eferna
Member
Nobody recommending Orphek
http://www.marinedepot.com/24_Inch_...ght_Fixtures-Orphek-UG1111-FILTFILDTF-vi.html
http://www.marinedepot.com/24_Inch_...ght_Fixtures-Orphek-UG1111-FILTFILDTF-vi.html
LED Recommendation Thread
- Thread starter Felixc395
- Start date
brassmonkyballs
BMB
It extremely difficult to answer your questions not knowing what the LEDs are. Every manufacturer is different. If its Cree vs a Chinese like FEDY the answers are different
The blues should be Royal Blue @ 450nm
Depending on the K rating of the white the ratio to RB varies tremendously.
You should ask you friend for some more information...what make are the LEDs, what are the specs, what does he have available to work with?
TheFishMan65
New member
Felix, not trying to start a big discussion, but to clarify. IMO there are reliable fixtures now, but few that exist from 2 years ago (what with patents and a few poor designs). The question of UV being needed and not showing up for 2 years is a question that I don't think can be answered yet.
eferna
Member
There have been a lot of good reviews on the orphek and yes the price is steep compared to others, but the PAR rating on them is just amazing. the PR-156 has about 60 LEDs with a 70-30 of white to blue and can be customized. They have been working really hard to market themselves as a leader in LED lighting. Not too sure about how long they have been in business an all, but their product out now kicks some butt.
AC2020x
Marine Conservationist
I am making a DIY fixture using cree's from Rapid LED. I've done a lot of research over the last couple weeks and I think I finally have just about everything I need figured out. I got a heatsink from heatsinkusa and have created a hanging fixture for it.
The biggest thing I have left to decide before ordering is what combo of LED's I want. I am getting 24 LED dimmable kit to go over my 30" 29g tank. This comes with 2 mean-well dimmable drivers.
Currently I'm thinking 14 RB which I can put on 1 driver and run at 750mA. Then I want 10 whites. (Here is where it gets tricky) I've heard that adding in some neutral or warm whites helps a lot with the color spectrum and making certain corals more vibrant. I was thinking of getting 6-8 CW and the other 2-4 neutral or warm white. The neutral whites only go up to 1000mA so that will limit my CW as well if I put them all on the same driver.
Then I am going to get a moonlight driver where I can run 2-4 RB LED's at 350mA. I am also considering getting another moonlight driver to add 2 RED LED's to the mix to vary the spectrum. I've heard that the red can make some colors stand out more.
Let me know what you think and what you would suggest!
Thanks,
-AC
The biggest thing I have left to decide before ordering is what combo of LED's I want. I am getting 24 LED dimmable kit to go over my 30" 29g tank. This comes with 2 mean-well dimmable drivers.
Currently I'm thinking 14 RB which I can put on 1 driver and run at 750mA. Then I want 10 whites. (Here is where it gets tricky) I've heard that adding in some neutral or warm whites helps a lot with the color spectrum and making certain corals more vibrant. I was thinking of getting 6-8 CW and the other 2-4 neutral or warm white. The neutral whites only go up to 1000mA so that will limit my CW as well if I put them all on the same driver.
Then I am going to get a moonlight driver where I can run 2-4 RB LED's at 350mA. I am also considering getting another moonlight driver to add 2 RED LED's to the mix to vary the spectrum. I've heard that the red can make some colors stand out more.
Let me know what you think and what you would suggest!
Thanks,
-AC
brassmonkyballs
BMB
Sounds like you've got it figured out pretty well with the CW to RB ratio and right on with the NW, the right drivers, etc. I haven't used reds so let us know how it works out.
AC2020x
Marine Conservationist
Ok will do. I've heard from some people who run them that it makes a huge difference as to a few colors that it brings out.
