# Twinstar 450E vs 450EA? Tank lid hinge blocks light. How to solve?



## Curb Your Aquarium (Aug 1, 2018)

I have narrowed down my search for a full-spectrum LED light for my 10-gallon tank to either the Twinstar 450E or the 450EA.

The problem is that the glass lid I currently have is hinged, with a black connecting strip that runs along the entire length of the lid. This plastic hinge is 1 1/4-inch thick and will absorb/reflect a significant amount of light from the LEDs.

The thermostat is temporarily turned up to 86 F (30 C) to help the tank to cycle faster - there isn't quite so much condensation usually. Will be going back down to 78 F soon. Only have plants right now.



















The 450E would fit my tank perfectly (the tank is 20" long, and the lights are just under 18" long). However, my current hinged lid would not only block some of the light (and look somewhat ugly), but would also present an uneven surface for the acrylic legs, which stand directly on top of the lid.


My first thought was to go for the 450EA, which hangs off the side of the tank and so could work around the raised hinged section of my lid, but this still wouldn't solve the problem of the plastic hinge blocking some of the LED light.


The next idea I had was to simply remove the hinge, which would both solve the problem of light being blocked, as well as present a perfectly flat surface for the legs of the 450E to rest on. My doubts about this are: 1) evaporation through the gap between the two pieces of now disconnected pieces of glass; 2) the glass would be less stable if not connected and 3) it would look less aesthetically pleasing than having one single piece of glass, spanning most of the surface of the tank.


What would you guys do? Is it possible to buy aquarium lids which don't have a hinged section in the middle, but still have a vinyl strip at the side to allow for cutting around equipment such as heaters and HOB filters?


Right now, I'm thinking of getting the Twinstar 450E and simply removing the black plastic hinge from my existing lid (for aesthetic, improved lighting and LED leg stability reasons), but would rather have a single piece of glass if possible, rather than two pieces resting side by side.

Edit: Okay, I just found this thread haha

https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/9-equipment/1100201-where-buy-glass-lid-without-hinge.html


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## Kegel70 (Jul 5, 2018)

Get rid of the top altogether or use plastic mesh. You’ll get better light transmission anyways.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/diy-aquarium-screen-top-kits-1-4-netting.html



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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

On my 40b I just cut it into 3 pieces..so about 60% less blockage...


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## Curb Your Aquarium (Aug 1, 2018)

Kegel70 said:


> Get rid of the top altogether or use plastic mesh. You’ll get better light transmission anyways.
> 
> https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/diy-aquarium-screen-top-kits-1-4-netting.html



So I should think about using netting to stop escape artists instead of a lid?


What about water evaporation if I keep the tank at around 78 F (25.5 C)? I think the evaporation is my main concern right now. There's some condensation on the inside of my lid, so I can see that it's helping to keep a lot of the water in there.


If you don't have a lid, do you need to top up the water level multiple times per week?


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## patfat (Oct 23, 2015)

Curb Your Aquarium said:


> So I should think about using netting to stop escape artists instead of a lid?
> 
> 
> What about water evaporation if I keep the tank at around 78 F (25.5 C)? I think the evaporation is my main concern right now. There's some condensation on the inside of my lid, so I can see that it's helping to keep a lot of the water in there.
> ...



I have a mesh lid and I just use an auto top off so the water fills back up for me. ATO's are usually used for reefs but since i got out of reefs I kept it.

actually have an extra brand new one for sale


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## Kegel70 (Jul 5, 2018)

Yes. You’ll need to top it off a few times a week or just go the auto topoff route. I don’t have a planted tank yet but am working on it. Actually I’ll just manually top it off as it’s only going to be 17 gallons. No big deal. No worries about salinity like my sw tank either. 

If you go the auto route, don’t look any further than this:

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/tunz...MIv6G9t6nX3AIVEr7ACh0OAwa5EAQYASABEgIaYPD_BwE

Best on the market.




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## Hyue (Oct 11, 2017)

A local glass shop should be able to cut a custom piece of glass for no more than $10-20. I gave myself a 2" gap in the back to run the filter pipes. If you have a rimless tank, you can find stainless steel lid holders cheap as well.


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## Kaiede (Sep 11, 2017)

I’ll note that while trying to track down a second Twinstar E, that I’m being told that they are being discontinued in favor of the EA. 

It makes sense, I just wish the adjustable legs looked a bit more premium, for the extra cost of the EA.


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## Curb Your Aquarium (Aug 1, 2018)

Hyue said:


> A local glass shop should be able to cut a custom piece of glass for no more than $10-20. I gave myself a 2" gap in the back to run the filter pipes. If you have a rimless tank, you can find stainless steel lid holders cheap as well.


I got a quote from a local glass shop for a 9 3/4" x 19 1/2" cut. Only $8!

However, I'm pretty sure that I want to go the net route now though. I want all that LED light to go into the water with no reflection from the glass.

Not only do I want zero reflection of my lights from the glass lid but I also think it would be cool to be able to properly see into the tank from above, with no condensation or reflections to affect my viewing ability.

Now that I know that reliable ATO systems exist, a net is a much more attractive option :grin2:


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Hmmm. how thick? Window glass is really too thin..
About the right price for 3/32" glass..

