Adding more blue to Biocube 32 LED lights

[Jenyphur]

Has anyone ever thought of adding more blue lights to under the hood of the BC32? The thing I don't like about the light is that when I have it on both white and blue, it seems to be a LOT of white and not enough blue. My corals seem to be doing ok, but they just don't 'pop' unless I use just the blues and then they start to shrink because they think it's night time.

The other option I am thinking about is ripping the hood off and getting something like the AI Prime or equivalent so I can have more control.

I wish I would have known these things *before* I started, I probably would have gone with a rimless and done my own thing. Lessons learned.

 

[rockhead51]

Jenny, there's a thread somewhere on here (or on R2R) specifically for the BC 32... There is at least one premade option for more controllable lights... Lemme see if I can find a link....

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[Jenyphur]

Cool, I think you might be talking about Steve's LED upgrade? I have seen it but didn't really look too much into it, I should take another look.

I am seriously considering going topless (lol) and getting the AI Prime HD so that it's programmable.

 

[rockhead51]

Jenny, yes. Steve's. Not cheap, but then, what is in this game?
I like the topless idea; just don't remove the Cube's top, too! LOL!

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[rockhead51]

Just had a thought: never tried it, but what if you ran just the sunrise/sunset (or "enhanced" as Coralife calls it) program without daylights? After the ramp up, does it stay in enhanced mode, or does it assume that we all go to whites at that time?

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[Jenyphur]

Hmmmm...interesting. If you run the demo mode..it wilk cycle through all the settings.

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[Therinx]

There's also RapidLED.

 

[Therinx]

And almost forgot - Nanobox retrofit.

 

[ReefWreak]

You could always add supplemental LEDs as well. People used to use these Ecoxotic Stunner LED Strips to add supplemental blue to their tanks. When I bought my tank, it came with 3 Ecoxotic Pro modules that were heavily blue. I've since changed to the RapidLED kit, and can control the coloration a bit more, so I just dial blue to 100% and turn down the white/color LED string to get it just blue enough.

 

[SueandDavesReef]

I have been running the stock lights since I started the tank almost 3 months now. Got some montis and some acros they seem happy and healthy. We will see how much growth these lights will produce. Jen did you add new lights??

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[mcaswell]

Found this post when googling for "how to add more blue to BioCube 32", and wanted to contribute a little info for the sake of anyone else who might be seeking an answer to the same question.

I too found the stock BC32 lighting to be just a little too warm in color temp. While a more powerful (and adjustable) LED retrofit kit is the most solid solution, given that I don't think I need more powerful lighting at the moment, I wanted to try some less expensive options.

It looks like the strip lights mentioned a few posts back are discontinued, but I found something similar on Amazon that works pretty well:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X84LTBY

I purchased two of these (the 14.5") for $15 each. One is suction-cupped to the black area of the splash shield, and the other is zip-tied just behind the feed door (they are submersible). While the amount of light that these put out appears relatively insignificant, they do indeed provide the exact shift in color I was hoping for.

 

[mickeyfish]

Found this post when googling for "how to add more blue to BioCube 32", and wanted to contribute a little info for the sake of anyone else who might be seeking an answer to the same question.



I too found the stock BC32 lighting to be just a little too warm in color temp. While a more powerful (and adjustable) LED retrofit kit is the most solid solution, given that I don't think I need more powerful lighting at the moment, I wanted to try some less expensive options.



It looks like the strip lights mentioned a few posts back are discontinued, but I found something similar on Amazon that works pretty well:



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X84LTBY



I purchased two of these (the 14.5") for $15 each. One is suction-cupped to the black area of the splash shield, and the other is zip-tied just behind the feed door (they are submersible). While the amount of light that these put out appears relatively insignificant, they do indeed provide the exact shift in color I was hoping for.

How has your coral growth been? I am about to order the same two strips for my BC32. Would you recommend it?

Thanks.


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[PacoPetty]

How has your coral growth been? I am about to order the same two strips for my BC32. Would you recommend it?

Thanks.


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Did you order two and are you running them? I am afraid two will be too much for my 32 gallon.

 

[mickeyfish]

I actually went with 3 ReefBars (link below). Two in Actnic and one 50/50. Great so far.

http://www.21ledusa.com/category_s/1830.htm

 

[CindyK]

Has anyone ever thought of adding more blue lights to under the hood of the BC32? The thing I don't like about the light is that when I have it on both white and blue, it seems to be a LOT of white and not enough blue. My corals seem to be doing ok, but they just don't 'pop' unless I use just the blues and then they start to shrink because they think it's night time.

The other option I am thinking about is ripping the hood off and getting something like the AI Prime or equivalent so I can have more control.

I wish I would have known these things *before* I started, I probably would have gone with a rimless and done my own thing. Lessons learned.

Hi Jenny, I have that EXACT issue. The tank is primarily softies (1 hammer) so the corals are fine but I don't like the look. I don't need more PAR, just different spectrum.

I got a deal on a used Kessil 160WE. Now the problem is creating a top without springing for something like Artfully Acrylic. Have you gotten that far in your thinking, or were you just going to leave it open?

Cindy

 

[Djbeasley05]

Hi Jenny, I have that EXACT issue. The tank is primarily softies (1 hammer) so the corals are fine but I don't like the look. I don't need more PAR, just different spectrum.



I got a deal on a used Kessil 160WE. Now the problem is creating a top without springing for something like Artfully Acrylic. Have you gotten that far in your thinking, or were you just going to leave it open?



Cindy

You could always convert it to rimless and use a gooseneck with your kessil.


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[CindyK]

You could always convert it to rimless and use a gooseneck with your kessil.


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Thanks for the input! I have the gooseneck and I think I can make it work with or without the rim.

Looking for suggestions to DIY a screen top. The slight curve in the front is most of the challenge....the rim is a pain too. I don't trust the tank without the rim. I know others have done it but I don't think it was designed to be strong enough.

 

[Djbeasley05]

Thanks for the input! I have the gooseneck and I think I can make it work with or without the rim.



Looking for suggestions to DIY a screen top. The slight curve in the front is most of the challenge....the rim is a pain too. I don't trust the tank without the rim. I know others have done it but I don't think it was designed to be strong enough.

6 months with no rim. I know it's a gamble. I'm constantly checking the seams. Lol



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[CindyK]

6 months with no rim. I know it's a gamble. I'm constantly checking the seams. Lol



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I'm way to chicken. :spin2:

 

[Remmers]

I actually went with 3 ReefBars (link below). Two in Actnic and one 50/50. Great so far.

http://www.21ledusa.com/category_s/1830.htm

Not to hijack the thread but do you have any pictures with these added on?

Thanks