dante411x February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 I want to switch to led's but I'm having some problems with what exactly I should do. I've been told and retold that the best thing I can do on a very limited budget is to buy the ever grow led's off of eBay or a group buy and be happy ever after. By very limited budget I mean I want to spend the least amount possible on very good lights. And I know that it's actually possible to do so without needing to move my fish tank under the nearest bridge and sleeping in it. I've been comparing three options. Ever grow Reef builders Diy something. First question was: is ever grow actually worth it? After some research, I'm starting to lean with not at all. Here's what I see. Ever grow led: cheapest unit that's assembled as long as that's all you want. No customer service that IS REQUIRED to follow any set standard. The is required is very important. Will they will take care of you when the fixture breaks? They might. Or might not. What are you gonna do? Go to china and fix their attitude? Reefbreeder led: cheapest fixture that I've found that doesn't come with the above problem. Only ~20ish more than the cheapest evergrow fixture. I can't speak for quality. Diy kits such as rapid led: way cheaper than either of those two. Most can be apex or rk controllable with minimal effort as well. Require a much more involved thought process than any pre-made kit for obvious reasons. Some kits require soldering and some just plug and play. However! Let's be frank here. Anyone that reads this thread is trying to save money. If you didn't, what do you care? Get the latest and greatest from Neptune systems and have yourself a fancy time watching some awesome effects. But I (and about 70% of this forum) can't afford that. In fact, I'd love to spend the least amount possible on the best possible led light .. Thing? So I want some input. Anyone know of something I've missed? Or have something to save ever grow lights that I didn't mention? For some side info. The tank I'm going to be lighting is a 210 gal 28" tall 24" wide 72" long tank. Mixed reef. Right now it's being lit up by a PC / MH unit. I know i can have a whole led kit for the tank for less than it will take to replace the bulbs. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squishie89 February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 Just to throw in another option; buildmyled.com You can either buy pre-made ones or customize your own through them (pick out what color LEDs you want in your light). I have 2 of their fixtures and so far I find them adequate, they do have pretty amazing customer service though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeMr.703 February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 Yes they are worth it... From someone who is apart of that 70%... And also spent over a year of research, before getting a ''Nice Light''. Simply, because it is such an expensive and critical component to our Reef Systems... When you consider that you can completely tweak them, swap out ALL the components(leds,drivers,potentiometers,etc.), and they come with a warranty... Very Reliable, and ''Great Bang for The Buck''. Spending the extra for an IT Series, is my only regret Not Doing... I really wish I did, I have just the basic D-120's. Nonetheless, I am Very happy with my lights, you could get away with 3 of the 2040??( I think that's the name for the one that replaced the D-120), of them on your tank for full coverage side-to-side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 Simple math. You can get cheaper lights, but replacement lamps and power consumption will ultimately be much more with T5. I had a wonderful T5 setup with 20 bulbs I just replaced with Evergrows. Bit of an adjustment but no question the right move. Power consumption is a fraction the T5's and the T5 bulbs need replacing every 18 months. It would have cost me $600 just to re-bulb my two fixtures which are exactly EOL, and I'd have to do it again in another 18 months. Need a 6ft T5 fixture??? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante411x February 16, 2014 Author Share February 16, 2014 Just to throw in another option; buildmyled.com You can either buy pre-made ones or customize your own through them (pick out what color LEDs you want in your light). I have 2 of their fixtures and so far I find them adequate, they do have pretty amazing customer service though. Thanks, I'll check them out. Customer service is way more important than people realize.. Yes they are worth it... From someone who is apart of that 70%... And also spent over a year of research, before getting a ''Nice Light''. Simply, because it is such an expensive and critical component to our Reef Systems... When you consider that you can completely tweak them, swap out ALL the components(leds,drivers,potentiometers,etc.), and they come with a warranty... Very Reliable, and ''Great Bang for The Buck''. Spending the extra for an IT Series, is my only regret Not Doing... I really wish I did, I have just the basic D-120's. Nonetheless, I am Very happy with my lights, you could get away with 3 of the 2040??