LED Question HELP

The one jpines linked to was the one I thought I posted the SKU for... may be mistaken.

The bare flex strips don't even get good reviews on Petco's own site (check that - they get good reviews, but not good reliablility) and I'm not sure they're sealed against salt creep. The other fixture is going for a little less on Amazon w/ free shipping, but Petco might price match on it.

I know linking to Other Reef Sites is frowned upon here, so here's a local example - GHbrewer appears to be using the 36" model over his Nuvo24 and it looks incredible: http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=89462&highlight=ghbrewer&page=3">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=89462&highlight=ghbrewer&page=3</a>.

The tank was set up last month, so hitting him up via PM might get you a good 1st hand Yea/Nay as to how suitable it is for running a mixed reef. Not as good as say six months in, but enough time to see how corals respond to it and what settings work.

P.S on edit. the flex strips lack 420-470nm emitters - you may be able to tune for it from a color rendition standpoint on the keypad, but RGB emitters will be nowhere near as effective in output and your corals may respond with great growth fro the 6500K's but "meh" coloration. To be fair, this is only a guess based on my own experiences with a different form of strip lights early on... I didn't have 44' of the stuff to play with. ;)
 
BulkRate;975644 wrote: The one jpines linked to. The bare flex strips don't even get good reviews on Petco's own site. Seems to be going for a little less on Amazon w/ free shipping, but Petco might price match on it.

I know linking to Other Reef Sites is frowned upon here, so here's a local example - GHbrewer appears to be using the 36" model over his Nuvo24 and it looks incredible: http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=89462&highlight=ghbrewer&page=3">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=89462&highlight=ghbrewer&page=3</a>.

The tank was set up last month, so hitting him up via PM might get you a good 1st hand Yea/Nay as to how suitable it is for running a mixed reef. Not as good as say six months in, but enough time to see how corals respond to it and what settings work.[/QUOTE]

Hes selling that setup as a matter of fact. May want to see if hes still hanging on to that fixture TBH. I know on his tank that thing looks ill!

Link to his SALE of that stuff:
[IMG]http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=93076">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=93076</a>

He is asking 120 for the light and it will support AT LEAST soft/LPS if not some sps.
 
kilralpine;975634 wrote: For the cost its not a bad idea, definitely track and keep a close eye on the corals. Soft will do ok under your setup, LPS will be hit or miss; I imagine its probably enough for certain LPS. Take it slow adding corals buddy.

BTW ran across some rough data to give you an idea of what T5s over a 48" tank produce in terms of lumens (the measurement that matters next to PAR). T5 is considered the minimum requirement for soft/lps/sps by most folks.



So I use a 6xT5 Current USA Nova Fixture"
54 watts per bulb, six bulbs for a total of 324 watts or 30000 lumens.

This could be way off but if its the case it means you'll be pushing the limits of what LPS is looking for.

ok. Maybe I need to consider ordering an additional strip? that way I'll have at least 2K lumens running over a foot of water.
 
In case anyone else is having similar questions..

a>
 
I thought it over a little more and I'm currently calling PetCo to cancel my order. I started to do some more homework and while I think it might sustain the corals, it wouldn't offer me as much flexibility in livestock choices and I'm not thrilled that there's no ultraviolet spectrum. I'm going to go with the black/white box dual channel dimmable, Full Spectrum LED boxes that offer 55 individual 3w LEDS on different dimmable channels...
 
Good choice, besides 6 months from now you'll be like why the heck didnt I get enough lumens to support SPS :doh:
 
OceanDeep85;975668 wrote: I thought it over a little more and I'm currently calling PetCo to cancel my order. I started to do some more homework and while I think it might sustain the corals, it wouldn't offer me as much flexibility in livestock choices and I'm not thrilled that there's no ultraviolet spectrum. I'm going to go with the black/white box dual channel dimmable, Full Spectrum LED boxes that offer 55 individual 3w LEDS on different dimmable channels...

I think that is a good idea. I think you would end up buying twice in the long run. The 3 watt LEDs are definitely the way to go, IMO. You'll need them for SPS if you decide to try them sometime.

IME, most folks using low power LEDs become dissatisfied with them because they don't allow corals to thrive.

