Par 38 LED spotlights

[BennyFrank]

Yeah I really like the track idea. If you could measure the distance between the top of the track and the bottom bulb, that would be great. I'm just trying to get an idea of how far the bulbs will be from my sandbed if I go with the track and mount them to my ceiling. That will determine the optics I will need. Thanks again.

 

[beeker]

Well you can mount the track to the cieling but you lose the ability to raise and lower the setup, thats why i went with anchors in my cieling and S hooks with chain wanted to have more flexability, but i'll get that measurement for you tonight and i'll take some pics of my lighting/track setup as well

 

[JTL]

Remember that the fixtures are not all the same size. What you need is the length of the bulb up to where the threaded part starts since that goes into the fixture. Virtually all of the fixtures and tracks sold on line have posted measurements. I would suggest that you look at fixtures online because there a many more styles than you will ever find at the big box stores and I found them to be less expensive. Direct-lighting.com has the best prices that I could find.

 

[slief]

Remember that the fixtures are not all the same size. What you need is the length of the bulb up to where the threaded part starts since that goes into the fixture. Virtually all of the fixtures and tracks sold on line have posted measurements. I would suggest that you look at fixtures online because there a many more styles than you will ever find at the big box stores and I found them to be less expensive. Direct-lighting.com has the best prices that I could find.

What fixtures did you go with from Direct Lighting? I am going to be switching over to Par 38's and looked at their site but couldnt figure out what to order. I presume its their PAR fixtures. Are you guys using 2 wire tracks?

 

[Majority_Rules]

Good thread. Thanks for the par numbers beeker.

 

[beeker]

Some Pics to give people an idea of my track setup

 

[maddog2002]

thanks!

 

[slief]

Hows it working out for you Beeker? I am gearing up to go the same direction though I think I will probably end up getting 20 bulbs instead of the 16 I was originally planning.

 

[beeker]

So far so good, my LPS and softies are reacting well the the Led's i'm still watching my sps for color and growth although last night i checked my Parameters and my Alk was at 6-7 DKH so i upped it and my calc was at 400ppm, didn't check Mag but added 60-70 Ml of all 3 solutions to bump it up some, trying to get a little more stability think that will be key to getting the sps to thrive and keep color

so far all my sps are alive though and looking as good as they can, about 15 pieces have been moved over to the 200g

only 1 has lost any color so far (red planet acro, went from green skin and red polyps to brown skin brown polyps, although my other colony of red planet in the tank looks fine, i'm pretty sure i can attribute that to new tank syndrome, my blue tenius is still baby blue, and my purple acro's are still purple, but will figure it out

trial and error is all i use and sadly it takes months to get an idea of what works, lol

 

[BennyFrank]

Awesome, thanks beeker.

JTL, yeah online they give you the fixture measurements but not with the track/bulb included so this is very helpful. I checked out direct-lighting.com and they do have good prices and a huge selection.

 

[alcove]

my 4bx1w lamp got here and the fixture slid in the tank before it even got turned on then while i went to grab a towel and screw driver to dry it out my reefkeeper kicked the fixture on and fryed something in there so im [profanity]. hopefuly they can send me a new back half of the lamp as thats what i think i need the heat sink and leds are fine i think

 

[zygote2k]

Here's a pic from today of the 210 Oceanic I've been working on. We used a standard track lighting kit and 8) 27" gooseneck drops with swivel heads. It allows for infinite adjustability and they are easily moved out of the way or repositioned to allow for coral growth.

Here's a picture of the drain and return lines. This tank is using a DART overflow box and 1.5" returns. This one should breathe very easy.

 

[raynist]

Here's a pic from today of the 210 Oceanic I've been working on. We used a standard track lighting kit and 8) 27" gooseneck drops with swivel heads. It allows for infinite adjustability and they are easily moved out of the way or repositioned to allow for coral growth.

Here's a picture of the drain and return lines. This tank is using a DART overflow box and 1.5" returns. This one should breathe very easy.

How many and what versions do you have over your 60? I am thinking of going with these over a 60 I want to out together.

 

[spleen93]

boy, those pics are small. Any chance of getting a larger version up so we can see details on how the gooseneck fixtures look?

 

[JTL]

What fixtures did you go with from Direct Lighting? I am going to be switching over to Par 38's and looked at their site but couldnt figure out what to order. I presume its their PAR fixtures. Are you guys using 2 wire tracks?

I used a model 220 because it was cheap and a simple design. You want a line voltage fixture with an E26 (medium) base. I would not purchase any fixture that has a cover around the bulb because it will mess up the heat sink, but if you do it needs to be a Par 38 fixture. I went with the dual tracks for light control, but so far I haven't found a compelling reason to use it. Most of their fixtures can be used with either single or dual tracks. I'll post up a some pics of my setup later now that I have all 8 lamps up and running.

 

[JTL]

I am pretty much done with the lighting part of this project now I need to get some corals. The cover does defuse some light but not too bad, better that the fish are in the tank than on the floor. My camera just does not do justice to the colors, but you get the general idea.

 

[agsansoo]

Looks great JTL ! Are all of your par38's using the same optics ?

 

[JTL]

All 40 degree and a mix of 4-20k and 4-12k. For reference the lamps are 31' off the sand. To be honest and not so humble, the pics do not capture the quality. For the price and quality these lamps are hard to beat. My only previous experience on this tank was with 7-T5's and there is no comparison in terms of appearance. Now the real test is will the corals do well and so far I would say yes.

 

[sarathai]

Hey jtl very nice setup mate
dont suppose you could link on what parts you used for the lighting track could you

Cheers

Rob

 

[JTL]

Rob
The lighting parts were purchased at direct-lighting.com. I believe the fixtures were #220 or close. Very cheap, about $7.00 USD and the tracks were dual circuit, although single would be fine. They were just also inexpensive. Just look under track lighting and then line voltage fixtures.
John