# Anyone tried LED lighting yet??



## Grant (May 11, 2008)

My short question first:
Has anyone tried the Current USA PowerBrite LED Lighting System (4x1W 10000K) in a freshwater Nano?? Is it sufficient for the main light source for a 2.5g nano? Out of desparation, I just ordered one.

The background: 
I have been lurking this site for the last several weeks (great resource by the way) and am finally running into some issues I could use some help with.

I set up my first nano tank about 3 weeks ago. It is in a standard style 2.5 gallon glass aquarium. I am using a Coralife Mini Freshwater Aqualight (18w compact flour.). My plants seem to LOVE it, but it is doing my fish in due to the rise in temperature when the light is on. I am in Texas where indoors the temp in my house can frequently hit 80 even with the air on (trying to conserve the a/c costs). I got home from work the other day and the temp in my tank was 86F!! It was only about 79F in the house. Several of my green neons were clearly on their way out. After a quick water change and a few ice cubes, I got it back down to 82 and the fish seemed okay for the moment.

I need a light source that will keep my plants thriving, but not cook my poor fishies. When I purchased my Coralife light, I almost bought the Current USA LED strip, but decided against it since I couldn't find enough info on it and an email to the company when unresponded to. Is anyone using LEDs for the sole light source in a planted Nano? If so, how do they work for you?

Any other suggestions?


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## Tony (Oct 26, 2007)

LED is the future, by time there will be cheaper and better fixtures.


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## Grant (May 11, 2008)

Yeah, I have tried using a fan on the Coralife Mini and it doesn't seem to help a whole lot. The light just gets extremely hot when running. In order to remove it, I can only grab it from the very edges in order to not get fried. In some ways it is amazing that the tank does not get warmer than it does. I think if I were using it on something bigger like a 5 gallon, it might be okay. The 2.5 is just so...well, so nano.

Thanks for the hints on other posts. After some searching, I still haven't found a solid use that matches mine. So, I guess I get to be the guinea pig and report back to everyone. Luckily the place I bought my Coralife through will still let me return it since it has been less than 60 days. It is too bad that it gets so hot because it seems like a good light in most other ways for my set up.


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## aquaphish (Dec 20, 2002)

The lighting system you are using can be just a bit too much for the size of your nano. I was considering using one on an 8 gal but decided on another system.

As for a 2.5 many nano aquascapers use a cheap deskl lamp that you can get a any store that sells desk lamps. Just see if you can find one that uses a 13w pc which should be enough. If you feel that is not suffecient get two of them!!! They are cheap and from what I have read work very well.

There is also a clip on 13 w pc that is made for nano setups, but I don't remember where I have seen it. I need to get one for my 3 gal nano which has only a 9w.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

any tank with a hood (especially nanos) get heated up by the lights. if you remove the hood not only will the tank not be 7 degrees above room temp, but it will actually be cooler since evaporation cools the water (it evaporates less with the hood since it is more humid plus it condenses on the hood and condensation heats the surrounding area). home depot sells a very good light (27 watts) and it is great for growing any plant you want (i reccomend having the light raised to the max above the tank or it is too strong).


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## Sticky230 (Mar 30, 2008)

http://www.petstore.com/ps_ViewItem-idproduct-TA6131.html

what about something like this? would this be sufficient to grow plants in a tank?


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## xandert (May 5, 2008)

Sticky230 said:


> http://www.petstore.com/ps_ViewItem-idproduct-TA6131.html
> what about something like this? would this be sufficient to grow plants in a tank?


*Just a quick question I'm hoping someone can answer - why does the above listed light only have a 30-DAY warranty?*


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

i saw a guy that used leds on his 20 gallon long once on the web


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## Grant (May 11, 2008)

The *Taam Rio Mini Sun Daylight Lighting Fixture* might work fine on a 2.5g nano. I looked at that one, but it seemed like it may be overkill too. I have found it hard to uncover a lot of details on how many LEDs are needed in various applications when being used as the primary lighting source. The high end ones for large tanks use like 20+ LEDs so I figure a strip with 4 (like the Current USA I have on order) may be fine for a 2.5 gallon?? However, my eventual plan for my nano (after proving to myself that I can keep my green neons alive for a reasonable timeframe) was to get some killiefish. Apparently, those are notorious jumpers and need a well covered tank. So, my first focus has been on something that can just go right on top of the covered tank. I wasn’t expecting the heat issue so I am having to adjust tings a bit. Of course having a cover and then using a light (clip on or other) to be a few inches above the cover would probably work too. </SPAN>


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## Vonzorfox (Nov 22, 2007)

Whoops Wrong thread... Sorry:icon_redf


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## lemuj (Nov 7, 2006)

ok, was just wondering what was your experience like with regards to growing plants using the powerbrite. I too are now considering on getting it for my upcoming custom made nano tank. Just want to hear from someone with experience. Let us know, thanks


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

lemuj said:


> ok, was just wondering what was your experience like with regards to growing plants using the powerbrite. I too are now considering on getting it for my upcoming custom made nano tank. Just want to hear from someone with experience. Let us know, thanks


I agree it would've been nice to hear back on his experience using the light. I guess I'm reviving this because I'm about to buy the Current Powerbrite strips for lighting my new 2.5g tank.

