Lighting upgrade!!!

[Marquis]

Maybe amazon? And check the dimmable ones on eBay they ship from china so they might be able to

Can't even find the dimmable ones

 

[acolotto]

They're only USA but I'd say shoot the seller an email and see what they say...also the dimmable ones just search "led dimmable aquarium" on ebay

 

[Marquis]

They're only USA but I'd say shoot the seller an email and see what they say...also the dimmable ones just search "led dimmable aquarium" on ebay

Thanks I must be mental I tried searching and only came up with 150 200 and 50 watt fixtures I'll keep trying thanks

 

[Gregcoyote]

It's 580 for two that don't need to be solderd. Theres no need to get defensive what so ever I was just saying that I have read many many bad things about these lights every place other then these lights. To me it just wasnt worth the money to buy something that was obviously low end. The bleaching happens even if it didn't happen in your tank mr x does have a very deep tank compared to a 55g that's why I was saying he should be carful. Just trying to help him out by letting him know thngs that I learned from reading. He can do what ever he wants like I said I seriously considered these lights for my tank until I found other solutions and I was just sharing those with him. The low quality comment was pointed to the fact that they are a low quality led it has nothing to do with the fact they are from china truly but there's no arguing they are low quality or else they wouldn't be 175$ and I'm not suggesting the Cree fixtures are high quality but they will be higher quality. The thing that concerned me the most is that I read the fixture is daisy chained and if one bulb goes out the whole panel goes out.

This is where a bit of knowledge is helpful. The first generation LED panels were wired in batches that matched the driver(s) they had packaged. Almost all of them now have replaceable emitters and are wired to not allow big segments to go out. The first ones were all glued in as well. I had a problem with these first panels and was lucky enough to know of a factory over there that was taking input on how to improve them. The factories over there work different than in the west, they cooperate and tend to leverage each other, so when one guy makes the panels better, they all make the correction. Not that they don't produce some real junk. so part of my deal was shipping extra parts with each order I imported, so I could fix them.

Everybody decides where they are going to sink their money in this hobby. And having owned fish stores, I am kind of opinionated as to what is worth big dollars and what isn't. I am working on my own new system using multisegment emitters to replace the Chinese panels some day, but for now, what I have invested has been as good as I could have asked. My son has a small reef and loves to build stuff, so he constructed his own system from parts on the Internet.

 

[mr_X]

Theres no need to get defensive what so ever I was just saying that I have read many many bad things about these lights every place other then these lights. To me it just wasnt worth the money to buy something that was obviously low end. The bleaching happens even if it didn't happen in your tank mr x does have a very deep tank compared to a 55g that's why I was saying he should be carful. Just trying to help him out by letting him know thngs that I learned from reading. He can do what ever he wants like I said I seriously considered these lights for my tank until I found other solutions and I was just sharing those with him. The low quality comment was pointed to the fact that they are a low quality led it has nothing to do with the fact they are from china truly but there's no arguing they are low quality or else they wouldn't be 175$ and I'm not suggesting the Cree fixtures are high quality but they will be higher quality. The thing that concerned me the most is that I read the fixture is daisy chained and if one bulb goes out the whole panel goes out.

I don't know if all of this was directed towards me, but I assure you, I wasn't being defensive, just stating my first hand experience.
What is it that constitutes "low end"? the price? The bells and whistles?
I think that most LED fixtures are way overpriced. These seem to be the only ones priced reasonably. By seeing them in person and running them over my tank, I wouldn't consider them low end.
I know multiple people who have AI SOL blues and they are bleaching everything too. The efficiency of the LED is now a bad thing? People were just raving about halides, and now we find something stronger and it's a fault. what's the point of having something powerful if you can only run it at 30%?
I have a 25" deep tank. a 55 is 21" tall. Are you saying that the extra 4" is a deal breaker for these? In my opinion (and I say this because I don't have a shallow tank like a 21" deep 55) I think you'll be fine.