( I think that's the name for the one that replaced the D-120), of them on your tank for full coverage side-to-side. Yeh I've been told I can have 3 d120's or 2040's. Thing is, the cheapest ones (without the controller monitor thingie) are akin to buying an expensive steak and having to eat it with your hands tied behind your back. The controllability is important. Simple math. You can get cheaper lights, but replacement lamps and power consumption will ultimately be much more with T5. I had a wonderful T5 setup with 20 bulbs I just replaced with Evergrows. Bit of an adjustment but no question the right move. Power consumption is a fraction the T5's and the T5 bulbs need replacing every 18 months. It would have cost me $600 just to re-bulb my two fixtures which are exactly EOL, and I'd have to do it again in another 18 months. Need a 6ft T5 fixture??? :) Haha, no thanks. I'm definitely switching to led's. Just not sure which ones. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basser9 February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 A long tank is a great candidate for a led fixture on a light mover. The cheap chain driven ones are the best as they move the light at a very slow pace. 100.00 FOR THE MOVER.......240 FOR 2 D120. A long strip of blue leds on a alum tube from HD will light the entire tank........not needed but nice. Cheap to run and all corals get great coverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OcalaReefGirl February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 I got mine from LED group buy and just built them myself. Ordered exactly what I wanted and it was a little time consuming but not hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 ebay fixtures typically are not evergrows even with the few that labeled as such. they are greensun fixtures which are known for their longer term compatibility and reliability issues. they are also typically still selling the old d120 style or actual d120 fixture if they are indeed evergrow. the d2040 is the upgraded d120 and can be had for similar pricing. reefbuilders is a reseller not a manufacturer of lights. they resell evergrow lights. these are the same option not independent of each other. is evergrow worth it? likely the answer is yes but that can only be answered by you after reviewing all the available information on them, what you value or consider worthwhile, and what budget you are working with. evergrow LEDs are not sold by evergrow to consumers. you have to buy from a reseller. most resellers offer a warranty anywhere from 1-3 years with/without an additional cost. ERC, a vendor here on the boards, offers a 3-year warranty without additional cost and is described in detail in some of their GB threads if you want to take a read. neptune systems does not offer a LED reef light outside of their LSM module which is moonlight simulation only. what kind of budget have you allotted for your LED set up? hope the above information helps - if you have any other specific questions to your set up and the evergrows, feel free to PM me and i'll be glad to help again. g'luck sir. some of the rapidLED kits are not involved at all and even come as solderless kits and are very easy to put together if that is of value to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 Having done a diy led build in the last year, I can say that they are not necessarily all that cheaper. I wonder if you priced in everything you would actually need to run them in a way that was better than "hands tied behind your back." I could have gotten two G2 Radions for what I ended up spending on the diy build once you factor in leds, lenses, heatsink, drivers, power supply, dimming controllers, wiring, hanging hardware. If I included time in there I could have gotten two G3 Pro Radions. In fact I was recently considering trying to sell my DIY and buying two of the newest Radions and eating the loss just to have all of that controllability. Point is, I dont think you will get into LEDs cheaper than with the evergrow units. If you think you have discovered something wrong about them that the thousands of people on RC using them and probably hundreds at WAMAS don't know, do tell. As Marco said, you can get them from ERC locally and richard will warrant them for three years. Also, you could look at ridetheducati's build thread here to see if they work well or not. He has one of the nicest full SPS tanks here and is running d120s, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt LeBaron February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 My two cents: If controllability is important to you AND you already have a controller then go with the DIY. I already had a reef angel and went with a RapidLED kit. I considered an evergrow fixture but I wanted the controllability and since I already had the controller the RapidLED kit was the