Bought new led light fixture from China.

Kevin got back in touch with me and as mentioned by others, he's very helpful and polite in answering all your inquiries. Happy to say I've ordered a S400 Plus which should be on the way in a day or 2. Fingers crossed it arrives safe and sound!



They are packaged very, very well and build very well so I doubt you'll have a problem unless the baggage handlers are having a really bad day! :)
 
Greetings,

I'm thinking about replacing my (3) 250W MH 12,000K bulbs, and (2) 72" 165W t-12 VHO Super Actinic Fluorescents w/ LED lighting. It's becoming difficult to find replacement bulbs for VHO's.

I have 150 Gallon all glass aquarium 72" long x18.5" wide x 29.5" deep w/ built in twin overflows . I had tank built into custom cabinets on wall...so cabinets below tank are for storage, PVC plumbing, electrical, etc., and cabinets above tank hiding the lighting and allows access to feed and clean tank, etc. My refugium/sump is located in basement below tank.

Came across this thread and had a few questions:
Looks like (2) S200's will do the job on for my tank

1) Has anyone had problems with heat or moisture build up in closed lighting system like I am describing. I heard this can be detrimental to LED lights. Looks like most of you have the light hanging open above tank. I installed (2) 4" ice cap variable speed fans pulling the air from where the lights are located within the cabinet, and venting it outside...I had to do this so my current lighting didn't bake my tank.

2) I'm not familiar with LED degree lighting. I'm seeing some LED's offered at 120, 90 or 60 degree. Not sure if Zeal offers this as an option to choose from. Curious which degree is best for my deeper tank. I'm not certain if the degree I just mentioned is the shape of the LED optic itself or the plastic lens that are installed over the LED's to focus or disperse the light. Can you choose to make some LED's 120 degree's and other LED's 60 degrees...not certain why you would want to do this but asking anyway.

3) How far to hang the LED above the water

4) I currently use heavy duty lamp timers to turn on/off my lighting. Can I use them for the Zeal lights? I see Zeal offers wifi as available option but need a android cell/tablet to take advantage of this option. I don't have android cell but do have several windows based laptops...can I use one of these laptops to program the lights? Does this laptop need to be dedicated to these lights meaning powered on all the time and in contact with lights 24/7 to operate the lights? I have router and wifi thoughout my home

5) I've been researching another LED light on Ebay....many people selling similar lighting under different names http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=led+lighting&_osacat=20754&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.X165+W+led+lighting.TRS0&_nkw=165+W+led+lighting&_sacat=20754 Anyone familiar with these and why choose Zeal over these LED's on EBay?

6) One thing I love with MH lighting is the shimmering affect it has in my tank....do the LED's do the same thing.

I appreciate your feedback...Thank you!
 
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Good work taking the full LED step.

These lights are pretty good - have had no issues to date (almost 2 years).

To answer your questions from my experience:
1. I noticed a meaningful temp drop when I switched out my old lighting for LEDs. The moisture issue also reduced. That being said, the inbuilt fans on the S200's are pretty mediocre so its a good thing you have a system in place already (should be fine).

2. LEDZeal can swap out the optics for whatever degrees you want. This should be based on the depth of your tank and height from surface among other things.
This link might help:
http://www.ledgroupbuy.com/choosing-the-right-optic/

3. Again, this is partly driven by optics and your current setup/cabinet. There are many schools of thought here and you might find people recommending between 3inch and up to 15-20inch. Getting the optics right is a big part of this, so that the light is spread evenly through tank and you dont have dark spots.

4. The LEDZeal timer works great. You dont have to worry about the app even - the controller box attached to the lights/power supply is fine. You can control up to 8 different time/intensity per light channel (4 channels) so you get plenty of control. Just make sure you get this if you dont have an android. Dont go the laptop option.
http://www.ledzeal.com/p24.html
Should be included with the package?

5. Can't comment on these.

6. Depends. My experience is you get good shimmer if you artificially boost it by increasing the ripples on the water surface. But like-for-like, the MH bulbs probably tend to have a better shimmer than LEDs, but LEDs are still far superior to T5s.
 
Thanks Scuba Steve! I appreciate the feedback

The link you included didn't work but I found what I believe you intended...for some reason this forum won't allow the words led group buy instead of the words clay-boa in the url address

I want to hang the light 8 to 12 inches above the water. This will allow me room to feed fish/corals and do some maintenance to tank w/o having to move lights each time I do this.

My tank is 29.5 inches deep...so I guess I'm looking at 60 degree optics???

Zeal LED's recommended the S400 which is 60" long for my 72" long tank.

I'll go with their controller instead of android app since I don't own android phone or tablet.

I wish someone had some knowledge about the other LED's on Ebay I posted. They would be approximately half the cost of the Zeal LED light above w/shipping.
 
Thanks Scuba Steve! I appreciate the feedback

The link you included didn't work but I found what I believe you intended...for some reason this forum won't allow the words led group buy instead of the words clay-boa in the url address

I want to hang the light 8 to 12 inches above the water. This will allow me room to feed fish/corals and do some maintenance to tank w/o having to move lights each time I do this.

