This this a good LEd Light for Corals - Page 2

Dapg8gt · 10/19/2014, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMcGarva

I thought the "dim" feature was for the tank so the fish dont have a sudden burst of light.

I have fish that are 13 years old that have a sudden burst of light every day.. It's a gimmick and a way to closer replicate nature.. It's no needed at all.. Leds are new reef tanks aren't, leds are the only things that ramp up (except the new Dimmable t5)

dkeller_nc · 10/19/2014, 11:58 AM

The lights you linked to at Reef Radiance are essentially Evergrow fixtures (there's tons of resellers out there putting their own brand on the same light). Yes, 2 of them would work for your tank, though as others stated, a controller doesn't come with them, so you'd either have to live with standard on/off timers, or buy a controller such as an Apex.

Keep in mind that these are Chinese fixtures & LEDs, and are put together with components that accommodate an ultra-low price point. That means the LEDs won't be as efficient as more mainstream manufacturers, and they generally include very inexpensive voltage-dimming drivers, which limits the low-current light output to a minimum of 10%. In other words, you go from 10% light output to "off" in one step. More sophisticated dimmers work by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), and are capable of a full 0-100% range of output.

2 of these fixtures and 2 of the tank mounts are going to run you $419.00 plus tax and shipping if applicable. At that point, you might as well consider the Maxspect Razor 160w that includes a timer and the tank mounts for $509 plus tax and shipping. And Maxspect comes from a highly reputable company - Coral Vue.

Alternatively, you can get a 4 lamp Aquatic Life T5HO fixture with LED moonlights and an integrated timer for about $300, or even better, a 6 lamp fixture for about $430. And that includes the lamps. This is a much better option for an extremely low budget, particularly if you're a beginner. LED lighting definitely works, but it isn't bulletproof like T5HO lighting is. In particular, the nature of LED lighting fixtures makes hot-spotting in the tank something you need to watch for and carefully place your animals so that they get the proper amount of light. With a T5HO, presuming you've enough bulbs over the tank, the only decision is how close to place what coral to the water surface, and even that's not all that critical.

dkeller_nc · 10/19/2014, 12:09 PM

Also, you may want to carefully consider whether you've the budget for a reef tank at all. Keep in mind that even small coral frags are going to run you $30-50, and colonies of interesting corals like Euphyllia are going to cost in the $100 and up range. Even a quite sparsely populated reef of the size you're planning is going to have around $2000 worth of animals.

And, it would be a critical mistake to budget $2k for the animals and not purchase the required RODI system, test kits, refractometer, algae magnet, skimmer, return pumps, tank powerheads, quarantine tank (that's a requirement, by the way, not an option) and other accoutrements. Buying the animals and not buying the minimally necessary extras means a high probability of losing those animals.

It's not that one has to have the latest and greatest stuff to keep a reef, and there's at least a multiplication factor of 5 between doing things inexpensively and with the latest equipment. But - there's definitely a floor below which you're going to have a hard time, and possibly lose interest in the hobby as a result. I can't tell you exactly where that flow is in terms of dollar figures, because it depends on whether you're willing to purchase used equipment, and how good a deal you get on that equipment.

If you've kept freshwater tanks, I would tell you from long experience that a reef tank is approximately 10 - 20 times as expensive as a well-stocked planted community tank. If you've not kept a freshwater tank, almost any experienced member here will tell you to do that first, or at least consider a marine fish-only tank to start with.

JMcGarva · 10/19/2014, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dapg8gt

I have fish that are 13 years old that have a sudden burst of light every day.. It's a gimmick and a way to closer replicate nature.. It's no needed at all.. Leds are new reef tanks aren't, leds are the only things that ramp up (except the new Dimmable t5)

True Thanks for your help

Dapg8gt · 10/19/2014, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMcGarva

True Thanks for your help

See below =).. That's literally the best advice you are going to get..

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkeller_nc

Also, you may want to carefully consider whether you've the budget for a reef tank at all. Keep in mind that even small coral frags are going to run you $30-50, and colonies of interesting corals like Euphyllia are going to cost in the $100 and up range. Even a quite sparsely populated reef of the size you're planning is going to have around $2000 worth of animals.

