chinese led lights

[tntneon]

Originally Posted by BigAirHarper

Just found these. Looks like rebranded 4G e shines with solar simulator.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/48X3W-CREE-A...#ht_2336wt_922

-I ordered these for over my new 500 l sps system , i'm very happy with the products of this company as the 60w versions is hanging over my nano now for a year and i'm very happy with the results and electricity bill
Changing from a 4X 24 w ati fixture to a 60 w led fixture with the same growth and coloration !

greetingzz tntneon

[ezerasurfr]

So I wanted to give feedback after a few days regarding the 55 3w fixtures. (Tao Tronics).

These lights are SUPER bright! My corals so far seem very pleased. I have mostly SPS frags and a few larger softies.

The lights came with a hanging kit that seems kind of sub-par. Its more like a kit you would find with a hanging potted plant and makes it difficult to keep them hanging perfectly straight.

These lights are also not dimmable, but they dont really need it in my opinion. I have not taken a par reading, but their brightness and the degree of the LEDs reach the bottom of my 72g without an issue. For their cost, a dimmer does not break the deal for these.

Now back to brightness for my last critique (for the moment). I do not have a canopy on my 72g as you can see from the pics. While the light reaches the bottom of the tank without an issue, it also has some serious spillage. If you look in the tanks direction while seated (or situated lower than the tank) you're going to get an eye full of LED. This actually hurts your eyes and can see the leftover pattern for a few seconds if you're not careful. My floor and walls around the tank have the cool shimmer effect happening as well as in the tank. I will probably try and fashion some kind of "blinder" to keep the light in the tank, but this is a DIY I didnt feel like doing. But for $165 a pop...these were still a great buy.

[Oceanic815]

This has been a great thread to read thanks for everyone's input.

I need some help! After getting married I had to be downgraded on my setup I am now rocking a 14 gallon Biocube that has a halide setup, however, I want to make the switch to LED.

Which light would work best for a Biocube 14g? I am horrible with mods so unless they are really simple I am not sure I could mod the hood (dont use it now as I have the Current USA Halide)

Any input is greatly appreciated!

[BigAirHarper]

Originally Posted by tntneon

-I ordered these for over my new 500 l sps system , i'm very happy with the products of this company as the 60w versions is hanging over my nano now for a year and i'm very happy with the results and electricity bill
Changing from a 4X 24 w ati fixture to a 60 w led fixture with the same growth and coloration !

greetingzz tntneon

tntneon pics please please please? Also, how is that solar simulator working out for you?

Also, as far as coverage goes, do you feel one of these fixtures you bought would be enough for my 36"x18" footprint? Thanks for any info!

Oceanic815, welcome to reefcentral! And always nice to have a fellow LOST fan on here. Boy to I ever miss that show! I dunno what i would do if I didn't have breaking bad and dexter to keep me occupied.

[reef_guy81]

Great Thread.. Appreciate all the inputs.. For budget conscious reefers, this is a no brainer.. Out of curiosity, are there any LED's that are dimmable so that we could customize the color? I looked around, but could not find any < $200..

Thanks.

[BigAirHarper]

Check out e shine systems. They have a cree classic dimmable for $150 or a variety of fixtures that are dimmable/have a solar simulator for other prices depending on how big u wanna go. Pm me With your email address and I'll forward you the pricing info they sent me.

[tntneon]

Originally Posted by BigAirHarper

tntneon pics please please please? Also, how is that solar simulator working out for you?

Also, as far as coverage goes, do you feel one of these fixtures you bought would be enough for my 36"x18" footprint? Thanks for any info!

Oceanic815, welcome to reefcentral! And always nice to have a fellow LOST fan on here. Boy to I ever miss that show! I dunno what i would do if I didn't have breaking bad and dexter to keep me occupied.