My tank is 29.5 inches deep...so I guess I'm looking at 60 degree optics???

Zeal LED's recommended the S400 which is 60" long for my 72" long tank.

I'll go with their controller instead of android app since I don't own android phone or tablet.

I wish someone had some knowledge about the other LED's on Ebay I posted. They would be approximately half the cost of the Zeal LED light above w/shipping.

Search for mars aqua on here, I believe a lot of people use them and have good results. I have an IT2040 evergrow that is great, but I did change some of the cool white leds to NW.
 
Pmj,...is mars and evergrow one and the same? I see them both on ebay and they appear to be the same fixture under different names.
 
Pmj,...is mars and evergrow one and the same? I see them both on ebay and they appear to be the same fixture under different names.

Not sure but have heard the same results either way. They all use the same 3w leds that are dirt cheap on ebay if you want to change the spectrum (did my first soldering changing some). Fun, cheap & powerful.
 
Greetings,

I'm thinking about replacing my (3) 250W MH 12,000K bulbs, and (2) 72" 165W t-12 VHO Super Actinic Fluorescents w/ LED lighting. It's becoming difficult to find replacement bulbs for VHO's.

I have 150 Gallon all glass aquarium 72" long x18.5" wide x 29.5" deep w/ built in twin overflows . I had tank built into custom cabinets on wall...so cabinets below tank are for storage, PVC plumbing, electrical, etc., and cabinets above tank hiding the lighting and allows access to feed and clean tank, etc. My refugium/sump is located in basement below tank.

Came across this thread and had a few questions:
Looks like (2) S200's will do the job on for my tank

1) Has anyone had problems with heat or moisture build up in closed lighting system like I am describing. I heard this can be detrimental to LED lights. Looks like most of you have the light hanging open above tank. I installed (2) 4" ice cap variable speed fans pulling the air from where the lights are located within the cabinet, and venting it outside...I had to do this so my current lighting didn't bake my tank.

I have mine in a very enclosed space, very close to the water. It's actually one of the reasons I chose the LEDZeal over some more expensive options. - they seem very efficient and either don't generate a huge amount of heat, or disperse it very well. The airflow is pulled from above and vents at either end of the case (all of which is one single piece heat sink). I have tested mine at 100% on all four channels and it didn't melt down. :). Typically I run two channels at 64-70% with the others used to balance the light and it doesn't get hot.

The environment isn't ideal for any light, but the LEDZeal seems to cope very well with the moisture. I have no experience with MH, but would suspect you will see a massive reduction in the amount of heat produced.

2) I'm not familiar with LED degree lighting. I'm seeing some LED's offered at 120, 90 or 60 degree. Not sure if Zeal offers this as an option to choose from. Curious which degree is best for my deeper tank. I'm not certain if the degree I just mentioned is the shape of the LED optic itself or the plastic lens that are installed over the LED's to focus or disperse the light. Can you choose to make some LED's 120 degree's and other LED's 60 degrees...not certain why you would want to do this but asking anyway.

The LEDZeals have lenses on the LED's to help disperse the light. This is a personal choice as some like this and some don't. Personally I think it helps disperse the light but in deep tanks, where LEDs offen struggle, you can use narrower angle lenses to punch te light down to the sandbed. I have a 24" deep tank and the light is powerful on the sandbed at 67%.

I went with LEDZeals recommendation after giving them the dimensions of the tank, however opted for wider angle lenses on the red and green LED in my layout to disperse this colour more as there are less LED's and wanted to avoid any spotlighting. This hasn't been a problem.

You can also get spare lenses from LEDZeal (and spare LEDs) at very reasonable costs with the unit should you want to swap them out at some stage.[/quote]


3) How far to hang the LED above the water

I have mine a few inches above the water as a necessity of having very restricted space. Since you have MH, you probably have a fair bit of room to play with. Obviously being closer gives you slightly more lumens and less spread. Pick your optimum without worrying about heat and the lenses will be specified to give you the spread you require at that height from the water.


4) I currently use heavy duty lamp timers to turn on/off my lighting. Can I use them for the Zeal lights? I see Zeal offers wifi as available option but need a android cell/tablet to take advantage of this option. I don't have android cell but do have several windows based laptops...can I use one of these laptops to program the lights? Does this laptop need to be dedicated to these lights meaning powered on all the time and in contact with lights 24/7 to operate the lights? I have router and wifi thoughout my home

The LEDZeal is fully programmable, variable from 0-100% on any of the 4 channels at any time of the day. You can do this via a dedicated controller (either wired or wireless) or via a wifi connection to an android tablet. Both will work perfectly well, however I upgraded mine to the Plus version (app controlled on a tablet) and am very glad I did.

