# Led Light bulbs vs beamworks



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

crusht said:


> Hi Folks. I set up my tank around 10 days ago and experimenting with some lights and plants. I am very new to planted tanks and have been trying to read as much as I can on this forum.
> 
> This is a standard 10 gallon with 20lb of eco complete with 2 amazon swords, 2 Hygro stems, 7-8 stems of Ludwigia, 1 crypt, bunch of A.reineckii and 2 tufts of dwarf hairgrass (I know I should spread them out), 5 danios and a pair of kribs. I didn't plan out my choice of plants very well and right now I feel like I may do it all over again. Oh and one giant piece of Mopani which I love but is making my water really dark.
> 
> ...


$ for $ you won't beat the Phillips bulbs.. but it will have a better "look"
Besides your 2 bulbs are way more than "medium" in those brooder reflectors..

W/ all the tannins in your water, a 6500k "may" be a bit better.

LED Aquarium Lighting Freshwater Bright

Honestly for your aims I'd go w / one Razor at 18" and 1650 lumens..

Advantage is I know how to dim them. Your bulbs are probably not dimmable..

adding a second razor (an additional $30) will put you above your 2 lights.


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

I was thinking about the look too since this is on my desk in my office. The light you pointed to was one that I was looking at. What would you think about this to make it future proof just in case I go med-high tech with C02 etc? Does it run too hot? Is this 3w led version dimmable?

Yes the bulbs are probably not dimmable even though there is no mention on the box. Other more expensive bulbs did mention dimmable. I know I will probably have to buy less power if I need to but I may just wait to see some algae before I do that.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

crusht said:


> I was thinking about the look too since this is on my desk in my office. The light you pointed to was one that I was looking at. What would you think about this to make it future proof just in case I go med-high tech with C02 etc? Does it run too hot? Is this 3w led version dimmable?
> 
> Yes the bulbs are probably not dimmable even though there is no mention on the box. Other more expensive bulbs did mention dimmable. I know I will probably have to buy less power if I need to but I may just wait to see some algae before I do that.


first, just just to be clear, the dimming is an "after market" mod.. and yes any of these constant voltage "strip lights" can be PWM dimmed AFAICT..
Putting this between the PS and the light would be fine..
http://www.dx.com/p/12-24v-8a-1w-pw...gclid=CLv45LOv8sgCFVU2aQodY98IMg#.VjeroCurEuc
just don't exceed 8A.. 
Personally start w/ one Razor.. add another at your leisure..
the 1-3W ones have 90 degree lenses (remove-able..) so are really more advantageous for deeper tanks than a 10gal..


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

Thanks for the info. I think Im ordering the razor later today. 

Funny thing is I had ordered 



dimmers off Amazon last week for a DIY I had planned but then aborted but couldnt cancel the order on time. Maybe I'll have some use for then now. Do you think they will work for the razor? 2 amps enough?


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

crusht said:


> Thanks for the info. I think Im ordering the razor later today.
> 
> Funny thing is I had ordered these dimmers off Amazon last week for a DIY I had planned but then aborted but couldnt cancel the order on time. Maybe I'll have some use for then now. Do you think they will work for the razor? 2 amps enough?


the small 18" ones seem to draw appox 1.2A......So that should work fine..
Check the spec on the power brick, though it may run high..
I'd guess it is 2A..

Doesn't matter too much, light will only draw the current it wants.. probably 1.2A
15 or so watts..
.5W x 33 diodes = 16.5w 16.5/12 = 1.375A


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

Just got the beamswork in. Looks pretty dark compared to the other monster lights I had. Almost feels like its not enough but that's probably just me.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

crusht said:


> Just got the beamswork in. Looks pretty dark compared to the other monster lights I had. Almost feels like its not enough but that's probably just me.


I did mention the other lights were way stronger in comparison.
but ist sure looks better..  
your high Tannin levels isn't helping much either though..  though the image is probably darker looking than real life..

As a side note: Is that the look you were going for (Amazonia) or just an artifact..?
Just curious..

OPP's reread your first post.. got it..

