New LED Fixture on the Market

[acroholic]

Has anyone seen these on Drs F&S?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=21599">http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=21599</a>

[IMG]http://www.ecoexotic.com">www.ecoexotic.com</a>

They are less expensive than say, an Aquaillumination module because it would cost about $1200 to light a 24" x 24" tank, whereas this one does it for less than $800.

The tradeoff with these units is that you get your preferred color rendition from mixing and matching LED strips if you don't like the ones that come stock. Most other LED lights, like Aquaillumination have a controller that lets you dim the blues and whites at will.

Another plus for the Aquaillumination module is that they are updating their product to include the new Cree XP-G White LED, which puts out 132 lumens per watt, or 30% more light than the previous LED module. And the price of the light is dropping by 10% across the product line. Still expensive, but a step in the right direction.

I'm thinking about getting one of these to try over my 60 cube.
Dave

 

[acroholic]

Marineland has a new line of LED strip lights out as well, although these are basically the equivalent to tow bulb strip lights you just illuminate a tank with, not reef lighting. Maybe two of them for a softy tank?

 

[hackman72]

I was just starting to read an article about those earlier when I fell asleep...lol. It did say that they had an efficiency of 80 lumens per watt but there's a co. that holds the patent to the technologies involved so right now, not many are touching it. I just don't see where LED's would cost in the thousands of dollars to light a tank.

There was also mention of a new plasma bulb system that has bulbs the size of a tic-tac but produce 120 lumens per watt with little to no heat. It's being researched and tested at Monterey Bay Aquariums with some success. The bulb life on these is 30,000 hrs ( it didn't say about bulb effectiveness at extended hrs) but costs more than the LED's.

 

[hackman72]

dawgdude;422741 wrote: The issue with the plasma bulbs are that they cost over $1000 per light and ballast and then more for the reflector. From what I heard they are out of the price range of most aquarists.

The article mntioned the cost factor but, didn't go into specifics like that. I figured it was outrageous. Maybe it'll do like the DVD players when they first came out. Be an exclusive item for high income families...4 years later you can get'em off the shelf for half the size for under $50. But, I'm betting as with most anything in this hobby, the prices won't go down very much at all.

 

[dakota9]

It's really kinda funny....(trust me guys, I'm going somewhere with this)

I work P/T at a convienance store and was there when the RJR Tobacco rep came in to set up a new display (display kits arrive via UPS to the stores days in advance of the rep coming out). She sat up the display in the only place she could and no where near an outlet to plug in the LED display lights, so she threw them in our trash. It was an 1" x 18" black plastic track of 15 very white/white (cool white) LED's which were incased in a single linear strip of plastic (acrylic) with its own cord and small transformer on the plug.

Needless to say, not only did I scoop that one up, but asked her if she normally threw them away and how I'd go about getting more.... She was no use at all, but I did snag one really cool light for free.

Here's the point, Led's aren't that expensive until you market them to go over a fish tank. I could have purchased four nice (hand made) neon beer signs for the cost of one Solaris system. (I found this out when I was going to open a bar a few years ago, but long story there......) Seems like once you get in to specialty lighting, </em>the price jumps up significantly. I could have purchased a 36" LED Banner with 500 LEDs for a couple of hundred bucks when I was looking. Granted reef lighting would need to be stronger (but fewer) LEDs and the circuitry would need to be top notch, but does that justify a Solaris system that cost 10 times that?

I also looked into chinese made LED fixtures and would have purchased a 90 watt LED fixture had it not been for the long leadtime, as when my last tank broke, I needed something asap and didn't feel I had time to wait the 8 weeks it would have taken to get it. Currently, you can get a 90 watt pendant for about 200.00 from China, and that INCLUDES shipping.

I do think the prices will go down eventually, but I don't think they will ever be inline with other non-aquarium related lighting.

I'm also thinking about going around to convienance stores that have that display, and tell them that there's a short in the transformers and 2 stores have just burned to the ground because of this..... Just to take the light strip. Think it'd work? LOL

 

[hackman72]

Dakota9;422761 wrote: I'm also thinking about going around to convienance stores that have that display, and tell them that there's a short in the transformers and 2 stores have just burned to the ground because of this..... Just to take the light strip. Think it'd work? LOL

I'll throw on a hardhat, orange safety vest, carry a clipboard and go with you...lol.

That's the point I was making earlier. We all know if you go to a knife store to buy steak knives, you're going to pay out the wazoo because you went to the specialty store to get them. This hobby is extreme when it comes to that...just look at bulb prices.

My question relative to the LED's is...is an LED an LED or are there contributing factors such as wattage, size, etc. that add variables to them. I just have a tough time believeing that the little red LED that indicates my blue-ray player is on will provide sufficient light for my SPS even in mass quantities. I ask this in total ignorance of LED's because I don't generally deal with stuff like that but, I always like to learn new things, especially when it's hobby related.

 

[dakota9]

dawgdude;422772 wrote: I disagree to an extent. CREE leds used in the high end fixtures are not cheap individually. Then add in the heat sink, transformers, cool controller that dimmed them to simulate stormy days and such and its not a cheap fixture. Ive looked at a ton of China fixtures and have yet to find any actual fixtures that utilize CREE leds. A guy with the screen name Evil on nano reef started making LED bulbs and they are around a hundred bucks each for 3x3w leds I think. He now sells them on Nano-tuners website. I checked into making my own and hes making maybe 20-30 bucks on each depending on the amount of bulk hes buying his leds in.

