Inexpensive Ebay LED's - Anyone had any luck?

[Steven0000]

So i surfed around the forums a bit and couldn't seem to find an answer. With school work, grass to cut, water to change, carpet to vacuum, showers, dinner etc. I don't have time to look anymore. Has anyone had any luck with ebay fixtures like these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Dimmabl...107?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item48585049db

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aquarium-Co...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item5893d12d8c

They look EXACTLY like the fixture my LFS is trying to sell me (also no name) for more than double the price.

I don't want to go and spend the money when i can spend less than half.

I checked with a website (feedbackselector.com) that filters feedback based on seller name and product so you can get feedback only about the product you are looking to buy and found no negative or neutral reviews about the product.

 

[asid61]

They will work, but are inefficient and get bad color, intheory. People have had success, but if these are your first leds, buy a Reef Beeders light for a just $40 more.

 

[Steven0000]

What is the advantage? Also what is the difference between optics? I see 70, 90 and 120 degree optics. The 70 and 90 seem to be more expensive, but it would make more sense to me if you had the 120 degree optics for more light coverage right?

 

[rocsec1]

I have reef breeders proton and I love them. They will customize your layout give you your choice of lens and cover them for 2 years.

 

[asid61]

120* optics or no optics are good for 24" water depth. 90* is good for 30". 60* is good for 36". And 30* will be good for around 42" depth. More than that and you'll need 20* optics.

 

[Stomatopod1701]

An rb value fixture or other full spectrum dimable led would be much better and not cost that much more.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Steven, look around these threads and you'll find a distributor for EverGrow who is selling their D120 fixture for $160 for the next 2 weeks. I'd PM it to you, but you must be blocked? It's full spectrum, with 90 degree lenses (which dispite what asid said, is perfect for a 24" deep tank. And EverGrow is very well thought of here on RC (read the Chinese led thread). And they make the Reef Breeders fixtures who rebrand the EG D120 to be a RB 'Value Fixture' and they charge $179. I've bought 2 different Ebay fixtures from China and I'd sell you either one for $50 because they have issues (loud fans, run too warm, no lenses, burned out leds after 6 months...). I'm just sayin'.

 

[Kjdejarnett12]

I just purchased these lights and am very happy. They are very well built and not like some of these other Chinese lights. For the price they are great.

 

[Kjdejarnett12]

http://bit.ly/17aBBf0

 

[Fitz19d]

To tag this for myself and save a new post.

72 inch by I think 24 and 30 tall. (215) If I did get something like the 16 inch long D120. I'm assuming I'd need 4? (Leaving 8 inches split between them and ends of tank.) Or Just 3? (Leaving 6 inches between each other and tank ends)

Mixed reef. Some sps, but not many. (May want more but will never be a sps acro forest.)


One thing that worries me is you always see the lights running horizontal, but with a 24 wide tank and ~ 8 inch (really even less) wide fixture. That means you'd have a pretty strong center strip with 8 inches of space on either side front to back to be covered by the light? (Non issue?)

 

[Dmorty217]

So i surfed around the forums a bit and couldn't seem to find an answer. With school work, grass to cut, water to change, carpet to vacuum, showers, dinner etc. I don't have time to look anymore. Has anyone had any luck with ebay fixtures like these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Dimmabl...107?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item48585049db

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aquarium-Co...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item5893d12d8c

They look EXACTLY like the fixture my LFS is trying to sell me (also no name) for more than double the price.

I don't want to go and spend the money when i can spend less than half.

I checked with a website (feedbackselector.com) that filters feedback based on seller name and product so you can get feedback only about the product you are looking to buy and found no negative or neutral reviews about the product.

I had bought three of the LEDs very similar to the ones in the second link. They will grow softies without issue and some LPSand SPS growth at very high levels in the tank. With that being said they were a waste of money, I should of just bought the RapidLED Onyx fixtures and been done with it and saved money in the long run

 

[asid61]

Steven, look around these threads and you'll find a distributor for EverGrow who is selling their D120 fixture for $160 for the next 2 weeks. I'd PM it to you, but you must be blocked? It's full spectrum, with 90 degree lenses (which dispite what asid said, is perfect for a 24" deep tank. And EverGrow is very well thought of here on RC (read the Chinese led thread). And they make the Reef Breeders fixtures who rebrand the EG D120 to be a RB 'Value Fixture' and they charge $179.

Ron, the Reef Breeders fixtures use a different set of leds than the Ever Grow lights. They removed the 12k cold whites and replaced them with neutral whites, which have more red in the spectrum and look nicer, IMO. And they have more violets, which are really good for color. The difference is not too big, but it makes me suggest the Reef Breeders more often than the Ever Grow series. Reef Breeders also has an option to check out with a custom color selection, so you don't need to email.
90* optics work for 24" deep tanks. So do 60*. The colors will just blend a little bit worse because of the tighter beam unless you hang it higher. You will get higher PAR though because of the lessened light spill.

 

[Stomatopod1701]

On a 24"wide 6' tank three of the rb value fixtures or othe full spectrum light should work. 2 photon 42s should grow pretty much anything with 90 degree lenses.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Ron, the Reef Breeders fixtures use a different set of leds than the Ever Grow lights. They removed the 12k cold whites and replaced them with neutral whites, which have more red in the spectrum and look nicer, IMO. And they have more violets, which are really good for color. The difference is not too big, but it makes me suggest the Reef Breeders more often than the Ever Grow series.

90* optics work for 24" deep tanks. So do 60*. The colors will just blend a little bit worse because of the tighter beam unless you hang it higher. You will get higher PAR though because of the lessened light spill.

You like your look, I like my look, everybody has an opinion. You like RB and I like EG. And I like the higher PAR at the bottom, so I like 90 degree lenses. You don't have to explain yourself to me. Just tell the OP what you think. I already have what I want.

 

[Steven0000]

Here is what my tank looks like with the 90's and a no name led fixture at about 30% blue 20% whites

 

[Steven0000]

Fixture works great, too good even. I had to turn it off a few days at about 15% on the blues and whites because my corals were starting to look like they were bleaching themselves.

After the few days off, corals look great again.

ZERO problems with my fixture.

 

[Ron Reefman]

You have to turn them off for a few days because they start bleaching your corals... and you think that's working too good? Man that's warped post purchase delusion.

 

[Steven0000]

Key word was had, not have to. I don't have to on a regular basis. I had to once, not multiple occasions.

Too much light, corals expel there zooxanthellae. Turn off the lights, allow corals to recoup, wallah....magic. New fixture that produces more light than the previous one, corals have to adjust, common knowledge.

Here is a quote:

"If the rate of photosynthetic production is too high, corals have the ability to control the amount of zooxanthellae in their tissues by expelling it. This is known as coral bleaching, which is normal."

and the link:

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/aboutcoraldiseases/a/aacoralbleach.htm

Don't be upset you paid more for the same thing, do research first and save yourself the money.