Has anyone looked into the LED flood lights that are available? I am not familiar enough about lighting to know if this is good or bad. I would like to buy 3 of these and install them in the canopy over the 120 I am trying to start.
LED Flood Lights?
- Thread starter usvi diver
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Bump. If you're going to spend $300 on those why not try to find used LEDs here? I doubt that those will support coral but maybe someone has tried them already.
I think you'd be better off with a couple of the inexpensive "black box" designs. Two of these for the same total price would give you much more power and they are dimmable:
reefkeeper
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I currently run several 50 watt Chinese LED's on my 300. However, I don't run reflectors on mine and I get a good 90 -120 degree spread. My tank is 24 inches deep and my par is outstanding.
These lights have a built in Chinese LED Drivers and the reflectors appear to have a greater spread then 120 degrees. I would suggest contacting the company thru ebay and ask them what the spread is with those reflectors.
I experimented with both Meanwell and Chinese drivers with my current LEDS and the par readings are no different. However, I have lost a Chinese driver due to failure while the meanwells are more reliable
If you purchase these, you'll need to consider these lights won't have the needed spectrum for proper coral growth. You'll need to consider adding some UV LED's to get the proper spectrum.
These lights have a built in Chinese LED Drivers and the reflectors appear to have a greater spread then 120 degrees. I would suggest contacting the company thru ebay and ask them what the spread is with those reflectors.
I experimented with both Meanwell and Chinese drivers with my current LEDS and the par readings are no different. However, I have lost a Chinese driver due to failure while the meanwells are more reliable
If you purchase these, you'll need to consider these lights won't have the needed spectrum for proper coral growth. You'll need to consider adding some UV LED's to get the proper spectrum.
What type of coral are you thinking of supporting? I haven't seen anyone use these particular ones before, but for reference I run 100w over my 40 breeder at about 65% dimmed. It really just depends on the spread of them and the quality, seems like alot of LEDs in a small square. That means a lot of heat on the LEDs and a shorter life span
Thanks for the information. I plan to run mainly softies in this tank but thats after 6-8 months of FOWLR so I can get the system stable. I would like to eventually try stonies but not planning on it anytime soon.
This is a glass cages 120 long with 3 openings at the top so I am looking for 3 lights to go in the canopy with a budget of around $350. I would consider T5s but I keep hearing that LEDs are the way to go.
This is a glass cages 120 long with 3 openings at the top so I am looking for 3 lights to go in the canopy with a budget of around $350. I would consider T5s but I keep hearing that LEDs are the way to go.
Check out ReefBreeders (they do group buys on RC), thier Value unit goes for $160 (shipping included). These units are fully adjustable, have a great spectrum and solid reviews. 3 of the units would run $480 and you should have enpought light to do any corals. I have one unit and would not hesitate buying another.
I think I am going to buy the LEDs suggested in a previous reply. My only concern is if the 90 degree lens will cause spotlighting. My tank depth is 24". Can someone with these types of lights tell me if I need to be concerned?
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ive used the 10 watt versions of those led chips and they will grow coral but dont expect it to really be 20000k it looked more like 12000 k to me. ive tried a few diffrent spectrums from 10k 12k 14k and 20k and they are always more white than advertised.
I never thought of raising the lights to prevent spotlighting. Thanks!
