LED Lighting for a Refugium?

[weaglereefer]

Just wondering if the LED panels from eBay would be sufficient for a 12"x12"x12" fuge with a 4" sandbed and 7" of water. Finding my plain ole fuge light to be kinda large and thought this would be cooler.

Like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/225-WHITE-LED-Aquarium-Grow-Light-Panel-120-or-240-Volt_W0QQitemZ390107806130QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5ad43cb9b2">http://cgi.ebay.com/225-WHITE-LED-Aquarium-Grow-Light-Panel-120-or-240-Volt_W0QQitemZ390107806130QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5ad43cb9b2</a>

[IMG]http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/1Som_Bidsome/2501wh.jpg alt="" />

 

[weaglereefer]

Yeah, I saw those as well.

Like this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hydroponic-Lamp-225-LED-Grow-light-Panel-Red-Blue-110-V_W0QQitemZ220497316871QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3356aa0c07">http://cgi.ebay.com/Hydroponic-Lamp-225-LED-Grow-light-Panel-Red-Blue-110-V_W0QQitemZ220497316871QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3356aa0c07</a>

[IMG]http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/1Som_Bidsome/Grow_Light_Panel_002.jpg alt="" />

 

[acroholic]

I have a small bare bottom refugium in my 29 gallon sump that services my 60 gallon reef. Rough measurements are 12" L x 5" W x 11" D. I use a Current USA Powerbrite 10K led strip for my fuge light and the macros are growing really well. The light is only 4 LEDS, but they are quite bright.
Dave

 

[ricksconnected]

01

thats a smooth idea right there. keep us posted on this. i too will be crossing this bridge at a later date. this looks to be like a nice answer.

 

[smoothie]

Smooth indeed

 

[weaglereefer]

Acroholic;405541 wrote: I have a small bare bottom refugium in my 29 gallon sump that services my 60 gallon reef. Rough measurements are 12" L x 5" W x 11" D. I use a Current USA Powerbrite 10K led strip for my fuge light and the macros are growing really well. The light is only 4 LEDS, but they are quite bright.
Dave

Hmm, I guess it is overkill. Can you bleach chaeto?

 

[rbredding]

for that matter, can you buy two or three of these panels and use them in a standard 20-30 gal ?

 

[ichthyoid]

This device should give you somewhere around 1100 lumens or 200 micro einsteins of PAR (per square foot). This is well above the minimum requirements for macro algae to grow (about double) and considered 'medium' intensity for photosynthetic aquatic organisms. For comparison, 300 mE of PAR is considered 'high intensity' lighting.

These are only ballpark questimations based on rule-of-thumb conversions for Lumens and PAR per watt for LED's. There are a lot of variables that could change the calculations, but I think it should work. Just my opinion, and would be interested to hear how it works if you decide to try it.

 

[acroholic]

au01st;405557 wrote: Hmm, I guess it is overkill. Can you bleach chaeto?

I wasn't trying to dissuade you from buying the panel. They are quite reasonable in cost. I was just saying that I am using LEDs and it works for me. Definitely worth trying, IMO.

A fuge would be a good appliction for the whites. I don;t think they'd be good for an entire reef tank because of their size and configuration, all white or all blue. I think it would be hard to find a mix that would please the eye in a display tank.

They'd probably be good for a FW planted tank as well.
Dave

 

[oil_fan]

That's quite an interesting idea. I'm quite curious on well they'd work.

 

[weaglereefer]

I'm not dissuaded, I'll probably try it soon. I wonder how high I can mount the panel and have sufficient light?

 

[oldschool52]

My sumps and fuges are nowhere near as large as yours, 2 are 20 gallons and one is a 10 gallon. I have used a 100watt cf 6700k on them and the chaeto grows enough that we've given a bunch away. Macros don't grow as well in the fuges but most of our macro's are in the tanks themselves or a tank with T5s just for the growth of macro's . (also used as QT tank, when needed)

 

[acroholic]

It is too bad the LEDs are set in place on those panels.

Wouldn't it be great if you could buy the panels and the led bulbs separately, then just plug the leds in the panel as you wanted to arrange them by color? You could do three rows of white and one row of blue, or whatever. Be easy to get a perfect balance that way.
Dave

 

[ricksconnected]

these would be great for getting extra lights to the sides of your aquariums should the need be there.

 

[ricksconnected]

dawg

i agree. i just think they would help for viewing in some of the dimmer places in the bigger aquariums. like maybe from behind the tank to help show off some of the cave work. or the colored pannel at night and the blue moon light from our reef lighting might look killer.
the colored ones would look sweet from under a bare bottom i bet, again just for viewing purposes.

 

[snowmansnow]

there are all SORTS of applications for theatrical led lighting in aquaria.. they just aren't water resistant at all.