Any info on these LED's?

[Reygan2]

I came across fixture and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with it. Would it be sufficient for my 15g long? Any opinions welcome. I currently have a bulky oversized fishneedit 24 inch dual t5ho fixture and was looking for an LED fixture that would work.

Aquarium Reef LED Light Bar 24" inch 3W LEDs 50 50 White Actinic Blue 2 Ft | eBay

 

[LaWoWee]

They seem legit because they have 3w LEDs. My only concern would be how well they can stay cool or how well built they are.

 

[huma-huma]

I wouldn't pay so much attention to the wattage of the leds as I would the actual wattage of the power supply. I can put 5w leds in a fixture, but unless im truly pushing 5w, that number doesn't mean anything.

 

[LaWoWee]

Well the description does say 72 watts

 

[huma-huma]

id still be cautious. 1 being because it has 60 degree lens, which means youll have to get them pretty high up off the tank to get even coverage. and 2 I personally wouldn't want to drive an led at its rated wattage. theres not much room for error when you are running a 3w led at 3w. (a lot of manufacturers run them between 2.25-2.5w)

 

[Reygan2]

id still be cautious. 1 being because it has 60 degree lens, which means youll have to get them pretty high up off the tank to get even coverage. and 2 I personally wouldn't want to drive an led at its rated wattage. theres not much room for error when you are running a 3w led at 3w. (a lot of manufacturers run them between 2.25-2.5w)

How high? As is, the fixture will sit about a couple of inches above the surface, which will be 16 inches above the sub. Are you concerned it will be too bright or not bright enough? It comes with a dimmer. I could mount it higher if needed.

 

[LaWoWee]

How high? As is, the fixture will sit about a couple of inches above the surface, which will be 16 inches above the sub. Are you concerned it will be too bright or not bright enough? It comes with a dimmer. I could mount it higher if needed.

What he is trying to say is that with the degree of lens, there is not much spread so the higher the placement, the more coverage. I agree with him to be cautious of this. This probably will be one of those cases of "You get what you pay for." In this hobby, you cant really take financial shortcuts on lighting unless you find a good deal off of another hobbyist. If youre looking for a cheaper upfront alternate, you can start with a 4 bulb t5 until youre ready to fork over cash for some good LEDs. You can also look up TAO LEDs as theyre one of the less expensive ones.

 

[Reygan2]

What he is trying to say is that with the degree of lens, there is not much spread so the higher the placement, the more coverage. I agree with him to be cautious of this. This probably will be one of those cases of "You get what you pay for." In this hobby, you cant really take financial shortcuts on lighting unless you find a good deal off of another hobbyist. If youre looking for a cheaper upfront alternate, you can start with a 4 bulb t5 until youre ready to fork over cash for some good LEDs. You can also look up TAO LEDs as theyre one of the less expensive ones.

With mine being a small, shallow tank, I was hoping to find a suitable light without having to spend a fortune. Right now I'm getting good growth with only a 2 bulb t5 fixture, but I only have zoas, gsp and other various polyps. I wasn't planning to get into higher light demanding corals in this tank. So you still don't think it would work?

 

[Reygan2]

Update:
That light looked horrible over my tank. My zoas looked brown. I could go on but not really any point. I'm keeping the dual t5 with ATI's. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[bribo12]

Why not get a nice par38 bulb or two. They aren't to expensive and give good color.

 

[Reygan2]

Why not get a nice par38 bulb or two. They aren't to expensive and give good color.

I was leaning toward LED's. I basically used equipment I already had lying around to start this tank, which included the fixture I had over my 29g fw tank. When I switched to sw I bought the ATI bulbs and so far they are doing well. I'm planning on getting another fixture at some point though because this one is oversized for the 15g. I'm gonna wait, do more research and save up for a nice LED. My corals should be fine with what I have atm.

 

[ryan35590]

I was leaning toward LED's. I basically used equipment I already had lying around to start this tank, which included the fixture I had over my 29g fw tank. When I switched to sw I bought the ATI bulbs and so far they are doing well. I'm planning on getting another fixture at some point though because this one is oversized for the 15g. I'm gonna wait, do more research and save up for a nice LED. My corals should be fine with what I have atm.

I have one par30 bulb from boost led costed around 120 with the gooseneck arm thing and it covers my 10 gallon perfectly and my acan frogspawn and zoas seem to be happy with it

 

[Reygan2]

I have one par30 bulb from boost led costed around 120 with the gooseneck arm thing and it covers my 10 gallon perfectly and my acan frogspawn and zoas seem to be happy with it

Thanks! I checked those out and they seem great. My only concern is the 12"x12" spread. My tank is 24" long and I'd need a larger spread. I like the clip on style too.

 

[ryan35590]

Thanks! I checked those out and they seem great. My only concern is the 12"x12" spread. My tank is 24" long and I'd need a larger spread. I like the clip on style too.

True but you can always buy two I just like em for the price and they work well