LED Lighting...what to use???

[twice_bitten]

Good Day All.

I am looking at using my old FL fixture for the new LED T-8 bulbs but I am not sure what 'colour' to use. I am setting up a FOWLR 90gal tank with the thought of upgrading (soft corals and such) in the future and want to get the best coloured bulbs right off so I don't have to do this again. Any suggestions on what bulb 'colour' I should get and what I shouldn't get?

Thanks boys and girls, your advise is appreciated!

 

[Krypt]

You may have better luck asking in the Hardware section. LED's are fairly new and there are only a handful of people that know about them.

 

[mr_X]

i've recently been looking at these ecoray LED fixtures. the 60d fixture might be good for your 90. i have heard that the best ones to have are dimmable though, so you can add just the right amount of blue and white...
Home
i don't think those LEDs inside the tubes are any good. the ones you want are cree LEDs. those tube ones don't have much PAR.

 

[melosu58]

Moved to the general Hardware and equipment discussion.

 

[BigJim]

I question the ability of those lights to support corals, but I'm not a SW guy. The lumens output just seems low and I don't know much about PAR.

 

[mr_X]

which ones are you speaking of? the tubes?

 

[BigJim]

Yes, the tubes. The Cree LEDs are impressive. I'm planning to use them on a planted tank sometime this winter.

 

[mr_X]

check out those ones i mentioned...the ecoray brand. they seem to be pretty potent.

 

[cmor1701d]

I went with the Pacific Sun 120w units for my 125. A big part of that decision was the programability of the unit. I ramp up from dawn of 5% of both blue and white increasing blue by 10% and white by 5% every minutes. After 2 hours I'm at 100% of each, though with a 20k setting I'm powering blues at 100% and white at 60%. It stays that way for 8 hours and then ramps down to dusk for 2 hours. At that poinit there's a wink out to moonlight. My moonlight follows a lunar cycle. The tank was dark for a few days, and now starts with one section on at moonrise and ramps up to all three units being at some % of the Full Moon setting of 10%

Other units may now start offering that kind of control, but I haven't seen any yet.

 

[mr_X]

that's called "dimmable". those ecoray fixtures don't work like that as far as i know.
how much were those pacific sun 120s?

 

[cmor1701d]

LOL, yes Doug I'm aware of the dimmable term.

The PacSun units are expenisive. I paid ~$2,200 for one master and two slave units. However comparerd to a new 72 inch Giesemann Moonlight Infiniti 3×250W HQI + 4×80W T5 Light Fixture at around $3500 or a 1 year old used one for $2,800, the LEDs were cheaper. The Pac Sun units also offer 400w MH equivalent though the falloff at depth brings that down.

 

[mr_X]

youch! well, maybe i'll try these non dimmable ones first to see if i like them. that ecoray company has a 400 watt halide equivalent as well, so it will depend on what size tank i end up with.

 

[cmor1701d]

is coming!

 

[stingray2012]

ECORAY 112D Review

All I will warn you about the ecorays 112d model. I purchased two of the ecoray 112ds for a total of $1000.00 two months ago and half of the blue leds in one of the units stopped working. They do have a one year warranty however ecoray WILL charge you the shipping to them but they will ship it back to you. While it's being repaired (they do not replace with a new unit btw) if you do not have "backup lighting source" your corals will be left high and dry. I discussed my concern with ecoray (underwaterworld is the distributer you will have to contact) and they did not have any compassion for their customers with defective products from their company or their customer's corals!!! The did not appear to be concerned or cared about the fact their product was defective only after 2 months of service. After taking the unit from my canopy, paying the shipping to send it back and now waiting no telling how long to get the unit back I will NOT purchase another one. You would think at $500 a pop they would last a long time and now I wonder when the other one will defect.

 

[carey]

Thanks for the heads up. Sorry you got stuck with a bum unit. :-( I've rad some reviews on these and apparently they aren't all they are cracked up to be. I looked at getting them last year but passed.

I hope you get your repaired light back quickly! Good luck!!

 

[mr_X]

That's awful expensive at this point. back when this thread was started that was considered fairly cheap, but now you can buy non-dimmable units for $150.00 or so a piece.