48" LED Light Fixture Help????

MarbleShark

MarbleShark

Active Member
Ok I am looking for the final pieces to put my tank together. Trying to decide now on the lighting system. Here is what I need...

  • ~ I need a fixture.. nothing can hang from ceiling or the wall.
  • ~ Timer not needed for the night and daytime lights (have a separate nighttime strip I can use if needed)
  • ~ Cost as low as possible.
  • ~ Reliable
  • ~ Be able to eventually be sufficient enough to be able to support anemones and other corals

A few that I found are.. (yes I know they are ebay but been looking everywhere for ideas and found these)


As far as lights. I have always had Current. I had the same fixture for years and never had any issues other than replacing the bulbs when it was needed. If it has not been mowed over by a dog when the tank was being cleaned (long story) I might still have it. The only thing I have heard is that Marineland are horrible although I know a few people in my area that are friends and have had them with no problems.

This is one from them that I was considering (http://www.marineland.com/Products/...te-and-blue-led-aquarium-lighting-system.aspx)

Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated. Thank you everyone and happy thanksgiving!!!

Norm
 
D

DaveK

Well-Known Member
To be able intelligent advice on lighting we would need to know how large is the tank, and what do you plan to keep in it?

A few general thoughts on LED lighting. For most reef tanks where you want corals, 3w is a minimum LED power you should consider. Most of the fixtures your looking at don't come close to that. I would purchase an LED fixture only from a major supplier and use a credit card. This give you some recourse if you have a major problem. Since most ebay sellers only take PayPal, I would consider them disqualified as a source. There is a reason for this. Most T5 and MH fixtures can be repaired using off the shelf parts, so repair is easy. With LEDs you usually have proprietary parts which can only be had from the manufacturer. You just can't get a replacement part off the shelf.

LED lighting does have a high initial investment. In some cases, even though it will cost more long term, you might be better off getting a good T5 fixture. They will still provide good light for you.

Lastly, when it comes to something like lighting, you are in this for the long haul. Buy top quality of whatever lighting you get. You'll only need to but it once.
 
MarbleShark

MarbleShark

Active Member
Thanks for the reply Dave...

It is 48 long.. 17 tall and 12 deep..

I am going to be keeping fish.. anemones.. and coral.. hard or soft has not been decided yet... so a Reef tank.

What are some that you would suggest that are better than the ones I posted but still not hugely pricey.. if I have to save up a little to get it right off the bat so that I am not spending more in the long term I would rather do that. I have had a T5 in the past and would rather go the LED route.

Thank you!

Norm
 
Smoker

Smoker

Member
EVO is likely the cheapest fixtures you will find. It's possible they're Odyssea under a different name. Most will say to stay away or you get what you pay for. I've had 4 EVO 3W fixtures for over a year with no problems. Now that I know their 5W fixtures are out I'll be upgrading. I would not buy 3W again when 5W doesn't cost that much more. EVO fixtures run very hot. I think there is NO warranty.

Aqua Traders has a lot of these cheap LED fixtures. They have earned a very bad reputation. I've always received what I ordered but when they sent fans that didn't fit they wouldn't answer emails. People in CA say they have changed physical address 4x in 8 years.
 
Ratpack

Ratpack

Active Member
I would check out reef radiance. I got two of their Dm155's and put them over my 75 gal tank which is 48 x 18 x 21. All of my corals are doing great and they are not even up to half power yet. I even have a RBT anemone on the sand bed that is growing like mad and even split into two.
 
T

Tigersref

Member
If you have budget constraints, why not look for a good T5HO instead. why the need for LED's? Corals will grow just fine with T5. In fact, even the most recent RSM systems still use T5.

Yes, LED's are more energy efficient, but if it were me faced with a choice of a good T5 or a crappy cheap LED, i would go with the T5.
 
Willie McDaries

Willie McDaries

Well-Known Member
MarbleShark take a look at these LED http://www.reefradiance.com/lumentek-pro-240.html I think this light would do a good job over a 4 foot tank and has the built in controller to slowly ramp up and down the intensity to simulate a sunrise/sunset effect

the Lumentek Pro 240 is a bit more expensive than the DM155's that ratpack suggested but both lights are from Reef Radiance and even though they are Chinese made lights, if you have an issue with either, Rick handles warranty work himself so no need to ship back to China, Rick is a good guy to do business with too, he'll go above and beyond to make his customers happy
 
MarbleShark

MarbleShark

Active Member
Thank you so much for your feedback.. I welcome more if you have it of course....

Smoker said:
EVO is likely the cheapest fixtures you will find. It's possible they're Odyssea under a different name. Most will say to stay away or you get what you pay for. I've had 4 EVO 3W fixtures for over a year with no problems. Now that I know their 5W fixtures are out I'll be upgrading. I would not buy 3W again when 5W doesn't cost that much more. EVO fixtures run very hot. I think there is NO warranty.

Aqua Traders has a lot of these cheap LED fixtures. They have earned a very bad reputation. I've always received what I ordered but when they sent fans that didn't fit they wouldn't answer emails. People in CA say they have changed physical address 4x in 8 years.
Click to expand...

