aqueon modular led

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i think u r talking about the one that made with many <1W LEDs, if that is the one, it would ok, but I don't like it as anthing <1W is really less efficient. For example, if they are .5W each, the true watt of each LED would be max out at about 0.3w because they can't handle the higher current. If you are using 3W, they can max at around 2.5~2.8W depend on brand,So for 6W total, using the .5W LEDs would be actually only 3.6W where 3W LED can reach about 5W to 5.6W.

That is the reason to get to the same output, you will need more of those <1W LED to make up the differences.
 
So there is a rule of thumb for Watts per gallon for fluorescent lighting.

What is the rule of thumb for LED lighting ?

I can't get a straight (or even crooked) answer from anyone ????
 
So there is a rule of thumb for Watts per gallon for fluorescent lighting.

What is the rule of thumb for LED lighting ?

I can't get a straight (or even crooked) answer from anyone ????


There is no watt/gallon for LED,
The few basic factors would be...
1)actual dimension of the tank vs the optic on the LED.
This would tells you how high you need to place your light to cover the tank.
2) After you find out how high it will need to be placed, then check the PAR value of the light vs your live stock requirement. Usually soft coral need 50par LPS need 150 and SPS is 250 and up.
For example, if your light is 10" above water level and your tank is 24" deep, you want to keep SPS on the sand bed. So what you need is look at the PAR reading for the fixture you want, if the PAR reading around 28" to 34" is around 200 to 250, u are good to go, if you have around 100PAR then it is not enough.

Plz understand PAR value is just like watt per gallon rule, it is not absolute, it is a rule of thumb type requirement. Coral can still grow less than that value just most people like to use that as guide line.
 
Yes ...but who can afford a PAR meter. They cost more than the lights.:ermm:
 
The problem with a watts per gallon rule, is not all LEDs are created equal. When the first came out, it was approximately 70 lumen per watt produced. However, as lighting LEDs are constantly being refined, the Lumen has increased significantly from 70Lux/watt. In addition, lumen represent total light emmitted, including infra-red and ultra-violet, not just the light we are concerned about.
LED lighting is still relatively new to the hobby, perhaps in the furute someone will create an accepted rule. Right now, many people are running 120W fixtures every 2 feet and seem quite happy. For me tho, as I have a tank 2.5 feet deep, I will wait until I can afford a pair of dimmable 160W fixtures so I can get light to the bottom.
 
I can grow and thrive softies and mushrooms in a 30 gallon hexagonal tank with about 60 Watts of LED's that I built myself for $50. Like any hobby, the people telling you to buy overkill lighting are those in the business to sell it :cool:
 
The problem with a watts per gallon rule, is not all LEDs are created equal. When the first came out, it was approximately 70 lumen per watt produced. However, as lighting LEDs are constantly being refined, the Lumen has increased significantly from 70Lux/watt. In addition, lumen represent total light emmitted, including infra-red and ultra-violet, not just the light we are concerned about.
LED lighting is still relatively new to the hobby, perhaps in the furute someone will create an accepted rule. Right now, many people are running 120W fixtures every 2 feet and seem quite happy. For me tho, as I have a tank 2.5 feet deep, I will wait until I can afford a pair of dimmable 160W fixtures so I can get light to the bottom.


Lumen doesn't mean a lot to reef tank in this case. As blue LEDs provide much less lumens but can produce as much PAR as white LED. Your Reef tank can survive with nothing but blue LED but it will look very dim.

Running a 120W fixture every 24" is really base on the availablility of the product. Most people using the reef breeder or taotronic default 120W to make that choice. However, as I mentioned before, for soft coral doesn't need too much light output. I had suggested some client actually using 72W or 60W LED for their LPS/Softie coral

As for PAR meter wise, its not a must for yourself, but the company who you are shopping with will have to provide you those reading, if they don't have those reading publicly posted out on their site. I suggest to not shop with them.

Oh and 60W of LED could be overkill already, depend on the brand that was being used. If you are using EPISTAR or bridgelux, 60W is fine for a 30G softie tank. If you running ES Luxeon or CREE, 60W is like 100W~110W Bridgelux already.
 
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