those cheap led lights you see on ebay and amazon

[molcott]

I was looking at some of the led light fixtures on amazon and ebay saw some as cheap as 90 bucks for 165w anyone tried these?

[madweazl]

I was looking at some of the led light fixtures on amazon and ebay saw some as cheap as 90 bucks for 165w anyone tried these?

"Black boxes" are on tons of tanks and seem to do well. SBReef has a slightly upgraded version in regard to the spectrum he uses for not much more money. I'm running a pair over my tank but it is way to early to say if they're acceptable or not (no issues thus far). Fit and finish sucks but they're working as advertised. Another member here mentioned the T247s were working well for him and they're fairly cheap as well.

[smallreef]

Evergrow, ocean revive, and other names. Depending on who actually makes them (as they are all made in China, but some in different warehouses than others) are decent for the price.

I've been using evergrows since we had some big group buys... 3? Years ago. Like them, was able to customize my led color choices and layout, so really worked for me. (By the way I am selling mine in the FS forum)

Like most it's a personal choice on whether or not the finish is super important. Mine are behind a canopy, but they are decently finished.

[Joshifer]

I been down that road. Their crap. You want something cheap look for a used ai prime. I spent so much money on cheap Chinese lights I could've bought 10 primes

Edited September 27, 2016 by Joshifer

[treesprite]

It has seemed to me that most cheap stuff is cheap because of craftsmanship and materials, not because of the technology. Items might break easier and might wear out faster.

 

If you are unsure of the future of your setup, or low n cash right at the moment, I would say get a lower priced fixture with the expectation of having to replace it in about a year. If you are sure you will be using the same lighting any longer than that, I would say make a more solid investment in the craftsmanship from the start.

[nextlevel808]

"Black boxes" are on tons of tanks and seem to do well. SBReef has a slightly upgraded version in regard to the spectrum he uses for not much more money. I'm running a pair over my tank but it is way to early to say if they're acceptable or not (no issues thus far). Fit and finish sucks but they're working as advertised. Another member here mentioned the T247s were working well for him and they're fairly cheap as well.

Wow someone else that's heard of SBReef lights.

[madweazl]

I been down that road. Their crap. You want something cheap look for a used ai prime. I spent so much money on cheap Chinese lights I could've bought 10 primes

What specifically was crap? If by fit and finish, I agree however, there are thousands of successful reefs under the various black boxes that are doing very well. If by features, sure, the basic black boxes pale in comparison to some of the products out there but many people find themselves messing with all the fancy gizmos and never actually get quality light to their inverts. Again, if you're on a budget, you want lights that most certainly will grow coral, and are OK with a product that may not have a nice appearance, the black box may be for you.

[BowieReefer84]

I got an Ocean Revive T247 for $199 on Amazon, and I like it a lot.  I've gone through my share of lights and dollar for dollar this is great.  If you want something that will ramp up and down this will not do that.  However, it does have a remote control, built in timers, and 2 independently dimmable channels.

 

Also includes a hanging kit and legs to mount on tank.  More than can be said about some of these pricey fixtures.

[Joshifer]

The outside casing of the light doesn't bother me. If I could hang a regular 60watt light bulb from a lamp cord over the tank and it grew stuff I would. Lol. Well I mean technically you can with par bulbs but anyway.

 

I went thru so many cheap $30-$100 LED fixtures it's rediculous. They don't last long. Yes at the beginning their bright. But 3 months down the road you got a flickering LED here and there. Some are burnt out. Or overall the intensity isn't what it used to be.

 

That's why I said if your gonna pay $100. Put up another $100 and buy a big name LED. Or find a used one for around $100. Just my .02

 

As for MH and CFL and all that. I hate'em. I like LED.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Joshifer

[Irishfist25]

I bought a fixture from Hydro Galaxy about 6 months ago.  I got the upgraded version that has wifi set up built in so i can set it from my phone.  I think it was just over $100.  Ive been happy so far

[Dany3350]

to tell you the truth my tank runs of the cheap Ebay lights till now ! its amazing how much power they had and my reef tank is thriving.i have so many corals that have outgrown the tank,sps lps sps. some say they r not worth it but really depends on what you are looking for im on tight budget and read so many forums online about the quality and the light output.i wasn't really looking for to pay top dollar for some light that would just about do the same except some have some bells and whistles i don't mind that imo. this year it going to be the 4 year without any problems and has paid for itself 3 times with the coral its has grown. maybe later down the road i will upgrade since the led light industry is ever changing with new tweaks lenses output etc.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

[Origami]

I've had two Evergrow units over my frag tank for 3 or 3-1/2 years now from one of the very first group buys that we did on them. I just recently noticed that one of two channels is dead on one (it's probably the driver). That's about $2 a month if I consider it a throw-away. Instead, I'll probably see if I can't find a replacement driver and give it more life.

 

My main tank was, until recently, run by DIY LED's (the old 1:2 cool white:royal blue Cree configuration that many of us did at the beginning of the LED revolution). I now run Radions over the main tank, but mainly because of the programming and spectrum flexibility.

 

All high-efficiency, high-output LEDs fade (lose brightness) with time. This is largely due to an increasing number of defects that are introduced in the crystal lattice of the semiconductor from LED operation. Their demise is accelerated with increased temperature as this puts more stress on the lattice. So, if you run your LEDs full blast, and the cooling (heat sink, fans) is inefficient, the LEDs "age" more rapidly and become less efficient. Additionally, less efficient means more heat and more heat means more defects and even less efficiency. LEDs can be made to last longer by 1) Starting with a higher quality LED source with fewer initial lattice defects, because a better starting point buys you more time. That means going with a good supplier. 2) Picking a fixture design that dissipates heat well (good heat sinking, force air cooling); and 3) if the unit has variable intensity, running your fixture at less than full blast (which has the effect of less heat generated).

