# Beamswork success stories. (Beamswork club)?



## jeffkrol

As some may have seen I've recommended these lights for people "on a budget" though that is a bit unfair.

Some of my reasoning was 1) success stories 2) ease of repairs 3) high output for low dollar input 4) modifiable w/ low financial risk.

Granted they are static lighting w/ few "bells and whistles' out of the box but that is only one of the factors..

Sooo let see some new success stories w/ this lighting. Lights don't have to cost a second mortgage to be useable..not unlike T5's..

The stories, mods, measurements are scattered all through PT so lets collect a few..

Post your praises or damning.. to be fair. We have Finnex, and Current and ect...anyone ready to stand up for the little guy?


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## bhazard451

I actually was inspired by you and a few others to modify my 30" Beamswork 55W fixture by adding a few RGB strips. It was extremely simple, and I have mimicked an Ecoxotic E-Series with a more powerful light, same effects, for less $$.

Cost of materials:
Beamswork 30" .5Wx110 LEDs = ~$45
RGB light strip (up to 5 meters for any size light) = ~$20
"Sunsetter" Remote and timer (can use ecoxotic timer as well), or a separate programmable RGB controller = $30-$55
12v 10a power supply =~$20
RGB connectors = ~$5
Amazon.com: ZITRADES 10Pcs LED Strip Light 5050 RGB strip Connector for Conductor 10 to 12 mm Strip to Strip Jumper led strip connector: Home Improvement

4 pin connector = $1
Amazon.com - 20pcs 4 Pin Connectors Male for Led Strip Lights RGB 5050 3528 Insert Easy Use - Electronics Cable Connectors


You end up with the same features as the E-Series, in a more powerful light. I know because I'm selling my E-Series in the classifieds.

I have extensively tested LEDs for years over my reef, and I was one of the first to bring attention to Evergrow (Reefbreeders) LEDs outside of China. Pics to come later.

Oh, and it grows everything I put into it like crazy, including high light plants that I didn't know were high light plants (i'm new to planted tanks). This is without CO2 added.


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## lamiskool

Not sure if this is a success story, but I have used it successfully to grow a downoi farm in my 2.5 gallon tank. It grew downoi for me gloriously, still have the tank and light stored away just in case I want to start a second downoi farm 

Heres an old pic of it, not the prettiest tank.


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## Monster Fish

Here's my shrimp tank with a single 17" Beamswork Power LED 300 over it. It's great for low tech, low light setups while being very bright looking.


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## JasterMake

This is my modified 30" Beamworks. It was to bright for my needs. I ended up dimming it a bit and added 4 strips of RGBs for sunset, sunrise and moon effects. I also added 2 strips of cool white LEDs.

See more here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=627826&highlight=









Edit: I forgot to mention this light was great just as it came.. I bought this model because the price was low and I had plans to DIY something. This light made the DIY build very easy and cheaper than actually trying to piece together all the pieces for a "from scratch DIY build. I will certainly buy another.


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## opt-e

Here is my 47g starphire rimless tank setup with two 36" tri 0.5w 6500k Beamswork lights. Love it and don't seem to have any problem growing plants with it.


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## jeffkrol

good start.. need a few more to come out of the "closet".. 
Hmmm Betttail uses a "snakeye" ... which is just a green element/beamswork model..


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## Solcielo lawrencia

opt-e said:


> Here is my 47g starphire rimless tank setup with two 36" tri 0.5w 6500k Beamswork lights. Love it and don't seem to have any problem growing plants with it.


What are the actual PAR on those two fixtures combined? I'm thinking of getting two of the exact models over my 60 gallon, 18" deep.


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## mitchellcole5

I love the Beamswork led lights. I currently have 2 36" 3w diode models over my 50gallon and just started a 29 gallon with 2 30" 3w diode models. I've only used LEDs and have had no trouble growing anything in my 50gallon including HC. I like the LEDs because they don't generate the heat that floresent bulbs do. For example I have a x-mas moss tree ( now a giant pad of Christmas moss lol) that is barley under water and inches away from my Beamswork lights and it flourishes. It would have burned under bulbs. I don't have any pics right now but I have nothing but good things to say about Beamswork lights. I have only owned the 3w models and would recommend them to anyone. I have owned two of them and ran them on a 10hr lights on period for one strait year with no cooling fans and have never had a problem. I don't have par ratings but the 2 36" 3w models I have on my 50gallon are freaking bright and have caused the tank to grow like a jungle I actually had to pull my ludwigia out because it would grow out of the tank and all over in a week. There have also been myths that LEDs won't grow red plants but my ludwigia was very red. I call the tank the jungle because everything has grown out of control (pressurized co2 and liquid ferts might have something to do with it too .


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## talontsiawd

I like my little light fine. I don't believe they had a plant specific spectrum when I bought mine so that's my only issue with it. Well, that and it's plastic so it doesn't sit quite flat, but I do think the glossy black plastic is attractive. Here is a picture of a 6 gallon tank I had, not at it's prime but a good example of what it could grow in a non CO2 nano. I have since changed the tank out for a similar 10 gallon which fits the light even better, and still seems to grow things fine, it will just take some time to look good, it is only about 2 weeks old. Anyway, here is the old 6 gallon. I also plan to add RGB strips to mine, I have them, just haven't had time to deal with it.


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## rrattani

Recently ordered Beamworks 36" 66 x 0.5w LED 6500K fixture for 29-gallon tank - recommended by jeffkrol as a budget-friendly option...( Haven't received it yet, still on the way)...Hoping to get MEDIUM lighting out of it

I might get some Red and Blue (or the ones with Red:Blue 5:1) LED strips down the road to add to the fixture.

Will update you guys with the progress later...


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## dbarrym

I posted an updated review of the SnakeEyes LED Quad 30" 3W Timer Ready 6500K light here. After an initial issue with a bad fan (which Aquatraders replaced), I'm very pleased with it.

Barry


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## opt-e

Can anyone point me to a link that describes what you need to do to add light strips? I am interested in adding some to my Beamswork.


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## jeffkrol

opt-e said:


> Can anyone point me to a link that describes what you need to do to add light strips? I am interested in adding some to my Beamswork.



Just go through this thread:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=627826&page=3

It is fairly straight forward..
That is mainly for the 1/2 series but the 1w is not much different. As a suggestion though, 5630smd's are stronger than the 5050's .
somewhat depends on your objective.


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## rrattani

opt-e said:


> Can anyone point me to a link that describes what you need to do to add light strips? I am interested in adding some to my Beamswork.


You need to buy the following

1. 5050 or 5630 (5630 is brighter) LED strips in one color
OR
5050 RGB strips with RGB Light controller to have diferent colors
Zitrades 44 Button 2in1 Wireless RGB LED Light Controller Ir Remote 12v Dimmer By Zitrades - - Amazon.com


2. some solderless LED connecters










3. LED power supplies


















4. Some cheap timers to turn the strip on and off


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## Sean W.

Ive been using a Beamswork double bright hi lumen something or another for almost 3 months now on my High Tech 20 long with zero issues. its been fantastic so far!






Here is my unboxing video of the one I got


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## opt-e

rrattani said:


> You need to buy the following
> 
> 1. 5050 or 5630 (5630 is brighter) LED strips in one color
> OR
> 5050 RGB strips with RGB Light controller to have diferent colors
> Zitrades 44 Button 2in1 Wireless RGB LED Light Controller Ir Remote 12v Dimmer By Zitrades - - Amazon.com
> 
> 
> 2. some solderless LED connecters
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> 3. LED power supplies
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> 4. Some cheap timers to turn the strip on and off


Thanks for the info. I think I will add an RGB strip to my setup!


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## talontsiawd

I just put two RGB strips on mine today. I bought this awhile ago and never found a use:

Sylvania Mosaic Flexible LED Light Kit - Led Household Light Bulbs - Amazon.com


Now, that is too expensive and you get way more LED strips/connectors than you would likely need, depending on the size of the light. However, you can find basically the same thing for 1/4 of the price. Nice because it comes with a remote, power supply, connectors, and RGB strips. Works just like my Current Sat +, though I can use a 2nd timer for the RGB if I want, but no effects (don't care). I can add more LED's than the fixture has but I found 2 strips is more than enough adjustment.


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## Bettatail

jeffkrol said:


> good start.. need a few more to come out of the "closet"..
> Hmmm Betttail uses a "snakeye" ... which is just a green element/beamswork model..


Not yet have the time to add the RGB strip, the fixture is the green element 48", 64x3watts individual optic, The SNAKEEYE, a different series but the same producer.


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## DiscusAl

*Beamworks LED lights.*

Hi everyone,
New to this forum, not to the hobby!!

i have had 1 planted Discus tank running for 5+ years. I have got it down to little maintenance (Partly due to idea water conditions from the tap in South Australia, i just put Ager CN in get it to 26 degrees and pour it in) about 6 Months ago i switch from Sylvania Grow-lux tubes to 10000k Daylight T8 tubes and i am More than impressed with the growth from my plants and incredibly low algae growth (can go months with out scrubbing, no algaecides!!! 
This brings me to the reason why i am here... one of my best mates recently passed away(32 years old), leaving behind a legacy of fish tanks, i have taken possession of his 3' Planted aquarium with Apistogramma Double reds in it (he was trying to get them to breed) The tank came with a Beamworks LED fitting, What is people EXPERIENCE with these LED lights? and what about plant growth under LED light? I am thinking of switching to Fluro's on this tank as i KNOW i can get good healthy lush growth with minimal additives.
Top Picture - Apistogramma Double Red species specific (Beamworks LED)
Bottom picture - Discus x 3, Sailfin, Red tail, Bristle nose, betta & a cat keeping warm (single 36w 10000k T8 Fluro)


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## EndlerGame

Here's my 10 gallon tank with a 17" Beamwork Tri 1 Watt 6500k fixture:



Since then, the Crypts have grown out of control...to the top of the tank, so I had to turn the tank around and now they're the background plants. I don't have any recent pics, but its crazy thick, even though I've taken bunches out to sell and put in other tanks.

And here's an old-ish pic of my 55 gal with a 48" Pent 0.5 Watt 6500k fixture:



That sword started in a 10 gallon, moved to a 30, then split in two and moved to the 55 before sending out a runner with 7 new plants. I've since sold the mother plant and kept the babies...it grows like crazy under that light.

I've been so happy with my experience with Beamswork lights that I got an 18" 10,000k fixture for a second 10 gallon I recently started and 36" Snakeyes fixture for a 58 gallon that I'll be setting up...I still have to build a sump for that tank. No pics of these lights yet...


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## spec33

just ordered an led from them for my bowfront so I hope it goes well.


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## greggg25

im a member now i guess 48" 3watt 32... im kicking myself for not grabbing the quad i wanted a better spread so i might endup with another 48" as the fluval is nice for growing and for color but not As bright as these and my 75 is about ready to move into .


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## micheljq

I wrote to a supplier in Canada asking if he sells the pent 0,5W version. The guy said he sticks with the older 0,2W version because the leds have less chance to fail on those ones.

Those who have the 3W version : I am wondering for how long do you own them?

Michel.


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## jeffkrol

micheljq said:


> I wrote to a supplier in Canada asking if he sells the pent 0,5W version. The guy said he sticks with the older 0,2W version because the leds have less chance to fail on those ones.
> 
> Those who have the 3W version : I am wondering for how long do you own them?
> 
> Michel.


Pretty cautious there in Canada eh.. 
The .5w should have no more or less a failure rate than the .2w.. Both techs are pretty mature..

As to the 3W one.. those are run quite conservatively..

As to all models, I'd worry more about PS failure than diode failure..

As to the 3w in general .. ind. diodes are "relatively" easy to replace.
As an be seen here:
http://scapeclub.org/forum/showthread.php?19336-MOD-Rework-on-a-Beamswork-LED-from-10K-to-6-5K


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## TekWarren

I wrote up an article a while back that mostly just compares my change from a single .2w BM fixture to dual .5w fixtures over my 40 breeder. I haven't really followed it up and currently my plants look weak because they are struggling through me taking away my DIY CO2 setup. However, I am super happy with these lights and as a returning planted noob in the last year or so I was able to grow any plant I dropped in the tank.

I dropped CO2 because it was mass of 2 liter bottles...which worked very successfully BTW...but I am currently refurbing a 125g acrylic tank and won't have pressurized on that. I will move all plants from my 40 hence the reason I am putting them through the shock of C02 removal now.

I plan to go "low tech" on the 125 and will start off with trying to reuse the 2 36" BW fixtures, I also have a 30" of the same .5w model I can add in (was used on a 20L). If I end up buying something more powerful I will definitely go with BW again. The price is just right and I can grow plants just as well with them. I don't need a light show in my tank, really the only feature I do like is the ability to have them come on in "low light mode" with only one strip of lights coming on since it is completely dark when my lights come on, and I just flick them over to full when I get up.

Definitely a proponent of BeamsWork products.

Here is my little write up: http://warrenreptiles.com/beamswork-led-planted-aquarium-lighting/


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## micheljq

jeffkrol said:


> Pretty cautious there in Canada eh..
> The .5w should have no more or less a failure rate than the .2w.. Both techs are pretty mature..
> 
> As to the 3W one.. those are run quite conservatively..
> 
> As to all models, I'd worry more about PS failure than diode failure..
> 
> As to the 3w in general .. ind. diodes are "relatively" easy to replace.
> As an be seen here:
> http://scapeclub.org/forum/showthread.php?19336-MOD-Rework-on-a-Beamswork-LED-from-10K-to-6-5K


I am quite cautious. But in Canada both the shipping and customs they almost cost as much as the fixture itself, if you take the Pent 0,5W fixture.

Thank you for the answer 

I will look at your article how to replace a failed 3W led.

I guess the 3W led version would be easier to repair than the 0,5W, because leds are larger and not as close as each other.

Michel.


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## jeffkrol

Time for a bump...
Beamswork on steroids...
http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Quad-Freshwater-Plant-p/56577p.htm

Dual PS...



> Fixture Size: 47.00" x 9.25" x 1.25" (Add 0.65" in height with bracket installed)
> LEDs Count: 64
> 8640 Lumens
> Super energy efficient 3 watt high output LEDs
> 64x 6,500K LED
> Use 192 watts


http://youtu.be/4AuejGsaQNQ


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## Solcielo lawrencia

Does anyone know what beam angle the Quad fixtures are? It indicates "new and improved wider angles" but what angles are they? I'd like to get it if it's narrow so it can be hung high above the water.


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## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> Does anyone know what beam angle the Quad fixtures are? It indicates "new and improved wider angles" but what angles are they? I'd like to get it if it's narrow so it can be hung high above the water.



Only a guess-timate.. but it was listed as around 90-95 degrees.. and it did create some beaming w/ the actinic/white fixtures...


They are easily removed and replaced btw..
Lenses look fairly generic..
http://scapeclub.org/forum/showthread.php?19336-MOD-Rework-on-a-Beamswork-LED-from-10K-to-6-5K


100=60 degree lenses is $12 plus change..

at most I'd suspect some minor creativity..


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## HybridHerp

I'd love to see PAR readings for some of these fixtures. I'm thinking of eventually adding a beams work LED to my 75 to have better overall light spread in my 75


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## Riceman

Just curious,do the red led's actually have a 2000k spectrum out put
to help the growth of plants or is it just a colored led for looks ?


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## zerodameaon

I have been looking at the Beamswork Pent 48" for my 55gal, the one thats 7400 lumen with 144x 0.5W 6500K LEDs. Would this light overpower my DIY co2 and force me to go with pressurized co2? I cannot find the PAR ratings on it and my plants range from from a few low to medium/med high.


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## jeffkrol

zerodameaon said:


> I have been looking at the Beamswork Pent 48" for my 55gal, the one thats 7400 lumen with 144x 6500K LEDs. Would this light overpower my DIY co2 and force me to go with pressurized co2? I cannot find the PAR ratings on it and my plants range from from a few low to medium/med high.


unless it is dirt cheap, a deeper penetrating light is recommended.. like this:
http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm

Only PAR comparison I know of.. The 1W looks to be a bit low here.. but it is mounted higher than most.. 
3w's are arguably better here.
http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Freshwater-Plant-p/56547p.htm


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## zerodameaon

Thanks I am looking into the 3W and I eventually did find par readings. I think I may go with the 1W fixture so I do not end up having to go pressurized.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=415522&highlight=beamswork+par


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## vraev

Sean W. said:


> Ive been using a Beamswork double bright hi lumen something or another for almost 3 months now on my High Tech 20 long with zero issues. its been fantastic so far!
> 
> 20 Long day 70 update - YouTube
> 
> Here is my unboxing video of the one I got
> 
> 30" BeamsWork Pent LED fixture unboxing - YouTube


Thanks for sharing Sean. First actual evidence that this fixture can grow high light plants. I might get one for my terrarium.  The hell with the more expensive ones...they cost too much. Might have to try one of these out.


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## Kareen

Im new to the LED'S I have two 125 Dirt tanks. One tank has T5HO plants grow pretty good and the other Tank has just T5's Im looking for new lights for this tank and with the tank being 18" deep would any of the Beamswork LED work to give me good plant growth and get some red plants to grow. Thanks for any help


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## zerodameaon

I got my Beamswork Planted 48" 3300 in on Monday. It has 54 1W LEDs and it punches pretty well to the bottom of my 55g and the algae is taking off. Gotta get that under control.


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## Jcstank

I looked at this fixture http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Quad-Freshwater-Plant-p/56577p.htm and it's a whopping 192 watts. I think T5HO lights are more efficient. Two T5HO lights with good reflectors can provide high light on a 21" deep tank and only use 108 watts.


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## jeffkrol

Jcstank said:


> I think T5HO lights are more efficient.


not likely..








now to be fair.. this is Lumens..not PAR.. I'd argue LED's are more PAR efficient than t5's.. 

