par 38 led lighting?

[WaVe RiDeR]

looking for some lighting for a up coming frag tank projected and started looking at lighting for the tanks i was thinking in total 20 gallons like a 20 gal long or two 10's , i have no clue as to how i go about pricing this out. Can you just get a fixture and plug them in or do you need ballast or i was thinking about metal halides? any suggestions?

 

[Waddi]

I love the look of PAR38's. Plus setting them up like this is awesome!!!

 

[ErinCahir]

Um... I kind of have to have that.

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

yeah that is sick!!!!!!

 

[Waddi]

I know!!!! Hahahaah love it!

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

how do par 38 lights work? as in like ballasts and fixtures?

 

[Waddi]

Im pretty sure you just twist them in to a normal lighting fixture.

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

thats all? seems to easy.

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

with these leds you want 3 watts per gallon?

 

[R3verb]

how do par 38 lights work? as in like ballasts and fixtures?

LEDs dont require balast. They just required the voltage to be just right. With most commercially available LED PAR lights, this is done for you in the base of the light so yes, just plug them into a normal 120v light socket and away you go! Obviously, make sure you do your research on the PAR you are getting and always test your sockets. LEDs are finicky creatures if you don't give them the right voltage. (ps I am by no means an electrical engineer or anything, this is just from my experience playing around with creating my own circuits with LEDs in them so take what I am saying with a grain of salt and always do your research. Wikipedia explains all of this much better than I do!)

Casey

 

[fastrd400]

RapidLED.com
Check their Par 38 bulbs out. Mike and his crew are great people.

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

RapidLED.com
Check their Par 38 bulbs out. Mike and his crew are great people.

yeah already looking at there 80 degree bulb.

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

LEDs dont require balast. They just required the voltage to be just right. With most commercially available LED PAR lights, this is done for you in the base of the light so yes, just plug them into a normal 120v light socket and away you go! Obviously, make sure you do your research on the PAR you are getting and always test your sockets. LEDs are finicky creatures if you don't give them the right voltage. (ps I am by no means an electrical engineer or anything, this is just from my experience playing around with creating my own circuits with LEDs in them so take what I am saying with a grain of salt and always do your research. Wikipedia explains all of this much better than I do!)

Casey

so for a 20 gallon i would most likely need two bulbs? or is it still 3 watts per gallon?

 

[texreefer]

LED's do not operate on the "watt per gallon" rule like other lighting types. Your PAR levels at different depths are what will determine your stocking and placement. The tighter the optics the higher the PAR readings at deeper levels, but can also lead to the "spot light " effect.

The Par bulbs are good for about a 12x12x12 area. I have the rapid bulb with 80* optics on my 5.5g and it covers great 16x8x10. So for your 20g you will need a minimum of 2 bulbs. My new tank will be 24x10x9 and I am going with 3 just to be sure that the coverage will not be an issue.

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

LED's do not operate on the "watt per gallon" rule like other lighting types. Your PAR levels at different depths are what will determine your stocking and placement. The tighter the optics the higher the PAR readings at deeper levels, but can also lead to the "spot light " effect.

The Par bulbs are good for about a 12x12x12 area. I have the rapid bulb with 80* optics on my 5.5g and it covers great 16x8x10. So for your 20g you will need a minimum of 2 bulbs. My new tank will be 24x10x9 and I am going with 3 just to be sure that the coverage will not be an issue.

so say i go with a ten i will only need one bulb?

 

[texreefer]

I would still use 2. A 10g tank is 20" long , you would end up with both sides of the tank being dark or looking shaded.