 

[mr_X]

Can't even find the dimmable ones

1 PCS Free shipping New Dimmable 120w led aquarium light for marine coral reef | eBay

 

[acolotto]

Mr x how should I go about acclimating my corals to the new light...most of them are not glued down so I can move

 

[Marquis]

1 PCS Free shipping New Dimmable 120w led aquarium light for marine coral reef | eBay

Thanks mr.x I'll have to email them and see if they'll ship to the great white north

 

[CleverBs]

I don't know if all of this was directed towards me, but I assure you, I wasn't being defensive, just stating my first hand experience.
What is it that constitutes "low end"? the price? The bells and whistles?
I think that most LED fixtures are way overpriced. These seem to be the only ones priced reasonably. By seeing them in person and running them over my tank, I wouldn't consider them low end.
I know multiple people who have AI SOL blues and they are bleaching everything too. The efficiency of the LED is now a bad thing? People were just raving about halides, and now we find something stronger and it's a fault. what's the point of having something powerful if you can only run it at 30%?
I have a 25" deep tank. a 55 is 21" tall. Are you saying that the extra 4" is a deal breaker for these? In my opinion (and I say this because I don't have a shallow tank like a 21" deep 55) I think you'll be fine.

No it was not all directed to you. It says your 250g is 31'' Deep thats 10" different then a 55g. I am not saying this fixture wouldnt work. I just wanted to let him know some information I found so that he knows. I didnt know about the new panels not being all linked together That is a good thing. my comment about it being low end is being taken a little more seriously then I ever ment it. I was just mearly pointing out that it is.

 

[Marquis]

Contacted the seller it says no international shipping so I'm thinking I might not be able to get this fixture

 

[Gregcoyote]

That's a pretty good price on those panels. Mine use a controller and are connected with CAT5 cable. But these look fine.
One hint, they suck in a lot of air, and like a computer the interior parts hold a static charge causing the unit to become a dust magnet.
Take a strip of thin filter material used for your heaters cold air return and fasten it across the back of the fans. Clean this once a month and it will add life to your panels.

 

[scottayy]

What about a good ol can'o'air from time to time, greg? If it's like computer parts then it should be good (i work with computers).

 

[Gregcoyote]

Sure, a vacuum works as well, but using the filters, you won't have to disassemble the fixture to clean it. Just like a computer, when they get full of dust they don't cool properly.

 

[acolotto]

So my first panel was shipped today I should be receiving it Saturday or Monday...question would it be ok to take my lights off I have now and put only the led on so the corals can adjust the add the other with in a couple weeks or is there not gonna be adequate lighting?

 

[sim1killa]

I know this might sound like a stupid suggestion, but is there any way you could have old t5's hang over half the tank and slowly lower the new led set over the other half.

Or I would say do that or wait until you get both and acclimate your whole tank to the new lights all at once.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I don't know there is a reason to not try that test out. But I think I would wait until you had both, then bring them to full intensity over at least a week by using some diffuser, even wax paper, or a piece of white bed sheet under the light would work, to cut the light back and bring it onto the corals in stages.

 

[mr_X]

I like using a roll of window screen. cover the tank with maybe 3 layers. remove one a week and that should be a big help.

 

[Sniperhank]

I don't know there is a reason to not try that test out. But I think I would wait until you had both, then bring them to full intensity over at least a week by using some diffuser, even wax paper, or a piece of white bed sheet under the light would work, to cut the light back and bring it onto the corals in stages.

You really think that a week is enough time to bring LEDs up to full power? When I switch over from my 36 to 55, I will be going from 4 T5HO to 2 Radions. I am running the radions on their lowest setting and will have my corals in or close to the sand bed to avoid cooking them and even turning them up 10% a day will only put them at 80% by weeks end...thats if they even need to be turned up that high.

Due to these LEDs not being dimmable, wouldn't say a multi layered screen setup be best so that as time goes by a screen can be removed to slowly increase the intensity?

 

[Gregcoyote]

You really think that a week is enough time to bring LEDs up to full power? When I switch over from my 36 to 55, I will be going from 4 T5HO to 2 Radions. I am running the radions on their lowest setting and will have my corals in or close to the sand bed to avoid cooking them and even turning them up 10% a day will only put them at 80% by weeks end...thats if they even need to be turned up that high.

Due to these LEDs not being dimmable, wouldn't say a multi layered screen setup be best so that as time goes by a screen can be removed to slowly increase the intensity?

You may be right. A week would be a minimum in my mind, a month even better. Yes, I would use some layers of screen and remove them slowly. Or drop the light down from up high if you have room. Why spend so much on lights that you feel you can't even turn all the way up? To me it's like buying a Porsche and only doing 55 mph in it all the time.

 

[acolotto]

So decided to wait until I get both lights but man I wish I had ordered them both at the same time lol. But I think what I'm gonna try is the wax paper because I don't really know where to get the window tint...might be a silly question but should the LEDs make the coral in my corals stand out more? I mean like brighter and have more of a pop? Right now they look ok but would love to have them look like they do when bought or like how I see other peoples tanks with leds