BTW: since you only had those brooders on for 10 days, the high light effects didn't kick in..yet.


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

As you read, I wasnt going for that look but, anyway, I couldnt take it any longer and pulled the wood out. I am going to "age" it in a bucket or use it to turn some moonshine into bourbon  Sad to see that my kribs had laid eggs in the wood but they will be at it again. I'm looking for a cave for them now.

I am returning the led fixture. Even though I loved how neat it looked I didn't like the coverage so I will switch the bulbs to lower wattage before I have fried fish and plants.

I put in some rocks I found at the beach. Will update in a few days.


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## Django (Jun 13, 2012)

There is an LED fixure called "Stingray" that I read some good things about here - you can search "Stingray" here too.

I have a 10 with two 10" brooder fixtures - have had for some time - but on top of a glass top they were too bright. Oh, excuse me for not saying they are CFLs, but they are about 500 lumens each. Your LED fixture would be about 1.5 x my CFLs. Lumens are comparable between CFLs and LED, but not wattages. My reflectors are about 16" from bulb to substrate.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Django said:


> There is an LED fixure called "Stingray" that I read some good things about here - you can search "Stingray" here too.
> 
> I have a 10 with two 10" brooder fixtures - have had for some time - but on top of a glass top they were too bright. Oh, excuse me for not saying they are CFLs, but they are about 500 lumens each. Your LED fixture would be about 1.5 x my CFLs. Lumens are comparable between CFLs and LED, but not wattages. My reflectors are about 16" from bulb to substrate.


The Stingray is slightly higher output than the Razor..
Coverage wise it has roughly the same dispersion pattern though.


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## Oso Polar (Apr 22, 2015)

Hmm, PAR measurements I saw suggest Stingray is actually slightly lower but the difference is negligible. Also, Finnex web site doesn't list 18" Stingray, so it is probably not available in this size.

As for coverage, I actually have 18" Razor on a 10 gallon low tech tank and it lights it up very well. Excellent plant growth.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Oso Polar said:


> Hmm, PAR measurements I saw suggest Stingray is actually slightly lower but the difference is negligible. Also, Finnex web site doesn't list 18" Stingray, so it is probably not available in this size.
> 
> As for coverage, I actually have 18" Razor on a 10 gallon low tech tank and it lights it up very well. Excellent plant growth.


Problem is the o/p is comparing it to some very high lighting..

As a crude comparison I normalized the exposure based on the white wall..(pretty sure this is valid) 
The stingray/razor never had a chance.. 










3000 lumens (1500 x 2) vs 1650 lumens..
From my post above:



> Personally start w/ one Razor.. add another at your leisure..


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

You are right Jeff. After having two 14 watt (100 watt) bulbs the Razr did seem dull. But another thing that bothered me in my own totally newbie way was that when placed in the middle the back and front seemed like there was a lot less light at the substrate and the back and front are where my plants are with the wood in the middle. When I pushed it to the back or front it was fine but that meant getting another fixture.

Sooo... I went and got a Great Value double pack of 8.5 watts = 60 watts Led bulbs for $5,85 and I am already loving the coverage, color and my overall expense which has gone down to apprx $26. I tried cfl for a while when I first set the tank up but they were getting really hot so switched to Led for even cheaper.

The tannins have already started going away after a 25% water change and I am liking it.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

The true test (and to be honest the Razor has also not been tested) how long the bulbs last. If you think about it repost if/when one goes out..
The Phillips LED's we have at work have lasted for awhile now. Many of the cheaper brand LEd's have not (at least as reported)

Having all the heat over the power conversion circuitry is a bit of a problem.

Glad to see you throttled it down, and I can understand coverage issues.. It is a sore point personally..shadowed areas..esp. at the top of the tank..


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

crusht said:


> Just got the beamswork in.





> After having two 14 watt (100 watt) bulbs the Razr did seem dull.



Just a little confused. Did you get the Razor or the Beamswork?