NOW to be doubly fair.. like t5's it depends on quality and implementation...

now comparing "the best" of t5 to a "budget" LED is not quite fair either..yes Beamsworks are budget fixtures..


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## dru

I just picked up the 18w(3wx6) clamp 6500k










Should I expect these PAR values?


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## jeffkrol

dru said:


> I just picked up the 18w(3wx6) clamp 6500k
> 
> 
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> Should I expect these PAR values?


That is for 2 fixtures put front to back.. Directly under the light in the middle you should expect to be in 1/2 of that "range"...


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## dru

Ah good catch, thanks. I was honestly a little terrified when I read that.

The fixture is 12"-13" from the substrate. Guessing 75ish PAR?


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## zerodameaon

That is a good guess, but IIRC those 3w diodes in that picture are from 2013 so its possible that the new 3w are more powerful then 2 years ago.

That being said the Dual Greenelement Evo is actually like two lights in one if I am reading that picture right. I did not notice the dual part the first time I saw the picture.


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## jeffkrol

zerodameaon said:


> That is a good guess, but IIRC those 3w diodes in that picture are from 2013 so its possible that the new 3w are more powerful then 2 years ago.
> 
> That being said the Dual Greenelement Evo is actually like two lights in one if I am reading that picture right. I did not notice the dual part the first time I saw the picture.


he means dual row so 2 of these:
http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Freshwater-Plant-p/56547p.htm

NOT 2 of these (pretty sure these are new):
http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Quad-Freshwater-Plant-p/56577p.htm


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## Jcstank

jeffkrol said:


> not likely..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> now to be fair.. this is Lumens..not PAR.. I'd argue LED's are more PAR efficient than t5's..
> 
> NOW to be doubly fair.. like t5's it depends on quality and implementation...
> 
> now comparing "the best" of t5 to a "budget" LED is not quite fair either..yes Beamsworks are budget fixtures..


I guess you have a point Jeff when you compare LED technology as a whole but if a dual T5HO fixture can easily provide high light in a 75 gallon tank with good reflectors and 108 watts than why would anyone spend more money or about the same money for a 192 watt LED light with questionable unproven reliability? This is why I stated the T5HO fixture is more efficient in this case. 108 watts and high light or 192 watts and I would hope high light for that much power.


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## jeffkrol

Jcstank said:


> I guess you have a point Jeff when you compare LED technology as a whole but if a dual T5HO fixture can easily provide high light in a 75 gallon tank with good reflectors and 108 watts than why would anyone spend more money or about the same money for a 192 watt LED light with questionable unproven reliability? This is why I stated the T5HO fixture is more efficient in this case. 108 watts and high light or 192 watts and I would hope high light for that much power.


THIS 









Is equivalent to this;
http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Quad-Freshwater-Plant-p/56577p.htm

130PAR @ 17" There is no "if".......... 
What is the PAR of the t5 @17"..? Pick one..











It is more potato potato.. A very well built T5 w/ good bulbs will produce the equiv.. 
now that is measurement wise. and as I said, you are taking a "base level" LED and comparing it to "state of the art" t5 and surprise.. they are for all intents and purposes equivalent..

Price wise you have $170 for the LED $150-ish (can only find a Catalina 3 tube) http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1638

point is price and output are fairly equiv.. 

you could get this, much cheaper, and of unknown quality.:
http://www.thelashop.com/4ft-t5-ho-...L012-4F2-65C&gclid=CMq92orpzsMCFQ8paQodqrIAfg

Note the 2 Beamsworks has more PAR than any of the T5 fixtures except the Aquaticlife 36" 4 bulb.. which is approx equal..


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## zerodameaon

Yeah its hard to tell if he is being redundant with "two" and "dual" or if he actually means the quads.


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## jeffkrol

zerodameaon said:


> Yeah its hard to tell if he is being redundant with "two" and "dual" or if he actually means the quads.


http://youtu.be/e0_lk5M8VEk


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## baronen

will an 18 inch satellite + pro and an 18 inch evo 10 x 3w put me at high light for a 24 inch tank (that is 20 inches long)?


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## Hilde

rrattani said:


> You need to buy the following
> 
> 1. 5050 or 5630 (5630 is brighter) LED strips in one color
> OR
> 5050 RGB strips with RGB Light controller to have diferent colors
> Zitrades 44 Button 2in1 Wireless RGB LED Light Controller Ir Remote 12v Dimmer By Zitrades - - Amazon.com
> 
> 2. some solderless LED connecters
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 3. LED power supplies
> 
> 
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> 
> 4. Some cheap timers to turn the strip on and off


I am thinking of getting Beamworks LED for my 20G high. I want to add Red LEDs for red plants.

How do I choose the proper Red LED strip? 
How do you decide on the power supplies voltage needed? For I have a lot of power supplies saved up.


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## jeffkrol

Hilde said:


> I am thinking of getting Beamworks LED for my 20G high. I want to add Red LEDs for red plants.
> 
> How do I choose the proper Red LED strip?
> How do you decide on the power supplies voltage needed? For I have a lot of power supplies saved up.


Strips are either 12V or 24V and a then you choose amps based on strip length. In the below example, roughly 1A per 1 meter (3ft) @ 12V. Make sure the power supply is a good constant voltage type. ;
IF you are going one color.. go w/ the 5630's not the 5050 strips


> *Super Bright RED 5M 300 Leds SMD 5630 LED Flexible Strip Light
> Input volts: DC 12V (12V 5A for 5meters 5630 300LED light strip)*


It is possible to find some 660nm red "horticultural" LED ribbons but they are not very common nor cheap in comparison and apparently include a blue LED every 7th diode.
Most red will be 620nm-ish..


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## Hilde

jeffkrol said:


> IF you are going one color.. go w/ the 5630's not the 5050 strips
> It is possible to find some 660nm red "horticultural" LED ribbons


I think with the beamworks dual a RGB LED strip would add the color I need and still be appealing to the eye. Now just got to get more info from Dr Foster about Zoo Med LED strip to make decision.
*
*


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## Jcstank

jeffkrol said:


> THIS
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is equivalent to this;
> http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Quad-Freshwater-Plant-p/56577p.htm
> 
> 130PAR @ 17" There is no "if"..........
> What is the PAR of the t5 @17"..? Pick one..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is more potato potato.. A very well built T5 w/ good bulbs will produce the equiv..
> now that is measurement wise. and as I said, you are taking a "base level" LED and comparing it to "state of the art" t5 and surprise.. they are for all intents and purposes equivalent..
> 
> Price wise you have $170 for the LED $150-ish (can only find a Catalina 3 tube) http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1638
> 
> point is price and output are fairly equiv..
> 
> you could get this, much cheaper, and of unknown quality.:
> http://www.thelashop.com/4ft-t5-ho-...L012-4F2-65C&gclid=CMq92orpzsMCFQ8paQodqrIAfg
> 
> Note the 2 Beamsworks has more PAR than any of the T5 fixtures except the Aquaticlife 36" 4 bulb.. which is approx equal..


130 PAR at the substrate is just insane amounts of over the top high light. With that kind of light one would have to be pouring in the fertz and C02 and trimming the plants every 3 days. If a light is like the gas pedal on a car than that would be equivalent to a 3000 horsepower nitro methane dragster doing 300 mph in the 1/4 mile, lol. :hihi: :eek5:

Also note the 4 bulb Aquatic Life t5ho fixture is 216 watts and the two beamworks LED's in that photo with 130 PAR equivalent to that 4 bulb 216 watt fixture is a whopping 384 watts. You tell me which one is more efficient? :icon_wink


----------



## Hilde

rrattani said:


> Recently ordered Beamworks 36" 66 x 0.5w LED 6500K fixture for 29-gallon tank -
> Will update you guys with the progress later...


Well how about an update. I looked at your threads and didn't see any mention of it.


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

I have a 55g and looking forward to buying new Beamswork leds since mine are terrible. I'm looking for low to medium light and a light that will bring out fish color. My options are the evo: http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Freshwater-Plant-p/56547p.htm or the 3300: http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm


----------



## jeffkrol

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> I have a 55g and looking forward to buying new Beamswork leds since mine are terrible. I'm looking for low to medium light and a light that will bring out fish color. My options are the evo: http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Freshwater-Plant-p/56547p.htm or the 3300: http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm


Oddly enough the 1W one is "timer ready" and the 3W one isn't.. maybe??
May or may not be important to you


----------



## dru

Would a Current Single Ramp Timer work on a Beamswork (Green Element 3W) LED?


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

Jeffkrol I don't really care about the timer. I'm more focused on which one does a better job.


----------



## jeffkrol

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> Jeffkrol I don't really care about the timer. I'm more focused on which one does a better job.


In that case:



> *1W*
> Fixture Size: 48.00" x 5.00" x 1.00" (Add 0.65" in height with bracket installed)
> 
> LEDs Count: 54
> 3340 Lumens
> Super energy efficient 1 watt HQ LEDs
> 46x 6,500K LEDs
> 8x 6,500K LEDs
> Use 54 watts





> *3W*
> Fixture Size: 46.50" x 5.00" x 1.00" (Add 0.65" in height with bracket installed)
> 
> LEDs Count: 32
> 4320 Lumens
> Super energy efficient 3 watt high output LEDs
> 32x 6,500K LED
> Use 96 watts


Tough choice .. more efficient but less out or more output, less efficiency..
If you want low/med light.. go w/ the lowest.. but keep in mind it is not "low"..


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

Jefkrol, I was hoping to get the 1 watt version since it uses less watts but wasn't sure if this would have enough for low lighting. It would help if there was a picture of the 1 watt version on a tank to get a better perspective. Also, which one has a less blue tone.


----------



## jeffkrol

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> Jefkrol, I was hoping to get the 1 watt version since it uses less watts but wasn't sure if this would have enough for low lighting. It would help if there was a picture of the 1 watt version on a tank to get a better perspective. Also, which one has a less blue tone.



All the 6500k's should (withing manuf. tolerances) look the same..
The 1W are more efficient.. (just divide lumens/watt)

It will be more than low lighting..


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

jeffkrol said:


> All the 6500k's should (withing manuf. tolerances) look the same..
> The 1W are more efficient.. (just divide lumens/watt)
> 
> It will be more than low lighting..


Thanks jeffkrol. I'm going towards the beamswork 3300 lumen. Anyone got pictures of the light over a tank. I would appreciate it.


----------



## angelcraze

Hi jeffkrol. I am so new to LEDs, but to simplify it for me, do you mean just divide lumens into watts? So that option 1 would be ~62 and option 2 would be ~45? Could it be *that* easy the way you figure it? 

Also, for a deep tank, lets say 24", would there be a huge difference between the 0.5 watt fixtures to the 1W fixtures of the same length and spectrum? I am considering going for the 1w instead, and just canning the piece of garbage (for growing plants) I bought already by accident (10000k 96 X 0.5W). 

I am in Canada, right now, with the exchange rate, these LEDs are my only option outside of building my own fixture, which I am NOT ready to do yet. 

I was originally concerned with the space between LEDs and the strength of each, if it would create 'beams'. The fixture I bought was rated at about the same wattage as the 1W fixture, but I don't find it very efficient at all, since it only actually uses 33Ws. 

I would really appreciate some input from someone who already knows.


----------



## jeffkrol

angelcraze said:


> Hi jeffkrol. I am so new to LEDs, but to simplify it for me, do you mean just divide lumens into watts? So that option 1 would be ~62 and option 2 would be ~45? Could it be *that* easy the way you figure it?
> 
> Also, for a deep tank, lets say 24", would there be a huge difference between the 0.5 watt fixtures to the 1W fixtures of the same length and spectrum? I am considering going for the 1w instead, and just canning the piece of garbage (for growing plants) I bought already by accident (10000k 96 X 0.5W).


On a similar apples to apples comparison (constant voltage and 6500K) this will give you an estimate of efficiency. 
Lumens of course doesn't equal PAR but it a reflection of output 


angelcraze said:


> I am in Canada, right now, with the exchange rate, these LEDs are my only option outside of building my own fixture, which I am NOT ready to do yet.
> 
> I was originally concerned with the space between LEDs and the strength of each, if it would create 'beams'. The fixture I bought was rated at about the same wattage as the 1W fixture, but I don't find it very efficient at all, since it only actually uses 33Ws.
> 
> I would really appreciate some input from someone who already knows.


You can't "exactly compare the 1000K to a 6500k light in the same regard, since lumens measure basically human vision and it under sample blue and red..The 10000K may measure less lumens but might have the same PAR (which measures blue and red equally..
The 1W fixtures use at least 90 lenses.. which creates circles of light w/ a diameter of 2X the distance..
And actually they can be removed to give 120 degree spread.. 
which creates 3.4 inch cones at 1 inch distance

tan(1/2 the lens optics) x distance away X 2 = circle diameter.

Rough guide only..

What a lumen meter should measure:


----------



## serenityfate

Heres my 40 b in 3 week progress. Two beamswork on top for 6hrs(forgot the model right now but i can find out if anyone wants to know) really good fixtures for people who are in a budget! one of the fixture on top is already 2 yrs and the other is close to 1 year. Nothing broke so far. *knock on wood


----------



## angelcraze

Ok then, here's my 90g. A big, deep tank (48"L x 18"W x 24"H) 

I have:
One (88 x 0.5W 10000k + 8 x 0.5W actinic) Beamswork fixture in front
plus
One (162 x 0.2W pink) Beamswork fixture in the background

Just to defend my purchase, I got the 10000k fixture first by mistake, (meant to get the 6500k) hated the blueish colour and bought the pink to counter it and enhance colours.

My tank is recovering from a BBA outbreak, where the staurogyne took a huge hit. I just added some moneywort on the left side, I think it was grown immersed. I haven't had the lights that long yet, but I was impressed with how bright they 'looked'. Especially the pink LED in case anyone was curious about it, adding it has made a huge difference the way I see it anyway. I will see how the lights grow the plants in a few weeks more, but so far, with the two fixtures, I am impressed for the cost of them.


----------



## jeffkrol

angelcraze said:


> One (162 x 0.2W pink) Beamswork fixture in the background


That was a good save..


----------



## angelcraze

jeffkrol said:


> That was a good save..


Yeah, worked out pretty well, again, as far as my eye sees it. We will find out.


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

Thanks for the pics. I'll get the beamswork leds some time soon and I'll provide some pics for you guys.


----------



## dru

dru said:


> Would a Current Single Ramp Timer work on a Beamswork (Green Element 3W) LED?


I guess this was a dumb question since no one answered but I looked at each plug and it would work (same output) but the plug from the Current LED is female while the Green Element is male. 

Bummer!


----------



## jeffkrol

dru said:


> I guess this was a dumb question since no one answered but I looked at each plug and it would work (same output) but the plug from the Current LED is female while the Green Element is male.
> 
> Bummer!


Depending on the model of Beamswork, the current can't take the output.
or it can.. Anyways bottom line some yes, some no.
anyways it is still a hack mod.. simple but most aren't willing to chop into a cord.. or replug the fixture..

An example of "something" you can stick in line between the power supply and the light Model is model dependent. 

This is still manual dimming or controlled via 0-10V signal.. 
http://www.anigmo.com/products/low-voltage-PWM-LED-dimmer.html
this is more advanced:
http://real85.en.alibaba.com/produc...r_led_strip_led_bar_12V_or_24V_DC_input_.html

Point is it can be done, but not always straight forward or inexpensively


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

The thing I worry about with PWM is that flickering is detectable by the human eye. Since fish eyes are far more sensitive than human vision, turning down the intensity is like being in a disco rave for the fish.


----------



## dru

Thanks for the reply

I just wanted something plug and play to fade the light in and out

I guess aquatraders timer doesn't work either on my model (11" clamp 3W)


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> The thing I worry about with PWM is that flickering is detectable by the human eye. Since fish eyes are far more sensitive than human vision, turning down the intensity is like being in a disco rave for the fish.


The PWM is probably at 1kH.. Can't be worse than wave caused strobing..


----------



## jeffkrol

dru said:


> Thanks for the reply
> 
> I just wanted something plug and play to fade the light in and out
> 
> I guess aquatraders timer doesn't work either on my model (11" clamp 3W)


well in that case all you need is to cut the wire from the power supply attach it to this.. attach the other end to the output of one channel (being careful to maintain polarity) and then have fun...
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/24-K...d-Controller-For-Single-Color/1820387733.html
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=627826&highlight=beamswork+dimming&page=2


----------



## dru

Oh man then I could run it at a dimmer % too

How do you protect everything after making the connections?


----------



## jeffkrol

dru said:


> Oh man then I could run it at a dimmer % too
> 
> How do you protect everything after making the connections?


Just keep it far enough "downstream"..


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

*EVO Quad 36" review*

I just received the *EVO Quad 36" 6500K.*

_Actual_ and Important Specs not advertised:

34" - length of the fixture (not 35")
60° - beam angle
28 1/8" - distance between the leftmost and rightmost LEDs
5 3/4" - distance between the front and back LEDs
The fixture is hot to the touch. I don't think cooling fans are necessary, though.
The 24V 6A power supply includes it's own ON-OFF switch. There's also a cooling fan. It's runs warm but not hot, much cooler than the fixture. I don't think it actually outputs at the specified 132W (44 LEDs x 3W).

_LIGHT COVERAGE_
My tank's dimensions are 40x19x19 acrylic. I lose more than 5" coverage on each side due to the left-right LED distance. 
Also problematic is the width of the fixture. If mounted on top of the tank using the brackets, there is significant light loss at the front and back due to the 60° beam angle. In order to get full coverage, it has to hang at least 10" above the water surface. It's currently hung 16" above.


*The Hanging Kit*

SPECS
The wires are covered in clear plastic. Be careful: the wire ends are sharp. I stabbed myself trying to unloop the wires, which are long enough, 56", to hang from a high ceiling. The hooks are large enough to hook onto 1/2" conduit pipe.