Yeah I did some research on them since posting this and am not going to go the route of them. I have lumped them into the Current and Marine Land category.

Ratpack said:
I would check out reef radiance. I got two of their Dm155's and put them over my 75 gal tank which is 48 x 18 x 21. All of my corals are doing great and they are not even up to half power yet. I even have a RBT anemone on the sand bed that is growing like mad and even split into two.
Click to expand...

I just looked at those and they are really cool.

Tigersref said:
If you have budget constraints, why not look for a good T5HO instead. why the need for LED's? Corals will grow just fine with T5. In fact, even the most recent RSM systems still use T5.

Yes, LED's are more energy efficient, but if it were me faced with a choice of a good T5 or a crappy cheap LED, i would go with the T5.
Click to expand...

Not really as much budget constraints as just like anyone I want to get the best I can for as little as I can. I know the old adage that you get what you pay for so I am still researching and not pulling the trigger on a MarineLand light fixture as a friend of mine has done recently. He is happy with his, but I have read too many horror stories to attempt that route. I had T5s in the past when I had my tank up and running in Tampa. I want something that is going to be long term and energy efficient instead of having to worry about replacing the bulbs and the heat. In Florida, heat is enough of an issue already.

Willie McDaries said:
MarbleShark take a look at these LED http://www.reefradiance.com/lumentek-pro-240.html I think this light would do a good job over a 4 foot tank and has the built in controller to slowly ramp up and down the intensity to simulate a sunrise/sunset effect

the Lumentek Pro 240 is a bit more expensive than the DM155's that ratpack suggested but both lights are from Reef Radiance and even though they are Chinese made lights, if you have an issue with either, Rick handles warranty work himself so no need to ship back to China, Rick is a good guy to do business with too, he'll go above and beyond to make his customers happy
Click to expand...

I looked at those and they seem amazing.

I have emailed Rick and am awaiting from a response from him. The Lumentek seem to be something that I am very interested in.

Question.. for a tank that is 48 long, 17 deep and 12 wide.. and you want something that will have anemone and even soft coral if you choose to.. what should the wattage be on a min.. 3w min is what I am hearing and is the common consensus, but total wattage for a tank of my dimensions would be???
 
reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
MarbleShark said:
Question.. for a tank that is 48 long, 17 deep and 12 wide.. and you want something that will have anemone and even soft coral if you choose to.. what should the wattage be on a min.. 3w min is what I am hearing and is the common consensus, but total wattage for a tank of my dimensions would be???
Click to expand...

Total wattage with LED's isn't really a useful metric for several reasons. Short version - you have a fairly shallow tank and so long as the fixture uses 3-watt or 5-watt LED's you will have more than enough light.

For a more in-depth understanding you need to be familiar with PAR (photosynthetically available radiation) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetically_active_radiation.

Then consider that the PAR output for each different color LED is different with white LED's having the highest output. So depending on the mix of LED's, the amount of available PAR per watt will vary. Consider a simple common ratio with 12 3-watt LED's with 6 cool white's and 6 royal blues. Compare this to another build with 12 3-watt LED's but with 4 cool-whites and 6 royal blues. Assuming both units are driven at the same amperage they each consume 36 watts. Build 1 will have a higher max PAR with approximately 10-12k color temp, while build 2 have more blue and good for 16-20k color temp range.

Okay, now that was a simple example with just two different colored LED's and all other factors considered equal. Now also consider the other factors:
1. Amperage at which LED's are being driven at. Some units drive 3-watt LED's to 1.1 watts while others drive them up towards 2.8 watts. Cooling is the key here, more expensive LED units usually have more effective cooling and are capable of being driven higher without damaging the LED's. Cool LED's both burn brighter and last longer.
2. All the other colors that LED's units are available with now. Cool-whites, neutral-whites, warm whites. Near-UV, royal blue, regular blue, cyan, green, amber, red-orange, red and deep red.
3. Optics - LED's without optics attached have an approximate 120 degree beam angle. That means a beam of light 120 degrees wide emits from the LED. Adding optics narrows the beam angle and increases the light output.

When buying your LED unit you need to consider how high it will be over the tank, then you can consider whether optics are needed and the total number of LED's required. I'm guessing two of the DM155's properly spaced will do you fine over a 48".
 
MarbleShark

MarbleShark

Active Member
Thank you everyone for your feedback and your help in selecting the LED lighting for my tank. I decided on two DM-155e with the mounting brackets. They were ordered last Saturday and was told yesterday a shipment is coming in next week and that is when my lights are going to ship. I will update with pictures when they arrive and everything is set up. I am stoked because then I can start to stock my tank. I cannot wait!
 
1325903997

1325903997

Member
120w Cree LED Programmable Remote Control Led Reef Aquarium Lights 120 watts Lighting for Marine Corals,Marine Reef Led Light

The light is very same with your said...
 
J

Jerv

Member
Reefradiance now has the lumentek pro 360 which is 48 inches long and fully programmable sorry didn't realize this was an older thread
 
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