thinking of going LED

[tazzy695]

I have been thinking of going LED especially since I am already looking at bulb replacement time already on my current setup which is a 4x 54w t5ho diy reto

my big question is I see some new light fixtures by marineland that are LED and compared to everyone else they are cheap so I was wondering if anyone had used one of these fixtures yet or if they know of any reviews as they are new on the market

here is a link to the product
http://www.marineland.com/sites/Marineland/products/productdetail.aspx?id=2054&cid=5512&mid=5528

my other option would be to go DIY

I am trying to figure out the best / cheapest way to do this

so links to other products are very welcome

tazzy

[whitetiger61]

I have seen one of their 24" fixtures in action..it did a exceptional job of light a 20 tall tank..the fixture has both white and blue led's in it.. the fixture itself is pretty sleek also.

Rick

[tazzy695]

was that at mobys rick

[whitetiger61]

nope the other clio store..they have them in stock also

Rick

[tazzy695]

for price point of this fixture this is what marine depot has

http://www.marinedepot.com/Marineland_Reef_LED_Light_Fixture_Flexible_Mount_L ED_Light_Fixtures_for_Aquariums-Marineland_Instant_Ocean-AS33000-FILTFILDFX-vi.html

[tazzy695]

ahhhh maby I will give them a call on price for a 48" one

[whitetiger61]

the 24 inch fixture was 229 where i seen it..keep in mind these are 1 watt bulbs they are cree from watt im told but they are not the 3 watt led's

Rick

[tazzy695]

yea that is what I read on marine depot kinda why I want more reviews / opinions

[whitetiger61]

the one i seen had pleanty of blue in it and it did make the water shimmer

Rick

[cg5071]

I had the same thoughts Chort. From the little I know about making your own led fixture, seems like you could get alot more and better light for the money. Especially since it wouldnt need to look great because he would I assume retro it into his hood somehow.

[evilc66]

The Marineland fixtures (all of them) are a waste of time for a reef. They just aren't powerful enough for anything but shallow tanks. The "reef capable" fixture is basically the same as putting a pair of NO T8 tubes over your tank, and you want that to replace 4x54W T5's overdriven on a WH7 ballast? Sadly, there is no cheap way to go LED on a reef tank. DIY is about as cheap as it gets for a quality, high performance setup.

[tazzy695]

ok thanx for the info evil and this is one reason I ask before I buy

also on another hand are there any kits or specific dealers you would recomend I like the colors of the led lit tanks I have seen

this is going to be over a 80g tank 48Lx18Wx20H

[evilc66]

Normally, I'd say come and shop at our site (Nanotuners) for everything, but we have recently decided to get out of the individual LED sales end of things. We are still going to be carrying unique products that only we can supply, like our fixtures, our new line of drivers (coming soon), thermal pads, and other accessories. RapidLED is your next best choice for low cost LEDs.

For a tank of your size, an 16x3 array (48 LEDs) will cover the tank well. Depending on your mounting height over the tank, and what you are keeping in there, you may need to use optics. Based on your tank description though, you probably won't. Lenses can be added easily later if they seem to be needed.

[tazzy695]

Ok thanks I will definately check them out

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[cg5071]

I saw one of the marineland hoods at the lfs yesterday. It lights the tank but I am pretty sure it doesnt have enough punch to grow corals. Kind of like a standard flo fixture that normally comes w/ tanks.

[tazzy695]

was it the reef capable one as there are 3 grades they are making

The first is equal to one t5ho bulb
The second is equal to a twin bulb t5ho
The third is supposed to be good enough for reefs

This info is from the marineland site


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[cg5071]

I would have to guess it was the lesser light. I havnt read about the different grades. The light was built right into the hood like a nano tank.

[tazzy695]

ahhh I haven't seen those the ones I was referring to look like a normal stand alone fixture

[evilc66]

was it the reef capable one as there are 3 grades they are making

The first is equal to one t5ho bulb
The second is equal to a twin bulb t5ho
The third is supposed to be good enough for reefs

This info is from the marineland site

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Well, there's the problem. You are going off what Marineland says :) Those estimations are a little generous. The double bright may be enough to replace a dual T5 fixture without reflectors, but compare it to the same setup with a pair of decent reflectors and it's a different story.

[tazzy695]

True I hear ya on that and still would actualy like to see par specs on them but for me led will wait at least one more year as I stand now with money and all

Also I see the pices coming down on a lot if them so maby by next year I can afford a decent setup


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[evilc66]

Prices of LED products are only dropping on setups using off brand LEDs. Higher output fixtures using Cree or Luxeon LEDs are still unfortunately expensive, and will most likely stay that way for a while, as LED prices don't change a whole lot. I don't know what other companies are doing, but we (Nanocustoms) are trying to trim the fat in other areas of the product to reduce cost, but not enough to reduce the quality of our products.