True, in chinese made LED lighting, we're not talking about Cree bulbs, but who ever said that was the only LED bulb that will work? I've seen chinese fixures that touted 200 watts per square foot. That's still a lot of light and at a far cheaper price than offered domestically. As for simulating stormy days, I don't give a rat's *** about that...... It's just fluff to drive up the price (I currently simulate stormy days with my Metal Halides by waving my hands under the light a few times a day, I don't really do that, just thought the visual would help drive home how silly, albeit cool,</em> a concept that truly is in a lighting fixture). I'm happy with anything I can put on a cheap timer and not have to worry about constant replacement and heat. That's really all I'd want from an LED light.

 

[dakota9]

dawgdude;422780 wrote: Haha well CREE XR-E put out the most PAR and lumens per watt, multiple tests have been done on them and compared watt to watt with individual led bulbs in the same amount. I could give a rats *** how many watts it is if I could use 75w of CREE bulbs and get twice the part. Ive read alot about LED's and building a fixture and have to say youre impressions on LED bulbs is a bit misinformed. Once again in this hobby, watts dont mean jack. I want LED's that can compete with the light my halides put out and not have to use 200 watts of leds when a 150w halide would be more powerful. Then you're just wasting power.

But to make this argument, you need to read of tests with 2mm and 3mm LEDs and how they stack up against MH. Who cares if Cree is the best as they remain beyond most peoples price range. Supposedly (as I've not tested it myself) 90 watts of the no-name 2mm LEDs puts out as much light as 300 watts of MH. ometimes good is good enough.

Worst case senerio in your second argument, 200watts of non-Cree LEDs costing more than 150watts of MH, well, not when you factor in replacement costs of good MH bulbs (mind you, I could have purchased a 90watt LED fixture for the same price as 4 low-end, but name brand MH bulbs.)

 

[dakota9]

Hackman72;422768 wrote: I'll throw on a hardhat, orange safety vest, carry a clipboard and go with you...lol..

Yeah, kinda along the lines I was thinking! The one strip illuminates my display tank to brightly to be moonlights, but I think it will be great over my son's 10g tank with nothing in it but a clean up crew and a nano fish or two. It being black, there's very little anything I need to do to it ecxept maybe to cut an acrylic holder for it (to make certain it doesn't fall in the water.)

We shuld get together next weekend and go on a scavenger hunt for these LEDs , LOL!!!!!!!!

 

[acroholic]

The ecoxotic LEDs all have optics in them as well. I think it is the optics that give LED light depth penetration in a tank.

I use a single Current USA 10K Powerbrite LED strip (4 LEDs with optics), and it does a great job growing macroalgae in my 29 gallon sump refugium (refugium measures L 12" x W 6" x H 12").

The PowerBrite claims 50-60 lumens per watt, and the new CREE XP-G going into the Aquaillumination LED module claims 132 lumens/watt.
Dave

 

[ichthyoid]

Check these out. I've been eyeing these for a while now, if nothing else than to try over a fuge with chaeto or possibly gracillaria. They are short enough and small enough in diameter that they will fit in a hood. I don't see them being the only source, but if you want glimmer lines along with T-5's, then I think they would be great.

 

[hackman72]

ichthyoid;422818 wrote: Check these out. I've been eyeing these for a while now, if nothing else than to try over a fuge with chaeto or possibly gracillaria. They are short enough and small enough in diameter that they will fit in a hood. I don't see them being the only source, but if you want glimmer lines along with T-5's, then I think they would be great.

http://www.goldengadgets.com/l-a3w-110v-ac-3-watt-3-x-1-watt-led-light-bulb.html">http://www.goldengadgets.com/l-a3w-110v-ac-3-watt-3-x-1-watt-led-light-bulb.html</a>[/QUOTE]

I wish I'd known about these before I went and bought the perty spiraly CF's to go through the whole house. I'll bet those would be great over a fuge. Can LED's be puchased with a kelvin rating?

 

[hackman72]

I bookmarked the page. I just spent another $500 total I didn't really have today on the CA reactor and a LFS sale. Just when I sit back and think I've gotten things like I want them, something else pops up like this...lol. Never fails. I might get a couple and do a test on the fuge that will be for the 75g.

 

[ichthyoid]

Hackman72;422830 wrote: I wish I'd known about these before I went and bought the perty spiraly CF's to go through the whole house. I'll bet those would be great over a fuge. Can LED's be puchased with a kelvin rating?

The Engineer that developed these, pioneered the revolution in LED's to higher color temperatures. He worked for Nichia, but I think has moved on to bigger, and presumably better things. As I recall, the white (not warm white) bulbs produce a spectrum equal to 5450K. I have seen some blue bulbs, but not in this package. These also produce 67 lumens per watt. All in all, I think not bad for $10! As you can see from the Youtube video they are highly directional. It has always been my premise, that we can get away with much lower wattages, IF the reflector (directionality) was optimised. This is a holdover from things I learned back in my laser days.

 

[hackman72]

I would think that you could really make an entire tank pop with the right color combos directed in the right ways. A red LED on a ORA Red Planet or pink birds nest. Or, blue LED's on an Oregon Tort. You could really make the colors stand out big time if you took the time to place the corals correctly and angle the light correctly.

 

[ichthyoid]

dawgdude;422875 wrote: Yeah at $10 a piece you can buy 5 or even 10 to cover a small tank. They make optics to go over the lenses which can spread the light better and make them less directional.

They make this package also, which has a big a** lens on it, and has a single 3 watt led. It 'may' produce a wider distribution, but it isn't exactly clear.