And, it would be a critical mistake to budget $2k for the animals and not purchase the required RODI system, test kits, refractometer, algae magnet, skimmer, return pumps, tank powerheads, quarantine tank (that's a requirement, by the way, not an option) and other accoutrements. Buying the animals and not buying the minimally necessary extras means a high probability of losing those animals.

It's not that one has to have the latest and greatest stuff to keep a reef, and there's at least a multiplication factor of 5 between doing things inexpensively and with the latest equipment. But - there's definitely a floor below which you're going to have a hard time, and possibly lose interest in the hobby as a result. I can't tell you exactly where that flow is in terms of dollar figures, because it depends on whether you're willing to purchase used equipment, and how good a deal you get on that equipment.

If you've kept freshwater tanks, I would tell you from long experience that a reef tank is approximately 10 - 20 times as expensive as a well-stocked planted community tank. If you've not kept a freshwater tank, almost any experienced member here will tell you to do that first, or at least consider a marine fish-only tank to start with.

Well said that's literally the best advice in this whole thread.

JMcGarva · 10/19/2014, 02:09 PM

Thanks. There is a local shop near me that sells mixed water all ready to do. All you do is pump it in to buckets. And its cheap. I can get 150 gallons for 50 bucks.

refractometer I own already

Algae magnet I can get easily.

The skimmer I plan on getting a hang on type .. so i dont need a return pump if im not using a slump.. right?

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-o...n-skimmer.html

The power heads I was looking at were these... are they good?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/220582739625...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

And as for the QR tanks. Thats new to me. I will have to do more research on this..

Again, IM totally new at this. I plan on taking it slow. I came on here to get answers because I am new to this and have no idea how to get a salt water tank going 100%

W1ngz · 10/19/2014, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMcGarva

Thanks. There is a local shop near me that sells mixed water all ready to do. All you do is pump it in to buckets. And its cheap. I can get 150 gallons for 50 bucks.

In a year you'll spend the cost of an RO/DI unit.

Quote:

The power heads I was looking at were these... are they good?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/220582739625...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

No name chinese made stuff is a bad choice. They know even the basic inexpensive equipment can cause sticker shock, and look to take advantage of that. If you want inexpensive, but decent, look at Hydor Koralias.

Quote:

And as for the QR tanks. Thats new to me. I will have to do more research on this..

Look into it now. It's not expensive to do, and might save you hundreds of dollars of fish. It will also slow you down, which will make it easier on the budget to afford stuff.

Quote:

Again, IM totally new at this. I plan on taking it slow. I came on here to get answers because I am new to this and have no idea how to get a salt water tank going 100%

You're where I was a few months ago. Sticker shock. I ended up pushing my plan back from 3 months to a year to set everything up, so I could buy decent but not top of the line equipment, and avoid the cheap, crappy stuff that is easy to fall prey to.

Bpb · 10/19/2014, 06:17 PM

The sudden burst of light is a brand new concern that came up with automatic ramping LEDs. People have kept beautiful tanks for decades with on/off lights. I have an 8 year old clownfish that has lived its entire life with on/off lighting.

Automatic dimming is neat, but it costs. There is no way around that. A $200-300 light option that has the minimum criteria of: led, will grow corals, will cover a 48" tank, and can be programmed to automatically dim up and down quite frankly doesn't exist... At least not in a "out of the box plug 'n play" fashion. Sticker shock wears off.

JMcGarva · 10/19/2014, 06:19 PM

Please check this out and tell me what you think..

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2451085

Bpb · 10/19/2014, 06:32 PM

The photon 32 would work fine. Ends would be a tad dim but some corals like very low light. Also on the photon 32...you can remove the optics easily. It doesn't void the warranty either.

dkeller_nc · 10/20/2014, 07:31 AM

Honestly, it's really hard to say whether everything will work to your satisfaction with respect to mounting and distribution of light from the two different fixture choices. Something like that tends to be a "try it and see".

Don't discount the idea of buying one fixture with the intent of eventually installing two. Most of us would tell you to start with easier, lower-light corals anyway rather than SPS like Acropora, and there's not a thing wrong with having a portion of your tank in strong light and a portion in dim light.