Edit: The hooks are designed to be attached to the ceiling, which requires drilling holes into the ceiling beam, then inserting the hooks and turning the nuts to lock them in place. If attaching to a bar, just use the wire loops and slide them onto the bar.


*The Timer*

The Timer has four modes: 
1. ALL ON
2. PARTIAL ON
3. OFF
4. Override

Holding both HOUR and MINUTE buttons allows you to set the clock time. After setting it, wait a couple of seconds (~5 sec) so it returns to normal.

Holding the left button sets the ALL ON timer. Doing the same with the right button sets the PARTIAL On timer. Once you set the "ON" time, wait a couple of seconds and it will automatically change to the "OF" time where you can set the off time.

EXTRA FEATURE: TIMER OVERRIDE
Pressing HOUR can turn the fixture ON and OFF.
Pressing MINUTE can turn all LEDs ON except for the 12 PARTIAL ON LEDs. Pressing MINUTE again will switch to PARTIAL ON.
NB: if any of the buttons are pressed, it will override the timer function and will stay on until the buttons are pressed again to return to normal mode.

There are two removable suction cups on the back of the timer to stick to the side of the tank. The wire is ~15" long. The blue LED display can sort of function as a vey dim moonlight. NB: the LED numerical display blue, not red as in the pictures.


----------



## dru

Nice review 

What is the input on the timer?

I am wondering why it won't work with my fixture


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

I added some extra info about how the timer works. Once the timer is set, you can turn on-off the lights simply by pressing the HOUR or the MINUTE buttons. Each one turns on a different number of LEDs. I finally figured it out after more than an hour.

Also, I figured out how the hanging kit works. The hooks are actually _ceiling_ hooks and are designed to be attached to the ceiling. If using an overhead bar, just use the wire loops and loop it around the bar.


----------



## dru

No I mean like what is the actual physical input on the timer?

I have the same settings (partial/ all on / off) but my fixture isn't "timer ready"


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

What do you mean "physical input"? You mean the connection to the fixture? It's a four prong connection.


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

I just ordered this http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm It'll come some time this week. I'll provide a review when I get it.


----------



## angelcraze

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> I just ordered this http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm It'll come some time this week. I'll provide a review when I get it.


Sweet, what size of tank is it going on? 55g, 75g, 90g? I am interested in your review, thanks!


----------



## Hilde

angelcraze said:


> Sweet, what size of tank is it going on? 55g, 75g, 90g? I am interested in your review, thanks!


He has thread on it for a 55G tank.


----------



## dru

Trying to fight some deficiencies and algae with this monster (11" 3w x6)

Started full EI dosing and I am increasing co2 until the fish or shrimp start acting weird 

I dig the color the rotala is coming in with, even near the substrate. Also, the HC I planted last week seems to be taking off.

Hopefully I can get it balanced. If I decide to give up on this fixture I am going to order the 1w version


----------



## Hilde

dru said:


> Trying to fight some deficiencies and algae with this monster (11" 3w x6)


Have you tried a siesta period with the lights? It works for me. I have 3 hrs of siesta, lights off.


----------



## dru

Do you leave co2 on during that time? 

Right now I run the co2 for 1.5 hours, then lights and co2 on for 6 hours

I almost want to try running "moonlight" mode (2 leds only) all day


----------



## Hilde

dru said:


> Do you leave co2 on during that time?
> 
> Right now I run the co2 for 1.5 hours, then lights and co2 on for 6 hours
> 
> I almost want to try running "moonlight" mode (2 leds only) all day


The ludwiga will be affected by the moonlight. Might just turn green. 

I don't inject Co2 now. From what I have read whether you leave the Co2 on when the lights are off depends on if the fish are being affected. Thus some run an airstone at night. I have read many whom have a light load of fish leave the co2 at night.

Soon I will have a tank in which I will doing DIY Co2. Then I will be able to tell how it works. Only 3 fish in the tank now so they should have plenty of oxygen to deal with Co2 being injected 24hrs.


----------



## MEandYouPhoto

Greetings. I am hoping someone will know... Is there a way identify a beamswork led model without the box. I know someone who has one for sale that I would like to consider purchasing but he doesn't have the box any longer and without knowing the model it's difficult to know if it will be sufficient for my planted tank needs. If there a model Identifier on the power supply or on the unit its self that will help me in my decision? 

Thanks!


----------



## jeffkrol

MEandYouPhoto said:


> Greetings. I am hoping someone will know... Is there a way identify a beamswork led model without the box. I know someone who has one for sale that I would like to consider purchasing but he doesn't have the box any longer and without knowing the model it's difficult to know if it will be sufficient for my planted tank needs. If there a model Identifier on the power supply or on the unit its self that will help me in my decision?
> 
> Thanks!


Counting the diodes, number of rows and taking the length
will help.
The smaller diodes w/ many will be eithr .2 or .5W.. Older models would probably definitly be the .2W ones


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

Something very strange is going on. I ordered the http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm on Saturday and now that I'm checking my order status, it's still empty! I'm not sure if they got my order or not. I think the problem is I ordered the light before signing up for an account. I'm not really sure. I guess I'll have to wait to see.


----------



## Hilde

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> Something very strange is going on. I ordered the http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm on Saturday and now that I'm checking my order status, it's still empty! I'm not sure if they got my order or not. I think the problem is I ordered the light before signing up for an account. I'm not really sure. I guess I'll have to wait to see.


Yeh orders only show up when made after signing up for an account. Still you should have gotten an email with the order number. Check your bank account for the payment and call them for an order number telling them the date paid.


----------



## Urkevitz

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> Something very strange is going on. I ordered the http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm on Saturday and now that I'm checking my order status, it's still empty! I'm not sure if they got my order or not. I think the problem is I ordered the light before signing up for an account. I'm not really sure. I guess I'll have to wait to see.


tried ordering from there once, got no status update for a week, contacted them and they said the light I ordered was out of stock.


----------



## MEandYouPhoto

jeffkrol said:


> Counting the diodes, number of rows and taking the length
> will help.
> The smaller diodes w/ many will be eithr .2 or .5W.. Older models would probably definitly be the .2W ones


Thanks!, According to the posting the fixture is 36 inches long, 1w X 35 @ 10000k

1w x 7 of the blue

Luminance around 16000 Lux

The guy had it on a reef tank but I wanted to know if it would be a good light for high light plants on a 40g breeder.


EDIT: Oh sorry I forgot it is 3 rows X 14 columns of diodes


----------



## jeffkrol

MEandYouPhoto said:


> Thanks!, According to the posting the fixture is 36 inches long, 1w X 35 @ 10000k
> 
> 1w x 7 of the blue
> 
> Luminance around 16000 Lux
> 
> The guy had it on a reef tank but I wanted to know if it would be a good light for high light plants on a 40g breeder.
> 
> 
> EDIT: Oh sorry I forgot it is 3 rows X 14 columns of diodes


"Arguably" bad color and spectrum..


----------



## MEandYouPhoto

jeffkrol said:


> "Arguably" bad color and spectrum..


Thats exactly what I needed to know. He had two of them he was selling for $80 which is one hell of a deal but if its not going to work then I won't bother


----------



## jeffkrol

MEandYouPhoto said:


> Thats exactly what I needed to know. He had two of them he was selling for $80 which is one hell of a deal but if its not going to work then I won't bother


how good are you w/ a soldering iron.? For $10-ish you can "fix" them... 

all you have to do is replace the 7 blue w/ 7 3500K diodes.. 

http://scapeclub.org/forum/showthread.php?19336-MOD-Rework-on-a-Beamswork-LED-from-10K-to-6-5K


----------



## mrbigshot

word of caution on the beamworks lights. i have changed the leds in a few different 6x3w models and the newer ones have had the leds epoxyed to the board with thermal epoxy. you can still get them off but it takes more than a 30w soldering iron to do so. if you buy one to change the leds out theres a fair chance you break it.

work on the electrical legs and bend them up away from the board first. than use 2 soldering irons and heat the base of the led to weaken the thermal epoxy binding it to the board. have a friend grab the led with a pair of pliers and twist when its still hot and being heated to lift it off the board. the early models just used heatsink compound on the leds to cool them like they should. they were just unsolder the legs and they come right off.


----------



## angelcraze

mrbigshot said:


> word of caution on the beamworks lights. i have changed the leds in a few different 6x3w models and the newer ones have had the leds epoxyed to the board with thermal epoxy. you can still get them off but it takes more than a 30w soldering iron to do so. *if you buy one to change the leds out theres a fair chance you break it.*
> 
> work on the electrical legs and bend them up away from the board first. than use 2 soldering irons and heat the base of the led to weaken the thermal epoxy binding it to the board. have a friend grab the led with a pair of pliers and twist when its still hot and being heated to lift it off the board. the early models just used heatsink compound on the leds to cool them like they should. they were just unsolder the legs and they come right off.


Thank you for that. I *did *have that in mind. Arrg. LED fixtures need to come down in price for freshwater already!! Just a rant....I always see so many options for saltwater. Then again, I guess they get pricey too (Kessil), so maybe you get what you pay for there too. GRRRRR!

Were you replacing the 3W with *3W*? I would think you'd have to, but just wondering, I am just learning....have you tried to change LEDs on a 1W Beamswork fixture yet? Do you think they'd 'need to' or _would_ use thermal epoxy on the 1W as well?


----------



## jeffkrol

mrbigshot said:


> word of caution on the beamworks lights. i have changed the leds in a few different 6x3w models and the newer ones have had the leds epoxyed to the board with thermal epoxy. you can still get them off but it takes more than a 30w soldering iron to do so. if you buy one to change the leds out theres a fair chance you break it.
> 
> work on the electrical legs and bend them up away from the board first. than use 2 soldering irons and heat the base of the led to weaken the thermal epoxy binding it to the board. have a friend grab the led with a pair of pliers and twist when its still hot and being heated to lift it off the board. the early models just used heatsink compound on the leds to cool them like they should. they were just unsolder the legs and they come right off.


Try sheer forces.. Most glue/epoxy is extremely weak sideways.. 
My guess is a sideways punch will take it off easy..
Let me know if you tried this..
Out of curiosity.. What breaks?
Not much to these.. unless you whack a resistor..


----------



## jeffkrol

> Were you replacing the 3W with 3W? I would think you'd have to, but just wondering, I am just learning....have you tried to change LEDs on a 1W Beamswork fixture yet? Do you think they'd 'need to' or would use thermal epoxy on the 1W as well?



you wouldn't Have to but see no advantage not to.
any manuf. changes will always trickle down to all models..


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

RE: Lenses
The LED lenses are clear, and there is light spilling out from inside of the fixture. This obviously wastes light and PAR. Is it feasible to paint the lenses silver or white to reflect the light downward? It's plastic so what kind of paint would stick to it keeping in mind the high temperatures?


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> RE: Lenses
> The LED lenses are clear, and there is light spilling out from inside of the fixture. This obviously wastes light and PAR. Is it feasible to paint the lenses silver or white to reflect the light downward? It's plastic so what kind of paint would stick to it keeping in mind the high temperatures?


http://www.labsphere.com/uploads/technical-guides/a-guide-to-reflectance-materials-and-coatings.pdf


http://www2.dupont.com/Diffuse_Ligh...s/downloads/NOW801_DLR_Sell_Sheet_me05-21.pdf

http://www.ppg.com/coatings/matthewspaint/Documents/pr_reflective_paint_des.pdf

http://www.triticeaecap.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Barium_Sulfate.pdf

find a Barium sulfate based coating.. 

Temps inside should not exceed 150F btw..


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

Barium sulfate, thanks for that info!

I'll probably have to buy new lenses, paint them, and then swap them out. Hopefully, this endeavor won't be fruitless.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> Barium sulfate, thanks for that info!
> 
> I'll probably have to buy new lenses, paint them, and then swap them out. Hopefully, this endeavor won't be fruitless.


http://www.nationwidecoatings.com/PDF-Work/Datasheets/Nationwide/7000 Datasheet - MSDS.pdf
Kool Kote


> .. a rubber-like shield of protection that expands and contracts with varying hot and cold temperatures, plus resists thermal shock. KOOL-KOTE™
> offers good mildew resistance, bright white reflectivity, excellent adhesion
> and a beautiful finish.


and why:
http://www.umich.edu/~lowbrows/reflections/2001/tryan.5.html

alvanized steel is more absorbent than aluminum and more emissive, but it still gets hotter than white paint. Since my observatory will be in another building, I won’t have problems with the cold air coming off the roof. I have painted the roof of my present observatory with a local paint called KoolKote. It is loaded with barium sulfate or something like that to give it the lowest visible absorptivity; around 6% when new. It is also very black in the IR, like 94% emissivity.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

I think the technical difficulty is what kind of paint will stick to PMMA plastic? Obviously, a primer just won't work since the paint needs to be on the plastic, not on top of the primer.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> I think the technical difficulty is what kind of paint will stick to PCMA plastic? Obviously, a primer just won't work since the paint needs to be on the plastic, not on top of the primer.


Plastics aren't much different than metals.. I'd skip the primer..
Sanding or chemical etching would be all you need..

I'd sand.. crude but hopefully somewhat effective..

http://www.adhesionbonding.com/2012/03/18/preparing-plastics-for-painting/

OR apparently.. torching them.. 


> Polypropylene and polyethylene are two examples of low polar plastics that are treated oxidatively. These resins and similar low-polar plastics may be briefly exposed to an open flame from a gas burner. This initiates an oxidative chemical reaction (incipient burning) that although it is not enough to be visible, forms enough polarity on the surface to provide excellent paint adhesion


----------



## KingPlakat

Anyone have this fixture yet?

http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Pent-HI-Lumen-p/56367p.htm

Read the whole thread and it seems the higher wattage LEDS give better penetration in deep tanks, but I'm worried about equal coverage. I'd be running this on a 75 gallon fully planted tank. Looking for medium-light for hygro's and carpeting plants like chain sword and dwarf sag. 

Thoughts?


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

I think that's a good light kingplakat. I don't have one but I heard they give off bright enough light for your plants.


----------



## KingPlakat

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> I think that's a good light kingplakat. I don't have one but I heard they give off bright enough light for your plants.


Currently running a 4ft t12 shoplight with dual 40watt 6500k bulbs and a regular 4ft dual t8 fixture 32watt bulbs. I think the light was almost too bright at times, so as long as this light gives me slightly more output than the T12 shoplight, I'd be happy. 

I'd be happy to be the first one to review this light but I definitely can't provide PAR data.


----------



## jeffkrol

KingPlakat said:


> Currently running a 4ft t12 shoplight with dual 40watt 6500k bulbs and a regular 4ft dual t8 fixture 32watt bulbs. I think the light was almost too bright at times, so as long as this light gives me slightly more output than the T12 shoplight, I'd be happy.
> 
> I'd be happy to be the first one to review this light but I definitely can't provide PAR data.


it will easily match the t12..by a fairly large margin. Probably more on the line of 3 tubes (12's or 8's)


----------



## mrbigshot

jeffkrol said:


> mrbigshot said:
> 
> 
> 
> word of caution on the beamworks lights. i have changed the leds in a few different 6x3w models and the newer ones have had the leds epoxyed to the board with thermal epoxy. you can still get them off but it takes more than a 30w soldering iron to do so. if you buy one to change the leds out theres a fair chance you break it.
> 
> work on the electrical legs and bend them up away from the board first. than use 2 soldering irons and heat the base of the led to weaken the thermal epoxy binding it to the board. have a friend grab the led with a pair of pliers and twist when its still hot and being heated to lift it off the board. the early models just used heatsink compound on the leds to cool them like they should. they were just unsolder the legs and they come right off.
> 
> 
> 
> Try sheer forces.. Most glue/epoxy is extremely weak sideways..
> My guess is a sideways punch will take it off easy..
> Let me know if you tried this..
> Out of curiosity.. What breaks?
> Not much to these.. unless you whack a resistor..
Click to expand...

There mounted to the circuit board. Far to easy to damage .

I replaced the 3w kids with 3w leds of a different color. When I bought mine there were no freshwater beamworks. Just 10k and blue and I swapped 2 of the 10ks for 6500ks, 2 others for reds. It was a refugium light on my reef tank. Bridgelux leds are cheap and the color bins are usually good so its not a bad idea to swap them for a few dollars.


----------



## jeffkrol

mrbigshot said:


> There mounted to the circuit board. Far to easy to damage .
> 
> I replaced the 3w kids with 3w leds of a different color. When I bought mine there were no freshwater beamworks. Just 10k and blue and I swapped 2 of the 10ks for 6500ks, 2 others for reds. It was a refugium light on my reef tank. Bridgelux leds are cheap and the color bins are usually good so its not a bad idea to swap them for a few dollars.


this isn't you by any chance???


http://scapeclub.org/forum/showthread.php?19336-MOD-Rework-on-a-Beamswork-LED-from-10K-to-6-5K


----------



## mrbigshot

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> RE: Lenses
> The LED lenses are clear, and there is light spilling out from inside of the fixture. This obviously wastes light and PAR. Is it feasible to paint the lenses silver or white to reflect the light downward? It's plastic so what kind of paint would stick to it keeping in mind the high temperatures?


Depending what tank depth is i wouldn't even run them. For example if you are only going 17 inches deep you could use the .5w models and have medium light at the bottom or go up to the 1w models and remove the optics. The 3w models are more for tanks in the 24" range. I was going to get a 3 watt 24" for my tank but I'm going to switch tanks first. Instead of the 37g Column armpit soaked I have now I'm going to go to a 40breeder when petco does there tank sales again. I have access to a par meter and will check numbers but it might be a few months till I get the tank.


