also have these units on ebay for less than $399 -- a question about these units: Do you have to hang these lights from the ceiling, or can you install them to sit above your aquarium? So new to this and just learning about all the equipment before I decide exactly what I'm going to buy!
Northstar24
The Tang Herder
The one complaint I have about my AI Sol's is the cheap ass mounting hardware that they use. They sit on two aluminnum rails. I do beleive there are little brackets that allow them to sit on the rim of a tank, but if you're using a single fixture to cover a 24x24 area you're going to need to get them about a foot above the water to get the spread that you need. This will require using the hanging kit. You could either attach that to the ceiling or fab up some sort of bracket either on the back of the tank stand, or on the wall. I mounted two brackets for shelving above my tank and hung the units from there (I have a 25 ft cathedral ceiling above my tank)
Sir Alex
Dragon the eel (below)
I just received my 66 LED system a few days ago. The service sucked but the lights seem really bright and shimmery and you can't beat the price.
I'll be getting my first corals tomorrow so we'll see how they do under them in the long run...
I'll be getting my first corals tomorrow so we'll see how they do under them in the long run...
Northstar24
The Tang Herder
Sorry to hear that Alex...hopefully you're happy with the plunge to LED's I know that I certainly was
Sir Alex
Dragon the eel (below)
So far I am! ;)
They definitely look better than the 40 watt t12 fluorescent tube I have over my 110. :rofl:
Tron
Reefing newb
Hey texreefer.
Iam also new to the led world. Just curious if you thought that 3 of the 7led par 38's over a 30 gal long frag tank would be enough for anything I wanted to do?
Iam also new to the led world. Just curious if you thought that 3 of the 7led par 38's over a 30 gal long frag tank would be enough for anything I wanted to do?
Northstar24
The Tang Herder
What are the dimensions of a 30 gallon long? If its 3 feet, I would think three of those bulbs would be sufficient if you can get them high enough over the tank to get the spread needed - I'd start at about 12 inches above the water and adjust that based on the coverage
texreefer
Battle Dwarf
3 should be fine, they cover a 12x12 area pretty well. My 5.5 is 16" long and 1 covers the tank with no shaded corners. I got mine with the 80* optics though so that helps quite a bit. With my new tank 24x10x8 I will be using 2 of them. If you plan to keep very high light demanding stuff then I would go with the 60* optics just to give a bit more punch from the light.
I try to tell this to anyone who says they are new to LED's. These lights are extremely powerful, it does not take much to fry coral with led's. One thing that I try to do when placing new coral in the tank, is use layers of window screen to shade the tank where the new addition is. I put like 5-6 layers of screen over the tank, and about every 3-4 days I remove a piece screen . By doing this it allows the light to gradually get brighter and acclimates the coral to the intensity. If you have anymore questions or need more info, just hit me up. I will help with what I can, or help find the answer.
