LED's

[rbird]

I'm planning a 2 1/2 gallon nano and I was wondering if anyone has tried lighting a small tank with LED's.

I was thinking along the lines of this:

Current USA PowerBrite LED Lighting System

4 wats per strip and I should be able to fit 3 or 4 strips above the tank.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI..._+_2x1W_460nm_Blue_Linkable_LEDs~vendor~.html

or this

Taam Rio Mini Sun Daylight Lighting Fixture

The product description doesn't specify, but I assume its 10 wats

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...DFX~category~Flexible_Mount_LEDs~vendor~.html

 

[joebecker]

bump... I'm curious about this as well

 

[O-man21]

nanocustoms.com sells pre-made LED light fixtures.

 

[rbird]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12675157#post12675157 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by joebecker
bump... I'm curious about this as well

I emailed Taam regarding that minisun LED fixture. Here was their response:

"The total wattage is less than a watt and the color temp is 10k.
As a sole light for a small tank it may not be enough for a reef. We made these as spot lights or moon lights"

I wish it had more power. I opted for coralife mini pc bulbs for this tank and now I'm having issues with heat.

 

[joebecker]

Thanks for sharing the info rbird! Just what I needed to know.

 

[rbird]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12677733#post12677733 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by joebecker
Thanks for sharing the info rbird! Just what I needed to know.

No problem.

It’s too bad. I would think there would be a market for a simple on/off LED fixture with the right wattage and color temp, without all of the sophistication found in the larger LED units.

The Current USA Powerbrite fixture is on the right track, but $50 for 4 watts seems a little steep. Why only 4 LED bulbs when there is room for more? Why only 1 watt each?

How much can it cost to throw a couple of LED bulbs into a lighting hood, like a retrofit kit? If I knew where to get LED bulbs with the right color temp, and if I had a little more electrical know how, I might be tempted to make this a DIY project.

 

[rbird]

How much can it cost?

Apparently more than I thought. With a little googling I found a source for 1 watt, 10K, LED’s that (I think) would be appropriate.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/leds.htm

In small quantities the bulbs are about $11 each.

My apologies to Current USA for thinking the Powerbrite was overpriced.

 

[seti2020]

The other problem with LED is that the high wattage LED's need to have a heat sink. Or else they will burn up. So it can be hard to cram a lot of those LED's together just because the heat issue.