Reef Central Online Community

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community > General Interest Forums > Lighting, Filtration & Other Equipment
Blogs FAQ Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

User Tag List

Reply
Thread Tools
Unread 03/17/2018, 06:04 PM   #1
shamoo
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: England
Posts: 58
Am i missing something? home made lighting

Hello all

I feel im missing something. i really need to upgrade my lighting, but LED lighting fixtures are so expensive for what they are, aren't they? I like a DIY project and find it really strange there are not more posts about diy lighting.

For fish only, why dont people use waterproof outdoor LED spotlights? They're waterproof, come in all ranges of watts, small and cheap.

Soft corals..
what makes the croals grow? the blue spectrum in LED? isn't the blue spectrum just UV light? Couldn't you add a uv light strong enough to reach the depth of water needed for the corals?

i mean, LED is LED at the end of the day, i'm seeing light fixtures from £500 - £1200, which is crazy. am i missing something?


__________________
4x Chromis, 2x Banngai Cardinal, 2x Clown, Yellow watchman Goby, Royal Grammer, 2x Peacock Wrasse, One spot Foxface
5' 150g DT, 25g sump, 110lbs LR + refugium
shamoo is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/17/2018, 10:06 PM   #2
jtroutt19
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 62
It’s all about wavelength that is emitted from the led as well PAR Personally you don’t have to pay that much for a light fixture. I will never! personally I picked up a viparspectra 165w fixture off amazon for right around 140. It’s amazing granted it doesn’t have some of the “premium” features but it comes on and off and has timers for both blue and white channels. That is all I am after. It’s got great reviews as wel!


jtroutt19 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/18/2018, 01:50 AM   #3
kupadupapupa
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 344
Get a chinese black box like the Mars Aqua for around $100. They last approx. 4-5 years before they start having issues, at least that’s when mine needed replaced. Even then, you will still come out ahead due to the money saved on bulb changes. I used to have to replace my cf lighting every 6 months at $60 so one fixture paid for itself almost right away.


kupadupapupa is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/18/2018, 07:22 AM   #4
mcgyvr
Registered Member
 
mcgyvr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 20,050
Yes... you are missing something..

There are thousands of posts about DIY led fixtures (most in the DIY section obviously) but its been a while as now its typically cheaper to buy then build..

And not all LEDs are created equal..


__________________
Who me?
mcgyvr is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/18/2018, 03:07 PM   #5
ca1ore
Grizzled & Cynical
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Stamford, CT
Posts: 17,319
Plus there are tons of choices in manufacturer now, from large (for the hobby) companies to a guy in a garage. I'd imagine a bunch of the early DIY folks now sell fixtures. DiY if you enjoy it; hard to justify based on cost though.


__________________
Simon

Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones!

Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs
ca1ore is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:53 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef CentralTM Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2022
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.