Par 38 LED spotlights

[Crab Rangoon]

So, in essense, there will still be light around the aquarium, its just that the PAR levels are only high in certain spots due to the spotlight effect correct?

Exactly. Depending on the shutterspeed the camera is set to, people will have different "brightness" and "spread" results in their tank shots. To take an accurate FTS, I had only 2 of my 6 lamps on over my 150.

As you can see, a majority of my tank is illuminated in general, and not dark the way some others tanks have been portrayed. As you can see by the sunlit blinds next to the aquarium, this is a fairly accurate representation of how bright/dark the tank appears. I would say the photo is a little dimmer than in person, as I can still see my floor in the corner next to the aquarium - which appears darker in the photo. The photo also demonstrates the spotlighting function of the lamps well - rather than having the bulb aimed straight down, the two lamps turned on for the photo are actually at the back of my 36" cube. They are aimed to highlight the island of rock in the front right corner, so the side of the rocks facing me in that scenario are much darker.

I should also note that I'm using 12k lamps, and can stand & sit on all sides of the aquarium with no spillover to bother your eyes. All the blue/purple light on the walls and floor are from my Stunner Strips, which have no optics and bleed everywhere.

 

[beeker]

Crab those pics are great, i see you've got a 200g DD as well :]]

if you keep sps and have any issue's with color i fully recommend getting some custom PAR38's with cool blue and neutral white leds

i got some made with 4 cool blues(470nm) and 1 neutral white per bulb and they have improved my sps color a ton, i'm still waiting to see the full color shift but the 2 weeks they've been on my tank i'm more than happy with the color blend with the 12k's i run (just the right amount of white/blue now)

my customs use 60 optics so i can enhance color and not have a beam that is too focused so i get more coverage, it's worked out well so far

 

[Crab Rangoon]

Crab those pics are great, i see you've got a 200g DD as well :]]

if you keep sps and have any issue's with color i fully recommend getting some custom PAR38's with cool blue and neutral white leds

Mine is actually the 3' long 150g, but I do have a the same tank you've got at our shop as our most recently developed display tank :thumbsup:

I will have some SPS in the tank for sure, but nothing terribly difficult or finicky. I don't expect to have any difficulties with the colors, since I already have other colors of LEDs over the tank. I have got 2 of the 403nm & 1 of the 453nm Stunners over the tank right currently, and will be adding 1 more 403nm and 1-2 more of the 453nm's. I believe that the 403 + 453 Stunners will really help round out my color spectrum - as the color of the 12k's alone is definitely not the most impressive for animals colors, be it fish OR coral.

Also, EcoXotic just came out with reflectors for the Stunner strips that are a very affordable upgrade. These are surprisingly bright & effective supplemental strips, but I'm eager for my reflectors to arrive, as without any optics or anything the Stunners seem to spill out EVERYWHERE. Since I'm not able to mount the Stunners closer to my tank, the reflectors will be the next best thing, for me.

 

[cec09]

can i light a 24x24x18 cube with only one bulb? i was thinking one 12k bulb and a 24" t-5 ati blueplus. i want the blue plus so that i can still have the dawn dusk and there might not be as many dark spots. i do not have sps. i mainly keep zoas and some lps. i also have a rbta. what optics would be best?

 

[beeker]

crab the only thing i'd have an issue with is PAR for the stunner strips may not be enough to influence the coral colors to the degree you'd like them too, though your own eyes notice the color the corals themselves may not be getting enough PAR for it to make a difference

ai thought the stunner strips only 1w leds? cause if thats the case they won't penatrate anything more than 10 inches of water with sufficient PAR, i may be wrong though i could have sworn they were 1w leds though my head has a lot of different led systems in it at the moment though so forgive me if i'm wrong on that end, lol

haha well i could have sworn it looked exactly like mine crab, can't wait to see your progress with the spots and strips though, seeing as i might end up getting strips into my mix as well after i get the rest of my lighting setup done

 

[Endemion]

So after reading through a lot of this thread. I'm thinking in my 25x25x12 30G starfire cube. If I wanted to keep a clam and an RBTA with maybe a couple of SPS as my light heavy items, and the rest consisting of misc. zoa's and softies. I would probably be safe with 2 spotlights, 1@12k and 1@20K or custom beeker 1 neutral white and 4 cool blues. Both lamps using 60 degree optics.

The aquascaping would be fairly minimalist, so I think I could spotlight the necessary items with the strongest par levels.