A search turned up a guy using one Powerbrite strip (4x1w of the 10000k) to light his 5g bowfront reef tank. (thread here) Corals were apparently content with the light and grew. I think we can safely assume that it'd grow low to medium light plants just fine on a small tank. The 12" length would make it a natural choice for a 2.5g and that'd be 1.5 watts per gallon of more efficient (than fluorescent) light. :thumbsup:

Only trouble is I might be trying a mini reef in mine. Still deciding but we'll get it worked out this week. If it's reef I'll probably go with 3 Powerbrites, if it's fresh I'll do just one or two strips. The only potential hiccup is my bestfriend and brother are electricians and want to frankenstein me an LED system. They did a sweet job on my frankenlight for the 40 breeder, but store bought materializes faster..


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## kev82 (Feb 6, 2009)

I recently added 21x 0.5w LEDs on my 10g planted. Too early to tell on results, but plants are growing.

I have 12 red leds, 4 blue and 5 white (just to even out the reds and blues) Total of 10.5watts of lighting


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## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

The Rio light won't be enough for a two point five gallon. Not even for low-light applications. I'd say you'd need three of those to get to medium light.
I had one (for about half an hour) on a two gallon tank and I couldn't see a thing.








Also, the "daylight" spectrum looks more like moonlight than daylight to me. Very blue.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

kev82 said:


> I recently added 21x 0.5w LEDs on my 10g planted. Too early to tell on results, but plants are growing.
> 
> I have 12 red leds, 4 blue and 5 white (just to even out the reds and blues) Total of 10.5watts of lighting


Sounds very cool, do you have any photos of the setup? Do you find the overall color of the tank pleasing to view or are the red/blue overpowering?
I'd love to see what it looks like. Did you find a nice cheap source for those parts?



Ugly Genius said:


> The Rio light won't be enough for a two point five gallon. Not even for low-light applications. I'd say you'd need three of those to get to medium light.
> I had one (for about half an hour) on a two gallon tank and I couldn't see a thing.
> 
> 
> ...


I saw that light when comparing prices for the Powerbrites. I noticed they had those little lights as moonlights or daylight + moonlight. Not sure how or why you'd combine daylight and moonlight on one tiny little fixture... The pictured light is the day/moon one? That certainly doesn't look like it could provide the primary light for a tank. Thanks for sharing, as I briefly considered that for the 2.5g tank. 

It really seems like you need higher watt leds rather than a high number of lower powered (<0.1w) LEDs.


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## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

That's the daylight one. All bulbs are, believe it or not, white. Looks blue, though, huh? I'm interested in that Current USA PowerBrite LED Lighting System. Anyone know how the spread is on it? All LEDs I've seen have great intensity but terrible spread.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

It really does look blue. I'd really like to see what the blue night light version looks like.. :icon_eek:
Azoo recently came out with a new LED light. It's got something like 24 LEDs totalling 7 watts, and a clip on form factor. Could be worth checking out. I just don't think the weaker LEDs throw light as far down as the bigger LEDs. (1 watt +) Probably not a big deal on nanos with a 12 inch tall tank minus the substrate depth.

I'll be able to experiment and take some photos of the Powerbrite system as I just ordered 2 of the 10k lights, and 1 of the 10k links. It will be interesting to see how much of a spotlight effect one fixture gives on such a small tank. (only 8" tall)

Unfortunately I think I'm going to try and reef this one. I'll definitely throw some plants in there for testing and picture taking to share with anyone else interested in lighting a nano with Powerbrite as the primary light source. In the end I'm sure the reef with only use 2 of the strips, leaving me with option of using the last one on another 2.5g planted. Just don't tell the gf that's the plan, I can hear "NO MORE TANKS" rattling through my ears again just thinking about it..


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## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

Can't speak for reef tanks or what-not, but with the GF + more tanks, just offer her a massage. It should work if you do a good job.
And keep us updated on the LEDs.