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

Sorry I thought they were the same. The one sold on aquatraders is called the razor:

LED Aquarium Lighting Freshwater Bright

But the one I got from ebay is not (only subtext mentions Razor) but IMO is the exact same thing:

6500K LED 18" 0.50W 33x LEDs Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant Discus Tetra

I was referring to Beamswork and the Razor as the same thing. I may be wrong.


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

BTW just a short search is giving me almost no results on actual 6500K led bulbs from known brands. They all seem to be 5000K. Not even sure the difference between those two colors mean much in my case but is still interesting to see.

I see a good number of "corn light bulbs" that are sold in this color though. They differ in what I think is the type of LED used and what I'm seeing is SMD 2835, 5730 and 5050. Not sure how they differ other than led size or if any one of them is better for a planted tank. I am now wondering if the regular led bulbs I am getting (philips or walmart brand) are essentially these "corn" bulbs wrapped with a glass cover to make them look like the traditional A19 bulb shape??? IF thats the case I may just give these a try.


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## Oso Polar (Apr 22, 2015)

Kubla said:


> Just a little confused. Did you get the Razor or the Beamswork?


Beamswork is a brand, Razor is one particular model of LED fixture they manufacture. :grin2:


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## Oso Polar (Apr 22, 2015)

Difference between 5000K and 6500K is that 6500K bulbs produce slightly more bluish light (but both are considered close to regular day light). One very interesting value will also be CRI - it determines how natural object colors will look under the given light source. It is usually provided for fluorescent tubes, much less frequently for CFLs and I never saw it documented for LED fixtures. I guess because their CRI is nothing to be proud about. :-/


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Oso Polar said:


> Difference between 5000K and 6500K is that 6500K bulbs produce slightly more bluish light (but both are considered close to regular day light). One very interesting value will also be CRI - it determines how natural object colors will look under the given light source. It is usually provided for fluorescent tubes, much less frequently for CFLs and I never saw it documented for LED fixtures. I guess because their CRI is nothing to be proud about. :-/


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

Oso Polar said:


> Beamswork is a brand, Razor is one particular model of LED fixture they manufacture. :grin2:



DOH! I think I was getting confused with the Stingray (Finnex)


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

I am liking the whiter look after some of the tannins have gone. Still in some there though. Plants are going wild on me...


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

jeffkrol said:


>


FYI: some of the "High CRI" warm white bulbs use a yellow filter to reduce the yellowness. This results in lower PAR, but more natural looking plants.


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

Lighting Update:

Found 10W 6000-6500K Led bulbs on Amazon for $3,5 each. Ordered 2, seller sent 3!! that was cool. These have Samsung SMD2835's.

I took the caps off which exposes wiring (careful) and they give a little shimmer that I like. I'm not sure if its because of the color difference but the 5000K 9W Great Value Led's seem to be brighter than this 10w, but it could be me. The color difference is pretty obvious and it also shows on my red plants that look less red under this light.

Anyways thought I'd share since it may be an easy alternative for strip lights. I'm going to do something which will probably turn out to be useless and tell the seller to make some bulbs with the same white leds and put in a few red and blue's. Futile I know but worth the email, how many of each should they use?

Not the right section but since I'm here I have a plant question. I have several Ludwigia (I believe) that are overtaking the tank, growing huge leaves now. I feel they may be out-competing the other poor plants I have. Should I take it out? Will that give the other plants a chance to use some of the Excel I'm dosing? Right now I feel like the Luwigia is sucking all the little nutrients I add to this tank. Thanks..


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

Proper picture of the tank with these 6500k leds after some trimming and getting rid of the Ludwigia. I am hoping it will help with the GSA I had with the 5000K.

I was looking at the SMD 2835 strips and if I used them I would have had 60 diodes in 20" and now I have 70 in two bulbs which makes it a little over one strip per 10 gallon I am using now. OF course that only makes sense if the ones on the bulb and the strips are the same or similar.


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

Update for the 6500K bulb. I have a feeling the plants are growing faster and redder with the last bulb and less algae.


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## ichy (Apr 6, 2015)

run some Purigen in your tank if you want all the tannins out.


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## crusht (Oct 20, 2015)

Wood and tannins are long gone. Liking it.


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