 

This doesn't even begin to get into fading or discoloration of the plastic used in LED lenses (bodies), or phosphors.

 

The bottom line is that even the cheaper units can be made to last a long time (and give great service) if used correctly and, conversely, even a good quality unit can be made to fail prematurely (or at least earlier than you might have expected) if it's abused.

[madweazl]

The outside casing of the light doesn't bother me. If I could hang a regular 60watt light bulb from a lamp cord over the tank and it grew stuff I would. Lol. Well I mean technically you can with par bulbs but anyway.

 

I went thru so many cheap $30-$100 LED fixtures it's rediculous. They don't last long. Yes at the beginning their bright. But 3 months down the road you got a flickering LED here and there. Some are burnt out. Or overall the intensity isn't what it used to be.

 

That's why I said if your gonna pay $100. Put up another $100 and buy a big name LED. Or find a used one for around $100. Just my .02

 

As for MH and CFL and all that. I hate'em. I like LED.

For a small tank, the Prime might be a good option but for larger tanks, they dont have anywhere near the output of the black boxes.

[khh27]

For a small tank, the Prime might be a good option but for larger tanks, they dont have anywhere near the output of the black boxes.

The outside casing of the light doesn't bother me. If I could hang a regular 60watt light bulb from a lamp cord over the tank and it grew stuff I would. Lol. Well I mean technically you can with par bulbs but anyway.

 

I went thru so many cheap $30-$100 LED fixtures it's rediculous. They don't last long. Yes at the beginning their bright. But 3 months down the road you got a flickering LED here and there. Some are burnt out. Or overall the intensity isn't what it used to be.

 

That's why I said if your gonna pay $100. Put up another $100 and buy a big name LED. Or find a used one for around $100. Just my .02

 

As for MH and CFL and all that. I hate'em. I like LED.

Exactly it's like comparing apples and oranges.

 

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[molcott]

Thanks everyone I will figure out which direction I want to go with this I am currently using T5 which has been working well on my 40g breeder

[madweazl]

Thanks everyone I will figure out which direction I want to go with this I am currently using T5 which has been working well on my 40g breeder

Hard to beat T5s, especially on a 40g.

[Marc Weaver]

I've had two Evergrow units over my frag tank for 3 or 3-1/2 years now from one of the very first group buys that we did on them. I just recently noticed that one of two channels is dead on one (it's probably the driver). That's about $2 a month if I consider it a throw-away. Instead, I'll probably see if I can't find a replacement driver and give it more life.

 

Tom-

 

It's probably not a driver.  I've had the same thing happen to a few here and there.  It's always just one bad LED that's the problem.  One bad LED takes out the whole channel.  They can be bought for next to nothing on ebay.  You can test each LED in-circuit (with the power off obviously) with an LED tester like this or make your own from 2 AA batteries wired in series, some spare wire, and some electrical tape.  The epoxied ones are a pain, but come off with needlenose and some elbow grease.  Make sure you re-apply thermal paste and solder a new one in.

 

I bought some cheap ones like these from ebay for next to nothing.

 

As to their longevity and quality:  I have had 6 over my 220 for 3 years now and they do fine.  I had to replace 3 LED's over the years for a grand total of a few dollars.  They grow all types of coral just fine.  I have the blue at 80% and the white at 30% and love the crisp white look.

Edited September 28, 2016 by Marc Weaver

[Origami]

Tom-

 

It's probably not a driver.  I've had the same thing happen to a few here and there.  It's always just one bad LED that's the problem.  One bad LED takes out the whole channel.  They can be bought for next to nothing on ebay.  You can test each LED in-circuit (with the power off obviously) with an LED tester like this or make your own from 2 AA batteries wired in series, some spare wire, and some electrical tape.  The epoxied ones are a pain, but come off with needlenose and some elbow grease.  Make sure you re-apply thermal paste and solder a new one in.

 

I bought some cheap ones like these from ebay for next to nothing.

 

As to their longevity and quality:  I have had 6 over my 220 for 3 years now and they do fine.  I had to replace 3 LED's over the years for a grand total of a few dollars.  They grow all types of coral just fine.  I have the blue at 80% and the white at 30% and love the crisp white look.

Thanks, Marc. That also makes sense. I'll just have to open the unit up and do a little checking. I should see an open circuit voltage across the failed LED in that case. I've had one other driver fail in the past (for a DIY kit), so just jumped on that. But an LED that's open-circuited would take out the whole series string, too. Thanks for the suggestion. I've still got some arctic silver from my last LED build years ago. I think that I may even have some extra LEDs, too. 

[Marc Weaver]

No problem, Tom.  A multimeter's no fun, though.  Seeing spots for a few hours when you close your eyes is more fun!!

[mogurnda]

I have Evergrows over my main reef, macroalgae/slug display tank, and two algae growout tanks.  The quality of the assembly is quite nice, and they have held out for years without LEDs failing or measurable reduction in PAR.  The S2 that I dropped in the sump did fail, but I don't think that was the manufacturer's fault.  

[Origami]

....  The S2 that I dropped in the sump did fail, but I don't think that was the manufacturer's fault.  

       

 

Been there. Done that.

[madweazl]

I dropped a couple Ecoxotic Panoramas in the water without issue but god forbid a tiny bubble splashed up on an LED (they'd fail in short order). Thankfully the rest of my lighting has remained dry [looking for some wood to knock on].