I use two 3 foot current USA White and RGB LED strips, think they are called Satellite Freshwater Plus, for lighting in a 180 gallon FW fish only tank, and they work well for that. The adjustable intensity is nice for accenting fish color.

Most FW planted tanks I have seen pics of using the Current LEDs are using double rows of fixtures.
 
Acroholic;975673 wrote: I think that is a good idea. Do enough reading on the larger forums, and you'll see the prevailing attitude towards Current-USA LED products is they are junk for a primary light source for corals.

I use two 3 foot current USA White and RGB LED strips, think they are called Satellite Freshwater Plus, for lighting in a 180 gallon FW fish only tank, and they work well for that.

yeah, that sounds like the one I was going for, Dave.. but currently I'm wrestling with PetCo customer service about why it's 'impossible' to cancel the order 2.5 hours after I ordered it...

ugh. Corporate beaurocracies can eat sh*t. It's like dealing with Comcast.. ugh..
 
"I am sorry for the inconvenience. Canceling your order immediately is beyond our capability because the cancellation button is no longer available on our tools. However, we will coordinate with our warehouse to cancel your order. It may not take that long but we we want to set our customer's expectations correctly that's why we give 24-48 hours to process your request."

..sorry.. there's no 'button' can't do it.. is this really where we're at now...
 
Acroholic;975673 wrote:
IME, most folks using low power LEDs become dissatisfied with them because they don't allow corals to thrive.

Keyword: Thrive

Just return it to the store, they should take it; unless they've jacked your order up now to the point where you cannot do that lol.
 
Lighting is not one of the areas that I would cut corners with unless you plan on running a fowlr.
 
they said that they're cancelling it and the hold on my card will be released once it's officially cancelled.. we'll see what actually happens.

Ugh.

Moving on...

Do we know anyone in the club or on the thread that's trying to get rid of LEDs that I'd need for a 10 gallon nano mixed reef (LPS and Softie focus) in the $50-$80 range??
 
OceanDeep85;975685 wrote: yeah, that sounds like the one I was going for, Dave.. but currently I'm wrestling with PetCo customer service about why it's 'impossible' to cancel the order 2.5 hours after I ordered it...

ugh. Corporate beaurocracies can eat sh*t. It's like dealing with Comcast.. ugh..

PayPal is the same way. Place an order and pay for it and the money leaves your account. If you cancel the order, it just ends up in your PayPal balance and you have to manually transfer it back to the bank account it came from. CC payments do get credited back to your card, but it takes a few days.
 
Acroholic;975693 wrote: PayPal is the same way. Place an order and pay for it and the money leaves your account. If you cancel the order, it just ends up in your PayPal balance and you have to manually transfer it back to the bank account it came from. CC payments do get credited back to your card, but it takes a few days.


yeah... I'm not really worried about it to tell you the truth, it's just a frustrating, inconvenient and asinine process. I mean, you really mean to tell me that because your customer service is not connected to your warehouse, folks can't cancel something and get a refund even though they only ordered it 2.5 hours prior? The item hasn't shipped.. the customer does NOT have it in their possession.. they aren't calling a day later... plus.. all the time and money I've spent at PetCo.. it's just aggravating more than anything.

With that said, I AM pumped about ordering the light box. I've seen a LOT of very positive reviews on them and it'll be good knowing that they are designed and built for marine setups with coral health in mind.
 
OceanDeep85;975694 wrote: With that said, I AM pumped about ordering the light box. I've seen a LOT of very positive reviews on them and it'll be good knowing that they are designed and built for marine setups with coral health in mind.

You made a good move. One saying everyone eventually hears in the reef hobby is "buy cheap, buy twice." Applies to a lot of different areas in life, but is so true in this expensive hobby. :yes:
 
Acroholic;975696 wrote: You made a good move. One saying everyone eventually hears in the reef hobby is "buy cheap, buy twice." Applies to a lot of different areas in life, but is so true in this expensive hobby. :yes:

yeah.... I mean, that's the kicker.. I kinda smacked my head because I was only saving myself 30-40 bucks...

I can find light boxes with 50-60 3w dimmable LEDs, full spectrum, including violets and different wavelength blues, greens, reds and yellows, not to mention three separate whites.. for $80-$90 with free shipping...
 
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