----------



## mrbigshot

No sir. Those lights were made after i got mine.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

mrbigshot said:


> Depending what tank depth is i wouldn't even run them. For example if you are only going 17 inches deep you could use the .5w models and have medium light at the bottom or go up to the 1w models and remove the optics. The 3w models are more for tanks in the 24" range. I was going to get a 3 watt 24" for my tank but I'm going to switch tanks first. Instead of the 37g Column armpit soaked I have now I'm going to go to a 40breeder when petco does there tank sales again. I have access to a par meter and will check numbers but it might be a few months till I get the tank.


I'm hanging the fixture 16" from the water surface just to get even front to back coverage. It's a 19" wide tank so any extra light I can get out of the fixture would be great, even 10% extra light would help a lot.


----------



## angelcraze

jeffkrol said:


> you wouldn't Have to but see no advantage not to.


Why not? I really don't know here, but if the 1W LEDs are more efficient......or maybe there are not as many LEDs in a 3W fixture. What about the 'snake eyes' fixture where there are a lot of 3W LEDs. What if one was to replace the 3W's with 1W's, just for fun, would the fixture be less powerful, but more efficient in electrical power used:actual performance? I was thinking one could tweak the spectrum by introducing blue and red, but what if they were all 1W. Or could you mix them, like 3w 6500k with 1W blue/red and still keep the original wiring?


----------



## jeffkrol

angelcraze said:


> Why not? I really don't know here, but if the 1W LEDs are more efficient......or maybe there are not as many LEDs in a 3W fixture. What about the 'snake eyes' fixture where there are a lot of 3W LEDs. What if one was to replace the 3W's with 1W's, just for fun, would the fixture be less powerful, but more efficient in electrical power used:actual performance? I was thinking one could tweak the spectrum by introducing blue and red, but what if they were all 1W. Or could you mix them, like 3w 6500k with 1W blue/red and still keep the original wiring?



First I want to say I am throwing a few assumptions in here:

3=1W LED's > output (efficiency) than 1 3W LED

But gross output of 1 1W will not equal 1 3W............

You could use a more inherently efficient 1W (say 100lm/w vs 50/lumens watt for the 3W) and not lose gross light.. IF the 1W along w/ being more "efficient" is also more efficient at a lower voltage.. Theoretically you could equal a 3W out w/ a 1W diode.. Theoretically..

As to colors.. the problem is getting diodes that match the circuit.. Like many reds have a V(f) lower than whites or blue. Using the circuit as is has the potential to over drive the red.. and burning them out.
This is probably not much of an issue though.. depending


----------



## angelcraze

jeffkrol said:


> 3=1W LED's > output (efficiency) than 1 3W LED
> 
> But gross output of 1 1W will not equal 1 3W............


Amazingly, I understood that, and meant the same thing.



jeffkrol said:


> As to colors.. the problem is getting diodes that match the circuit.. Like many reds have a V(f) lower than whites or blue. Using the circuit as is has the potential to over drive the red.. and burning them out.


Thanks for your answer, it makes perfect sense.


----------



## JL15219

Was just wondering if there is a dimmer that can be used on the Beamswork light fixtures?


----------



## talontsiawd

JL15219 said:


> Was just wondering if there is a dimmer that can be used on the Beamswork light fixtures?


I don't know if they all use similar power supplies but I know some have made it work with Current's Ramp Timer. That will give you effects and will work as a dimmer.


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

Just got my beamswork 3300 for my 55g http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm These lights are way better then my hood lights. I'll provide some pictures when I learn how to. These lights have the perfect brightness for growing plants. Brought some new colors out of my fish too. I love this fixture.


----------



## KingPlakat

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> Just got my beamswork 3300 for my 55g http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm These lights are way better then my hood lights. I'll provide some pictures when I learn how to. These lights have the perfect brightness for growing plants. Brought some new colors out of my fish too. I love this fixture.


What made you choose this over other 48 inch options? I ask because I'm looking at getting this one:

http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Pent-HI-Lumen-p/56367p.htm

Bump: Mine will be over a 75 gallon tank though


----------



## angelcraze

KingPlakat said:


> What made you choose this over other 48 inch options? I ask because I'm looking at getting this one:
> 
> http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Pent-HI-Lumen-p/56367p.htm
> 
> Bump: Mine will be over a 75 gallon tank though


The fixture Kylesaltandpepper got is 48". I looked at the fixture you had in mind for your 75g, and I think it will work if you didn't want too high of light. I say this because I have two fixtures of 0.5W on my 90g, which I think is a pretty fair comparison. I am happy with it for my 90g, but I was thinking two 54 x 1W LEDs would have been a better choice.


----------



## Hilde

KingPlakat said:


> What made you choose this over other 48 inch options? I ask because I'm looking at getting this one:
> 
> http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Pent-HI-Lumen-p/56367p.htm
> 
> Bump: Mine will be over a 75 gallon tank though


I had looked at that for my 20g high which is 16in high. Decided the .5 watt LEDs would not be strong enough to grow red plants. Was in fact told that they would only provide med light over my tank. The depth of your tank is more than mine. I would look on youtube tanks with beamwork lights before choosing 1. 

I wish I could have gotten the 1 with 1 watt LEDs but it is $100. Thus not in my budget.


----------



## jeffkrol

Hilde said:


> I had looked at that for my 20g high which is 16in high. Decided the .5 watt LEDs would not be strong enough to grow red plants. Was in fact told that they would only provide med light over my tank. The depth of your tank is more than mine. I would look on youtube tanks with beamwork lights before choosing 1.
> 
> I wish I could have gotten the 1 with 1 watt LEDs but it is $100. Thus not in my budget.


I wouldn't be too worried.. 









i'm not convinced 1) it is the .5w or 2)it is that accurate.. some consider >40 PAR high light.


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

Here are some pics of my http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm on my 55g. all lights on








actinic lights on
















My tank isn't fully planted yet but it will soon.

Bump: I'm having trouble showing pictures. Can anyone tell me how to?


----------



## angelcraze

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> Bump: I'm having trouble showing pictures. Can anyone tell me how to?


Try using the 'Manage Attachments' option below your 'post message box'. You will have an option to upload the pics from your device. Or upload your pics to photobucket and copy/paste the URL for your pic after you select the 'Insert Image' icon above.


----------



## angelcraze

Hilde said:


> I had looked at that for my 20g high which is 16in high. Decided the .5 watt LEDs would not be strong enough to grow red plants. Was in fact told that they would only provide med light over my tank.


I _can_ grow red plants in my 90g (24" depth) with these 0.5 LEDs, but I've built the back half up higher (so lessened the depth) and I am selective of the red plants I choose and where they are placed. The top of the rotala vietnam is new growth and is quite pink. The rubin sword could be redder, but is shaded, and the rotala rotundifolia is all new growth since I received the LEDs. The ludwigia sp. is growing slow, and the staurogyne is not doing very well, but it is newly planted. I would put these lights in the low-medium light category, just going by what I see, but it doesn't mean you can't have _any_ colour, even if it is not really bright. There is no Co2 on this tank, and I have not been using Excel either.


----------



## jeffkrol

> Surface: 144
> Middle: 84
> Substrate: 44


This was over a 40B w/ a good deal of substrate..(16" -substrate)
Medium is about right..
30-40.........

BUT as you can see from above.. numbers aren't everything..


----------



## angelcraze

I forgot about my red ozelot sword on the right side of the rotala rotundifolia. The new leaves are fairly red. It is ~18" depth with the built up hill.


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

My beamswork 3300 looks brighter to my eyes then the camera.


----------



## angelcraze

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> My beamswork 3300 looks brighter to my eyes then the camera.


Thanks for the pic! I find this too, with the pics, the tanks look brighter in person. You said you noticed a big difference, and you are happy with it, that's great. Bet if you slap on a light coloured background (like light blue/grey/white) to help reflect the light back in the tank, it will brighten up all the more.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

Brightness is, for the most part, relative to the surroundings. If it were taken mid-day with ambient light, it wouldn't appear very bright.


----------



## Hilde

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> My beamswork 3300 looks brighter to my eyes then the camera.


Are those fake plants that I am seeing in your tank?

Bump:


angelcraze said:


> I can grow red plants in my 90g (24" depth) with these 0.5 LEDs.


I still think with the higher wattage LEDs your plants could have darker colors. Here is a pic of rotala rotundifolia grown with stronger lights


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

Hilde said:


> Are those fake plants that I am seeing in your tank?


Yeah. I'll take them out once I fully grow my amazon swords..


----------



## pilla

Ordered this about 2 weeks back. Few leds are not working. Called and emailed aquatraders but no response. Filed a dispute with CC.

Apart from some leds not working the unit appears to be decent quality. Plants are doing OK but not great I would say.

http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Pent-HI-Lumen-p/56369p.htm


----------



## Hilde

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> Yeah. I'll take them out once I fully grow my amazon swords..


That beautiful light is just for an amazon sword, which I have grown with a T8 Light? Did buying it break your bank?:hihi:


----------



## angelcraze

Ahhhhh. Kyle, PM me your shipping address, I'll give him some plants.


----------



## Hilde

angelcraze said:


> Ahhhhh. Kyle, PM me your shipping address, I'll give him some plants.


I hope you are not planning on doing that soon, for it is bit a chilly in your area now.

Bump:


pilla said:


> Ordered this about 2 weeks back. Few leds are not working. Called and emailed aquatraders but no response. Filed a dispute with CC.
> http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Pent-HI-Lumen-p/56369p.htm


What does CC stand for? Did you pay via paypal?


----------



## mrbigshot

cc= credit card.
those rotalia look amazing


----------



## FlyingHellFish

Hilde said:


> Bump:
> I still think with the higher wattage LEDs your plants could have darker colors. Here is a pic of rotala rotundifolia grown with stronger lights


Very nice Rotala! Are they the red variety or "coloura"

Some people have Rotala "sp" green and it always stays green. Here is mine with MicMol's AquaMini x2, very strong LEDs lights. I played around with the fertz too. 























When it's at the top of the water, its colour is saturated with the strong purple light.









Anyways, my point is, I agree that stronger light is the key but plant varieties can help too. Love your tank by the way, any close up of the Rotala?


----------



## Hilde

FlyingHellFish said:


> Very nice Rotala! Are they the red variety or "coloura"
> 
> I agree that stronger light is the key but plant varieties can help too. Love your tank by the way, any close up of the Rotala?
> 
> Here is mine with MicMol's AquaMini x2, very strong LEDs lights. I played around with the fertz too.


Rotala rotundifolia (red), which I saw selling on ebay .They suggest to grow them 1 watt to 5 watt per liter, which is more than what .5watt LEDs will give out. They are not mine. Just wanted to point out the the light intensity is needed to bring out their bright colors.

Your lights look like it has at least 1w LEDs. The colors of your plants are brighter than angelcraze's.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

Hilde said:


> Rotala rotundifolia (red), which I saw selling on ebay .They suggest to grow them 1 watt to 5 watt per liter, which is more than what .5watt LEDs will give out. They are not mine. Just wanted to point out the the light intensity is needed to bring out their bright colors.
> 
> Your lights look like it has at least 1w LEDs. The colors of your plants are brighter than angelcraze's.


Just to update your info: wpl for incandescent lighting is no longer in use, and does not apply to LEDs.


----------



## Hilde

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> Just to update your info: wpl for incandescent lighting is no longer in use, and does not apply to LEDs.


Yeh it is par value that is important but I don't have a par meter. Just thought it would give an idea of how bright the lights should be. Perhaps I was wrong. 

Complaring FlyingHellFish pics with angelcraze pics is better comparison of different wattage of LEDs.


----------



## angelcraze

Hilde said:


> Your lights look like it has at least 1w LEDs. The colors of your plants are brighter than angelcraze's.
> 
> Complaring FlyingHellFish pics with angelcraze pics is better comparison of different wattage of LEDs.


Lol, I didn't know this was a competition ;P 

I agree, but there are many other factors to consider than just LED intensity. Different LED manufacturer, spectrum, size of tank, camera quality, fert regimen, Co2, no Co2, different plants, how long the LED had been on the tank, time of day the pic was taken, etc....I thought we already went there.

Just wanted to stress that it is not a good "comparison of different wattage of LEDs." I was giving an example of what the Beamswork 0.5W LEDs _look_ on a 24" deep tank.

Bump:


Hilde said:


> I hope you are not planning on doing that soon, for it is bit a chilly in your area now.


Hell no, it was just a joke ;P I felt sorry for Kyle!


----------



## angelcraze

Hilde said:


> I still think with the higher wattage LEDs your plants could have darker colors. Here is a pic of rotala rotundifolia grown with stronger lights


I just noticed this, this is why you are comparing.....Maybe the colour could be darker, but that rotala never got very pink for me. I was told it was the green variety when my friend gave it to me, it is possible it is not though, I guess. I also have rotala rotundifolia magenta in another tank and even the stem part grows fuchsia, it looks a lot like the rotala in your example pic, and the tank the magenta variety is in doesn't run Co2 on it either.


----------



## Hilde

angelcraze said:


> I also have rotala rotundifolia magenta in another tank and even the stem part grows fuchsia, it looks a lot like the rotala in your example pic, and the tank the magenta variety is in doesn't run Co2 on it either.


Interesting!! Got a link to the tank? Don't want to get off the subject of beamworks here.


----------



## mcclure91

does anyone know if the pent .5w will put me at high light in my 46 bow front 21" deep


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

No, it will not. Low-medium-ish. Unless you get two.


----------



## Bishop61

Hey all

I replaced a T5 HO light w/ a 48" Beamswork 54 1W led light on my 90 gal. Been very happy with the change. The light intensity is a little bit lower than I would like... though I was correcting some algae issues, so it worked out well :icon_smil

Now that I have the algae issues under control (co2 issues mostly), I am thinking of increasing the light intensity some. I've read through a few posts about people adding some led strips... would you all think that adding a few 5050's or 5630's would address this well enough or should I look into adding another light fixture? I like the idea of the strips since I can add or remove as needed to get to the "sweet spot" for my tank, though I am concerned that with a 24" water depth that I many need too many strips.

If a second light is a better option, is there a dimmer option for the Beamswork lights available so that I can fine tune it as needed?

With the wife having seen me replace the light, adding a complete Co2 system, and an in-line heater over the last few months, I need to make any new lighting adjustments on a tight budget :biggrin:


----------



## mcclure91

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> No, it will not. Low-medium-ish. Unless you get two.


What about a 1w model then i cant run two it would be wider then my tank


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> No, it will not. Low-medium-ish. Unless you get two.


>5W 36" fixture over a 40B


> Surface: 144
> Middle: 84
> Substrate: 44


longer lights, if they follow the "Finnex like" pattern (more overall PAR due to more overlap from the higher density diodes) will have higher PAR than the above at the same depth.

At 24" minus substrate you could get 35-40 PAR at the surface w/ a .5W diode light.
Point is low to med. w/ these lights will depend on size..

72" .5W 6500k Beamsworks are rated at 11000 lumens, just as a point of reference..


> *Features:*
> 
> 
> Dimensions - 71.50” x 7.50” x 1.25”
> Brackets add 0.65" in height
> Includes 280 LEDs
> 11000 Lumen
> Super energy efficient .50 watt LEDs
> 280x 6500K LEDs


Bump:


mcclure91 said:


> What about a 1w model then i cant run two it would be wider then my tank


The 90 degree optics wil concentrate more light at the substrate..
The .5W vs the 1W is really more a matter of geometry than output.

Bump:


Bishop61 said:


> If a second light is a better option, is there a dimmer option for the Beamswork lights available so that I can fine tune it as needed?


Not a canned one but a couple people added after market dimmers..
Adding something like this between the power supply and the light works fine:









Just get one stating 12-24V... They are like $5
simple manual PWM dimming.. You can do full blown programmer/controller for like $25


----------



## FlyingHellFish

angelcraze said:


> Lol, I didn't know this was a competition ;P
> 
> I agree, but there are many other factors to consider than just LED intensity. Different LED manufacturer, spectrum, size of tank, camera quality, fert regimen, Co2, no Co2, different plants, how long the LED had been on the tank, time of day the pic was taken, etc....I thought we already went there.


I didn't mean for it to be one, your plants are nice and healthy. I just wanted to know how one could get such a nice red colour like Hlide's Rotala pic. I could never get that dark red hue, even with high fluorescent lighting. 

Maybe I need to get the sp. Rotala "coloura", "red" kind.

On the topic of "different led", the majority of fixtures (beside the SMD ones) are used by several companies. The Cree and Orsam in my fixture can be found in others. What you see is what you get. I have a youtube video of the tank with green glosso contrast to the rotala.

I guess the recent debate of the dress has spilled over to our hobby:


----------



## mcclure91

So even with the pent 5700lumen model i would only be low light


----------



## jeffkrol

FlyingHellFish said:


> I didn't mean for it to be one, your plants are nice and healthy. I just wanted to know how one could get such a nice red colour like Hlide's Rotala pic. I could never get that dark red hue, even with high fluorescent lighting.


nitrogen starvation works.. 

Red is a collection of factors.. including genetics..


----------



## jeffkrol

mcclure91 said:


> So even with the pent 5700lumen model i would only be low light


36.4" x 16.4" x 21.9"
Bowfronts have issues.. Deep and also wide in areas..

.5W leds are generally lensed at 120degrees..
1W and greater are usually 90 degrees.

assuming 3" off the surface the .5W have a beam spread of 10 inches roughly. to get fair coverage front to back you need 6" from first row back to last row.
Point is the 120 degree 5 strip LEDs have good f/back coverage at the cost of depth penetration.

1W 90 degrees at 3" above the water have a cone spread of 6"
You get better depth penetration w/ less spread f/back unless you use 2 units..

Effectively like this:
http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Quad-Freshwater-Plant-p/56576p.htm

Full f/back coverage and high light at the substrate..


