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NathanMI
05/19/2013, 07:55 AM
I'm starting a 30g extra long frag tank. Dimensions are 48X12X12. I want to put LED lights on it. Where could I find info on how to choose one? Since the tank is so shallow can I get a lower priced one? I plan on growing all types of coral in this tank.

Ron Reefman
05/19/2013, 08:25 AM
You'll either be doing a couple smaller fixtures or a 32" fixture to cove 48" of tank. How much do you want to budget for this light?

NathanMI
05/19/2013, 08:39 AM
I want LEDs but I don't want to break the bank. Probably $500 max or ill stick with t5s. I want really good growth. I already have to replace 12 t5 bulbs every year I don't want to add 6 more. I'm good at DIY so I want to go that route!

Ron Reefman
05/20/2013, 03:31 AM
I think the DIY led route is fading away. The new fixtures from EverGrrow, Reef Breeders, OceanRevive and Twilight are really good, very reasonably priced and easy to get. It makes DIY look like work. You could get 2 EverGrow D120's which have dimmers (aka Reef Breeders 'Value Fixture') for about $400 delivered. Or an IT2080 (RB Photon32) for about $430-$450 with a built in timer/controller. OceanRevive is a new company with a slimmer looking competitor to the D120 that looks good and works very well. Two of them would cost about $400+

Ron

dartier
05/20/2013, 04:17 AM
I don't think DIY for LED is going anywhere soon. Mainly because it is FUN, and if you do your homework, you can end up with a fantastic light. I would suggest reading the DIY forum on RC and other forums. With the new solderless LEDs and a pre drilled or no drilling required heatsink (MakersLED), you can eliminate all the harder bits that the less DIY capable people found difficult.

I recently build a 24 LED unit for my sump, which is my Frag tank. For 7 dimmable channels on a 6" x 10" heatsink it came out to about $200. That is for everything except the powersupply as I already have those available from my display tank lights and dimming controller which I already have as well. It could have been extended larger fairly easily for incremental cost.

Here is my layout for my Frag light:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1JdrN-1UlP0/UZn3hSesfvI/AAAAAAAABfc/_TTm9oEN23g/s517/Led-Layout.png

I should warn you though, designing your own LED fixture can become a passion unto itself and budgets and the original reason for making it can be easily overshadowed.

Dennis

NathanMI
05/20/2013, 04:33 AM
I need fast growth. Should I go with led or MH? How many watts do I need? Tank dimensions are 48x12x12

Ron Reefman
05/20/2013, 05:05 AM
Good MH or good leds will grow corals just fine. Why do you need fast growth? That's not always the best way to go.

Watts means almost nothing anymore. A 48" tank will have way more than enough light with 2 250w MH or 100 3w leds and given your shallow tank, 3 150w MH should be more than enough as well.

NathanMI
05/20/2013, 05:39 AM
What should I look for in a MH lamp?

What are good brands?

Could I use 2 400w MH? is the tank too shallow? I don't want to burn them up. I want to put two

I'm also going to add two MH to my 90g reef as well those should be 400w right?

jerpa
05/20/2013, 07:15 AM
If you go with MH you want to look for a quality reflector in the mold of a lumenarc or lumenmax type. With good reflectors two 150w fixtures would be more than enough for a frag tank. Two 250w halides would be all the light you need for a 90 gallon. Quality reflectors also mitigate a lot of the heat issues with MH if that is a concern.

NathanMI
05/20/2013, 07:32 AM
What's the difference between a quality reflector and a cheap one? What metal? Aluminum? I also have two 2 bulb T5 fixtures on the 90g to supplement the MH. What's a good low priced brand? I don't want moonlight led on the lamp I'm putting those on seperate.

jerpa
05/20/2013, 10:42 AM
Most quality reflectors are polished or hammered aluminum. Google lumenarc or lumenmax. That square, faceted shape makes a huge difference in spreading the light evenly and directing it into the aquarium. The reflectors in Coralife lights and spider reflectors in general have very hot spots and lackluster efficiency. Fixtures with nice reflectors aren't cheap but look at geisemann and sfigioli(sp?). Retrofitting individual reflectors will be cheaper than a finished fixture. You can find very good deals on used equipment on Craigslist or through a local reef club. If you can wait 90 days the for sale forum here will be unlocked for you. There are deals to be had on there as well.

coralreefdoc
05/20/2013, 11:08 AM
Giesemann. Sfiligoi

Own & recommend both lighting co

NathanMI
05/20/2013, 09:27 PM
The reefbreader photons aren't bad at all! Ill definitely get two for my frag tank! Can I put them on my 90 too? Will they grow coral as well as MH?

coralreefdoc
05/20/2013, 10:23 PM
Well, Ron Reefman, will they ...