Given your tank's size, I suspect you'll go through 150 gallons of RO water in a couple of months, possibly sooner depending on your evaporation rate. There's also the issue of poorly-maintained LFS systems. It certainly happens to some reefers that post here (less-than-pure RODI water from an LFS), but I've no idea how common that problem is.

And while you can certainly keep a tank without a sump, I strongly, strongly recommend that you consider drilling it and installing an overflow (you can use a 40 gallon breeder tank from PetCo for $40 for a sump). Reef tanks tend to need a lot of equipment (though it doesn't have to be purchased all at once) besides a skimmer, and a sump is almost a necessity to house it. Some examples include reactors for chemical media (activated carbon and granular ferric oxide), an auto top-off system, dosing pumps for adding calcium and alkalinity, heaters, etc...

You can drill a tank and install an overflow yourself - there are lots of tutorials on youtube, and the necessary diamond drill bit, bulkhead and overflow box can be purchased as a kit from Gl*******s.com, BulkReefSupply, and others.

Viethuenese · 10/20/2014, 10:23 AM

check out reef breeders LEDS

dkeller_nc · 10/20/2014, 12:50 PM

Oops - the site's auto-correct thought the site I referred to was naughty (it isn't). Google "dope aquarium stuff" - it's the first result.

mrsixstrings12 · 10/20/2014, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadow64

that light might be good for zoaz (low light coral) try this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Evergrow-Dim...item4d0b33cd6c

I have the evergrow and my Corals love it and my wallet does too!

I actually found a deal on them on ebay where you got 2 and saved some money, so i ended up buying that and now i have an extra

djsmallz · 10/20/2014, 07:09 PM

Ocean Revive is running a sale at the moment for their T247 lights for $158, I have the older one but they are great with great spread and my corals seem to like them.

asmodyus · 10/24/2014, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMcGarva

Thanks. There is a local shop near me that sells mixed water all ready to do. All you do is pump it in to buckets. And its cheap. I can get 150 gallons for 50 bucks.

refractometer I own already

Algae magnet I can get easily.

The skimmer I plan on getting a hang on type .. so i dont need a return pump if im not using a slump.. right?

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-o...n-skimmer.html

The power heads I was looking at were these... are they good?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/220582739625...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

And as for the QR tanks. Thats new to me. I will have to do more research on this..

Again, IM totally new at this. I plan on taking it slow. I came on here to get answers because I am new to this and have no idea how to get a salt water tank going 100%

The one thing that you do not want to skimp on is your lights and skimmer, they are your lifeblood of your reef tank I started like you with a cheap light and hop skimmer on my 65 and it was the worst 6 months when it came to growing coral once I upgraded to a t5 metal hilade combo and a sump with a skimmer it was night and day difference. A good skimmer will help keep your levels good and help with lower numerous water changes. Also this forum has a great used section to there are things in there for a great price if your on a budget.

greenhead · 10/25/2014, 12:07 AM

Had this same light on my qt tank. Horrible led

3dees · 10/25/2014, 10:08 AM

I have two Chinese led's I got off e-bay. they are not as bad as some would have you believe. 120 watts dimmable 15 months on my softie/lps 120 gal tank and so far everything is great. I would love the expensive programmable units, but can't afford them.

Spork3245 · 10/25/2014, 11:27 AM

For a 48" tank you do not need 48" lights. 32-36" lights with 90 degree optics should be enough to cover the tank.

Reef Breeder Photons, while a little out of your price-range, are definitely the way to go, IMO. I was in the same situation as you and trying to find the cheapest solution for good lights to keep decent brightly colored corals (not just low light leathers and mushrooms, but various LPS and zoa/palys and maybe SPS down the road) but didn't want to spend a ton of money. The Reef Breeder Photons, while $450 for the 32" and $500 for the 48" are honestly the cheapest you will find for their quality. They have arguably the same/comparable light quality to LEDs that cost twice as much.

Having been in your exact shoes, my advice is to save an additional $150 or so and go for a 32"-48" Reef Breeder Photon in a month (just throw $25-50 per week aside) and be patient. Patience is hard, I know, but you'll be WAY more satisfied in the long run as opposed to going with cheap LEDs and wanting to spend MORE money to upgrade them in a year or so when you want a coral that needs better lighting.