I know you are leaning to screen... fine but just an FYI for others.


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## Curb Your Aquarium (Aug 1, 2018)

jeffkrol said:


> Hmmm. how thick? Window glass is really too thin..
> About the right price for 3/32" glass..


I asked for a quote for 1/8" thickness as that's how thick the sides appear to be (although I suppose window glass isn't as strong as aquarium-grade glass). The quote I received mentioned 3mm thickness. Very thin. At the time, I was thinking it wouldn't be bearing the weight of any water, so it might be okay.

Edit: oops! I measured incorrectly. Turns out I read my tape measure as 3/8" when it was really telling me 3/16".

Originally, I was thinking of getting the Twinstar 450EA, which would not be able to perch on the rim if the lid was too thick. Otherwise, I would have gone for 1/4".

I'm actually _still _thinking of getting the same (adjustable) length Twinstar light, except now with a net cover instead of glass lid. The regular 450E (the other light I was looking at) needs a lid to stand on and I don't think I want any lid at all, so the 450EA is a no-brainer.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

suppose window glass was the worng term.. most glass is glass but back to the point:
Personally woudn't use glass thinner than 5mm unless tempered.


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## Curb Your Aquarium (Aug 1, 2018)

*Ordered my 450EA!*



jeffkrol said:


> suppose window glass was the worng term.. most glass is glass but back to the point:
> Personally woudn't use glass thinner than 5mm unless tempered.



Makes sense. I would definitely go for tempered glass, if I did opt to have a lid.


Just ordered a Twinstar 450EA a few minutes ago. This is the first aquarium I've ever set up so I'm pretty excited to see how it will look with a full spectrum LED strip on it!!


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## Bogey (May 7, 2017)

For everyone who is looking for a Twinstar E. The light has officially been discontinued in the US. Buceplant, Glass Aqua, Aqua Forest Aquarium all are officially out of stock on most of the lights now. There is still ways to buy the ES. You can order it from seller on EBay that ships it directly from the origin of the light.


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## gus6464 (Dec 19, 2011)

E is white light only right? Twinstar is now using RGB + W for their entire new lineup?


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## Curb Your Aquarium (Aug 1, 2018)

gus6464 said:


> E is white light only right? Twinstar is now using RGB + W for their entire new lineup?


C Series = White LEDs


E Series = RGB LEDs


S Series = RGB LEDs


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## Kaiede (Sep 11, 2017)

Bogey said:


> For everyone who is looking for a Twinstar E. The light has officially been discontinued in the US. Buceplant, Glass Aqua, Aqua Forest Aquarium all are officially out of stock on most of the lights now. There is still ways to buy the ES. You can order it from seller on EBay that ships it directly from the origin of the light.



Okay, so that makes two that have heard the same thing. I pointed it out a bit higher in the thread as well.

The markup on the versions shipped from South Korea are pretty high though. I prefer the ES, but not so much to pay nearly 1/3 more over the EA.

Got lucky yesterday and found what’s probably the last 900ES model available in my area. The store owner was unpacking a bunch of new stock from Twinstar at the time, all the E models coming in were EA.



gus6464 said:


> E is white light only right? Twinstar is now using RGB + W for their entire new lineup?



The only change with the EA are the legs. The difference between the E and S is the S has a higher percentage of RGB LEDs and higher output.


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## Curb Your Aquarium (Aug 1, 2018)

Kaiede said:


> The only change with the EA are the legs. The difference between the E and S is the S has a higher percentage of RGB LEDs and higher output.


Exactly. Whether you go for standard/adjustable/pendant options within a series doesn't affect the diodes you get. Of course, jumping up from C -> E -> S series will see improvements in the actual lighting ability of the units.

There are only two models in the latest S series on the Twinstar site right now (and both are too long for my tank) but if I compare the lumens against the equivalent models from the E series, it looks like this:

600EA = 2,400 lumens
900EA = 4,700 lumens

600SA = 3,100 lumens (29.17% increase)
900SA = 4,900 lumens (4.26% increase)

It seems that the shorter the length, the greater the benefit of going to a newer series. I'm not sure if this will also apply to the other models below the 600SA.

My tank is 20" long, so the only choice for me at the moment is the 450EA. I would have gone for the S series but the choices were 900SA (900mm = 35") or the 600SA (60mm = 23.6").

Writing all this has got me wondering how long it will be until the 450SA hits the market! I'd like to upgrade my 450EA (which hasn't arrived yet) to a 450SA for sure.

I've just fired off an email to Twinstar technical support for this information and will let you guys know what they say.


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## Kaiede (Sep 11, 2017)

Curb Your Aquarium said:


> Writing all this has got me wondering how long it will be until the 450SA hits the market! I'd like to upgrade my 450EA (which hasn't arrived yet) to a 450SA for sure.


I'd be surprised if it is in the pipeline. The SS has been around for years. The SA is replacing the SS. I wouldn't be too surprised if there's just issues cramming in more diodes without a fan for the smaller models.

I wouldn't _personally_ worry too much about the missing light for the smaller tanks. They tend to be shorter compared to the tanks the 600/900 wind up on top of.


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