Who's happy with their LED fixtures? I'm not.

[jimsflies]

Watch out with having them too bright. The blue light packs more punch (PAR) than the white.

Also if you want to get rid of that shading effect from the eggcrate (after your corals get acclimated to the new lights), you should check out the mesh tops I make.

[Tom Toro]

Hey Jim,
I didn't know the blues are stronger! I have them at full power. I'll lower them to around 70% now. Thanks for the tip!

I am sick of the egg crate plus the tight window screening I have on the top, but when I just had the egg crate, I lost a lot of my wrasses and that type body style.

Is the mesh top you sell have a tighter weave than the eggcrate? I'd like to ditch the plastic screen, but really like my wrasses, lol. They can fit through some pretty tight spots.

Watch out with having them too bright. The blue light packs more punch (PAR) than the white.

Also if you want to get rid of that shading effect from the eggcrate (after your corals get acclimated to the new lights), you should check out the mesh tops I make.

[jimsflies]

The mesh has 1/4-inch openings. There are a few threads here on CR with pics. But here is a link to one and also the PAR comparison:

29 Biocube Mesh Top Project

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/di...ies-mesh-8349/

[Tom Toro]

Now that looks like it could work. Do you house any wrasses or other jumpers that your screen has kept safe? Also, do you sell this per foot or is this a diy situation?

[Jim Z.]

Heat is an LED's worst enemy. Many of these fixtures overdrive the LED's which shorten their life-span. I built 2 of the 1/4 inch mesh screen tops for my 50--works like a charm. I am doing a diy LED right now. I thought about Reef Breeders and the Evergrow fixtures, but prefer at least 6 channels for spectrum control vs 2. However, there's pretty good evidence that those 2 brands of fixtures can grow corals. The PAR for Royal Blues are much higher than whites and these portions of the total spectrum are what drives most of the photosynthesis in corals..................Jim

[jimsflies]

Now that looks like it could work. Do you house any wrasses or other jumpers that your screen has kept safe? Also, do you sell this per foot or is this a diy situation?

I have had wrasses and it does keep them in. You have to be sure to use the covers all the time and not have any openings though...it doesn't work when its not covering the tank.

I usually sell the mesh and send it as a DIY project. But if it can be picked up locally, I have also made the tops per order. (Shipping a large top gets expensive and cost prohibitive.)

[lemonjello]

so if I have read this correctly you guys are saying that one maufactuer has a more bright 120w led than another 120w or are we comparing 120w to 165w . I only ask because I have 9 of these Chinese leds and one of the 9 is one labeled as TAOTRONIC and the others have no name . the taotronic looks exactly the same as all the others but is much more bright and was bought as a 120w. so now I am considering these reefbreeders leds and other similar models but have found most of them to 165w ?

[Tom Toro]

I can only speak about the ajm led's and the evergrows.

ajm 120w 55 x 3w bridgelux at 100% intensity, 6" from the top of my tank. Growing things nicely and wouldn't have changed them out, but two of three died on the white side.

evergrows 120w 55 x 3w bridgelux at 20%white and 60% blue at the top of my ceiling around 20" from the top of my tank showing even brighter than the ajm. Still growing things nicely. lps, digi and some softies.

[Sir Patrick]

What are the dimensions on these Evergrow 120w fixtures?

They have me interested....

[schminksbro]

so if I have read this correctly you guys are saying that one maufactuer has a more bright 120w led than another 120w or are we comparing 120w to 165w . I only ask because I have 9 of these Chinese leds and one of the 9 is one labeled as TAOTRONIC and the others have no name . the taotronic looks exactly the same as all the others but is much more bright and was bought as a 120w. so now I am considering these reefbreeders leds and other similar models but have found most of them to 165w ?

Yes there is a huge difference between fixtures. The actual chips, the drivers, and the optics are all factors. The wattage rating of a fixture is a poor way to determine how much par it will put out. Brightness to the eye is an even worse indicator of what the light is putting out.