LED Floodlights

[justmedanny]

Is anyone using these LED Floodlights for their main display aquarium? If so, with what (if any) success? I've purchased a few off ebay (cool white, actinic blue/440nm) and so far they seem promising. They seem like a great alternative (economically) to the really expensive ones that I find on marinedepot and like sites. I've included a picture of the kind of light I'm talking about.

 

[mcgyvr]

Chinese junk....

if you want a reasonable priced LED fixture that is proven to perform check out oceanrevive and reefbreeders..

 

[mfinn]

I've seen people say they use them for refugiums to grow macro algae, but never a display tank.

 

[pompeyjohn]

do you have any pictures of the blue ones over a tank?

 

[MikesReef83]

This might not help you much but I use two of the 20w "daylight" ones over my 50g fuge and they are very bright. Build quaility seems decent also.

Correct me if i'm wrong but doesn't the products that oceanrevive and reefbreeders sell fall under this "Chinese Junk" catagory you speak of since they are also made in china??

 

[tkeracer619]

Lets see the pics of them on the tank. Take a par reading if you can get your hands on a par meter.

 

[sirreal63]

Keep your insurance up to date, there has already been a school classroom burned from those things.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2250637

 

[XxRingoxX]

^^^^ beat me to it.

 

[pompeyjohn]

I have no interest in the china bashing. Let's move beyond that. The thread linked raised a good point about safety certification, UL, CE, etc. It also raised the issue that some companies state that only the power supply is certified. Do you know if these fixtures are certified?

 

[sirreal63]

Certification is faked so easily these days I would not put faith in that. I would always advise someone to consider the source of where a product comes from, pay attention to issues that others have had with the product, ignore any review on a sellers website and if in doubt pass on it. Cheap products are almost cheap for a reason.

 

[justmedanny]

I am somewhat embarrassed now. I've been using these type of lights for the past year. SPS growth slow and LPS growth has been very good. I have plenty of coralline growth and very little nuisance algae. I don't have a PAR meter . Anyone want to come over and do a reading for me? lol. I'm now on the hunt to "upgrade". Thank you so much mcgyvr for the information on reputable but economic LED fixtures. Does anyone else have recommendations?

 

[pompeyjohn]

Certification is faked so easily these days I would not put faith in that. I would always advise someone to consider the source of where a product comes from, pay attention to issues that others have had with the product, ignore any review on a sellers website and if in doubt pass on it. Cheap products are almost cheap for a reason.

I disagree with your approach. Faked certification should not tolerated. We need to press for greater professionalism. I would rather not base my purchasing decisions on fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Has anyone heard from this seller about the standards compliance of their devices? Has it been confirmed that these are the same devices mentioned in the fire article?

 

[sirreal63]

I am somewhat embarrassed now. I've been using these type of lights for the past year. SPS growth slow and LPS growth has been very good. I have plenty of coralline growth and very little nuisance algae. I don't have a PAR meter . Anyone want to come over and do a reading for me? lol. I'm now on the hunt to "upgrade". Thank you so much mcgyvr for the information on reputable but economic LED fixtures. Does anyone else have recommendations?

I would also suggest the ReefBreeders, you also get a two year warranty, which is worth something.

I disagree with your approach. Faked certification should not tolerated. We need to press for greater professionalism. I would rather not base my purchasing decisions on fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Has anyone heard from this seller about the standards compliance of their devices? Has it been confirmed that these are the same devices mentioned in the fire article?

If you have figured out how to stop the fake UL and CE certifications I encourage you to pass that along to those who are trying to stop it. Professionalism is a great thing, but as long as a cheap price rules the day it is hard to get much else than a cheap price. The companies that do try and offer more should be applauded, instead they are attacked for charging more than the cheap products.

Price currently rules the day and everything else takes a back seat, except for the few who understand and spend wisely. Fear should never be a consideration (if you fear a product why would you consider buying it?), instead real shopping and research should be what drives purchasing decisions. Uncertainty and doubt are excellent reasons to avoid a product that causes uncertainty and doubt.

