Reefs July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 How much light is needed for lighting a 40 gallon tank (36''L x 15'' x 16'' high)? the led comes in 3 watt 12,000K or 19,000K and eather 60 or 90 degree optic lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thefishman65 July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 12 - 36. How high above the tank? What do you want to keep? Whose LEDs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefs July 14, 2011 Author Share July 14, 2011 12 - 36. How high above the tank? What do you want to keep? Whose LEDs? I want to keep mostly soft corals, and few frags of sps/lps, about 3'' above the tank depends on the intensity. I was just browsing on ebay and found different DIY kits but I don't know how much light I am going to need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 I would be very careful about what you find on ebay a good chance they're crappy leds, not always but a good chance. I'd look into rapid led, reef led, led supply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 Do NOT use optics on the LED's. A 40 breeder is shallow. You will have plenty of light penetration, and the coverage will be much better. Also, hang them more than 3" above the tank... Maybe like 5" to keep water/salt creep from getting on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefs July 14, 2011 Author Share July 14, 2011 I would be very careful about what you find on ebay a good chance they're crappy leds, not always but a good chance. I'd look into rapid led, reef led, led supply Thanks, I 'll check them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefs July 14, 2011 Author Share July 14, 2011 Do NOT use optics on the LED's. A 40 breeder is shallow. You will have plenty of light penetration, and the coverage will be much better. Also, hang them more than 3" above the tank... Maybe like 5" to keep water/salt creep from getting on them. Thanks for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thefishman65 July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 You can use optics, but you have to have the lights high enough for the color to mix. This is personal choice as to where you want your LEDs. IMHO Optics start being suggested around the 12 inch point. The difference in LEDs is not the color (spectrum) but the amount of light output for the energy (watt) consumed. The leader right now is Cree. Some of the stuff one ebay is 1/3 (or maybe less) so you need run them harder or use 3 times as many. Either way you also use more electricity for the light output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basser9 July 15, 2011 Share July 15, 2011 http://s919.photobucket.com/albums/ad39/redfishnc/LED%20TESTING/?start=all Please look over this link and you will see there are alot of spectral differences for leds. SADLY 95 percent of what is around about leds is wrong. The purple pop from the satronic blues is just like radiums. The 18k leds are a great led to use because there are no color blend issues. When cree comes out with 18k leds and lower colored blues then we can make the statement that all of these other led are useless.....but not now The 10 watt royal blue is my faverite led for sps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefs July 26, 2011 Author Share July 26, 2011 LED stands for light emitting diode is a semiconductor device which is used to convert electricity into light. It is also used as indicator lamps and also used in festival for decoration purposes that is lighting. Some cars also have led position sensors in the ignition distributor like Nissan, I never used them on aquariums I just read diferent opinions on the web and want to give them a try..this is the one that I got, it is 72watts (3 watt x 24 led) I hope it will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefs July 30, 2011 Author Share July 30, 2011 (edited) Is this enough lighting? do I need to add actinic T5? Edited July 30, 2011 by Reefs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thefishman65 July 30, 2011 Share July 30, 2011 That is probably enough. Hard to tell wihout more specifics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefs July 30, 2011 Author Share July 30, 2011 (edited) That is probably enough. Hard to tell wihout more specifics. The total watts is 72 ( 18 x 3watt white and 6x 3watt blue). the unit it self is about 12''x 6.5'' but can be extended by adding another unit as shown in the picture. Edited July 30, 2011 by Reefs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John July 31, 2011 Share July 31, 2011 Care to share the make and model? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thefishman65 July 31, 2011 Share July 31, 2011 But whose LEDs? Got a link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefs July 31, 2011 Author Share July 31, 2011 I don't know what brand this led fixture, there is a guy from California that sells either DIY kit or he can make the light for you, I got his email and user name from Ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcePuck35 August 5, 2011 Share August 5, 2011 Are LED lights better then CF or MH lights? I read that they last longer and use less electricity to run. But do corals do as well under LEDs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad August 5, 2011 Share August 5, 2011 I think the short answer is: To be determined... However, LEDs have gained significant traction in the hobby over the past several years and many die hard MH fans (like myself... I have used MH lighting since the mid-90s) are starting to convert or at least consider it. Moreover, many who currently have them will say they are seeing good growth and color out of their LED lights. From an observers point of view, evidence seems to be mounting in the favor of LEDs, enough so that I have an LED fixture in the works that I plan to use to replace the fixture on my DT and see how it goes. "Better" is often a matter of opinion, though. Being a natural skeptic, I tend to question the basis of less electricity (I think this can be true, but is not a certainty based on the efficiency of individual LEDs, power supplies, fans, etc. as some have lower efficiencies than you would expect) and the basis of lasting longer (many LED setups are built by DIY folks and may not have quality standards or environmental protection i.e., from saltwater, that will ensure they do indeed last as long as they are capable, again, it can be true), but I do not think either is a given. I do think, however, that the lower heat produced by LEDs is certainly an advantage... my chiller has been running nearly constant for the past couple of weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcePuck35 August 5, 2011 Share August 5, 2011 Chad, Thanks again, you seem to have an abundance of valuable information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k August 5, 2011 Share August 5, 2011 I've been running LED's of various sorts for almost 2 years. There's simply no comparison to any other light source available except for the sun. Good color, near zero heat, costs about the same as a MH setup, uses far less electricity- makes chillers obsolete too. Corals grow fantastic too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 August 5, 2011 Share August 5, 2011 Under LED's over a few months... P1000543 by mteske1, on Flickr P1010045 by mteske1, on Flickr P1010336 by mteske1, on Flickr They work, it's just a matter of what you like. Check out some LED's in person to see what fits your taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella August 5, 2011 Share August 5, 2011 Hey Mike, just think how fast that monti wouldve grown under T5's...!! Sorry, just couldnt help myself.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 August 5, 2011 Share August 5, 2011 (edited) Hey Mike, just think how fast that monti wouldve grown under T5's...!! Sorry, just couldnt help myself.. haha the same! Maybe better in someone elses tank... Came from Eric's T5 tank. I think it's a coin toss between the 3. Radium 20k 250watts on galaxy = my favorite. I am not going to say they are better, but they definitely work. Edited August 5, 2011 by BowieReefer84 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motti August 7, 2011 Share August 7, 2011 Ya i just got some LEDs couple weeks ago, all my sps are loving them. Never seen them as happy before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k October 1, 2011 Share October 1, 2011 http://s919.photobucket.com/albums/ad39/redfishnc/LED%20TESTING/?start=all Please look over this link and you will see there are alot of spectral differences for leds. SADLY 95 percent of what is around about leds is wrong. The purple pop from the satronic blues is just like radiums. The 18k leds are a great led to use because there are no color blend issues. When cree comes out with 18k leds and lower colored blues then we can make the statement that all of these other led are useless.....but not now The 10 watt royal blue is my faverite led for sps. let's see your led light system. you always have much to say about them.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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