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

The EVO Quad has 60 degree lenses so the spread is very narrow. It's effectively a 5" wide fixture (all sizes) from front LED to back LED. Light coverage is lost front and back unless it's hung 10" or higher from the surface. Mine is hung 16" on a 19" deep tank.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> The EVO Quad has 60 degree lenses so the spread is very narrow. It's effectively a 5" wide fixture (all sizes) from front LED to back LED. Light coverage is lost front and back unless it's hung 10" or higher from the surface. Mine is hung 16" on a 19" deep tank.


Thanks.. Only references I've ever seen were 90 or 95 degrees. The "snakeyes" are different I know.. but don't know what they are..

AS to the quad.. They may have changed that ..



> Individual & replaceable lenses (**New & Improved Wider Angles**)


http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Quad-Freshwater-Plant-p/56576p.htm

Wouldn't mind knowing where you can get replacement lenses..


----------



## Hilde

Bishop61 said:


> I've read through a few posts about people adding some led strips... would you all think that adding a few 5050's or 5630's would address this well enough


Perhaps this thread on the 5050's would interest you.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

jeffkrol said:


> AS to the quad.. They may have changed that ..
> 
> http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Quad-Freshwater-Plant-p/56576p.htm
> 
> Wouldn't mind knowing where you can get replacement lenses..


The "wider angles" may mean it's wider than the SnakeEyes.

Replaceable lenses - there are three clip-like retainers on the sides which are different from the non-clip generic lenses available on ebay . The clips secure the lenses into the holes of the splashguard.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> The "wider angles" may mean it's wider than the SnakeEyes.
> 
> Replaceable lenses - there are three clip-like retainers on the sides which are different from the non-clip generic lenses available on ebay . The clips secure the lenses into the holes of the splashguard.


I don't see this as an insurmountable DIY hurdle..
Wrote to topdog to see "if" replacements are, indeed "available"..

Putting the light mounted over a sheet of white paper and measuring the cone diameter and distance to lens would be easy to verify.. roughly


----------



## angelcraze

FlyingHellFish said:


> I didn't mean for it to be one, your plants are nice and healthy. I just wanted to know how one could get such a nice red colour like Hlide's Rotala pic. I could never get that dark red hue, even with high fluorescent lighting.
> 
> Maybe I need to get the sp. Rotala "coloura", "red" kind.


Yeah, me either, lol, your plants look amazing!!! I meant to talk to you about that, the different types of rotala, that's what I was saying about 'even the stem part of the rotala magenta grow fuchsia' without much effort. The combined spectrum of the LEDs do make a difference in how red the plants appear though, probably has little to do with how well they grow them.

Bump:


Hilde said:


> Interesting!! Got a link to the tank? _Don't want to get off the subject of beamworks here_.


Hello Hilde, just what I was thinking....I'll PM you.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

jeffkrol said:


> I don't see this as an insurmountable DIY hurdle..
> Wrote to topdog to see "if" replacements are, indeed "available"..


I'd like to know the response, if any. "All items in stock!" :hihi:



> Putting the light mounted over a sheet of white paper and measuring the cone diameter and distance to lens would be easy to verify.. roughly


I used my hand to measure the beam angle. Definitely not 90 but 60 degrees.


----------



## angelcraze

mcclure91 said:


> So even with the pent 5700lumen model i would only be low light


I have a 46g bow too, I noticed a huge difference when I added the 35" Beamswork submersible LED accent light, like this one. 










The one I have is 10k, when I DIY mounted it slightly slanted from back aimed to front, it made a big difference to grow my regular rotala (at the top of the tank) and regular ludwigia in the middle. My stargrass at the bottom foreground really grew dense and thick. It's not even close to showtank worthy, but for such a small accent fixture, the LED added to HOt5 really changed things for me.

I'd actually like to know where I could get one again, I can't seem to find them anymore, I am in Canada, are they still available?


----------



## angelcraze

I found this from a couple of years ago:



ReluctantHippy said:


> The light is made by BeamsWorks and is their 35" 12x1w white submersible LED light. *BeamsWork is a Chinese company which seems to make a range of 'knockoff' aquarium lights.* IMO and from others reviews they seem to be pretty nice. I purchased mine on evilbay from TopDogSellers.


Really? Lol, I thought "Beamswork" was legit. How do you get these authentic Beamsworks fixtures? Do they have an official website? I originally got mine from the same seller, probably back in 2012ish.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> I'd like to know the response, if any. "All items in stock!" :hihi:
> 
> 
> 
> I used my hand to measure the beam angle. Definitely not 90 but 60 degrees.


from topdog:



> The EVO lenses are 90 degrees. How many were you looking to order? We will check our stock for the part.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

It's definitely not 90 degrees.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> It's definitely not 90 degrees.


Looks to be compound lenses.. Give me an inch measurement from paper to lens and a diameter of circle to close to the extinction zone 

At 2" you should have a 4" diameter light circle.. Ect. 90 degree math is easy.. (2x the distance away.. BTW technically I believe you measure TO the diode itself for the distance..
not the lens face but I'd have to check. just trying to get close here.
Optics are funny..


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

Compound? There's a hole inside the lens for the LED to beam into.










The sheet is ~2" away from the LED lens. Only at the very far edges is it 90 degrees, but there's so little light that it's not useable. Lens is 20mm in diameter.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> Compound? There's a hole inside the lens for the LED to beam into.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The sheet is ~2" away from the LED lens. Only at the very far edges is it 90 degrees, but there's so little light that it's not useable. Lens is 20mm in diameter.


Light falloff is a different story..


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

So the 90 degree lens effectively gives off a 60 degree beam angle.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> So the 90 degree lens effectively gives off a 60 degree beam angle.


At 2 " what is the diameter of that circle? Give it to me w/ 2 measurements 1)brightest zone and 2) zone w/ "some" light..

What you are really saying is you would like ..like 100 degree lenses (90 "effective" cone")

That what these charts do..
120 degree lenses w/ 50% to zero light falloff at 60 degrees off axis










might as well call it a 80 degree lens.. 
Personally I'd say more on the line as a poor implementation of a 90 degree lens not a 60 degree lens.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

At 2" distance:
total diameter = 4"
brightest zone = 2".

A=2", B=2", C=2"
180°/3=60° degrees


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> At 2" distance:
> total diameter = 4"
> brightest zone = 2".
> 
> A=2", B=2", C=2"
> 180°/3=60° degrees


Nope 

Tan 45 (1/2 beam angle) = 1 @ 2" that makes the radius 2.. 
2x radius =4 the diameter of a circle w/ a 90 degree lens..
it is a 90 lens.. w/ poor light at greater than 60 degrees..
(tan 30 = .577 x2 = 1.15 radius x 2 = 2.3 dia circle..close enough to 2









theta is 1/2 beam angle, distance VT is the light to paper distance VU is the radius of the circle...

Unless I'm really getting old..


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

I only used the useable beam angle for the calculations so it results in a ~60° beam angle. I didn't use the total diameter.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> I only used the useable beam angle for the calculations so it results in a ~60° beam angle. I didn't use the total diameter.


Lenses aren't calculated that way
This is a plot of 120 degree lens w/ 20% "loss" at 80 degrees.












As I said.. it is a poor 90 degree lens implementation (don't forget the diode is naturally lensed at 120 degrees on the chip usually).. it is not a 60 degree lens..


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

For buyers, it's important to know that the "90°" lens only provides a 60° useable beam angle. So at the 60° beam angle, the fixture height is simply the width of the tank to get full coverage. 15" tank width = 15" fixture height.

Edit:
Since there are four rows of LEDs, and the distance from front to back LEDs are 5.75", then subtract this from the tank width to get the fixture height. E.g. 15" tank width - 5.75" = 9.25" fixture height.


----------



## Hilde

jeffkrol said:


> As I said.. it is a poor 90 degree lens implementation (don't forget the diode is naturally lensed at 120 degrees on the chip usually)..


Are you talking about the green element LED strip at aquatraders?


----------



## jeffkrol

Hilde said:


> Are you talking about the green element LED strip at aquatraders?


Currently just talking about the EVO quad lights..


http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Quad-Freshwater-Plant-p/56576p.htm

I'm sure all the 1W /3W LED's have the same lensing.. 
Snakeeyes use a different lens system
http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-SnakesEyes-Reef-Corals-p/57727.htm


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> For buyers, it's important to know that the "90°" lens only provides a 60° useable beam angle. So at the 60° beam angle, the fixture height is simply the width of the tank to get full coverage. 15" tank width = 15" fixture height.
> ALSO:
> 
> 
> 
> Keep in mind, on a 60º lens, majority of the light will be within the centre 30º.
> 
> 
> 
> Which is why you need to state "effective" or actual..
Click to expand...


----------



## angelcraze

jeffkrol said:


> Solcielo lawrencia said:
> 
> 
> 
> For buyers, it's important to know that the "90°" lens only provides a 60° useable beam angle. So at the 60° beam angle, the fixture height is simply the width of the tank to get full coverage. 15" tank width = 15" fixture height.
> 
> Which is why you need to state "effective" or actual..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't understand "fixture height". I understand how the the light emission will be brighter nearest to the diode.
Click to expand...


----------



## jeffkrol

angelcraze said:


> jeffkrol said:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't understand "fixture height". I understand how the the light emission will be brighter nearest to the diode.
> 
> 
> 
> easist way to show it.. thanks to another thread here:
Click to expand...


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

angelcraze said:


> I don't understand "fixture height". I understand how the the light emission will be brighter nearest to the diode.


The beam angle image shows that the fixture height directs the light onto the substrate. But the background doesn't receive light. Thus, the fixture height is too low. The fixture should be:
a) raised until the beam angle reaches the top of the background, or 
b) the fixture should be moved farther back.

A combination of the two works as well, which is how I've positioned the lights above my tank.

However, light doesn't pass through water at the same angle. If the image were filled with water, it will have a smaller light footprint not even reaching the edges of the tank because water causes the beam angle to narrow. Here are pictures showing this effect in action:
http://www.buildmyled.com/beam-angle-selection-guide/


----------



## angelcraze

Thanks very much, that's what I thought, I needed the conformation.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> Sniphttp://www.buildmyled.com/beam-angle-selection-guide/


Last word:


> *Dear jeffkrol,*
> 
> The only replacement lenses we have available are 90 degrees.
> 
> *- topdogsellers*


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

jeffkrol said:


> Last word:


LOL:hihi:


----------



## PerfectDepth

Hi everyone!

So far (5 weeks in) I'm very pleased with the results I'm getting from my BeamsWork LED. It's on a 20 long (floramax, DIY CO2), and it's the 30", 57 X 0.5W, 6500K model. 

Here's a before and after- top photo was taken on day 1 (Jan. 26), bottom photo is 4 weeks later (Feb. 23):


----------



## angelcraze

Wow, is that a staurogyne carpet? Jealous. My carpet didn't grow that fast with 24" depth. Although, it is growing, just saying.


----------



## PerfectDepth

angelcraze said:


> Wow, is that a staurogyne carpet? Jealous. My carpet didn't grow that fast with 24" depth. Although, it is growing, just saying.


That it is! It's filling in nicely and growing low and compact. It helps that the tank's only 12" tall. I don't know the PAR rating, but it seems to be sufficient.


----------



## Hilde

PerfectDepth said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> So far (5 weeks in) I'm very pleased with the results I'm getting from my BeamsWork LED. It's on a 20 long (floramax, DIY CO2), and it's the 30", 57 X 0.5W, 6500K model.


Just what I thought. That light works great over a tank with depth of 12in. 

I have moved all high light plants with DIY Co2 into 20G high for I was concerned that I would have to prune the plants every week. Do you have to prune your plants weekly?


----------



## PerfectDepth

Hilde said:


> Just what I thought. That light works great over a tank with depth of 12in.
> 
> I have moved all high light plants with DIY Co2 into 20G high for I was concerned that I would have to prune the plants every week. Do you have to prune your plants weekly?


It's hard to say at this point. At the rate the moneywort has grown, I expect it will need a trim at least every other week. So far I've only had to do very minimal pruning of the rotala, and not because it's too tall, but because it wants to creep horizontally, so I've been pruning to keep it from shading out the shorter stems. It's starting to get a bit crowded, too, so I imagine some regular pruning just to thin the patch will be necessary.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

Mini update review:

The EVO Quad 6500K color rendition is much better than the 0.5w 6500K. Greens are much better represented and doesn't have the yellowish tint of the 0.5w. Hung 16" above the water surface and at 17"-18" deep, Glosso is sending lateral runners with short leaves. (With the 0.5w, it mostly tended to grow vertically.) All plants started pearling heavily once CO2 was fine-tuned to the fixture's light output. It's a pretty luminous fixture on a 19" deep by 19" wide tank. If you're going to use this fixture, it really should by hung high above, not placed on top of the tank. In the future, I may need to raise the fixture a couple more inches to limit the intensity.


----------



## angelcraze

PerfectDepth said:


> It's hard to say at this point. At the rate the moneywort has grown, I expect it will need a trim at least every other week. So far I've only had to do very minimal pruning of the rotala, and not because it's too tall, but because it wants to creep horizontally, so I've been pruning to keep it from shading out the shorter stems. It's starting to get a bit crowded, too, so I imagine some regular pruning just to thin the patch will be necessary.


Agreed. In my 24" tank my rotala bends horizontally at 18", but I have to trim it weekly, as it reaches the water's surface all bent over. My staurogyne on the aquarium floor is growing slowly, but growing, I think to be expected at 24" depth. Idk, I am pretty impressed with the 0.5W model, it suits me well.


----------



## dru

Has anyone had success using a 3w fixture @ ~13"

I am basically doing water changes every third day (macro, micro, wc) and fighting BBA on the substrate and driftwood. Also dealing with GSA on the glass. 

I am about to give up and order the 1w clamp or just throw a 23w CFL over the tank

I think I bit off more than I can chew, but I love the colors and growth rate.

I am thinking this light would be good for a column tank, so obviously if I ditch it on my 10" cube I will have to get one!










Does anyone know if the 'moonlight' setting is full powered, but with only two LEDs? Or is is two LEDs and reduced power to those two LEDs?


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

Sounds like you have CO2 issues.


----------



## angelcraze

Have you tried heightening the fixture? It probably won't help with the BBA, but if your plants are getting too much light and too focused, it would help that at least. Try to keep your Co2 as stable as possible. It is a lot of light for your nano, you'd have to supply your tank with nutrients and Co2 to match!


----------



## dru

There is really no way to raise it.

I am dosing full EI everyday (macro one day/micro the next) and the co2 is cranked until the shrimp started freaking out. It is also set to come on an hour before the lights. It is ~30ppm when the photoperiod begins (5 hours) and ~45ppm when the lights go off

I understand the relationship between co2/light/nutrients but I also appreciate a little margin of error. I was just wondering if anyone else has been successful with this light to see if I want to ride it out. 

Also, wondering if the moonlight mode is just 2 LEDs but full power to them. It is hard to ascertain just by looking at the two different modes. They look dimmer also from the eye test.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

3w at only 13".... way too much light. I have the 3w raised 16" above the surface + 17" to the substrate.


----------



## dru

Do you know what kind of PAR you are getting at that distance?

I am just guessing based on other measurements but mine should be 75-100 at the substrate

It doesn't seem too crazy but results are telling me otherwise


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

No clue but Glosso is creeping along very well at 33".


----------



## angelcraze

dru said:


> There is really no way to raise it.


Can you DIY hang it?

What about some kind of mesh/shade over the light to filter it?


----------



## losa

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> The EVO Quad has 60 degree lenses so the spread is very narrow. It's effectively a 5" wide fixture (all sizes) from front LED to back LED. Light coverage is lost front and back unless it's hung 10" or higher from the surface. Mine is hung 16" on a 19" deep tank.


Thinking of this 3w quad suspended over a 40g breeder. How are your plants doing? High par at substrate? Even spread with degree lens? Any pics of your setup? Thanks.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

losa said:


> Thinking of this 3w quad suspended over a 40g breeder. How are your plants doing? High par at substrate? Even spread with degree lens? Any pics of your setup? Thanks.


The plants are doing great. No clue on PAR. Before, Glosso was stemming upward, very tall, 3"+. Now, Glosso grows very low with short leaves. Lenses have an effective light spread of 60°. No pics I'm sharing right now (due to contest rules.)


----------



## losa

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> The plants are doing great. No clue on PAR. Before, Glosso was stemming upward, very tall, 3"+. Now, Glosso grows very low with short leaves. Lenses have an effective light spread of 60°. No pics I'm sharing right now (due to contest rules.)


Cool. Do you find the lights are hot? Do you run 1 or more fans? What about the digital timer? Are those extras worth it? 

What's your fertz dosing and how are you diffusing CO2? Any fish or inverts? 

Thanks so much for any input you have.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

Yes, it's hot. No fans. I'll probably add a DIY fan setup later. Digital timer works. It's 3x-4x overpriced but works well. I dose dry fertz, with a reactor. Yes animals.


----------



## RicoFishMan

I recently bought a 48" Ray 2 for my 55 from Amazon because I didn't want to wait for the Planted+ 24/7, plus the Ray 2 has a higher par rating for deep tanks. When it arrived only half the strip worked (I guess I'm not the only one this has happened to). After another round of research, I cheaped out and bought an EVO Green Element 3W from Top Dog Sellers. So glad I did!!! I was amazed how the 6500K EVO made the plants look greener and fish colors brighter. The Ray 2 (7000K) washed out most of the colors and made the tank really cold and the plants looked grey. I also think the light penetration to the substrate is better with the EVO than the Finnex. EVO is more direct and less scattered. Maybe I'm in the honeymoon phase with this fixture but I don't understand why so many talk trash about light. IMO, the quality is good and I think the look of it is better than the Ray 2 plus it 1/2 the price. BTW, the shipping was super fast. Good experience all around.