Does that sound like it would work out? Would there be very dark portions of the tank? Or would the rest just be of a more moderate light level?

 

[b16drag]

Dang these PAR38 looks nice.

Just sold my MaxSpect LED but I'm itching to get another LED light! LOL!

 

[Crab Rangoon]

ai thought the stunner strips only 1w leds? cause if thats the case they won't penatrate anything more than 10 inches of water with sufficient PAR, i may be wrong though

I think you'd be surprised. The actual overall color of the TANK itself is only minimally changed by turning the Stunners off/on in my set-up, but you can certainly see a difference in the fish coloration when they are on versus off. Also, I think they're pretty underrated by most people. If you tried to use Stunners to supplement a high-quality reflector w/150-250w MH, I do not believe that they would be visible or make a difference in your corals. In my aquarium, even suspended that high over the surface, the lights are very widespread & effectively penetrating to the bottom. They are much brighter than I expected. I suspect that with the polished reflectors installed, and the addition of even more strips, the difference will be even more dramatic. The 403nm UV in particular is pretty shocking - I would compare it to literally holding a powerful blacklight over the aquarium. I have some photos to upload of that, but they don't belong in the PAR38 thread

I'm thinking in my 25x25x12 30G starfire cube I would probably be safe with 2 spotlights, 1@12k and 1@20K using 60 degree optics.

The aquascaping would be fairly minimalist, so I think I could spotlight the necessary items with the strongest par levels.

This would give you the right amount of lighting for what you want to achieve for sure in this size aquarium. You're on the right track with spotlighting corals as needed, rather than wanting to have the light be all throughout the aquarium. I don't think you should really have "dark portions" necessarily, though there will be definite shadowed spots on the backsides of rocks. You may find it most pleasing to mount the lights close to the front of the tank, and aim them back into the tank. This will give you a more pleasing view from the front of your aquarium, as the shadows will mostly be cast towards the back of the tank. If you mount the lights centered, or further back, and aim them in towards the front, you will be seeing more shadows cast towards you, and darker faces of rocks facing your way.

Does that make sense?

 

[Endemion]

That makes perfect sense, thanks Crab! I'm definitely leaning toward more of a front mounted track light aiming at the rocks to create the back shadows. I was also considering one from the front and one from one of the sides of the aquarium like an "L" track to maybe lessen the deep back shadows and create 2 viewable sides. But I would need to play with that once I get everything together and aquascaped to achieve my desired look.

I'm hoping with the clean look of the tank and spotlight effect of the par38's that I can create more of a dramatic, artwork type of feel. Also, with the odd dimensions, when you sit with the tank at eye level, I think the shadows may create a more realistic and deeper view. We'll see, .

 

[Crab Rangoon]

I'm definitely leaning toward more of a front mounted track light aiming at the rocks to create the back shadows. I was also considering one from the front and one from one of the sides of the aquarium like an "L" track to maybe lessen the deep back shadows and create 2 viewable sides.

Also, with the odd dimensions, when you sit with the tank at eye level, I think the shadows may create a more realistic and deeper view.

Great idea

Mine is like a C-shape, running along the front, right side, and backside. My overflow box is in the back left corner, and the tank is 99% more likely to be viewed from the front or right side due to our room layout anyway. This also provides any un-happy fish a very subdued tunnel on the left side of the tank to seek refuge if they so wish - much better than trying to hide in the back!

 

[snguyen77]

Hi all, i'm starting a new 40g breeder 36x18x16 and was thinking about getting two of the Par38 12k and 3 of the Panorana module 20k. My question is, with this setup will i get an even spead of light across the whole tank and would this be enough lighting to support any corals/clam? Also, is there any real difference between the Evil66 Par38 and the Panorama Par38?

 

[JTL]

I don't know anything about the Panorama's but you could get fair lighting with 3 of the Par 38's down the middle, better with 4. The problem the tank is just a little too wide at 18" to get real good front to back coverage without going to 6 lamps (2 rows of 3) which I think would be perfect for a tank that size. If you shoot for one lamp per square foot you will get good coverage and still have some shadow areas that add some very nice depth to the aquascape. I am referring to 40 degree optics which I favor because of better par values. Whatever you do be sure to get a mix of 12k and 20k. All 20's is a little too blue and artifical looking for my personal taste and the all 12k is too much white. A 50/50 mix is perfect. I have a mix of corals including sps and the colors are very good with a 50/50 mix.

