Can I dim LEDs if supposedly "non-dimmable"?

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Softie Guy

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Aug 14, 2012
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Location
Central Louisiana
Hey folks. It is good to be on Aquaruim Advice. This is my first time on a forum for many years.

I just started my first aquarium ever, 75 gallon reef tank with a 30 gallon refugium thanks to my brother's help. I recently purchased a 48 inch "Green Element Evo" fixture from aquatraders.com which has 64 LEDs at 3 watts each. Here is a link for the fixture:
EVO Quad 48 LED Reef Bright
I was interested in using a dimmer switch for the LEDs; howerver, the support at aquatraders said these lights could not be dimmed. I heard on a podcast that someone came up with a dimmer for T5 fixtures. What would happen if I used a dimmer switch or a less powerful power supply for my LED fixture? Serious problems? Would the fixture just not work? I would appreciate any help you all could give.
 
Yes you can dim the LEDs but you will have to use an external dimmer. They have the plug and play ones at Home Depot or Lowes in the lighting section.
 
dimmers on the market

I asked the tech support at aquatraders if an external dimmer could be used and they said, "no." Still, it would not suprise me if it worked just fine. Here is one I found online for under $8. Is this the kind you saw at Home Depot? Thanks for the help!
 
BS! Power is power. Check the minimum power ratings if the LEDs just in case, but I am using LEDs on my 75 gal Amazon tank with a dimmer, and I have no problems. The slider or dial dimmer will work best. Just make sure you get a plug and play dimmer that plugs into the wall, and plug your fixture into it and presto...... you have the ability to dim LED lights.
 
FYI, I purchased the dimmer & the Aquatraders was right. These LEDs cannot be dimmed. Anyone want a used dimmer for $10. It was only used once.
 
I have LEDs on my tank and I can dim them. Did you get the dimmer with the slider control? I go from the wall to the dimmer switch and out to the LEDs...no problem.
 
If you google "can I dim LED lights" you will see that it is quite possible. It will not dim the same as a regular light bulb because of the operating voltage, but they will dim all the same.
 
I did get the slider type dimmer. Perhaps it did not work because these are cheaper LEDs. The dimmer was only about $15.
 
greetings.

perhaps it's because of the controller in the LED mounting? it blocks off when it receives less than pre-set voltage?
 
It was wierd and interesting- as I slowly pushed the slider switch, the LEDs turned instantly on when there was enough energy to reach its threshhold for necessary watts/volts (whatever).
 
Quad Reef Evo LED

I have this exact light from aqua traders, and yes, it can be dimmed, because I do it. You just have to use a 12-24v inline LED dimmer, and connect it between the transformers and the fixture itself. Cost like $9.50 on Amazon. You'll need one for each line.
 
I suppose the one from Lowes did not cut it. I believe I know which ones you are talking about. I acclimated my corals to the fixture by only giving them 4 hours of light per day and gradually worked them up to about 7 or 8 hours now. Any reason why I might need to use a dimmer otherwise? Thanks for the input.
 
Maybe I am wrong, but I thought dimmer is more related to the driver the light has. It is not how much power you provide to the light, it is the amount of current the driver deliver to the LED. The more current the brighter the light will be. If the light's driver is "not dimmable" then you are very unlikely can dim it cuz you can't adjust the current going into the light. That being said, I am not sure about the external dimmer in this case so this would just be my 2 cents
 
jpgbac said:
I have this exact light from aqua traders, and yes, it can be dimmed, because I do it. You just have to use a 12-24v inline LED dimmer, and connect it between the transformers and the fixture itself. Cost like $9.50 on Amazon. You'll need one for each line.

Is the inline dimmer still working well? I guess it cuts down on electicity usage. Notice much savings? I have been wanting to try the dimmer with my Quad Evo LEDs which have been toasting some corals. My favia is doing better now that they are no longer directly under these lights. I really need to dim these lights even though they are 6-7 inches from the canopy glass. Please let me know which dimmers u purchased. Some of the one I looked at were over $15 and I am not sure if they will work well.
 
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