mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
what are you going to use...1 watters? i think the 3 watt LEDs will cook zoas at that height!
Zer0's 17.3G Shallow Rimless Cube
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Zer0
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Nah i am going to be using the 3w Cree's. It shouldn't be a problem, i'll just raise the pendant as high as needed. That light tree goes up to 2ft so i think i'll be ok. I've seen those crees on tons of pico tanks and some people were even using 14 or 16 of them. 24 shouldn't be a problem on a 20x20 tank, as long as they are spread out evenly. I think if i use optics, then i would have a problem because the light would be too concentrated. Without optics the LED's are 120* which is a pretty nice spread.
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Zer0
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Yeah, gonna be mostly zoas and sps though so light intensity shouldn't really be a problem. Just need to figure out what i'm going to use as the housing for the whole fixture. Thinking acrylic like i said but now i don't know. Maybe i'll go with wood or something and get it laminated. Idk.
Mitchell0605
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yeah fair enough. I bought a LED fixture (3 LEDs) for my little Aquaclear fuge. Its awesome. Absolutely brilliant.
BTW my 6 T5s running 8 eight hours over my tank today didn't raise the temp at all. Checkout the pics on my thread for the coolest hang ever.
(When I put them up in about an hour or 2. Got tennis and homework first)
BTW my 6 T5s running 8 eight hours over my tank today didn't raise the temp at all. Checkout the pics on my thread for the coolest hang ever.
(When I put them up in about an hour or 2. Got tennis and homework first)
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Zer0
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I agree. T5's definitely don't put out much heat, but in comparison, LED's are the most efficient. On a 7-8 hour light cycle, LED's can last ~13 years without ever having to be changed out. That's something i am very much looking forward to. I'm also looking forward to building my own fixture out of acrylic. I'll definitely be posting my LED fixture build in this thread.
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
but what about degradation over time? there is no data about this. no one has documented PAR readings over a couple years.
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Zer0
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Indeed this is true, i guess we will just have to see how it all plays out. All i know is that LED's are the future and so far, research points to the fact that LED's can last much longer then the older forms of lights. Even if i can get 3 years out of each LED i'll take that over every 12-18 months like halides and T5's. Forget about PC's. And not to mention the colors that they produce. It's incredible looking at all of these reef tanks powered by LED's.
Mitchell0605
Aquarium Advice Addict
True that. I need to replace 3 of my T5s at the moment and it's only been around nine months.
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
3 years? then they would cease to be a value. how much are you paying for those 3 watt cree's?
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Zer0
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Regardless, LED's are becoming the future of reef tanks and once they become more available, and lower in price, i can already see many people switching over. I'm just switching over to LED's now because it's in my favor, and i'm good at DIY.
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
i still think plasma will be used as well. i think LEDs will be phased out by plasma eventually. i'm not trying to knock LEDs. as a matter of fact, i'll be looking into them once i get a tank.
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Zer0
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Plasma? Interesting. That should be fun to see.
Just saw a video on plasma lights and those things look incredible. I believe you may be right about LED's being phased out by these.. but only once they become more readily available to the public. LED's are currently at that stage now however.
Just saw a video on plasma lights and those things look incredible. I believe you may be right about LED's being phased out by these.. but only once they become more readily available to the public. LED's are currently at that stage now however.
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
ilostnemo
Aquarium Advice Addict
why not use a par 38?
iDream
Aquarium Advice Addict
i think one wouldnt cover enough area for that tank, and buying more would get expensive quick!
i checked out that plasma light too, very interesting!
i checked out that plasma light too, very interesting!
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Zer0
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Par38's aren't my thing. And yeah, not even two would cover my tank, and there would be spotlighting.
iDream
Aquarium Advice Addict
yeah i definitely like the t5(though id imagine youd be buying a fixture with more than 4 bulbs) FNI MH, and LED ideas, all very good and if you can get them for a good price, even better!
though for what you want, and all the features they give, LEDs are your way to go, i know i would if i had the money!
though for what you want, and all the features they give, LEDs are your way to go, i know i would if i had the money!
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Zer0
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Yeah, definitely going with LED's though. It's just so frustrating not being able to buy anything at the moment. I want to get everything done right now but i have to save up. :/
I want to get everything done right now but i have to save up. :/Similar threads