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## kev82 (Feb 6, 2009)

prototyp3 said:


> Sounds very cool, do you have any photos of the setup? Do you find the overall color of the tank pleasing to view or are the red/blue overpowering?
> I'd love to see what it looks like. Did you find a nice cheap source for those parts?


I'll get some photos when I get home. The color these leds give is not pleasing to look at, at all. Too red. Thing is, the LEDs are in the back, while there's a 11w PC in front. Makes the tank ok too look at. Also because there's peat in the tank, the water is brown, so that subdues the reds and makes it look a tad more natural.

Total cost of the LEDs was a little under $40, including shipping to Iceland. Got them off ebay store shop4leds. I do have a a few spares, and burnt out a few while building this. The reds are supposed to be 90k mcd, blues 70k mcd and whites 110k mcd. Who knows if these numbers are even close to correct.. :icon_roll The blue/red ratio is about 85% red, if counting mcd. I read somewhere that that should cover most of the light plants are able to use, and the 11w PC should be able to cover the rest.

Links if anyone's interested:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220228192707
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310044715268
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310086276341

I'm contemplating getting some 1-3w cree lights to try out too. I found a source for 6500K lights, which should be pretty good for plants, plus I'd get a light that actually looks pretty, opposed to the red lights in there now


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## opie (Feb 6, 2009)

I have a current usa led system on my 29 gallon with oscars.
the spread on the bulbs isnt that great at all actually.

And my belief is that the blue isnt really for night time because its way too bright.

for a night time light system you should buy the Lunar Lights.
all the pictures ive seen of them show they work pretty well.
not to mention the huge cost difference 



if you would like i could snap some photos of my tank with only the leds on.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

kev82 said:


> I'll get some photos when I get home. The color these leds give is not pleasing to look at, at all. Too red. Thing is, the LEDs are in the back, while there's a 11w PC in front. Makes the tank ok too look at. Also because there's peat in the tank, the water is brown, so that subdues the reds and makes it look a tad more natural.
> 
> Total cost of the LEDs was a little under $40, including shipping to Iceland. Got them off ebay store shop4leds. I do have a a few spares, and burnt out a few while building this. The reds are supposed to be 90k mcd, blues 70k mcd and whites 110k mcd. Who knows if these numbers are even close to correct.. :icon_roll The blue/red ratio is about 85% red, if counting mcd. I read somewhere that that should cover most of the light plants are able to use, and the 11w PC should be able to cover the rest.
> 
> ...


Those high watt Cree and Luxeons are nice but pricey. What turned me off from trying to piece together a DIY light with them was the no hand soldering thing. The plug-n-play ready Cree/Luxeon LEDs I found were too pricey for my curiousity, something like $28+shipping. And when I read a lot of people accidentally melt their DIY LEDs from heat and current issues, no thanks. I believe the Powerbrite uses a 1w Luxeon, that's why I found the price to be quite fair with everything considered. 



opie said:


> I have a current usa led system on my 29 gallon with oscars.
> the spread on the bulbs isnt that great at all actually.
> 
> And my belief is that the blue isnt really for night time because its way too bright.
> ...


From what I've seen on the forums these units would only really act as strong moonlights on large tanks like a 120g. Seems like you need the extra oompf to get those shimmer lines down on the substrate of taller tanks. Thus the narrow spread, they're really throwing that light down as concentrated as possible.

I'd love to see a picture with just the Powerbrite light on, that'd be helpful. Do you have the blue or 10k? 



Ugly Genius said:


> Can't speak for reef tanks or what-not, but with the GF + more tanks, just offer her a massage. It should work if you do a good job.
> And keep us updated on the LEDs.


I could put a ring on her finger and she'd still hate the aquarium hobby. Not sure what it is, maybe she was forced to eat algae wafers as a child, or was spanked with a fish net. I definitely need to break it, and the only way is with more tanks. Maybe one on her desk.. :fish:


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## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

prototyp3 said:


> I could put a ring on her finger and she'd still hate the aquarium hobby. Not sure what it is, maybe she was forced to eat algae wafers as a child, or was spanked with a fish net. I definitely need to break it, and the only way is with more tanks. Maybe one on her desk.. :fish:


Darn you, I laughed out loud at work! :hihi:


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## opie (Feb 6, 2009)

I have the 10k fixture.

ill charge my camera when i get home and have pics up by 10 tonight :thumbsup:


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## kev82 (Feb 6, 2009)

The Crees aren't *that* expensive. 3W, capable of 228 lumens at 1000ma are $6.52, ready soldered to a board (so you can hand solder it to your stuff), including shipping.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2394 If you buy 3+ they are $5.61. Sure, you'd need a few, but definitely cost effective, esp considering you don't need to change bulbs for a few years.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

kev82 said:


> The Crees aren't *that* expensive. 3W, capable of 228 lumens at 1000ma are $6.52, ready soldered to a board (so you can hand solder it to your stuff), including shipping.
> http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2394 If you buy 3+ they are $5.61. Sure, you'd need a few, but definitely cost effective, esp considering you don't need to change bulbs for a few years.