 

[snguyen77]

I don't know anything about the Panorama's but you could get fair lighting with 3 of the Par 38's down the middle, better with 4. The problem the tank is just a little too wide at 18" to get real good front to back coverage without going to 6 lamps (2 rows of 3) which I think would be perfect for a tank that size. If you shoot for one lamp per square foot you will get good coverage and still have some shadow areas that add some very nice depth to the aquascape. I am referring to 40 degree optics which I favor because of better par values. Whatever you do be sure to get a mix of 12k and 20k. All 20's is a little too blue and artifical looking for my personal taste and the all 12k is too much white. A 50/50 mix is perfect. I have a mix of corals including sps and the colors are very good with a 50/50 mix.

Thank for the reply, after looking around and reading/seeing pics, i think i have decided to try a japanese reef tank. i am now thinking of going with 4 total Par38 (2 12k and 2 20k) w/ 40 degree optics from Ecoxotic. you mentioned that you have a 50/50 mix, but is it with evil66? from my understanding, his and Ecoxotic 20k are totally different. Your help and opinion is greatly appriciated!:beer:

 

[JTL]

I have evil66. I went with his because he has done exhaustive research on not only the emitters but the electronics (I think he is an EE).

 

[Crab Rangoon]

i'm starting a new 40g breeder 36x18x16. My question is, with this setup will i get an even spead of light across the whole tank?

Is this what you are hoping to achieve? I'm sorry, but spreading a combo of modular Panorama's & some PAR38's over the aquarium is going to surely illuminate the entire aquarium, but if you're looking for completely even lighting across the entire tank you should consider the Panorama 23.5" fixture instead. I'm a big supporter of the modular lamps; be it PAR38 or AquaRay or Panoramas; and an absolute fan of arranging & aiming your lights over the tank according to your rock layout. But, like I said, for a more evenly lit appearance I would consider the Panorama fixture instead - it will also provide for a much cleaner installation and seamless integration. I don't have any other 40 breeders to reference here, but there is this 30g cube pulling one off with a rather bright and perfectly evenly lit appearance: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1820149

from my understanding, his and Ecoxotic 20k are totally different.

They certainly are, the Ecoxotic isn't a 20k - it is an all blue 455nm bulb, where as the "20k" would be 3 blues and 2 whites combined..

 

[snguyen77]

They certainly are, the Ecoxotic isn't a 20k - it is an all blue 455nm bulb, where as the "20k" would be 3 blues and 2 whites combined..

so if i were to go ahead and get the two 12k and two all blue, do you think the beams would blend well? At 1st i was looking to get a more even spread of light, but after seeing some japanese spot reef, i think that's where i want to go. i'm going to "try" to recreate the opening scene of Finding Nemo :lolspin: . I have decided to just highlight the aquascape and have a low lit sand bed from the outer part of the beams. My only concern now is if the lighting will blend well, should i get 4 or 6, and the ratio between the Ks

 

[JTL]

Just becareful of too much blue unless of course you like the color of windex.

 

[Crab Rangoon]

Just becareful of too much blue unless of course you like the color of windex.

He ain't kidding - the blue bulbs are blue. Real blue. Beware of this.

I've seen one tank that had a line of 4 in a row over the tank, 12k/20k/12k/20k, and it looked like it blended fine - in a photograph. Everything is subjective to ones taste, and LEDs or not - the aquarium is going to look different in person than it will online. This counts for both the overall color, the spread, and brightness of the tank as a whole. I would strongly suggest that you might try the regional forum that applies to your area, and scope someone's tank out in person that has these lights. Otherwise, order your combo of 12k & 455nm bulbs as planned - but have a backup plan of perhaps replacing one or both of your 455nm bulbs with the 20k bulb offered by the other brand.

People often forget that the typical ratio for LEDs is 2:1 for white:blue.. NOT 1:1, which will give you windex style for sure.

 

[shmalik]

Hello, I was thinking about starting a DIY project using the Par 38 lights and was just wondering what supplies you have used to accomplish your light fixture. I haven't decided how I am going to have it set up exactly but if you could give me some pointers on some of the supplies you used and where you went for them that would be great

Thanks

 

[Mustang Boy]

PAR38 bulbs screw into a normal light socket so one popular way of installing these lights is with track lighting which is mounted to the ceiling and has the bulbs hanging over the tank. you can use an lamp though as long as there isnt a cover that goes around the heatsink area on the bulb