Lighting your reef... Best bang for your buck.

[oyf709]

BTW, look what Cree is doing lately...When are we gonna see these babies in our fixtures?
Cree XLamp® XM-L Color LEDs | Mouser

I actually has one of my supplier offered me thise chip but I am not sure the actual benefit of that chip.

 

[mr_X]

AQ, we need you to buy a meter that measures PUR!

 

[oyf709]

well I don't think there is a PUR meter.
Here is something I found from another forum and I think it sums it up quite well

"We measure pur as par ( photosynthetically available radation )
Depending on the depth at which a coral or plant is found they have adapted or evolved to use the specific pur at a given depth. With par measured in the nanometer range a 500 to 800 nanometer range yellow, Orange and red region ( closer replicate the sun at a given depth )would be found closer to the surface of the water. As the sun penetrates the water the yellow, Orange and red is filtered out then you have the 400 to 500 nanometer range (blue region) which most of our corals do best under and what looks best to us. As the sun penetrates farther it ends up in the purple region and eventually black with almost no usable light.

So it would depend on the host algae and depth at which a specific coral or plant is found that it has adapted itself or evolved to use a specific pur. ( usable radation )"

 

[Robert_ellis]

If you local LED expert said 1W can get deeper than 3W then he really shouldn't call them "expert"
1w LED can never reach 1W in the sense of if you run it at max current, those LED will burn out lke very quickly. Same thing for 3W but 3W can run with a bit higher current and reach higher Wattage.
The distance that different light can travel depends on
1) The optic they using, the smaller the number the farther the light can reach.
2) When optic are the same, it depend on the light output of the single light source. IE: when 1W can reach about 0.6W~0.8W, 3w LED can reach 1.5W~2.8W depend on current running thru them. That alone has higher single point of output.

As far as for the PAR meter, I just purchased my PAR meter, I don't like to use the factory reading as I found most of the time they are somewhat misleading. I am only using them before as I had no other details. Now as I have my own PAR meter, I cna provide more accurate stats and that should help me provide better service to my client. I am even thinking getting a spectrometer. Those cost 7k~9K brand new, so I am waiting for one of my buddy to hook me up with some tech lab where they have used spectrometer. With those 2 equipments, I think I can better understand more about LEDs

He wasn't comparing 1-3 watt to 1-1 watt... He said to use 3-1watt bulbs instead of 1-3 watt bulb. Same wattage in total.

 

[oyf709]

I don't think you get my point there, just because it is 3x1W doesn't mean it equals to the light output of 3w LED. It is almost the same idea of a 30 year old adult can push a heavy object but that doesn't mean three 10yr old kids can do the same thing. the 1W and 3W is just agneral identity of the LED that the maximum output it can achieve. but the 3w LED can run thru much higher current before burn out the chip where as the 1W LED need to run it at a much lower current. That is why when you run a 90W fixture made with bunch of 1W, it actually using about 80W power. where if you using 3W LED to make the 90W fixture it can achive the same output by only uinsg about 50W power. so if you are using 3W chip to run it with the same 80W power, the light output of the fixture will pass the 1w LED fixture by quite a bit

 

[bigben2057]

He wasn't comparing 1-3 watt to 1-1 watt... He said to use 3-1watt bulbs instead of 1-3 watt bulb. Same wattage in total.

That still is not the same thing 1 3 watt diode can penetrate deep water, 3, 1 watt diodes dont have the power of all being combined in one and cant penetrate deep water....1 3watt diode is much superior.

 

[Robert_ellis]

Ill go back and talk to him and see why his explanation is. Like x said earlier... Until a par meter tells the true numbers we can't really argue any point.

 

[oyf709]

Ill go back and talk to him and see why his explanation is. Like x said earlier... Until a par meter tells the true numbers we can't really argue any point.

I should be able to provide that testing very soon, as my par meter is on its way. Shipping out from florida on 21st but it has not yet get to Canada. maybe another 3 or 4 days. I have some 1W LED fixture and I also got a small CREE fixture I DIY long time ago, maybe I can try to do PAR reading for them.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Ill go back and talk to him and see why his explanation is. Like x said earlier... Until a par meter tells the true numbers we can't really argue any point.

My guess is the guys just selling 1W LEDs. If he's not selling and building 3W fixtures he's bound to try to hype the stuff he's got for sale. Ask him if he has made 3W fixtures. If not then he may not have personally seen the difference.

 

[Robert_ellis]

While we wait for your results... An led fixture... Does it have a circuit board to mount the lights on or is it just a board with holes to hold the lights?

 

[Robert_ellis]

He said he has made fixtures... I may have missed an explanation but ill recheck.

 

[oyf709]

While we wait for your results... An led fixture... Does it have a circuit board to mount the lights on or is it just a board with holes to hold the lights?

Most of the LED fixtures are built on a heat sink. The pre-made fixture basicaly has the heat sink hide in the casing and have installed a fan on top of the heat sink to help on the cooling. It doesn't need any actual circut board to make a LED fixtures.

 

[mr_X]

I have a PAR meter here. I wish I had more LED fixtures to compare these (55 x 3 bridgelux) against, but I do have a 250 watt halide here and an 8 x 54 watt T5 HO that I've taken readings on. They are all about the same, directly under the fixture.

 

[oyf709]

I have a PAR meter here. I wish I had more LED fixtures to compare these (55 x 3 bridgelux) against, but I do have a 250 watt halide here and an 8 x 54 watt T5 HO that I've taken readings on. They are all about the same, directly under the fixture.

yeah kinda like what I said before in some of the posts, the LED usually is 1.5 to 2.5 times the T5 and MH output. That is really how it saves money, but I want to test 1w vs 3w as I run into quite a lot of questions on that as well.

 

[Robbiesamp]

Are there any one that has DIY light hanging kits ? Like I want to hang mine from the back of my tank ! My wife doesn't want holes in her ceiling!?
Any pics ideas ?

 

[bigben2057]

I have a PAR meter here. I wish I had more LED fixtures to compare these (55 x 3 bridgelux) against, but I do have a 250 watt halide here and an 8 x 54 watt T5 HO that I've taken readings on. They are all about the same, directly under the fixture.

How dose the par of the taotronics and halide compare?

 

[mr_X]

Start a hanging lights thread and we'll get some folks to chime in. Lets keep this thread on topic.
The 250 watt halides, 8x54 watt t5 with new, high end lamps, and the Taotronics or similar have all scored about the same PAR directly under the fixture.

 

[LaWoWee]

Are there any one that has DIY light hanging kits ? Like I want to hang mine from the back of my tank ! My wife doesn't want holes in her ceiling!?
Any pics ideas ?

You can use "L" shape bookshelf brackets against the back wall to hang your lights.

Sorry to stray from topic

 

[Robbiesamp]

Thanks me too

 

[Magma]

Start a hanging lights thread and we'll get some folks to chime in. Lets keep this thread on topic.
The 250 watt halides, 8x54 watt t5 with new, high end lamps, and the Taotronics or similar have all scored about the same PAR directly under the fixture.

Is that running the Taotronics at 100%? or is that running them a lower setting?