That's a good price, I didn't happen upon those while searching. But don't those also require a heat sink (if used anywhere near full capacity) and a reflector/lens? Definitely a good price (without having to buy a big boxed lot) for those with the DIY skills. 
I'm kind of tempted to get some to throw at my electrician buddies and say "make it happen."


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## hoochi (Apr 10, 2003)

prototyp3 said:


> That's a good price, I didn't happen upon those while searching. But don't those also require a heat sink (if used anywhere near full capacity) and a reflector/lens? Definitely a good price (without having to buy a big boxed lot) for those with the DIY skills.
> I'm kind of tempted to get some to throw at my electrician buddies and say "make it happen."


Your going to need a heatsink with any of the high powered leds. Optics are optional. The lighting forum at nano-reef has tons of information about DIY led arrays. Lots of members there have put together their own arrays.

I'm waiting for a Cree XR-E Q5 from dealextreme that I am going to put on my pico. I'm hoping it will be enough light. Got the driver from DX too. DX also has the Cree XR-E R2 which will throw a little more light than the Q5. Its only a couple cents more. Wish they had the R2 in stock when I ordered my Q5.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

hoochi said:


> Your going to need a heatsink with any of the high powered leds. Optics are optional. The lighting forum at nano-reef has tons of information about DIY led arrays. Lots of members there have put together their own arrays.
> 
> I'm waiting for a Cree XR-E Q5 from dealextreme that I am going to put on my pico. I'm hoping it will be enough light. Got the driver from DX too. DX also has the Cree XR-E R2 which will throw a little more light than the Q5. Its only a couple cents more. Wish they had the R2 in stock when I ordered my Q5.


I saw the one retrofit someone made and is selling there for the satellite 12" fixture. Looked real nice, I especially liked the ability to independently control the different LEDs intensity to adjust the overall color. That was a little too much power for my 2.5 gallon application though. 

What size pico and what do you have planned for the lighting?

I will definitely have to consider the DIY route when considering lighting solutions for my next tank. That will be after I move in a few months, so hopefully the LEDs keep getting brighter and the prices smaller. :thumbsup:


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## hoochi (Apr 10, 2003)

prototyp3 said:


> What size pico and what do you have planned for the lighting?


Its going to be for my 1 liter pico in my sig. I'm just going to run 1 LED over it and if it works out well I might build a larger array for a 1 gallon tank I have.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

hoochi said:


> Its going to be for my 1 liter pico in my sig. I'm just going to run 1 LED over it and if it works out well I might build a larger array for a 1 gallon tank I have.


That little tank is really cool! I sure hope you use tweezers for planting.
What type of housing are you planning for that LED?

---

My Powerbrites will be arriving on Monday. And I might end up going planted afterall. I'm going to check out what could be an awesome deal; 5lb co2 cylinder, azoo regulator and solenoid, bubble counter and diffuser for $80. Almost a no brainer as long as the tank is in good condition. (it would sit out in the open beside the bed side table the tank is on) I guess I could get it even if the tank is ugly, I'd just have to build a stand. And then so much for the cheap tank idea I had when I picked this up with my instore credit.. :icon_roll


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## hoochi (Apr 10, 2003)

prototyp3 said:


> That little tank is really cool! I sure hope you use tweezers for planting.
> What type of housing are you planning for that LED?
> 
> ---
> ...


Thanks. Everything is already planted and growing emersed. Just waiting for it to fill in and then I'll add water. Not too sure how I'll mount everything but I'm going to use the current desklamp I have on the tank now. Just gonna take out the screw in cfl bulb and figure out a way to mount the led, heatsink and driver inside the desklamp.

That CO2 setup sounds like a great deal. Its worth it even if the cylinder is ugly.


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## kev82 (Feb 6, 2009)

dealextreme also has drivers that are probably more cost effective than the buckpucks (ca half the price per led)
http://www.dealextreme.com/feedbacks/BrowseReviews.dx/sku.1885

I'm leaning towards those rather than the buckpucks ledsupply is carrying.. Or just a resistor.. Not sure I need/want dimming anyway.


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