Perhaps you could do a good deed and contact the Ebay re-seller of the lights (or any of the numerous ones selling these outdoor flood lights as aquarium equipment). I am sure he will give you an honest answer, he probably has documentation or a picture of the box showing a UL or CE label.

It would be a wonderful thing if we lived in a world where all products were manufactured to the same high standard. Unfortunately we do not live in that world.

 

[tkeracer619]

From what I have been told if a device has two power cords going into the same unit it cannot get UL listed. These don't so its irrelevant but a lot of people knock others down about it when the lights they have over their own tanks aren't ul listed.

That said I was curious as to how these are going to play out because this is the exact industry that gave us Radium metal halide bulbs.

In due time I suppose. I assume the ballast inside the unit caught fire but since there was no update then we might not know. If someone has one, is going to stop using it, and wants to kill it for science you could turn it on inside your oven. Letting the lamp overheat might give us a more definitive answer to where the real problem lies.

 

[sirreal63]

Most aquarium products are not UL listed nor would I expect them to be.

 

[pompeyjohn]

I would also suggest the ReefBreeders, you also get a two year warranty, which is worth something.




If you have figured out how to stop the fake UL and CE certifications I encourage you to pass that along to those who are trying to stop it. Professionalism is a great thing, but as long as a cheap price rules the day it is hard to get much else than a cheap price. The companies that do try and offer more should be applauded, instead they are attacked for charging more than the cheap products.

Price currently rules the day and everything else takes a back seat, except for the few who understand and spend wisely. Fear should never be a consideration (if you fear a product why would you consider buying it?), instead real shopping and research should be what drives purchasing decisions. Uncertainty and doubt are excellent reasons to avoid a product that causes uncertainty and doubt.

Perhaps you could do a good deed and contact the Ebay re-seller of the lights (or any of the numerous ones selling these outdoor flood lights as aquarium equipment). I am sure he will give you an honest answer, he probably has documentation or a picture of the box showing a UL or CE label.

It would be a wonderful thing if we lived in a world where all products were manufactured to the same high standard. Unfortunately we do not live in that world.

If I had the time I'd do the research of all the common fixtures. It is something that would greatly benefit the community. If someone else wants to take that up, I'll help as much as I can.

I am sick and tired of the China bashing on this forum. Whilst it is great that some retailers are offering a longer warranty. How can you be sure that is not a marketing strategy, and that they are not selling the same "Chinese junk". Maybe they are. Maybe they are not. I don't know. I am not pretending I do. I am getting extremely tired of reading sweeping statements about "Chinese Junk" that serve to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt. Educate yourself.

 

[sirreal63]

It is a reputation they earned. I used to have a closet of the stuff all of which failed in a short amount of time. Not everything made in China is bad, but the reputation is still one they earned by flooding the market with less that decent products. You can buy junk from anywhere, but there should be little doubt where the majority of it comes from. For now, it is just the way it is, perhaps it will change, in this hobby at least but you can still expect people who do not know or understand to buy it.

 

[Stackemdeep]

I for one am grateful for imported "economy" products. My lighting,Skimmer,ATO and all water movement pumps together cost less than one German Skimmer for my size tank. While my gear might not be as nice as others, it allows me to participate in a hobby I love.
I am happy for those who can afford top of the line equipment and enjoy reading their build threads. Cheers.

 

[xxjt2oxx]

I for one am grateful for imported "economy" products. My lighting,Skimmer,ATO and all water movement pumps together cost less than one German Skimmer for my size tank. While my gear might not be as nice as others, it allows me to participate in a hobby I love.
I am happy for those who can afford top of the line equipment and enjoy reading their build threads. Cheers.

Where's the like button?!?

 

[sirreal63]

That's how some of who have been doing this a while wound up with a closet full of junk. You can spend more long term on poor quality that you have to replace frequently than a better quality that lasts will cost. You can buy decent products on a budget or do what I did, buy high end equipment used. People are always upgrading and selling excellent equipment for the price of junky equipment.

Is all in how you do it and how long term your goals are.