WOW!!!! LEDs are heaven sent.....

[bill302]

Well I got my 2-120 watt led light for my 55 gal aquarium last week and wow....So many problems solved...Why would someone buy an aquarium chiller....Led lighting took care of my overheating problem matter of fact my heater is running all day and night.. The t-5s I was running made my temp fluctuate at least 5 degrees a day now my tank stays at 80 degrees no fluctuation...I could not imagine what metal halides would do And my corals are very happy the light actually reaches the sand bed you can see the ripples from the surface on the sand bed... Plus these leds last approx 50,000 hours....Wow no bulb changes that can save up to $120-$150 a year on bulbs..leds pay for themselves in approx. 3 years.. My Led lights cost $300 you cant beat that.. Wish I knew this before I bought the T-5 lights...

 

[obscurereef]

Yes, yes they are . They have their perks. What brand did you get?

 

[bill302]

They are a brand called Aqua made by Greg Huddleston who owns a company in Oklahoma called Under The Sea. His company provides Aquariums & Aquarium Supplies-Leasing & Maintenance...He sells them on ebay and installs them on the tanks he maintains. I talked to him a long time and he was very helpful and knowledgeable. I bought 2- 120 watt dimmable light units, with Bridgelux leds and 90 degree optics...

 

[Animal-Chin]

I bought those exact lights in january and they areawesome! My sps love them. Just br carefull they are powerfull dont turn them all the way up. I ha them blasting and my corals started fadin in color from too much light. I go 75% max bit if you just got them go 50% and slowly turn them up if you need to...

 

[mr_X]

Pics or it didn't happen!

 

[TommyP]

Bill I got the same lights - I love them. Mine have 120* optics but it's the same exact units. I have only had them since friday and i love them already.

 

[Mebbid]

Would you be able to provide a link to where I could find these lights online? Im about to build a led fixture for my tank and would like to skip that if I could find an affordable alternative.

 

[bill302]

I have them at 50% right now...had to move my mushroom and he still hates the light in the shade on the sand bed....Animal-Chin you have had them since jan. and still only go up to 75% ? Pictures soon..lol

 

[TommyP]

Here's the unit I got. This is the link for a single fixture
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=360652273879&index=4&nav=SEARCH&nid=93107168468

This is for 2 units. **** it went down in price!
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=310666661144&index=8&nav=SEARCH&nid=23655227517

 

[Animal-Chin]

Ya I have them on 75% in my 55 gallon and I have Acropora on the sand. I have them 6 inches off the water, I don't know how close yours are it could make a difference (I'm assuming). As far as growth my coral are rockin. My wife was kidding about having to get a bigger tank for my masive green acro that has doubled in size since January. When I had the lights at 100% I had 3 sps and they all faded quite a bit. My levels on everything are always in check so I turned my lights down to like 60% and I saw the color come back but much slower than it lost it. My blue sps are back to when I got them but my huge green one is still quite pale. The new sps's that I've added in the last couple of months have all retained their color. One thing I did notice this weekend at the LFS I buy my sps at is they had them in a tank under 4 T5's so maybe I just shocked mine with so much light, I don't know. Worth a warning though, 250 watts of LED in a 55 gallon is a lot of light...lol

 

[bill302]

newest addition to my tank with the new lights...... I have the lights at the lowest setting at this time.

 

[bill302]

I'm trying to take a pic of my tank but on the lowest settings their is a glare.... Might be my camera...

 

[Jonnypro]

I am getting the same light. Just the full spectrum ones. I take it you really like them?

 

[bill302]

Yes, I do Jonnypro I will never use anything else but leds, and I do recommend them they really solve a lot of problems with saltwater tanks....I would only use the dimmable units but they provide the proper lighting which can be adjusted and any heating problems are solved especially if you have a cover over your tank. and they are really a lot cheaper than any unit out there no bulb changes and they last 50,000 hrs and only if they lasted 1/3rd of that you would still save money on bulb changes...If you can soldier you can replace the diodes really cheap if they do burn out.

 

[Animal-Chin]

less than 4 months under taotronic LEDs...

 

[Jonnypro]

Yes, I do Jonnypro I will never use anything else but leds, and I do recommend them they really solve a lot of problems with saltwater tanks....I would only use the dimmable units but they provide the proper lighting which can be adjusted and any heating problems are solved especially if you have a cover over your tank. and they are really a lot cheaper than any unit out there no bulb changes and they last 50,000 hrs and only if they lasted 1/3rd of that you would still save money on bulb changes...If you can soldier you can replace the diodes really cheap if they do burn out.

I have a 6' long tank. Now the lfs said I can get away with 2 of these units. Because the top of my tank has only 2 openings. Here is An old pic.



What do you think of just 2?

 

[Animal-Chin]

Nah i'd go 3 on a 6 foot, 2's not gonna cover everything...

 

[Keithhjs]

Congrats on the new LED lights! I also use LED lights but unfortunately I still must chillers. The fact that we don't have central AC in the summer here my room temperature gets hot enough that I can swing from 76 to 82 in about 10 hours and back down again as quickly. Enjoy those bee lights shimmering!

*edit. I have four fixtures over a 6' x 3' tank and three fixtures over a 4' x 2' tank

 

[Jonnypro]

Congrats on the new LED lights! I also use LED lights but unfortunately I still must chillers. The fact that we don't have central AC in the summer here my room temperature gets hot enough that I can swing from 76 to 82 in about 10 hours and back down again as quickly. Enjoy those bee lights shimmering!

*edit. I have four fixtures over a 6' x 3' tank and three fixtures over a 4' x 2' tank

Any pics of the 6'?

 

[Keithhjs]

Any pics of the 6'?

Yeah you can see them on my build thread.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f14/keiths-frag-tank-coral-propagation-tank-build-247825.html