way to go price wise. My setup for my 90 gallon came in at under the cost of one Radion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 My two cents: If controllability is important to you AND you already have a controller then go with the DIY. I already had a reef angel and went with a RapidLED kit. I considered an evergrow fixture but I wanted the controllability and since I already had the controller the RapidLED kit was the way to go price wise. My setup for my 90 gallon came in at under the cost of one Radion. Matt is right on DIY costs, I guess. I probably did go over the top a bit in my DIY build. I got a MakersLED heatsink and Meanwell LDD drivers on custom design circuit boards that I had printed in China that I had to buy the components to solder on, then I had to buy a separate 48V power supply and 48-12V DC-DC converter to power the fans and custom converter boards to go from 0-10V Apex to 5V PWM that the LDD's require, and on and on. If you don't do all of that nonsense and just get an inexpensive heatsink and off the shelf driver/power supplies you can make out with DIY on the cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoutlaw February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 I think you are confusing "cheap" with "inexpensive". While the Evergrow fixtures are very inexpensive, they are far from cheap. I had the D120s and later the D2040s and took both apart to switch out some of the LEDs (nothing wrong, just switching colors). The fixtures are not only well put together but very easy to modify. If a fan goes bad, piece of cake to replace. I got rid of my D120s to get some Kessil A350w leds. These are much more expensive units than the Evergrows but I found their output to be a great disappointment compared to the D120s. I quickly got rid of those and went with the D2040s and have been very happy with them. I would suggest talking with ERC about this. You can go the DIY route, but we all know what kind of warranty that comes with. ERC gives the same, or better, warranty than a lot of the more expensive manufacturers do. Just my .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 (edited) Have you had the oppurtunity to view a tank lit up by an Evergrow fixture? I originally bought a "chinese" fixture that was controllable by my apex. A few months later I happened upon a tank with D120's (smallreefs) and was so impressed by the lights and her tank, within a few months I ended up ordering an IT2080 for my 36" tank. The original fixture in storage as back up. I recently ordered an IT2040 for a nano 16g tank I'm setting up. I've read over and over "best fixture for the price" and I def agree. Marcus would be able to tell you better than I, but I would think two IT2080's would work on a 72" tank. Edited February 16, 2014 by londonloco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 Marcus would be able to tell you better than I, but I would think two IT2080's would work on a 72" tank. Three 2060's. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howaboutme February 16, 2014 Share February 16, 2014 I have a D120 and could not be happier. For the price, it's definitely worth it. Actually, I think the question should be, are radions (for example) worth it since questions like "is it worth it" are usually directed towards high priced items, not inexpensive items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Rhoads February 17, 2014 Share February 17, 2014 I will throw in on this... I like the D120s and think they are great fixtures, but if you want something particular then I would DIY. You can do this very cost effectively and get a great setup. I spent right around $380 on my LEDs and that is with Meanwell drivers, heatsink, optics, 120 LEDs, and the wood to build the enclosure. This setup covers a 60" tank with no shadow (except where my bracing goes across the top, and that is very slight). http://www.aquastyleonline.com/products/120--LEDs--DIY-Dimmable-Kit.html These kits are time consuming, but really easy to build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante411x February 17, 2014 Author Share February 17, 2014 Thanks for all the advice so far. Granted now I'm even more unsure than before but it's good not to be ruling out evergrows. I haven't even heard of light movers before, that was an interesting idea. I don't think I can do it just because of serious lack of overhead space on the tank. I will throw in on this... I like the D120s and think they are great fixtures, but if you want something particular then I would DIY. You can do this very cost effectively and get a great setup. I spent right around $380 on my LEDs and that is with Meanwell drivers, heatsink, optics, 120 LEDs, and the wood to build the enclosure. This setup covers a 60" tank with no shadow (except where my bracing goes across the top, and that is very slight). http://www.aquastyleonline.com/products/120--LEDs--DIY-Dimmable-Kit.html These kits are time consuming, but really easy to build. Jason, I'm not going to lie, when I posted this I was really hoping that you would pitch in and talk about your setup. That's exactly what I'm considering if I go the diy route. