# Affordable LED lights for a low tech?



## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

I have a 55 gallon and am currently getting away without lights except for some ambient light from a window (indirect). The crypts and hornwort seem to be getting away with it but it really limits my selection of plants

I am thinking of getting an LED strip of some kind to lay across my tank so I don't have to buy a light fixture. However, the LED lights I've been looking at are VERY expensive. Am I looking the the right places? Can someone lead me in the right direction? I have the impression that if I want to get LED's that are bright enough for the absolute minimal amount of growth, I'm gonna have to fork over the dough


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## jotape65 (Sep 14, 2010)

I have a 36" Marineland double bright led over my 40g breeder. Petco is selling them for $140. Too much?


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

I'd preferably like to keep it under 100, but compared to the ones I was looking at, that price isn't too bad

How do your plants like it?


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## Baadboy11 (Oct 28, 2009)

probably gonna have to build something....but its really not too hard


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## askindc (Jun 28, 2008)

At the present time, bigalsonline.com is selling the above-mentioned 36"-long size of Marineland's Double Bright LED unit for $124, and shipping is free.


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

I guess I'm spoiled because I got my current fluorescent light fixture for 40 bucks on craigslist. Perhaps a search on there or ebay will help

Btw, does anybody know how many lumens per watt for LED's as opposed to fluorescent?


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## jotape65 (Sep 14, 2010)

Currently growing java ferns, jungle vals and anubias. They all look happy. Picture here:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/t...gallon-breeder-near-window-3.html#post1243466


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

Very nice! I am actually switching out my 55 gallon for a 50 gallon so there could be more floor space. More floor space equals more plants


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## redfishsc (Aug 29, 2010)

You're going to have a hard time finding LEDs made for aquariums that are reasonable in output, to fit a 4 foot long tank, and still give reasonable PAR numbers. 

I would suggest you use two of these. Ideally you'd use more than two, but honestly, two of these will take you a long way to having better growing plants.

Notice these are 5,000K temp. Not all of them (or even most) you see will be 5,000K..... a lot of these are 3,000K or worse, and ugly. But this one should help you out a lot.


http://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-LED-...O7A8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1298860445&sr=8-2


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## larryl (Jan 27, 2011)

I've got a 36" ReefBrite (all white) over my 50 breeder, it's actually a little too bright so I bet it would work fine over a 55 (the 48" one would be total overkill). I've got a small T5NO 6500K bulb in there with it to bring out the reds a little, the LEDs by themselves bring out a lot of blues but washout the reds a bit.



takadi said:


> Btw, does anybody know how many lumens per watt for LED's as opposed to fluorescent?


I don't know exact numbers, double or more? I replaced 156W of T5HO over my reef tank with 96W of LEDs and it's waaay brighter even using only 60% as much power...


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

Damn, well I just lost an ebay bid and the guy ran off with a marineland double bright 36 inch for 70 bucks.


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## shawnhu (Jan 23, 2009)

takadi said:


> I guess I'm spoiled because I got my current fluorescent light fixture for 40 bucks on craigslist. Perhaps a search on there or ebay will help
> 
> Btw, does anybody know how many lumens per watt for LED's as opposed to fluorescent?


Quality LED's are pushing 100+ lumens per watt, whereas T5's are at best 70 lumens per watt. Advantage with LEDs is that they don't require reflectors to make use of most of their lumen output, so their efficiency is even more valuable.


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## larryl (Jan 27, 2011)

shawnhu said:


> Quality LED's are pushing 100+ lumens per watt, whereas T5's are at best 70 lumens per watt. Advantage with LEDs is that they don't require reflectors to make use of most of their lumen output, so their efficiency is even more valuable.


Plus, they should last for years, as opposed to T5 bulbs which should be replaced every 12 or 18 months.


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## Blackstar65 (Sep 12, 2008)

Three of these plus shipping and a little DIY wiring. http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=684

PM JCArdona1 on here. He has a tank set up with one.


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

larryl said:


> Plus, they should last for years, as opposed to T5 bulbs which should be replaced every 12 or 18 months.


Exactly why I want an LED


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=370

What does everyone think about this?


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Someone did a PAR test on that a while ago, I think a few of those over a 55 would be good, might get some major spot lighting though if you're trying to stay under 100 dollars (which means you'd only be able to get 3). 1 or 2 is good over a 10 gal.

edit:
oops, not on that, I thoguht you had linked to the little 30dollar individual one


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

Yea the one I linked to is of similar price and has higher LED spread and higher watts. I'm unsure of how good it is though


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## ADA (Dec 31, 2010)

Another big plus for LED lights is that they run waayy cooler, which is great if you have shrimps, who like colder water.

I still can't figure out if the Marineland Single Bright, Double Bright or Reef Capable light will work with my Mr Aqua 12 long as a med/high light. It's very shalloy (9".. so the light could be sitting 10" above the substrate..

Anyone know if this will work?


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## Min (Dec 23, 2010)

hey check out my thread here 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/128230-diy-cheapest-cree-xpg-led-fixture.html 

im close by also, i can help you build one if you like it!


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## redfishsc (Aug 29, 2010)

takadi said:


> http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=370
> 
> What does everyone think about this?



I would NOT buy that unit. It's using those small "super bright" LEDs that are basically glorified dashboard lights. Not efficient. Put them side by side with an array using a good brand 3-watt LED, and the 3-watters will put out significantly more light for the same wattage use.

Most high power LEDs will give you significantly more punch and lumens/watt. 