:D

Ron Reefman
05/21/2013, 03:48 AM
Well, Ron Reefman, will they ... :D

Are you mocking me? Or just teasing me because the answer is so easy? Because there is no way somebody with your years of experience needs to ask me a question like this... :wavehand:

The reefbreader photons aren't bad at all! Ill definitely get two for my frag tank! Can I put them on my 90 too? Will they grow coral as well as MH?

"Can I put them on my 90 too?" Who's going to stop you, the aquarium lighting police? Of course you can. I have the EverGrow equal to the 'value fixture' (EG makes the lights for RB) over my 24g frag tank and 55g QT, but I'm switching to thre OceanRevive fixture as soon as they are available in a couple of weeks. I have an IT2040 (Photon16) over my 70g anemone tank and 2 IT2080 (Photon32) over my 180g DT full of sps & lps.

Will they grow coral as well as MH? You can hear both sides of that story if you look around here on RC. Some will say no or not as well as MH. But the truth is, hundreds of reefers have been switching to the current evolution of leds (full spectrum colors, dimmable or controllable, hugely more affordable in the last year). And I am just one of them.

I was a die hard MH user until I traded a MH to another reefer for an Eco Tech Radion led (cost new: $750). I hung it over my frag tank and it worked great! Good PAR numbers, really serious color & dimming control, and my frags grew just as good as they did under MH. So I was ready to switch, but all the really good led fixtures cost too much (or at least what I think is too much). I went to MACNA in Dallas last Fall and talked to every led seller there in hopes of finding something good enough and yet reasonably priced... but alas, I came home more convinced that leds are the future, as soon as the fixture manufacturers quite working on 90% profit margins! Then I found the now 130+ page 'Chinese led' thread here on RC and read the whole thing. Several people there had discovered EverGrow in China. They have been making led lighting for plant nurseries and greenhouses for years and had just expanded into the aquarium market with the D120 basic dimmable fixture at $180. I was ready. And just then, EverGrow introduced their IT series of fixtures with timer/controllers built in. I created a group buy in my local club and together 10 of us bought 24 fixtures and lots of spares for about $5400. I got my first 5 fixtures for under $1200... and that would have cost $6000 for Radions.

That was December of 2012 and just 2 weeks before I got the leds, I found a small 1" tip of green birdsnest sps laying on the sand under a big colony. Just for fun (I had seen several other people do this) I tied it with a string and hung it from a clip under the glass center brace about 6" below the water surface. That 1" tip with 1 broken end and just a pointy tip at the other end has turned into a 4-5" baseball size colony with literally 50-60 tips on it in just 5 months!

Can leds grow sps coral? He!! yes. Can it grow coral as good as MH? It depends on how good an led fixture you get. But if you get a good one, IMHO, yes, just as good as MH. And the fixture can cost less than the MH cost up front (if you buy right), run on less electricity, run WAY cooler, look way cooler (due to 2 channel dimming for color control and sunrise/sunset looks), involve almost no need for expensive bulb replacement every 12 to 24 months and yes, grow even sps corals just fine. :thumbsup:

coralrefdoc, is that what you were looking for? :lmao:

NathanMI
05/21/2013, 06:16 AM
What is the OceanRevive? Do they have a site?

sirreal63
05/21/2013, 07:10 AM
What is the OceanRevive? Do they have a site?

Try putting OceanRevive led into Google.

NathanMI
05/21/2013, 07:36 AM
Okay what's the model number Ron.

Ron Reefman
05/21/2013, 08:32 AM
It's the OR1026-S or the RM4126 depending on which page you look at. It's confusing, but it's the issues of a new start up company. I don't think they have officially given it a name yet and the website is still under construction! Anybody have any name ideas? I know they want a name more than a number, like Photon, Radion, Vega, ect. I'm terrible at coming up with names.

NathanMI
05/21/2013, 09:21 AM
Thank you.

NathanMI
05/21/2013, 08:36 PM
What lenses should I get for my 90g? I'm thinking 120* on the colors and 90* on the whites and blues.

Alex240
05/21/2013, 08:44 PM
A maxspect razor 27" raised a foot over tank would cover, that $500 and top quality. 2 AI sol's used would be around 500.
Both good for you.

coralreefdoc
05/22/2013, 03:07 AM
Ron. Mocking you, no ... Teasing you, yes, but not because the answer is so easy. The exact opposite/far from it, as there are an infinite number of variables/facets which must/should first be known/understood, and taken into consideration/accounted for, long before even attempting to answer that question, let alone strongly persuade/dissuade someone for/from LEDs.

Especially solely LED ...

Im in a rush, at the moment, but ill try n get back here soon to breakdown/interpret/comment on your paragraph(s) above. If you, and/or everyone else, is interested

Ron Reefman
05/22/2013, 04:49 AM
coralreefdoc, I'm always interested to heard what other people think. It's the best way to learn. :beer: