Noob Light Question

[dmvl4110]

Hello guys, sorry about this noob question. I have no knowledge about lights and I have this question in my mind.

The questions are.

1. Why do we need a high watt LED fixture if we are only gonna use half or 60% brightness of it.

2. On a 180watt Led fixture. Will I still have growth even if I use more blue than white?

 

[vhuang168]

1. So we don't burn it up quickly. If you had a car that had to run at 100% rpm to get you around vs one that used 10%, which lasts longer?

2. Corals primarily use light in the blue end of the spectrum.


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[WatDatThing]

My thought was each LED is rated with x-Watt. The number of LED in the fixture added up to 180 watt. The one I"m planning to buy has 55 LEDs that added up to 165 watts.

How much light your corals can handle is independent of the light fixture. Therefore, you adjust the intensity as needed. Additionally, if you are running at 60% and your fixture is hung 12" from the water surface, you would need to crank it up if you hung it 18"-24" from the water surface.

That's just my guess as I'm a newbie.
Remember that unlike a typical light bulb, each LED is an individual light/bulb.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Hello guys, sorry about this noob question. I have no knowledge about lights and I have this question in my mind.

The questions are.

1. Why do we need a high watt LED fixture if we are only gonna use half or 60% brightness of it.

2. On a 180watt Led fixture. Will I still have growth even if I use more blue than white?

Yes they last longer because we run them at lower setting. And some reefers have deeper tanks and need the stronger light, or like me, keep a fixt much higher off the water over a 'work' tank and need the extra power.

The algae that is inside the coral is called zooxanthellae and it does photosynthesis which helps feed the coral. This algae evolved in the ocean where it gets mostly blue light, so it evolved to use blue rather than red which is what most terrestrial plants use.

My thought was each LED is rated with x-Watt. The number of LED in the fixture added up to 180 watt. The one I"m planning to buy has 55 LEDs that added up to 165 watts.

Beware! It's very unlikely that your fixture is 165 watts. Yes the 55 leds are all 3 watts in rating, therefore you think 165 watts. But look at the specs and you'll see the output of the power supply is about 120 watts, not 165. And the MarsAqua is even less at about 100 watts. This is a marketing trick to make you think you are getting more than you really are!

How much light your corals can handle is independent of the light fixture. Therefore, you adjust the intensity as needed. Additionally, if you are running at 60% and your fixture is hung 12" from the water surface, you would need to crank it up if you hung it 18"-24" from the water surface.

That's just my guess as I'm a newbie.
Remember that unlike a typical light bulb, each LED is an individual light/bulb.

 

[WatDatThing]

Good point Ron. I'll keep an eye out for that fine detail.

 

[Ron Reefman]

It's not a huge big deal, but if you buy a MarsAqua 165 and then find out the guts only make 100 watts, not 165, it can be a bit of a let down and leave you feeling a bit scammed. But for the price, it's still makes pretty good light.