You will be better off using 4 of these:
http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=684


Or using the ones I linked earlier, which are probably even better.
http://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-LED-...O7A8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1298860445&sr=8-2


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## ADA (Dec 31, 2010)

shawnhu said:


> Quality LED's are pushing 100+ lumens per watt, whereas T5's are at best 70 lumens per watt. Advantage with LEDs is that they don't require reflectors to make use of most of their lumen output, so their efficiency is even more valuable.


Hmm.. the Marineland Double Bright says it has 1200 lumens. There are 16 x 1W LEDs in it..


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## Geoinerworks (Jan 11, 2010)

*question..*

redfishsc...

How far above the water could I place these? I have a 36x24x16 coming from glass cages, I am making this a planted tank and above water plantings as well. I need to have them probably 12-18 above the tank.. would that work and still give me great par at the bottom of a 16?

http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=684


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Geoinerworks said:


> redfishsc...
> 
> How far above the water could I place these? I have a 36x24x16 coming from glass cages, I am making this a planted tank and above water plantings as well. I need to have them probably 12-18 above the tank.. would that work and still give me great par at the bottom of a 16?
> 
> http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=684


Remember, light intensity (PAR) drops with the square of the distance from the light. You are considering using those lights a long way from the substrate. Can you keep them around 4 inches above the top of the tank? That would probably work, but I doubt that 12-18 inches will work.


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## redfishsc (Aug 29, 2010)

Hoppy is right, you're going to want those up closer. They have a beam angle of 125 degrees (see the data sheet). You can put that pretty close to the water.... in fact, you'll probably have to. 

If you can find one that has a beam angle of 80 degrees, you can probably put them 10" up, maybe 15" up. 




ADA said:


> Hmm.. the Marineland Double Bright says it has 1200 lumens. There are 16 x 1W LEDs in it..



I'll believe this when I see it on a meter and someone pinches me to prove I'm not dreaming. It's certainly possible but I have my doubts.


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## larryl (Jan 27, 2011)

redfishsc said:


> I'll believe this when I see it on a meter and someone pinches me to prove I'm not dreaming. It's certainly possible but I have my doubts.


Why would that be hard to believe? 1200 lumens / 16 W = 75 lumens per watt, this is typical of numbers you see all over the place for LEDs.


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## redfishsc (Aug 29, 2010)

Well, maybe it's not so far fetched. That does sound within a reasonable range.


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

redfishsc said:


> I would NOT buy that unit. It's using those small "super bright" LEDs that are basically glorified dashboard lights. Not efficient. Put them side by side with an array using a good brand 3-watt LED, and the 3-watters will put out significantly more light for the same wattage use.
> 
> Most high power LEDs will give you significantly more punch and lumens/watt.
> 
> ...



I would buy those, but I simply have zero experiencing in electronics or DIY and would have no idea how to make a fixture for those.

On the subject of the double bright, I think I might just give up on trying to get one because I just don't believe it's worth the price. I've been on a mission to find one that's under 80 or 90 bucks (which I think it's worth at the most) but so far it's been fruitless


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## bmeate (Feb 9, 2014)

I found this on craigstlist for $60
would this be an upgrade for my lowtech planted 55gal which is currently usuing two t8 bulbs from home depot?
i wouldnt have to worry about too much lighting with this strip, would i?

_Description :
This LED fixture provides a high quality, energy efficient light fixture. Use the white, blue, red, green LED during the day and lunar blue LED during the night. Long lasting LEDs with no bulb replacement required.

FEATURE:
Make your aquarium looks cool with 10000K Daylight white LED
Specially designed combination of blue, red and green light will stimulate aquatic plant growth, and make your plant and fish looks good as well.
Super slim housing with black finish
3 control modes:
Day Mode (all LEDs on), Night Mode (only Actinic LEDs on) and turn-off
Longer extendable bracket to fit on wide range of aquarium size
Recommended for freshwater, saltwater, and plant tank

SPECIFICATION:
Includes 96 LEDs
45x 10000K cool white
39x Actinic Blue 460nm
6xRed 620-625nm
6xGreen 520-525nm
Lumen :5760
Super energy efficient 0.50 watt LEDs
Extendable bracket 48"-60" max extend
Splash guard
AC110-240V AC adapter
DIMENSION: 46.33"x3.548"x0.5"

INCLUDES:
1 piece of LED light
1 power adapter_


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## Oso Polar (Apr 22, 2015)

bmeate said:


> _
> 45x 10000K cool white
> 39x Actinic Blue 460nm
> _


IMHO this light will be a very poor choice for a planted tank - it'll make tank look very blueish and unnatural. Probably good for marine setup.


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## The Big Buddha (Jul 30, 2012)

This is a post from 2011. 
Probably best to start your own thread on it guys 

.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

L/watt for tubes is around 100 and fairly stable. LED's range from 50-200 and rising
LED's have an advantage in directionality.

Some measurements have quantified a real world output difference at 1W tubes=1/2W LED as a crude conversion..
Lights like the Beamsworks 3W "bridgelux" type emitters probably side more to 1:1 though
High quality emitters and good design are probably exceeding 1/3 to 1...

JUST a ballpark figure though and one would need to understand and measure the differences between system watts and emitter watts...


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## bmeate (Feb 9, 2014)

i have no idea what that means, but i wont buy it if it is not good for my plants


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

It is roughly an equal swap for your plants w/ output probably going to the LED but shading and geometry favoring the tubes.
One thing is for sure, it will look completely different.. 

In other words, if you are looking to increase light significantly, this will not do it. You will not decrease light most likely, though shading will create local decreases..


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## user12345pk (Sep 7, 2016)

https://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Lig...4313041011&ie=UTF8&qid=1480459241&sr=8-1&th=1


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