----------



## KingPlakat

Lets see pictures! Everyones saying that the 3w is better for deep tanks, but I'm still stuck on the LED pent 48inch with .5 watt LED's. But I don't want high light, just medium light. I'm also worried about light spread. The 3watt might be good for a 55, but for a 75 thats 6inches wider, it might be a problem for me.


----------



## mrbigshot

dru, did you pop the optics off of it? they come off with a butter knife and that will reduce the intensity. still going to be super bright but the plants will adjust.

Bump: the moonlight setting is full powered with only 2 leds. as you know its way to bright to be moonlights.


----------



## RicoFishMan

KingPlakat said:


> Lets see pictures! Everyones saying that the 3w is better for deep tanks, but I'm still stuck on the LED pent 48inch with .5 watt LED's. But I don't want high light, just medium light. I'm also worried about light spread. The 3watt might be good for a 55, but for a 75 thats 6inches wider, it might be a problem for me.


Yes, I agree. You may be short on the spread. You would be good with two but then you are defiantly in the high light category. Check out the EVO Quad 48" Timer 6500K LED Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant Tetra Discus 64x 3W and if possible, raise it up off the tank.

Pics really don't give the difference justice, but believe me, there is.

Here are some pics of my current setup (2.5 weeks). Still trying to decide wether to go with dirt or ECO so I apologize for the pots (gotta love IKEA) and the Vals are acclimating to Excel.


----------



## KingPlakat

Thanks for the pictures! I can see the difference, the eco brings out the greens way better. I use eco-complete in my 75 and I'm a fan of it. I do recommend a deep bed though. Anything less than 2 inches and you may have problems with the plants getting uprooted. As you probably already know, the gravel size varies from sand to slightly larger than normal gravel. If they did away with some of the larger pieces of gravel it would help a lot. Sometimes I'll notice my dwarf sag being uprooted because it's surrounded by those large grains which don't provide enough weight on the roots to keep it down.


----------



## jeffkrol

KingPlakat said:


> Lets see pictures! Everyones saying that the 3w is better for deep tanks, but I'm still stuck on the LED pent 48inch with .5 watt LED's. But I don't want high light, just medium light. I'm also worried about light spread. The 3watt might be good for a 55, but for a 75 thats 6inches wider, it might be a problem for me.


That is what the 3 row 1W's are for..
Getting creative, you could get a 3 row 1W and pop the optics off one of the front rows (going to 110/120 degrees).. or both, leaving the middle at 90 degrees..


----------



## RicoFishMan

KingPlakat said:


> Thanks for the pictures! I can see the difference, the eco brings out the greens way better. I use eco-complete in my 75 and I'm a fan of it. I do recommend a deep bed though. Anything less than 2 inches and you may have problems with the plants getting uprooted. As you probably already know, the gravel size varies from sand to slightly larger than normal gravel. If they did away with some of the larger pieces of gravel it would help a lot. Sometimes I'll notice my dwarf sag being uprooted because it's surrounded by those large grains which don't provide enough weight on the roots to keep it down.


This should be moved to the substrate thread but I had the same issue with my dwarf sag. Have you every mixed in blasting sand with ECO or any other small grain gravel with better results? I know eventually they will separate but in the short term until the roots take hold...


----------



## KingPlakat

jeffkrol said:


> That is what the 3 row 1W's are for..
> Getting creative, you could get a 3 row 1W and pop the optics off one of the front rows (going to 110/120 degrees).. or both, leaving the middle at 90 degrees..


At only 5 inches wide, I'd think even those wouldn't give me coverage either. If I bought 2 then that would probably be perfect. The fact that no one else has tried the 48inch version of the .5watt PENT makes me even more willing to give it a try. 

The main difference between me and most of the people posting is that I'm more or less more concerned about coverage than actual wattage on my plants. So the spread of all the .5 watt LEDS may prove more useful in my application than the 1 or 3 watt versions. 

The most light demanding plant in my tank right now is only hygrophila. Everything else would be fine with low light in my opinion. Even the fish haha

The difference in width is 2.5 inches. 5 inches for the 1 and 3 watt and 7.5 for the .5 watt, 2.5 inches isn't much but I think that 2.5 inches could actually give me closer to 4 inches from front to back more coverage.


----------



## jeffkrol

KingPlakat said:


> At only 5 inches wide, I'd think even those wouldn't give me coverage either. If I bought 2 then that would probably be perfect. The fact that no one else has tried the 48inch version of the .5watt PENT makes me even more willing to give it a try.
> 
> The main difference between me and most of the people posting is that I'm more or less more concerned about coverage than actual wattage on my plants. So the spread of all the .5 watt LEDS may prove more useful in my application than the 1 or 3 watt versions.
> 
> The most light demanding plant in my tank right now is only hygrophila. Everything else would be fine with low light in my opinion. Even the fish haha
> 
> The difference in width is 2.5 inches. 5 inches for the 1 and 3 watt and 7.5 for the .5 watt, 2.5 inches isn't much but I think that 2.5 inches could actually give me closer to 4 inches from front to back more coverage.


simple trig. gives you a good idea..

a 90 degree lens at 3" off the water line has a cone of 6" if you have one row (tan 45(1/2 the beam angle) x2 for diameter.) So the spread of some light is w 2 rows is 9"

At 120 degrees at 3" about 13" ....

Raise a 3W light 3 more inches and you hit 15" approx at the surface..
Of course you are right about the 120 degree .5W-ers. Just spelling out a bit of the possibilities..

That said the whole cone is NOT evenly lit.


----------



## angelcraze

RicoFishMan said:


> Here are some pics of my current setup (2.5 weeks). Still trying to decide wether to go with dirt or ECO so I apologize for the pots (gotta love IKEA) and the Vals are acclimating to Excel.


Those pics are of one half-working Ray II or one EVO 3W fixture? I am impressed with how much the EVO brings out the colours, looking only at the right side of the tank. Wow. A friend of mine has Ray IIs on all his tanks, he loves them, but I find them to wash out as well. I would assume the warmer spectrum would make the reds pop more as well, but to get red, you need higher light. What a messy sitch.


----------



## angelcraze

KingPlakat said:


> Everyones saying that the 3w is better for deep tanks, but I'm still stuck on the LED pent 48inch with .5 watt LED's. But I don't want high light, just medium light. I'm also worried about light spread





KingPlakat said:


> The fact that no one else has tried the 48inch version of the .5watt PENT makes me even more willing to give it a try.
> 
> The main difference between me and most of the people posting is that I'm more or less more concerned about coverage than actual wattage on my plants. So the spread of all the .5 watt LEDS may prove more useful in my application than the 1 or 3 watt versions.
> 
> The most light demanding plant in my tank right now is only hygrophila. Everything else would be fine with low light in my opinion. Even the fish haha


Idk, I have a .5W fixture and a .2 fixture on my 90g (24" depth), and after watching the plant growth for a few weeks, I can say I am very happy with them. I also just wanted medium light, and it grows the plants in my tank just fine for me. The colours are not crazy vivid, but I can handle the pruning much better than with more light. Without pressurized Co2, I think my tank would turn into an algae haven pretty quickly with more light.

But I have thought of two 1W fixtures for my 120g (26" depth). I guess by hanging them higher and/or removing the optic lenses, you would get the effect you desire, but more PAR. I like the whole tweaking idea; removing the lenses on only one row, but I would probably have the beam more concentrated in the foreground.


----------



## RicoFishMan

angelcraze said:


> Those pics are of one half-working Ray II or one EVO 3W fixture? I am impressed with how much the EVO brings out the colours, looking only at the right side of the tank. Wow. A friend of mine has Ray IIs on all his tanks, he loves them, but I find them to wash out as well. I would assume the warmer spectrum would make the reds pop more as well, but to get red, you need higher light. What a messy sitch.


Yes. Only half the Ray 2 is working (came that way out of the box). So I purchased the EVO to replace it. I'm glad it was defective because I really like the EVO better. I started to research the EVO because I had "buyers remorse" regarding the Finnex. I know they have a great reputation and many people love them, but I couldn't justify the cost with the results I had seen.

I'm sure the Finnex will grow the crap out of anything placed in the tank and the EVO may/may not grow as fast, but I'll take the speed bump for a better looking tank (better reds, greens and such, IMO). 

I also really like the two mode feature where only 8 LED are illuminated. The "ripple effect" is beautiful. The Ray 2 doesn't have this thus you would need to DYI a dimmer for it.


----------



## MissileBear

Not trying to stir up the pot here....but where are the success story pics? There are a few pics showing good growth on the first two pages, and 13 pages of discussion about the fixtures and why they are a great budget option.


----------



## JasterMake

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=351841

This is my tank.. In May of last year I switched from using 4 twenty-something watt CFLs to a Beamswork unit. I may have modded it because I'm an "OCD need to make everything better" type person, but the BW does the brunt of the lighting. I run it at 90% for about 4 hours. The rest of the time it is dimmed way down. 

This is after a major trim..


----------



## PerfectDepth

MissileBear said:


> Not trying to stir up the pot here....but where are the success story pics? There are a few pics showing good growth on the first two pages, and 13 pages of discussion about the fixtures and why they are a great budget option.


Here's a pic of my 20 long from about a week ago. As of today, this tank is just 2 months old:










(30" BeamsWork 57 X 0.5W, 6500K)


----------



## jeffkrol

since I DIY, I can't participate in this aspect.. but FOR fun I looked for something equiv. to my STYLE 


found this;











> Here is couple of snaps of my C. pyrrhogaster tank, I have been using the BeamsWork/Marineland double bright fixture for about a year. The plants seem to grow like mad and nitrate readings are always extremely low. The only thing I've found that wouldn't thrive were my Water hyacynths, I've grown them for years indoors, but they've slowly died off with the LED's.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

Do not paint the lenses of the LED fixtures. Reduces light significantly.


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

I'm having some problems with my 48 inch beams work 3300. I got this light about 2 months ago and having big algae problems right now. I was aiming for low tech since I didn't have any co2 or excel and planning to not use it. But I think my light is medium lighting and requires co2. So I was wondering how to lower the amount of light the led is giving off?


----------



## Hilde

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> So I was wondering how to lower the amount of light the led is giving off?


You can raise it or and add a screen top to the tank.


----------



## jeffkrol

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> I'm having some problems with my 48 inch beams work 3300. I got this light about 2 months ago and having big algae problems right now. I was aiming for low tech since I didn't have any co2 or excel and planning to not use it. But I think my light is medium lighting and requires co2. So I was wondering how to lower the amount of light the led is giving off?


15V 6A..

Do you want to dim it manually or electronically?
you can spread the PAR by removing the lenses.
you can decrease the PAR by raising it.
You can add black "screening" as well.

Electronically,
You can hack in a PWM dimmer between the power supply and the fixture:
Manual or programmable are available..
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/LED-...on-Adjustable-Control-12-24V/32261335312.html


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

I think I'm going to raise my led. I want to know how to raise the led and how much I should raise it?


----------



## pandesol

I recently upgraded from a Marineland double bright LED fixture to a BW 24" LED Pent 0.50W X 80, 6500K Aquarium Light. I run it in two stages with low light for 1 1/2 hours in the a.m. and sunset with peak for 4 hours in between, 7 hours total. My plants pearl quite a bit during peak hours, something I never observed with the other light fixture. My tank is deep at 20" - 24" from light source to substrate.


----------



## Hilde

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> I think I'm going to raise my led. I want to know how to raise the led and how much I should raise it?


Perhaps this thread will answer your question.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

I painted the LED lenses using Rust-Oleum Specialty Mirror Finish spray thinking it would reflect light, but it actually absorbed a lot of the light. It doesn't even have a mirror finish, rather it has a dull grey sheen. On the up side, the lenses are now much closer to providing a 90 degree spread. I had to lower the light a few inches but it still doesn't provide the same light output. Way less.

I contacted TopDogSellers about replacement lenses. They are $1 each and can't be talked down. There's no way I'm going to spend $44 to replace all the lenses. That's nearly 1/3 the price of a new fixture. 

So why do clear lenses direct the light better than painted the lenses? Because light reflects off the inner surface of clear lenses but transmits pass the inner surface when there is anything attached to it?

If anyone finds this information useful, donate some $$$ so I can buy new lenses. Thank you.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> I painted the LED lenses using Rust-Oleum Specialty Mirror Finish spray thinking it would reflect light, but it actually absorbed a lot of the light. It doesn't even have a mirror finish, rather it has a dull grey sheen. On the up side, the lenses are now much closer to providing a 90 degree spread. I had to lower the light a few inches but it still doesn't provide the same light output. Way less.
> 
> I contacted TopDogSellers about replacement lenses. They are $1 each and can't be talked down. There's no way I'm going to spend $44 to replace all the lenses. That's nearly 1/3 the price of a new fixture.
> 
> So why do clear lenses direct the light better than painted the lenses? Because light reflects off the inner surface of clear lenses but transmits pass the inner surface when there is anything attached to it?
> 
> If anyone finds this information useful, donate some $$$ so I can buy new lenses. Thank you.



Just get a bunch of "bridgelux compatible" lenses..and if need be, silicone to the faceplate..
Or remove the faceplate and do a full mod..
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...W-Reflector-Collimator/916734_1380155288.html


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

Yeah, I've already bought some 60 degree LED lenses off eBay to mod the fixture.

Also note: the stock LED lenses do not make full contact with the LEDs, leaving a 1mm gap which allows light to spill out inside the fixture. That's a lot of wasted light.


----------



## angelcraze

Yay, since we are doing combo lighting, now I can share my 46g bow now. I've always had one single HOt5 on it, but recently (about two months ago) added a BeamsWork 18w accent LED strip. 

It is 18 x 1w LEDs 100000k. I have it beaming in on an angle from the back/top to the front/bottom. I found a huge difference on the plant growth from when I had just one T5. I was not able to grow ludwigia even like that at all. It's not that it is colourful, or scaped, I know I don't really have a foreground LOL, I was just personally impressed with how much better my plants grew after adding the BW LED, and wanted to share that. 

The tank is 46 gallons, 36"L x 18"W x 20"H. I don't really dose anything, I know my rotala is begging for co2, so don't judge me!! Just dose Comprehensive once in a while. It's setup pretty ghetto, but it's actually just my angelfishes' spawning tank. Can't do much planting and pruning when the angels are breeding-_which is always_-you can see some eggs on the leaf in the second pic! 

I threw in a before and after pic of the 46g bow, so that differences in certain plant growth would be obvious. Like I said, I don't prune much, but some plants have changed just because they grew too fast. Like, more rotala, stargrass. The sword and crypt spiralis really grew, my banana plant grew way shorter, my ludwigia started to grow-period. The pics really say it all.

BTW, I can't find these LEDs for sale anymore.


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

Nice tank. I like your sag carpet. I'm surprised you don't have any algae issues.


----------



## angelcraze

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> Nice tank. I like your sag carpet. I'm surprised you don't have any algae issues.


Thanks. Lol, I am very surprised too. There was a bit of hair algae I had to take out recently though near the top. It was always supposed to be a temporary tank, it's been going for 2 years now, and things are growing so well, it makes it hard to tear down. Once you get a balance, it just works out, it's just hard to get there for each individual tank.


----------



## ROYWS3

Kylesaltandpepper said:


> Nice tank. I like your sag carpet. I'm surprised you don't have any algae issues.


 What kind and how many plants do you have in your tank?


----------



## angelcraze

ROYWS3 said:


> What kind and how many plants do you have in your tank?


Lol, it's a jungle, mis-matched plants all over. Let's see.....

amazon sword
stargrass
hygro polysperma
crypt spiralis
banana plant
ludwigia sp. mini (which isn't doing much per se)
brazilian pennywort
dwarf sag
regular ludwigia
regular rotala 
hygro angustifolia

I think that's it


----------



## pdc

Hello all !
this is one of my tanks with one Bemswork LED HI LUMEN 60 V2
Lumen = 2100

10.000K

42 x 0.5w white led 

6 x 460nm blue Led

The aquarium is a Lido Juwel 120, 23 inch tall (60 cm) .

It's a low tech, few water changes, no co2. 

One thing i noticed with this bw fixture is that it grows more plants and algae than before ( I used two 23w T5).

I have lots of duckweed and plants floating because it's the easiest way to fight algae . And my boraras seem to enjoy this.





Sent from my Cyberdyne Systems T-800 via Skynet


----------



## angelcraze

pdc said:


> One thing i noticed with this bw fixture is that it grows more plants *and algae* than before ( I used two 23w T5).
> 
> I have lots of duckweed and plants floating because it's the easiest way to fight algae . And my boraras seem to enjoy this.


Welcome to the Beamswork success stories club! 

Boo for the algae. Your spectrum is quite cold, with the 100000k and actinic. Not sure if that's a route cause of the algae or not, but what I did was add a pink LED (very warm spectrum) to complete the spectrum plants prefer. It good that your plants are doing better though. A lot of times plants growth suffers when the algae turns up, hopefully it will be conquerable. What is that plant growing emersed on your filter (I think)? It looks really good!

It's hard for me to tell in the pic, what kind of algae are you noticing, and where is it mostly?


----------



## pdc

Thank you! I uploaded new pictures.
The emersed plants are Hemianthus Micranthemoides and hydrocotyle tripartita. in the background there's also bacopa monieri.

The algae is mostly greenspot on the glass. 
It appears when I trim the plants, do water changes and remove the duckweed.

I can add some 5050 red spectrum leds on that tank to compensate.
But I'm afraid they are too strong. I don't want to add co2 .


----------



## angelcraze

pdc said:


> The emersed plants are Hemianthus Micranthemoides and hydrocotyle tripartita. in the background there's also bacopa monieri.


It's so pretty! Your bolbitis is growing amazingly. Nice big healthy dark green leaves.

Bump:


pdc said:


> I can add some 5050 red spectrum leds on that tank to compensate.