-For the moment i only have the 60 W version over my nano tank , it has a manual dimmable 2 channel driver , so no sunset controler yet .
The ordered 148 w fixture that is programmable , i placed my order but did not receive an confirment of the order.
-I think it will do fine if you place your fixture above the corals and at least 14" above waterlevel.
I'm gonna use one 148 w fixture + the 60watt fixture i already have + 4X 39 W T5 fixture (fixture before led lighting) i have in my shed to lit my 500 L (48" X 24" X 24 ") .
Will look later to post some pictures of the 60 W fixture i have now over the nano , my avatar is of an SPS lit by the nano leds.

greetingzz tntneon

[BigAirHarper]

Originally Posted by tntneon

-For the moment i only have the 60 W version over my nano tank , it has a manual dimmable 2 channel driver , so no sunset controler yet .
The ordered 148 w fixture that is programmable , i placed my order but did not receive an confirment of the order.
-I think it will do fine if you place your fixture above the corals and at least 14" above waterlevel.
I'm gonna use one 148 w fixture + the 60watt fixture i already have + 4X 39 W T5 fixture (fixture before led lighting) i have in my shed to lit my 500 L (48" X 24" X 24 ") .
Will look later to post some pictures of the 60 W fixture i have now over the nano , my avatar is of an SPS lit by the nano leds.

greetingzz tntneon

Cool just keep us posted once you receive your fixture.

[tntneon]

Here's a picture from when i just had the fixture , this was a temporary hood to hold the led fixture.
here the colors do not represent the reality , taken in auto mode.



the dimmable driver :



first FTS with leds ( xp-g white / xp-e roy blue) , in real the colors are a bit more bleu



acro after 2 months under led



my favia after 2 month's



poccilopora after 2 month's



will see if i can find a recent FTS , not easy because i'm in doing my 500 l SPS build thread (not much pictures of the nano anymore) .

greetingzz tntneon

[BigAirHarper]

Wow man your color looks great on your corals.

[tntneon]

THX man , thats why i'm so happy with the fixture
Here are the last pics i found of my nano and the 60 W led lighting :

a 1/3 FTS



a shot from above you can see the reflections of the LEDs



If i have the bigger fixture i will share my experiences ...

greetingzz tntneon

[antjtc]

Originally Posted by ezerasurfr

received and installed.



they are very bright and give a nice shimmer like MH lamps...

Do you think I can use these two units over my 90 gallon which is 48 in long and do you think I can place them four in above the water and thus fit into my ten high wood canopy? Thanks for sharing.

[clownfool]

Originally Posted by rhkingsfan

Here is a pic of my existing setup. You can see the halide gave somewhat of a spotlight effect.

Next picture is with just the blues on. Its super blue - appears to be even more blue than the VHO actinics that I used to run on my old tank.

Next picture is the whites (don't judge me on the hair algae on the tunzes!). The picture gives off a very yellow hue, but its not that yellow in real life.

Last pic is both the blues and whites on at the same time. Color is very similar to the radium set up I was running. The main difference is that the halide setup seemed much brighter. Oddly enough, I seem to be getting much better spread on the LEDs. I think the spotlight effect on the halide was the result of the lumenbrite reflector.

Overall I think i preferred my halide set up because it visually seemed much brighter.

Still the LED's do have quite a few pros: I setup the actinics to come on first (giving that dawn/dusk effect, I'm saving about 120 watts for 7 hours a day, I don't have to replace a $85 bulb every year and heat isn't really an issue anymore.

What size tank is yours? I was thinking about buying the LED light you got from aquariumleds.com



I have a 24g Current aquapod nano. Do you think the light you have would be too bright on my nano?

[rhkingsfan]

i have a 30x30x24 cube. its 100 gallons

[rhkingsfan]

missed the second part.. my opinion is that it would be on the bright side, but probably doable. i don't think the leds were as bright as my 250watt halide and i've seen people put 250watts over nanos for SPS

[Plumbcrazy]

Originally Posted by clownfool

What size tank is yours? I was thinking about buying the LED light you got from aquariumleds.com



I have a 24g Current aquapod nano. Do you think the light you have would be too bright on my nano?

I have the same fixture as rhkingsfan over a 40 breeder. 36x18x16. I love it coverage is great color is just right(for me) and the price was better. I posted a pic on like page 7. With the LEDs they are not as "bright" as a mh but much more intense.

[ezerasurfr]

Originally Posted by antjtc

Do you think I can use these two units over my 90 gallon which is 48 in long and do you think I can place them four in above the water and thus fit into my ten high wood canopy? Thanks for sharing.

I plan on using 2 of these lights and a 48" (4) bulb T5 fixture over my 90g when I get it up and running at my house. As far as fitting 4 of these under a 10" high canopy I believe it is do-able. I can take a pic of the lights with my 90g if it helps you, I can even post them in comparison next to my 90g's canopy...

Give me sometime today and I'll make the pics happen.