Also I was wrong about the Neutral whites.. They can be driven up to 1500 mA but the Warm White is only up to 1000. I'm having a tough time trying to decide what to use. Because the options are so limitless I guess I'll just need to choose and see how I like it.
brassmonkyballs
BMB
On my 120G I'm using 18 CW, 6 NW, & 50 RB...to give you an idea...I like a 20,000k look but its not uncommon for me to mix it differently depending how I feel and I turn off the whites on timers twice a day for 30 minutes. Since I work from home when not traveling I look at my tank too much
You never mentioned what size tank you were putting these over.
AC2020x
Marine Conservationist
Actually, it is mentioned a few posts back but it just blends in with the other numbers if your not looking for it.
It's a 29g tank.
I'm going to create a DIY thread in the DIY section. I'll link to it on this forum as well once it is up. Currently all I have done is the heatsink and a fixture for it. I plan on ordering the rest of my stuff from rapid LED later this week!
It's a 29g tank.
I'm going to create a DIY thread in the DIY section. I'll link to it on this forum as well once it is up. Currently all I have done is the heatsink and a fixture for it. I plan on ordering the rest of my stuff from rapid LED later this week!
brassmonkyballs
BMB
Yup..its there...I missed it...sorry 'bout that! Should be good.
daplatapus
New member
I have to find it now (my computer crashed and am on the wife's computer) but I saw a write up on light spectrum and from what I gathered, algea growth is dependant (aside from proper nutrients etc in the water) from the red end of the light spectrum. I had assumed from this, excluding as much red from a light fixture would have been a good thing. As soon as I get my computer back up and running (I did book mark the site) I'll post it here and you can make your own assumptions. Or moybe it's not enough to worry about, not sure.
Felixc395
Registered Member
You certainly can. That's easy with DIY just for convenience.
Daplatupus; that link would be helpful. I just grew se brown algae a week ago under my AI's, so the full spectrum is certainly there. I now installed a GFO reactor, so there's no algae, but that's not the point.
Red is important for red corals, covering the spectrum insures this. Not to be rude, but I'm confused. Are you saying LED's are better because they may reduce algae growth, or they lack the red spectrum, which could be seen as either good or bad....
Daplatupus; that link would be helpful. I just grew se brown algae a week ago under my AI's, so the full spectrum is certainly there. I now installed a GFO reactor, so there's no algae, but that's not the point.
Red is important for red corals, covering the spectrum insures this. Not to be rude, but I'm confused. Are you saying LED's are better because they may reduce algae growth, or they lack the red spectrum, which could be seen as either good or bad....
brassmonkyballs
BMB
My understanding is red is the 1st thing stripped off by the water in the ocean...if memory serves me correctly. I too have a link somewhere that explains this. Will post when I find it.
TheFishMan65
New member
Yes, and red promotes algae growth, but some people think that their coral look better with a little red. It is really personal choice on color. Most people are adding a lot of royal blue to make the corals pop. They pop some under sunlight, but not like our tanks .
.
AC2020x
Marine Conservationist
Yes, and red promotes algae growth, but some people think that their coral look better with a little red. It is really personal choice on color. Most people are adding a lot of royal blue to make the corals pop. They pop some under sunlight, but not like our tanks
Maybe after I get my lights and tank set up, I can do an experiment to see if using a few Red LED's changes what i'm seeing algae wise or coral growth/ health wise in my tank.
Quite honestly since I won't use too much red I don't think it will make a huge difference. But it would be interesting.
This is one of the reasons I like LED's so much too! I can get a moonlight driver for $10 and 2-4 red osram lights from RapidLED and just hook them up onto my existing heatsink/lightfixture. Then easily remove them if unwanted. Everything is sooooo customizable.
daplatapus
New member
Yes, I was under the impression that reducing the red end of the spectrum would reduce algea growth, making LED's a good choice. But as all those using MH and other light sources that provide full spectrum lighting can attest to, managing water quality and using RO/DI water controls this too. It's just one small link in the chain. Keep in mind though I'm really new to this as well and am still doing my own research on using LED's for my light hood (which is where I am leaning).
Check out this site:
http://www.gizmology.net/LEDs.htm
It's not the one I was refering to earlier but gives some good info on the spectrums' of LED's that I found interesting and helped me understand them a bit better.
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