IMO, this makes the unit standout and allows me to rapidly configure and visualise new programs and switch between them. It also means I only have a power cable going to the light and no other cables. A single tablet will control up to 254 individual lights (if you have a tank that needs this, please send me an invite!). :)

5) I've been researching another LED light on Ebay....many people selling similar lighting under different names http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=led+lighting&_osacat=20754&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.X165+W+led+lighting.TRS0&_nkw=165+W+led+lighting&_sacat=20754 Anyone familiar with these and why choose Zeal over these LED's on ebay

I have no personal experience of them, but to be honest, the LEDZeal is in a different market to these lower end units. They will grow SPS, but lack the features, customisations etc possible with the LEDZeal. I discounted them when I was looking and often find most users running theirs at 100%, compared to LEDZeal users who are more likely to run at 70-80%.

Add the custom layout, spectrum and app programming etc and I was comparing them more to Radions and Hydras than Mars or IT Pros.

6) One thing I love with MH lighting is the shimmering affect it has in my tank....do the LED's do the same thing.

I appreciate your feedback...Thank you!


Again, not from my personal experience, but this is the one thing which every MH user tends to miss when switching to any non MH light. As previously mentioned, surface movement will provide a lot of the effect and LED's are not fluorescent like tubes, so you wI'll get closer to the look with LED's and the customisation possible on the LEDZeal will get you as close as you probably can using an LED.

I hope this helps? Kevin is extremely helpful and their customer service is excellent, so drop him a mail and ask his advice on sizing, lenses etc and let him know that you've been chatting to other LEDZeal customers.

Lastly, please let us have a photo or two when you have them installed. :)
 
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Thanks Tastyfish!
I appreciate you taking the time to explain in detail answers to my questions!!!

I'm going to go with zeal...as I believe they offer the biggest bang for your buck...customization, controller and quality.

I'm probably a month away from ordering these LEDs....Kevin has been helpful thus far.

I have another project that needs attention first....I'm replacing my main return pump (10 yrs old) and have to re-plumb PVC. New pump should be here this weekend. Fuge is in basement and display tank on 1st floor.

I am trying to figure out how to create a manifold to run other equipment. My new pump will have excess flow and I'll need to throttle it back for my needs....I thought why not take advantage of this extra flow and make manifold to power my euro reef skimmer (if I can figure out how to duplicate the venturi for it)....it's currently powered by sedra power head w/ venturi and I average replacing this power head every 3 yrs. I also want to power my canister filter w/ carbon or chemi pure, phosban reactor w/ rowa phosphate remover, and in line UV sterilizer. I've been looking for threads on this but haven't found anything useful yet. The skimmer has me stumped at the moment.
 
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Ledzeal is the brand for me if you need custom lights and good size lamps, very good results and happy with them.

For pumps, go for a DC pump, they are great and you can change the flow as you need.
 
DC pumps are too expensive for my needs

I have 13-15' of head from sump in basement to tank on 1st floor.

The only DC pumps that will handle this and still provide flow I need are lots of $$$

AC pump shipped today.
 
Would love to see the build when done. Any thoughts on what layout/spectrum you will use?

When I saw your post on the pump, I was thinking RedDragon or similar, now I'm sure. $$$!
 
Kevin at LEDZEAL recommended their S400 light which is 60" long for my 72" long tank ....he also recommended their 60 degree optics for my tank 29" deep tank...again I want to hang 8 to 12 inches above water so I have room to do maintenance w/o having to move the lights each time.

He recommended their standard reef layout:
6- 12,000k white
10- Blue 460-470nm
2- UV 410nm
4 - royal blue 450nm
1 - green 515-530nm
1 - red 630nm

I was going to swap 4 of the blue for 4 UV.

So I'll have 6 blue, 4 royal blue and 6 UV...everything else will stay the same

I'll also switch the optics for just the green and red LED's to 90 or 120 degrees since I've read they look like spotlights if you don't...at the red does.

I'm running 2 VHO 72" super actinic now and 3 MH 250 watts 14,000K....since the super actinic's tend to be more toward the lower spectrum of blue I am switching the 4 blue to 4 UV

Any thoughts?
 
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I increased the Royal Blues and like you had the green and red with wide angle optics. the same as GillGuys layout (scroll to the start of the thread).

I also bought some additional UV LEDs if I wanted to replace the red/green in the future. Here's the layout I eventually ran for each pad:


 
Hello all, for those that are still unsure that these lights work, here is my tank with corals grown from frags under LEDZEAL ligths only.

IMG_2788.jpg


IMG_2789.jpg


IMG_2786.jpg
 
Wow, Ricky - Amazing looking tank and colours! How long have you been running the LEDZeal for?

I'm really impressed by the colours, what setting do you have the lights on when shooting?

I'm really glad I went with this light, I still get so many reefers state "Errr it's not Cree so it isn't going to grow any SPS". I think your and others tanks are a worthy challenge to aim for. Well done!
 
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Hello all, for those that are still unsure that these lights work, here is my tank with corals grown from frags under LEDZEAL ligths only.

IMG_2788.jpg


IMG_2789.jpg


IMG_2786.jpg
Very nice ricky please tell us how high ur fixture is mounted and what percentages you are running it at that growth in coral coloration looks really nice Congrats
 
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