Angh, I don't think it matter that much, I just was saying worked best in my sitch. Doesn't mean it means anything in yours. Your tank looks nice, I don't find it looks cool, it probably means nothing.


----------



## pdc

Thanks. I had to cut lots of stems. It was getting huge. Leaves grow horizontally and shadow everything. 
I dont use a heater most of the time. temperature is a little cold In this tank. I just dose flourish for micros one or two times a month.
I also have bolbitis In a discus tank but it grows weird, with curly leaves. it gets black algae easily on that tank.
Sorry for being off topic.


----------



## angelcraze

pdc said:


> I dont use a heater most of the time. temperature is a little cold In this tank.


Oops. I meant the colour temp (spectrum) is cold with your fixture being 10kk and actinic. I wasn't sure if the higher kelvin would have anything to do with growing algae along with the plants, but now that I know it's spot algae, I don't think so anymore. It was just a thought, maybe someone else can correct my thinking for you.


----------



## losa

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> The plants are doing great. No clue on PAR. Before, Glosso was stemming upward, very tall, 3"+. Now, Glosso grows very low with short leaves. Lenses have an effective light spread of 60°. No pics I'm sharing right now (due to contest rules.)


Are you still in the contest phase? I'd love to see your tank. Setting up my 40 breeder this weekend with my new 36" evo quad 3w light and wondering about height above the substrate.


----------



## dru

5 gallon with the 3w clamp running in moonlight mode for 6 hour photoperiod

Pretrim










Trim


----------



## ichy

I pulled the plug on waiting for a 24/7.

Talked back and forth with JeffKroll...
He suggested the Razor and a Finnex Stingray together.
I was looking at just the Finnex Ray2 or Finnex Planted. 
The two fixtures together were only $10 more. 

I can drive them like separate channels, hook them up to their own timers, etc. Should have nice color rendering for the fish and enough light to do my high tech 20long tank.

Can't wait to try this setup out....


----------



## angelcraze

dru said:


> 5 gallon with the 3w clamp running in moonlight mode for 6 hour photoperiod.
> 
> Trim


You found the full 6 lights to be too much light for your tank-right? You've been running just two for how long now, and what have you observed as far as plants growth goes and whatever problem you had before, algae, I think? Pls.


----------



## dru

angelcraze said:


> You found the full 6 lights to be too much light for your tank-right? You've been running just two for how long now, and what have you observed as far as plants growth goes and whatever problem you had before, algae, I think? Pls.


I have been running two leds for about two months now 

All 6 was too much. The main reason is I couldn't increase my co2 to compensate. The needle valve on the Aquatek paintball is either ~1BPS or 3-4 BPS. I could never get it dialed in to ~2BPS

Still dealing with hair algae on old leaves and BBA on the wood here and there. Also some diatoms on the glass. 

Algae is definitely more manageable


----------



## angelcraze

Thanks. Tank looks good, I can't see the algae, your dwarf baby tear carpet is growing nicely.


----------



## FewestKitten896

So I have been trying to read up as much as I can on these lights and went ahead and got the 36" Pent .5watt 6500K light for a 40B. Would this put me at low or low/medium or medium light? Thanks. Also are the connections from the power supply to the light (the screw type connection) kinda touchy. I had to really tighten it up or else it would flicker on and off to the touch.


----------



## angelcraze

I need help deciding. I have a 120g tank 60"L x 18"W x 26" high. My tank will probably be hilly, so the 26" will be reduced a bit.

I can go with two 1W BW fixtures, or one 3W hung a bit higher to disperse light and reduce intensity, because I feel two 3W LEDs will bee too much for my tank. I know it seems logical to go with 3W LEDs for such a deep tank, but I am getting good enough results with the 0.5W fixtures on my 90g. 

Does anyone know if the 3W fixtures actually consume as much energy as they say (just doing simple math), or if the consumption is lower. Seems like the fixtures are not as efficient if I need 3W. 

Also, can you DIY your own spectrum by buying 3w leds off Ebay and swapping them like the 1w fixtures?

Thanks.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

It uses lower than the rated LED wattage. 3w LEDs use about 2.2w.
Yes, you can swap out the LEDs.
Also highly recommended: remove the lenses and replace them with ones from eBay. I recommend the soft focus lenses (the ones with the bumps). The stock lenses have a 1mm gap between the LED and the lens so a lot of light is lost inside the fixture. Output is significantly increased with this modification so you'll need to hang the fixture much higher, probably at least 12". Mine is hung 20" on a 19" deep tank and this has stopped the cloudy green water from occurring.


----------



## angelcraze

FewestKitten896 said:


> So I have been trying to read up as much as I can on these lights and went ahead and got the 36" Pent .5watt 6500K light for a 40B. Would this put me at low or low/medium or medium light? Thanks.


I think for a 40B it would be considered low light/low end of medium light, but you might find an issue with the width of your tank, so that's why I say low end of medium. I think you will be able to grow some nice plants like swords, crypts, but I would choose a fast growing forefront, like stargrass maybe.

I have two 0.5W fixtures on my 90g and I need a faster growing foreground plant, as my tank has succumb to BBA, but dark green. Stargrass for me though, grows way too fast, and I am looking into four leaf clover instead. It really depends on how you plant it. The background can be taller, thus closer to the light source. Maybe positioning your light on a *slight *angle pointing toward the back might help? Or slid slightly more toward the front simply?

Bump: Thanks Solcielo, do you think hung high like that I could go with one 3W fixture instead of two 1W fixtures resting on the tank glass?

Bump: I just see a lot of issues with the 3W being too much power and causing algae for many people. I do not have co2, just excel, although I DID by a good regulator to start maybe one day in my showtank.


----------



## angelcraze

Oh ya, and remember, I am missing 6" on both sides of my tank, since the fixture only goes to 48" at the moment, I think. I may have decided to go with one 3w fixture, to cover the ends too. What do you think? And has anyone noticed 'beaming' for the 6500k 3W fixtures?


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

One 3w fixture is _way_ more than enough. These were originally designed for REEF lighting, not freshwater, so it's excessively over-powered. The sides of the tank must have coverage so a 60" fixture over a 60" tank is necessary, unless the planting is centralized in the center, island/convex style. In this case, the fixture can be shorter. Also note, that the fixture has two modes: Low and High. Low can be used. Otherwise, algae.


----------



## angelcraze

Thanks very much. I might have to go with two 30" 3w fixtures hung high instead? If I plan to plant light demanding plants on the sides. Otherwise, I will leave it to anubias and such, the LED beam angles don't spread much lengthwise on the tanK?

As far as I can tell, the 60" fixtures are only available in 0.5 pents. I don't think the LEDs will penetrate to the foreground.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

There's a 60" version.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

I see only the 10K, 60" version is available. I guess you could swap out and solder in new LEDs that would provide better color. FWIW, the color of the 6500K isn't great and I'm annoyed how unnatural it looks. It really needs violet and red to make colors more accurate. When I have the time and money, I'll replace some of the LEDs with violet and full spectrum which should both improve color rendition.


----------



## jeffkrol

angelcraze said:


> Thanks very much. I might have to go with two 30" 3w fixtures hung high instead? If I plan to plant light demanding plants on the sides. Otherwise, I will leave it to anubias and such, the LED beam angles don't spread much lengthwise on the tanK?
> 
> As far as I can tell, the 60" fixtures are only available in 0.5 pents. I don't think the LEDs will penetrate to the foreground.


The 60" 1W or greater are currently MIA except for the more reef centric versions..
http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Marine-Reef-p/56548.htm
As to coverage.. 1W or greater is 90 degrees.. .5w ones are 120 degree

at 18" the sub one watt ones spread to 62"..

In other words the smaller diodes are better for wider shallower tanks in general..


Putting beamsworks end to end has been reported to produce a shadow area in-between them

Raising a 1W or greater 48" to 8" above the water line would give you fair end to end coverage.. top to bottom..
http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Freshwater-Plant-p/56427p.htm

Other options include popping the lenses off on the end diodes to get back to 120 degree angle.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

It wouldn't provide 120 degrees after removing the lenses. You'd have to remove the splash guard off as well. But then it runs the risk of water exposure, unless there's a glass cover over the tank.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

Further FYI:
The EVO Quad has a 3" distance from the end of the fixture to the LED. That means it's 6" shorter than the fixture length.

E.g. The 36" fixture is 34.5" long. Subtract 6" means it's only a 28.5" fixture length from LED to LED. That's a lot less coverage than you'd think.
E.g. 2 The 48" fixture is 46.5" long. Subtract 6" means it's only a 40.5" fixture from LED to LED. So on a 60" long tank, it's short 10" on each side.


----------



## angelcraze

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> I see only the 10K, 60" version is available. I guess you could swap out and solder in new LEDs that would provide better color. FWIW, the color of the 6500K isn't great and I'm annoyed how unnatural it looks. It really needs violet and red to make colors more accurate. When I have the time and money, I'll replace some of the LEDs with violet and full spectrum which should both improve color rendition.


I agree. I only have the 10k LEDs, but I bought a pink BW LED, and together, they look great. But they have discontinued the pink freshwater fixtures. They had only 0.2W LEDs anyway, but it worked pretty good for me. I wish they would produce them again, or take that into account again, that some people like a warmer (redder) look.


----------



## angelcraze

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> Further FYI:
> The EVO Quad has a 3" distance from the end of the fixture to the LED. That means it's 6" shorter than the fixture length.
> 
> E.g. The 36" fixture is 34.5" long. Subtract 6" means it's only a 28.5" fixture length from LED to LED. That's a lot less coverage than you'd think.
> E.g. 2 The 48" fixture is 46.5" long. Subtract 6" means it's only a 40.5" fixture from LED to LED. So on a 60" long tank, it's short 10" on each side.


Thanks for the info Solcielo and JeffKrol.

To Solcielo: Ouch, 10". Wonder what the spread is on each individual 1W or 3W LED. I guess I have no choice but to get either a dual or snakeeyes 3W and hang it high enough to get some light from end to end, go with islands or 'beach' ends. Or, if I feel handy enough, get the 10k 1W version in 60" and swap out LEDs. I just don't know if I can/know how. I think that might be my best option though, thanks guys.

I already have 48" fixtures on that tank, and made little anubias islands on the ends. on course, right now, I have VERY low light, t8 x2, and a 10k accent submersible, so I guess that puts me further in the club, haha, I will post a pic of the 120g as it is. I think the BW 10k accent LED does most of the work, also discontinued 

The room light was not on, and the ends in the pic appear even darker than in person. But it still shows how shadowy the ends are. Somehow though, it still grows anubias just fine and stunts my amazon sword, but needleleaf java fern grows like crazy. I kinda wanted to make this tank a South American biotope though 



jeffkrol said:


> Putting beamsworks end to end has been reported to produce a shadow area in-between them


Yeah, I could see that happening, thanks. Also, I think there is a space in between the 30" fixtures anyway? Probbly a really bad idea, thanks for the info.


----------



## Blackheart

I might be looking to purchase the Beamswork Razor EA120 LED Light 48 6500K for my 55 gallon planted for low to medium light plants... will this be alright you guys think or will it be too much light? Anybody had any familiar experiences?


----------



## angelcraze

I can only find the reef 60" in 3W. IS there any 60" fixtures with 1W LEDs that I am missing?


----------



## Oso Polar

Blackheart said:


> I might be looking to purchase the Beamswork Razor EA120 LED Light 48 6500K for my 55 gallon planted for low to medium light plants... will this be alright you guys think or will it be too much light?


You should get around 20 PAR (http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=875457), so it'll definitely not be too much light.


----------



## jeffkrol

angelcraze said:


> I agree. I only have the 10k LEDs, but I bought a pink BW LED, and together, they look great. But they have discontinued the pink freshwater fixtures. They had only 0.2W LEDs anyway, but it worked pretty good for me. I wish they would produce them again, or take that into account again, that some people like a warmer (redder) look.


topdogsellers has some pink ones.. see the bay..

Bump:


angelcraze said:


> I can only find the reef 60" in 3W. IS there any 60" fixtures with 1W LEDs that I am missing?


Again try topdogsellers and ask. Sometimes it is just waiting for the "boat".
Aquatraders had no .2w LEDs but seem to have them now. Why???

Bump:


Solcielo lawrencia said:


> Further FYI:
> The EVO Quad has a 3" distance from the end of the fixture to the LED. That means it's 6" shorter than the fixture length.


In my head I had used 2" Thanks for the exact figure..

to reach out 10" w/ a 90 degree cone on the end diodes (I'll get to the "effective area in a bit" ) would require the light to be 10" above the water line.
Now the cone itself is NOT equal in intensity. most of the light is concentrated around 60 degrees..so if you want the majority of the light to reach the ends you'd need to raise the light to 17" off the water line..
That would allow the 48" to cover fairly strongly . going w/ a 48" quad should give you good intensity..
http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Quad-Freshwater-Plant-p/56577p.htm


----------



## strangewaters

Ive ordered from topdog and got my item. I just recently seen there reviews and the got alot of negative. I was like damn glad i got my stuff. 

Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk


----------



## Blackheart

Oso Polar said:


> You should get around 20 PAR (http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=875457), so it'll definitely not be too much light.


thank you! Will this be comparable of low to medium light, or just low light?


----------



## Oso Polar

Low light.


----------



## angelcraze

jeffkrol said:


> topdogsellers has some pink ones.. see the bay..
> 
> 
> to reach out 10" w/ a 90 degree cone on the end diodes (I'll get to the "effective area in a bit" ) would require the light to be 10" above the water line.
> Now the cone itself is NOT equal in intensity. most of the light is concentrated around 60 degrees..so if you want the majority of the light to reach the ends you'd need to raise the light to 17" off the water line..
> That would allow the 48" to cover fairly strongly . going w/ a 48" quad should give you good intensity..
> http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-EVO-Quad-Freshwater-Plant-p/56577p.htm


Thanks so much for the advice and doing the math. The showtank is in the TV room on a far-ish adjacent wall. I don't want the boys to be complaining of the bright room, 17" off the water line, seems it might light up the whole room.

What's this?
Pulled it from the link you gave me


> Individual & replaceable lenses (**New & Improved Wider Angles**)


Are they still 90 degree?, I couldn't find the info


----------



## angelcraze

jeffkrol said:


> topdogsellers has some pink ones.. see the bay..
> 
> Sometimes it is just waiting for the "boat".
> Aquatraders had no .2w LEDs but seem to have them now. Why???


No luck  He replied they not in stock either. Pink ones left in stock are max 36".

And I am completely confused........Aquatraders have 0.2ws?


----------



## dru

3w clamp


----------



## bprinehart

Add me to the "success" camp :hihi:

Been running 2 of these over my 18" cube and have had great growth so far. Tanks been up about a month and I haven't had any issues. Also my red plants are definitely red  

I actually removed the optics from mine to have a bit wider angle (stock 120) and have them dimmed down to about 75-80%. I inject CO2 with a DIY cerges about about 1.5bps.


----------



## angelcraze

Just bought 3 x 48" BW 65k 1W x 54 fixtures. One to replace the BW 0.5W saltwater 10kk spectrum w/ too many actinic lights (I bought by mistake), and two for my 120g.

Ok, I know the light won't cover the ends on my 120g. I thought if I have to, I will get two spot lights and run extra LEDs on both sides. I figured it would accentuate the tank anyway (draw attention, like a prized painting on the wall). The spotlights will be fixed at the top on each side on a slight angle inward.

I'll roll with that for now, since I've have such great results with the 10kk 1W submersible LEDs with a single t5 combo, even on a 21" deep tank.

Thanks for all the info and help everyone.


----------



## nsh50a

I saw one poster mention the RGBw (pink) version of the light. Does anybody else have experience with using both a 0.5w 10,000k and the pink version (would be in a 20 gal/24")


----------



## angelcraze

I think I am the only one with that combo. I think it would be fine for low light plants with a 'beach' style (I mean, very little foreground, or shade covered plants unless they like it; anubias) 

The colour rendition of the combo was really nice imo, and at 24" depth (the height of the tank where the combo was used), it was fine for swords, and tall plants like crypt spiralis, just expect to get really creative if you want to have a carpet foreground. I really only found stargrass to use in the foreground, my chainswords grew thin, short leaves. But I personally had trouble with slow growers and BBA set in


----------



## angelcraze

angelcraze said:


> Just bought 3 x 48" BW 65k 1W x 54 fixtures. One to replace the BW 0.5W saltwater 10kk spectrum w/ actinic lights and two for my 120g.


So...the 6500k 1w LEDs are definitely brighter, I'm hoping it will grow my foreground better, but idk if I like the 6500k. It *IS* very yellow and artificial. Just my two cents. I cannot review growth comparison at this time.


----------



## ROYWS3

angelcraze said:


> So...the 6500k 1w LEDs are definitely brighter, I'm hoping it will grow my foreground better, but idk if I like the 6500k. It *IS* very yellow and artificial. Just my two cents. I cannot review growth comparison at this time.


 So you like the 10k/actinic color rendition better?


----------



## angelcraze

I liked it better in *with* the pink fixture combo. The plants looked very jade green with too much blue tint by itself though, don't get me wrong. I am glad you asked that so I could clarify. I am sure there would be too much blue (actinic) for photosynthesis as well. Pink or red LEDs would have to be added or swapped out to balance the spectrum and help with photosynthesis.

It could be too, that the 1w LED fixture is so much brighter than the 0.5w fixture, that my .2w (pink) fixture doesn't really have a chance to make a huge difference in colour rendition.


----------



## ROYWS3

I asked because I use the .5w 10k/actinic light on my 20H and I love it - the growth and the color. I am going to be upgrading to a larger tank in the future and was going to still go with the 10k/actinic but you know have me thinking about including a pink strip as well


----------



## losa

Who uses the snake eyes fixture? Trying to decide between the regular evo quad 3w and the snake eyes quad 3w. What does the snake eyes do? Any PAR ratings on either of these models? Its for a 40 breeder high tech tank, Med to High light.