PS: I was also going to suggest going with Lumentek 240 Pro LEDs but it looks like they are no longer listed on their website? Shame as they were very nice lights that priced slightly cheaper than Reefbreeder Photons and used more-or-less the exact same LED fixtures and also had a mount/stand available.

10/20/2014, 07:09 PM	#40
djsmallz Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Tampa FL, near Ybor City Posts: 569	Ocean Revive is running a sale at the moment for their T247 lights for $158, I have the older one but they are great with great spread and my corals seem to like them. __________________ Upgrading is always possible. Current Tank Info: Dual stacked 40 breeders with sump. Halide/led combo up top T5/led combo on bottom

10/19/2014, 11:58 AM	#27
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	The lights you linked to at Reef Radiance are essentially Evergrow fixtures (there's tons of resellers out there putting their own brand on the same light). Yes, 2 of them would work for your tank, though as others stated, a controller doesn't come with them, so you'd either have to live with standard on/off timers, or buy a controller such as an Apex. Keep in mind that these are Chinese fixtures & LEDs, and are put together with components that accommodate an ultra-low price point. That means the LEDs won't be as efficient as more mainstream manufacturers, and they generally include very inexpensive voltage-dimming drivers, which limits the low-current light output to a minimum of 10%. In other words, you go from 10% light output to "off" in one step. More sophisticated dimmers work by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), and are capable of a full 0-100% range of output. 2 of these fixtures and 2 of the tank mounts are going to run you $419.00 plus tax and shipping if applicable. At that point, you might as well consider the Maxspect Razor 160w that includes a timer and the tank mounts for $509 plus tax and shipping. And Maxspect comes from a highly reputable company - Coral Vue. Alternatively, you can get a 4 lamp Aquatic Life T5HO fixture with LED moonlights and an integrated timer for about $300, or even better, a 6 lamp fixture for about $430. And that includes the lamps. This is a much better option for an extremely low budget, particularly if you're a beginner. LED lighting definitely works, but it isn't bulletproof like T5HO lighting is. In particular, the nature of LED lighting fixtures makes hot-spotting in the tank something you need to watch for and carefully place your animals so that they get the proper amount of light. With a T5HO, presuming you've enough bulbs over the tank, the only decision is how close to place what coral to the water surface, and even that's not all that critical.

10/19/2014, 12:09 PM	#28
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	Also, you may want to carefully consider whether you've the budget for a reef tank at all. Keep in mind that even small coral frags are going to run you $30-50, and colonies of interesting corals like Euphyllia are going to cost in the $100 and up range. Even a quite sparsely populated reef of the size you're planning is going to have around $2000 worth of animals. And, it would be a critical mistake to budget $2k for the animals and not purchase the required RODI system, test kits, refractometer, algae magnet, skimmer, return pumps, tank powerheads, quarantine tank (that's a requirement, by the way, not an option) and other accoutrements. Buying the animals and not buying the minimally necessary extras means a high probability of losing those animals. It's not that one has to have the latest and greatest stuff to keep a reef, and there's at least a multiplication factor of 5 between doing things inexpensively and with the latest equipment. But - there's definitely a floor below which you're going to have a hard time, and possibly lose interest in the hobby as a result. I can't tell you exactly where that flow is in terms of dollar figures, because it depends on whether you're willing to purchase used equipment, and how good a deal you get on that equipment. If you've kept freshwater tanks, I would tell you from long experience that a reef tank is approximately 10 - 20 times as expensive as a well-stocked planted community tank. If you've not kept a freshwater tank, almost any experienced member here will tell you to do that first, or at least consider a marine fish-only tank to start with.