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 17, 2014 Share February 17, 2014 http://www.aquastyleonline.com/products/120--LEDs--DIY-Dimmable-Kit.html These kits are time consuming, but really easy to build. I've built two of these. One has 24 LEDs and the other 12. Very easy to put together. They provide all of the parts and supplies you need, spring for the Meanwell drivers, though. I had an early failure of one of three of the Maxwellen drivers. Sent from my LG-V510 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante411x February 18, 2014 Author Share February 18, 2014 I've built two of these. One has 24 LEDs and the other 12. Very easy to put together. They provide all of the parts and supplies you need, spring for the Meanwell drivers, though. I had an early failure of one of three of the Maxwellen drivers. Sent from my LG-V510 using Tapatalk Looking at it, the kit seems to come with mean well drivers standard. Or are those not the right kind? Also, would this be enough to light up a 72" tank? I was looking at the rapidled kits for a 180 gallon tank and they don't seem to be at all cost effective even if I cut out the heat sink cost and make a similar one to Jason's Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 18, 2014 Share February 18, 2014 Looking at it, the kit seems to come with mean well drivers standard. Or are those not the right kind? Also, would this be enough to light up a 72" tank? I was looking at the rapidled kits for a 180 gallon tank and they don't seem to be at all cost effective even if I cut out the heat sink cost and make a similar one to Jason's Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I don't know how they're selling it today, because it was a couple of years ago when I bought from them. But back then, the Maxwellen driver was listed as dimmable and the Meanwell that they sold was not. Back when LEDs were catching on, a rule of thumb was that 24 three-Watt LEDs running at 700mA replaced a 250 W MH lamp. About 40 to replace a 400W. The common mix was 2 royal blues for every cool white used. Things have evolved some them and there are more colors available. The Evergrow lights are nice for the price and a decent entry point. Are you considering them? Sent from my LG-V510 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crob5965 February 18, 2014 Share February 18, 2014 I have ordered, 2 D2040 fixtures on the most recent ERC group buy, I am yet to recive the fixtures so I cant speak about the quality as of yet, I can however vouch for the awesome communication I have had both with ERC and Monkiyboy, they answered all of my questions and I have no doubt that if I have any issues with the fixtures they will be taken care of. I wish I could have found the extra cash to spring for the it2040 or it2060 fixtures, but the wife wasnt having any of it, so I got the D2040's and I'm sure I will miss having a programable timer, I think it will be a much better look for my tank and coral. I wont miss replacing 8 x 54w T5's. long story short, the fixtures come with a 3 yr warranty, through ERC, and the customer service I have recieved from them so far, with questions about my order, I will most certainly reccomend buying from them over purchasing them on Ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante411x February 18, 2014 Author Share February 18, 2014 Here's a silly question. Is it possible to do some sort of diy to wire ever grow fixtures together? Here's my perfect scenario: Get two d2040's and one it2060. Connect the 2040's so they're controlled by the 2060's programmable controller screen thingy. As you might be able to tell by use of word "thingy" my knowledge of wiring and circuitry is very limited haha Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 18, 2014 Share February 18, 2014 Here's a silly question. Is it possible to do some sort of diy to wire ever grow fixtures together? Here's my perfect scenario: Get two d2040's and one it2060. Connect the 2040's so they're controlled by the 2060's programmable controller screen thingy. As you might be able to tell by use of word "thingy" my knowledge of wiring and circuitry is very limited haha Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I honestly doubt it. That would require that the 2060's and 2040's have a communications channel between them. I'm pretty sure that they don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnevo February 18, 2014 Share February 18, 2014 You could get the d2040 and connect them all to a StormX controller... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnevo February 18, 2014 Share February 18, 2014 You could get the d2040 and connect them all to a StormX controller... Assuming of course the dimmer matches the ones that can be hacked and all.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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