[antjtc]

Originally Posted by ezerasurfr

I plan on using 2 of these lights and a 48" (4) bulb T5 fixture over my 90g when I get it up and running at my house. As far as fitting 4 of these under a 10" high canopy I believe it is do-able. I can take a pic of the lights with my 90g if it helps you, I can even post them in comparison next to my 90g's canopy...

Give me sometime today and I'll make the pics happen.

Thanks. I am looking forward to seeing the pics. I think I only need 2 of these lights for my 90 gallon. I hope to be able to suspend them 2 in off the water. I think they are 5 in thick, which then leaves about 2-3 in space above the light fixtures for the wiring. I guess I'll have to make my canopy at least 10 in tall. If they are too bright, I'll try to put some sort of screen to acclimate any corals I put in the tank???

[ezerasurfr]

they are only 2.5 inches thick...I think 2 would work just fine for a 90g...they are a little under 8.5 inches wide, so if you wanted to do 4 width wise across your 90 under your canopy they would fit nicely...but I think 4 would be over kill even if you plan on growing sps...I need to remove the fixtures to take the pics...might be able to do this over the weekend...wont be able to get to it tonight...

[salsipuedes]

I think im going to buy 3 of these, 2 over my 92 corner and 1 over a 25 gallon frag tank. On second though, what would you guys think is better for a frag tank, a 120 watt LED panel or the 60 watt eshine dimmable?

[angelfish7]

I'm debating between the Taotronics or the aquariumleds 120w 14k 3w. Is it fair to say they are pretty much the same lamp? Getting these for a new reef tank i'm starting soon.

[BigAirHarper]

Originally Posted by angelfish7

I'm debating between the Taotronics or the aquariumleds 120w 14k 3w. Is it fair to say they are pretty much the same lamp? Getting these for a new reef tank i'm starting soon.

Yea I'd say so.

[BigAirHarper]

Originally Posted by salsipuedes

I think im going to buy 3 of these, 2 over my 92 corner and 1 over a 25 gallon frag tank. On second though, what would you guys think is better for a frag tank, a 120 watt LED panel or the 60 watt eshine dimmable?

I'd say either would be fine, just depends if you want control of the color or not.

[salsipuedes]

Originally Posted by BigAirHarper

I'd say either would be fine, just depends if you want control of the color or not.

display tank yes, frag tank - no. Mother colonies shall be in the display tank The frags will go in the 25 gallon tank I have, and I want them to grow as fast as possible for trading in for store credit at my lfs, selling locally / online. I'm tired of my tank looking all crowded with a frag rack, and plugs in the sand, etc... I'm running out of space in my 92 corner. A dedicated frag tank is def the next step. I'd go with a larger setup but i already have all the equipment for the 25 except for lights.

My only fear is bleaching corals with one of the 120 watt panels that can't be dimmed over 25 gallon a tank that's 16 inches high if these things are as powerful as everyone says they are, and the canopy i have right now will place the fixture about an inch above the waters surface so raising them higher is out of the question. I'm looking to frag mostly sps (birdsnest, montis, torts, and acros) so all intense light loving corals.

Also, now that I think of it, I'd have the same amount of LED watts over a 25 gallon tank as a 92 corner tank. Does that seem odd to anyone else besides me? And is there that big of a difference from bridgelux leds to cree leds that save 120 watts of bridgelux might not burn corals but 120 watts of cree might?

It makes me think either one 120 watt panel over a 25 gallon tank is overkill and will bleach everything. I mean look at tntneons tank, thats only 60 watts and it looks like quite a bit of led power to me and everything looks like its flourishing.

On the other hand, maybe 120 watts of dimmable cree leds on a 92 corner isn't enough and I should go with 3 units to keep a mixed reef of SPS, LPS, Clams, softies, etc, especially if I want to keep sps and clams in the bottom 1/3rd of the 92 corner. Any thoughts or comments before I pull the trigger and blow another paycheck on this hobby?

And thank you to everyone who has chimed in on this thread, its definitely very informative on a subject most people shun for apparently no good reason.

[GroYurOwn]

Sorry I haven't gotten any pics up, I am so focused on getting my tank running I haven't had time. I will tell you that my bro in law hung these two lights over his 150g next to 250w MH (hqi bulbs were replaced about one mon ago) and liked them so much he is keeping them and bought me two new ones. These lights are bright and the blue is beautiful. He will probably buy two more, for now he is going to run two LEDs and two MH.