10/19/2014, 02:09 PM	#31
JMcGarva Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 198	Thanks. There is a local shop near me that sells mixed water all ready to do. All you do is pump it in to buckets. And its cheap. I can get 150 gallons for 50 bucks. refractometer I own already Algae magnet I can get easily. The skimmer I plan on getting a hang on type .. so i dont need a return pump if im not using a slump.. right? http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-o...n-skimmer.html The power heads I was looking at were these... are they good? http://www.ebay.com/itm/220582739625...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT And as for the QR tanks. Thats new to me. I will have to do more research on this.. Again, IM totally new at this. I plan on taking it slow. I came on here to get answers because I am new to this and have no idea how to get a salt water tank going 100%

10/19/2014, 06:17 PM	#33
Bpb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 3,148	The sudden burst of light is a brand new concern that came up with automatic ramping LEDs. People have kept beautiful tanks for decades with on/off lights. I have an 8 year old clownfish that has lived its entire life with on/off lighting. Automatic dimming is neat, but it costs. There is no way around that. A $200-300 light option that has the minimum criteria of: led, will grow corals, will cover a 48" tank, and can be programmed to automatically dim up and down quite frankly doesn't exist... At least not in a "out of the box plug 'n play" fashion. Sticker shock wears off.

10/19/2014, 06:19 PM	#34
JMcGarva Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 198	Please check this out and tell me what you think.. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2451085

10/19/2014, 06:32 PM	#35
Bpb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 3,148	The photon 32 would work fine. Ends would be a tad dim but some corals like very low light. Also on the photon 32...you can remove the optics easily. It doesn't void the warranty either.

10/20/2014, 07:31 AM	#36
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	Honestly, it's really hard to say whether everything will work to your satisfaction with respect to mounting and distribution of light from the two different fixture choices. Something like that tends to be a "try it and see". Don't discount the idea of buying one fixture with the intent of eventually installing two. Most of us would tell you to start with easier, lower-light corals anyway rather than SPS like Acropora, and there's not a thing wrong with having a portion of your tank in strong light and a portion in dim light. Given your tank's size, I suspect you'll go through 150 gallons of RO water in a couple of months, possibly sooner depending on your evaporation rate. There's also the issue of poorly-maintained LFS systems. It certainly happens to some reefers that post here (less-than-pure RODI water from an LFS), but I've no idea how common that problem is. And while you can certainly keep a tank without a sump, I strongly, strongly recommend that you consider drilling it and installing an overflow (you can use a 40 gallon breeder tank from PetCo for $40 for a sump). Reef tanks tend to need a lot of equipment (though it doesn't have to be purchased all at once) besides a skimmer, and a sump is almost a necessity to house it. Some examples include reactors for chemical media (activated carbon and granular ferric oxide), an auto top-off system, dosing pumps for adding calcium and alkalinity, heaters, etc... You can drill a tank and install an overflow yourself - there are lots of tutorials on youtube, and the necessary diamond drill bit, bulkhead and overflow box can be purchased as a kit from Gl*******s.com, BulkReefSupply, and others.

10/20/2014, 10:23 AM	#37
Viethuenese Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Tpa Posts: 63	check out reef breeders LEDS

10/20/2014, 12:50 PM	#38
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	Oops - the site's auto-correct thought the site I referred to was naughty (it isn't). Google "dope aquarium stuff" - it's the first result.

10/25/2014, 12:07 AM	#42
greenhead Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 796	Had this same light on my qt tank. Horrible led

10/25/2014, 11:27 AM	#44
Spork3245 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: South Central New Jersey Posts: 1,088	For a 48" tank you do not need 48" lights. 32-36" lights with 90 degree optics should be enough to cover the tank. Reef Breeder Photons, while a little out of your price-range, are definitely the way to go, IMO. I was in the same situation as you and trying to find the cheapest solution for good lights to keep decent brightly colored corals (not just low light leathers and mushrooms, but various LPS and zoa/palys and maybe SPS down the road) but didn't want to spend a ton of money. The Reef Breeder Photons, while $450 for the 32" and $500 for the 48" are honestly the cheapest you will find for their quality. They have arguably the same/comparable light quality to LEDs that cost twice as much. Having been in your exact shoes, my advice is to save an additional $150 or so and go for a 32"-48" Reef Breeder Photon in a month (just throw $25-50 per week aside) and be patient. Patience is hard, I know, but you'll be WAY more satisfied in the long run as opposed to going with cheap LEDs and wanting to spend MORE money to upgrade them in a year or so when you want a coral that needs better lighting. PS: I was also going to suggest going with Lumentek 240 Pro LEDs but it looks like they are no longer listed on their website? Shame as they were very nice lights that priced slightly cheaper than Reefbreeder Photons and used more-or-less the exact same LED fixtures and also had a mount/stand available.