----------



## jeffkrol

losa said:


> Who uses the snake eyes fixture? Trying to decide between the regular evo quad 3w and the snake eyes quad 3w. What does the snake eyes do? Any PAR ratings on either of these models? Its for a 40 breeder high tech tank, Med to High light.


Press blurb:


> " This new model features the SnakeEye lens that improves light distribution for better coverage throughout your aquarium. "


Whether it is true or not, it is supposedly different than the generic 90 degree lenses on the standard models.. all the rest is "probably" the same.. 

The lens mounts are def. different and probably do decrease internal light losses as is reported in the standard version..


----------



## angelcraze

ROYWS3 said:


> I asked because I use the .5w 10k/actinic light on my 20H and I love it - the growth and the color. I am going to be upgrading to a larger tank in the future and was going to still go with the 10k/actinic but you know have me thinking about including a pink strip as well


If you prefer the look of the 10k/actinic by itself and it works great for you, I wouldn't add a pink strip. It will change the colour rendition completely. If you will be using it on a deeper tank, I would look at the 1w actinic version instead though. http://www.aquatraders.com/LED-Aquarium-Lighting-Beamswork-Marine-Reef-p/56427.htm

In my 24" high tank, the 0.5w did not grow my foreground (staurogyne and chain word) very well at all. Just my experience though.


----------



## losa

Are you using the snake eyes fixtures? What size and tank params with success? 



jeffkrol said:


> Press blurb:
> 
> 
> Whether it is true or not, it is supposedly different than the generic 90 degree lenses on the standard models.. all the rest is "probably" the same..
> 
> The lens mounts are def. different and probably do decrease internal light losses as is reported in the standard version..


----------



## nsh50a

Just got the pink fixture in yesterday and really like the color combo. Here' a crappy iphone pic but it has the 0.5w 10k light in the front and the pink/rose fixture on the back half. Both are 24" on a 20gal/deep


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## Solcielo lawrencia

losa said:


> Who uses the snake eyes fixture? Trying to decide between the regular evo quad 3w and the snake eyes quad 3w. What does the snake eyes do? Any PAR ratings on either of these models? Its for a 40 breeder high tech tank, Med to High light.


The SnakeEyes also has more LEDs per length, and include the fans, which is very helpful since it gets too hot to touch, which is also true of the EVOs. However, it needs to be hung even higher due to the narrower beam angle.


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## Solcielo lawrencia

FYI: I soldered 12 "full spectrum" grow light LEDs, which are just pink LEDs, onto the 36" EVO which has 44 6500K LEDs. Color has improved drastically!









The pink LEDs are on a royal blue LED base with a red phosphor. The radiometric spectrum is heavy in the reds and deep red, past 700nm as you can see in the spectral graph. The pink LEDs I used are actually higher in the red and lower in the blue peak, so the spectral chart isn't exactly the same.

Important note: the stock LEDs are soldered onto the circuit board. There is no way to remove the LED without destroying it first, then desoldering the aluminum contact. Here's how to do it:

1. Desolder the LED leads (use either a desolder pump or desolder wick to remove old solder.) 
2. Rotate the LEDs to break it off its own aluminum base. There is no way to save the LED.
3. Discard destroyed LED top.
4. Touch the solder iron onto the LED aluminum base and apply solder to distribute heat onto it.
5. The aluminum base will come loose after a couple of seconds.
6. Discard the aluminum base.
7. Clean off the solder on the circuit board using desolder wick. The desolder pump will not work. There may be other ways to cleanly remove the solder off the heatsink.
8. Use rubbing alcohol (or nail polish remover) to remove the old flux and debris off the circuit board.

To install new LEDs:
1. Apply thermal grease onto the new LED.
2. Align LED onto the circuit board making sure the leads are aligned with the circuits, not the printed guide.
3. Press LED firmly to distribute the thermal grease for a good contact. This also helps hold the LED in place.
4. Touch solder on top of the lead, as opposed to touching the soldering iron onto the lead. This method prevents the LED from moving out of place.
5. Then apply solder iron on top of the solder and melt it down. Done.

NB: Make certain the negative lead is soldered onto the negative contact. I mistakenly reversed it at first, but it didn't damage the LED. To check if the polarity is correct, turn on the light with the LED in place. If it turns on, then it's correct. Then solder.

It was the first time I soldered anything in my life and it took 3.5 hours to finish soldering 12 LEDs. I'll be replacing a few more LEDs with violet and 475nm blue. Due to the lowered green spectrum, the output isn't as bright, lumen-wise, but I'm sure PAR greatly increased. And the colors! Color rendition is so much better.


----------



## jeffkrol

Great write up.. A few things
1)Rumor has it not all Beamsworks solder the diode in the center..That would mean at most it is thermal paste holding it..
2)all diodes should have a V(f) of 3V or greater. 660nm (any red really) put in line will probably burn out..

pink led 3w
391247865193

some "pinks" are tri-leds and higher V(f) then you can use..

Great idea btw..


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

RE: Full spectrum grow LEDs,
I wonder if the spectrum greater than 700nm is just wasted in an aquarium. It can be utilized for flowering, but most submersed aquatic plants don't flower underwater. So what is that spectrum being used for if it's being used at all? I hope it's not wasted photon energy.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> RE: Full spectrum grow LEDs,
> I wonder if the spectrum greater than 700nm is just wasted in an aquarium. It can be utilized for flowering, but most submersed aquatic plants don't flower underwater. So what is that spectrum being used for if it's being used at all? I hope it's not wasted photon energy.


I'm not seeing much use for it really. most aquatic plants are "functional shade type plants"..

http://plantphys.info/plant_physiology/phytochrome.shtml
https://www.boundless.com/biology/t...rome-system-and-red-light-response-701-11926/


To exhibit any form of "control" would involve pure >700nm LEd's not blended w/ whites ect..


----------



## Fiishman

I just ordered 2 36" Evo Quads off of ebay with hanging kits for use on my 36"x24"x12"high tank. While it is a low tank, the driftwood hardscape rises about 6-8 inches above the tank glass. Because of this, I will be hanging the fixtures from the ceiling about a total of 24" above the substrate at the deepest. The driftwood is also very massive and shades quite a bit of the tank which is why I opted for 2 lights (front fixture will be hung at an angle tilted towards the center of the tank). Will this work okay?

Flora include blyxa japonica, Anubais barteri and nana, Hydrocotyle japan, and Java fern (most shielded by the driftwood). I was hoping to get the hydrocotyle to carpet or at least for a big bush. I will be dosing CO2 and Seachem Flourish. Substrate has osmocote root tabs in appropriate locations.


----------



## blockclimber

im being told your numbers are fluffed and these fixtures are hot garbage. anyone have long term success so far? maybe more current or redone PAR values? ive searched but keep coming back to this thread.


----------



## jeffkrol

blockclimber said:


> im being told your numbers are fluffed and these fixtures are hot garbage. anyone have long term success so far? maybe more current or redone PAR values? ive searched but keep coming back to this thread.



The point of this thread was to collect that data..
anyways "who" is the teller of tales?

Many of the bad stories involve the old t5's..
Beamswork provides zero numbers and the few that are available are individual users.. soooo there is little reason to "fluff" the numbers of cheap lights..
not to mention there are dozens of variations..


----------



## blockclimber

it was on FB. i was i shut down on suggesting a BW unit to a newbie on account they were trash etc. dude states his snake eyes unit was sub par compared to a finnex planted +24/7. 

i posted a few shots of the PAR readings and the gentleman stated that those could not be right and that using a photography meter etc was not accurate. i also suggested he was right and you all are a factory team from beamswork trying to drum up sales. 

"if their PAR numbers were that good, they would have put (insert major brands) out of business by now."

any threads you can link on long term use of them etc would be nice to read. ill continue googling away.


----------



## ichy

I have been running a Beamswork Razor for about 6 months. It's on a 20l. I run it with a Stingray to get more light and better color.
The Razor is not good at color rendering.
But you gotta remember you are buying a $40.00 light.

The housing, legs, cords, etc. are just as good as any of the more expensive Finnex and Current lights I own. 

But again, if you think you are going to get PAR values and CRI like a BML, you better rethink that!!

Would I buy another one! Heck ya, if you just need more light over the tank, you would be hard pressed to do it any cheaper.


----------



## frenchie1001

Has a beams works on this tank for like 3 years. Always grown stuff.


----------



## jeffkrol

blockclimber said:


> it was on FB. i was i shut down on suggesting a BW unit to a newbie on account they were trash etc. dude states his snake eyes unit was sub par compared to a finnex planted +24/7.
> 
> i posted a few shots of the PAR readings and the gentleman stated that those could not be right and that using a photography meter etc was not accurate. i also suggested he was right and you all are a factory team from beamswork trying to drum up sales.
> 
> "if their PAR numbers were that good, they would have put (insert major brands) out of business by now."
> 
> any threads you can link on long term use of them etc would be nice to read. ill continue googling away.


That is sooo much brand bashing garbage (not from you btw)
THIS is the problem w/ Beamsworks:
1) Diode efficiency is only about 50 lumens/watt.
2) 6500K diodes are not "the best" color rendering.. for comparison see how many "complaints" there are on the color rendering of RayII's at 7000K
3)no dimming/automation besides a simple on/off timer.. unless you hack the light, which is REALLY easy.
4)Relatively easy to fix. PS can be easily found and diodes can be replaced w/ a modicum of soldering skill.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2379995
they are simplistic constant voltage LEd's w/ adequate or better PAR for FW. not sure I'd recommend any for the larger demands of saltwater but I'm sure some models would work just fine..
none of the data or people I've discussed these with is a "sales rep" for Beamswork and I doubt if one even exists..maybe in China..

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...-greenelement-other-cheap-chinese-arrays.html

Actually sounds more like a Finnex fanboy doing the bashing..


----------



## talontsiawd

blockclimber said:


> it was on FB. i was i shut down on suggesting a BW unit to a newbie on account they were trash etc. dude states his snake eyes unit was sub par compared to a finnex planted +24/7.
> 
> i posted a few shots of the PAR readings and the gentleman stated that those could not be right and that using a photography meter etc was not accurate. i also suggested he was right and you all are a factory team from beamswork trying to drum up sales.
> 
> "if their PAR numbers were that good, they would have put (insert major brands) out of business by now."
> 
> any threads you can link on long term use of them etc would be nice to read. ill continue googling away.


I had mine Single Bright (forget what Beamswork calls it) on a 6 gallon and a 10 gallon over a few years. It was a low tech and was chosen on that. I got similar results to 15 watt or 23 watt CFL's, x2, mounted horizontally with little to no reflectors. I was getting nice color and great growth. Like someone said above, the color rendering was not good (mine were 10,000k whites though), but two RGB strips fixed that.

I don't care about PAR on low tech, I have done what I know to be very low light to likely on the boarder of high light, with low tech and a good plan, you can go really low or fairly high in light with plant choice, photoperiod, etc. 

That said, at the end of the day, outside color rendering which was known from before I bought, was bad, I thought it was a great fixture for the price. I paid a bit more than online as I bought it locally. They didn't have 6500k fixtures at that point, much less all the new options so that's how long I had mine.

Call them crap is a reach, they may not be the best fixtures out there but they seem to last and they are what they are. There are plenty of same to worse fixtures for more money.

On that note, my Beamswork got wet a lot, as did my Current Sat +. When I went to LED's I also moved away from raised fixtures and just wasn't used to being careful. My Current has lost a few LED's, luckily only one white, the rest are one color of an RGB. On the flipside, my Beamswork got it worse and lost no LED's. Not sure that says much about quality or not but my Current lost LED's from moisture from an airstone, the Beamswork got dropped in the tank a few times or so as I couldn't use the mounting legs on my tank size and it was sitting on top. Just saying mine went through serious abuse (accidentally) and held up better than a better brand. Not knocking Current as this is all my fault, going from raised lighting is a challenge for cleaning when you haven't had to worry about it for 5 years or so, but it has been much more sensitive.


----------



## angelcraze

Wow. Very interesting read, thanks to all for that info. I really bought my 65k fixtures with the intent of changing out the diodes (at least some), so all of these comments help. Reason being I couldn't build this "base" for less money and the fixture is "ready to use" if you don't care about colour rendition and just want plants to grow! 

And if only there was a BW rep around here, they could use this data to improve greatly their fixtures. That's gold.


----------



## JasterMake

angelcraze said:


> Wow. Very interesting read, thanks to all for that info. I really bought my 65k fixtures with the intent of changing out the diodes (at least some), so all of these comments help. Reason being I couldn't build this "base" for less money and the fixture is "ready to use" if you don't care about colour rendition and just want plants to grow!
> 
> And if only there was a BW rep around here, they could use this data to improve greatly their fixtures. That's gold.



I bought one for the same reason. But I liked it so much I decided to keep the 0.5w diodes. I added some RGB strips for sunrise and sunsets but I was content with it as is. It's been running strong over 1 year. Grows plants well.

No colored leds. Just the BW running at full power. 










Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Oso Polar

Same experience - I have 6500K Razors on two tanks (36" and 18") and they seem to produce good looking white light.

They also have pink lights available, may be one 6500K + one pink will look even better? I never tried.


----------



## angelcraze

The 'pink' BW fixture is only available with 0.2w LEDs. If you have a fixture with 1w LEDs, (this is my opinion after trying different combos on one tank) the fixture with the stronger LEDs will 'outshine' the 0.2w LEDs. That's why I want to change some of the LEDs to 1w pink/or red and blue AND 10k white on the 65k 1w fixture. Basically customize my fixture. 

I want to add: To my earlier comment regarding CRI: My tanks are always full of tannins, and I imagine that would influence how yellow I perceive the light emitted from the 65k BW fixtures to be. 

FYI: The 65k always looks better after a good 50% wc 
AND if BW ever made a 1w 'pink' fixture, I would buy it in a heartbeat, I even like the CRI of the pink fixture on its own.

Hope you get what I'm trying to say.


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## angelcraze

Sorry, just realized you have razor fixtures. I'm not familiar with those, but I don't think they will outshine the pink fixtures. Get ready for more light though, believe it or not, one 48" pink BW fixture and one 65k 1w x 54 fixture created too much light on my 90g with no co2. The pink fixture coupled with the 0.5w 10k/actinic was fine but lacked PAR for the 24" deep tank.


----------



## jeffkrol

angelcraze said:


> The 'pink' BW fixture is only available with 0.2w LEDs. If you have a fixture with 1w LEDs, (this is my opinion after trying different combos on one tank) the fixture with the stronger LEDs will 'outshine' the 0.2w LEDs.


Those are interesting lights. I assume 5050smd RGB diodes w/ green at "off" (or at best very low) and r/b balanced to pink..


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## angelcraze

Jeffrol, I'm far from an LED pro, so I hope I am understanding what you wrote, but I believe the pink fixture has enough green as well. Like I said, I actually like the LOOK of the fixture by itself, it's quite bright, output being similar to a rosette t5, I'd say. 

One pink fixture replaced two rosette t8's on one of my tanks, and my plants are growing even better. I took photos at one point and the pink BW fixture is def brighter than two rosette t8s. 

I'm so curious if one pink LED fixture, without being supplemented with a 10kk or 65k light has enough or covers enough of the spectrum to grow plants....


----------



## jeffkrol

angelcraze said:


> Jeffrol, I'm far from an LED pro, so I hope I am understanding what you wrote, but I believe the pink fixture has enough green as well. Like I said, I actually like the LOOK of the fixture by itself, it's quite bright, output being similar to a rosette t5, I'd say.
> 
> One pink fixture replaced two rosette t8's on one of my tanks, and my plants are growing even better. I took photos at one point and the pink BW fixture is def brighter than two rosette t8s.
> 
> I'm so curious if one pink LED fixture, without being supplemented with a 10kk or 65k light has enough or covers enough of the spectrum to grow plants....


Many people that use RGB SMD sticky strips generally say it isn't enough lighting.
mostly due to intensity (or lack of) I suspect.
and w/out a broad spectrum white light most don't "appreciate" the tank color..
This light is no different. Only it is permanently balanced to "pink",

hort. lights in the "magenta" or pink category use a slightly different red (660nm vs 625approx) and slightly different blue (450 vs 470appox) so there is that.

Spectrum of RGB LED:


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

angelcraze said:


> Jeffrol, I'm far from an LED pro, so I hope I am understanding what you wrote, but I believe the pink fixture has enough green as well. Like I said, I actually like the LOOK of the fixture by itself, it's quite bright, output being similar to a rosette t5, I'd say.
> ...
> 
> I'm so curious if one pink LED fixture, without being supplemented with a 10kk or 65k light has enough or covers enough of the spectrum to grow plants....


Reflect the light of the pink LEDs off of the back of a CD/DVD/Bluray, a prism or diffraction grating, to determine what kind of LEDs they are. If the light diffracts into three separate colors, then it's RGB LEDs. If they diffract into an even spectrum with a dominance in red and a blue spike, then it's a pink LED.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> Reflect the light of the pink LEDs off of the back of a CD/DVD/Bluray, a prism or diffraction grating, to determine what kind of LEDs they are. If the light diffracts into three separate colors, then it's RGB LEDs. If they diffract into an even spectrum with a dominance in red and a blue spike, then it's a pink LED.


won't work if the green channel is completely off. Spectrum will be the same..
Besides why doubt their own nomenclature: 



> Freshwater Bright LED Aquarium Light 48" HI Lumen RGB Pink





> This is a fixture specially made with all RGB LEDs (3 in 1 mixed bulb) of freshwater pink light;


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

jeffkrol said:


> won't work if the green channel is completely off. Spectrum will be the same..
> Besides why doubt their own nomenclature:


The red phosphor will show as a wide red spectra, not a narrow spike.


----------



## jeffkrol

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> The red phosphor will show as a wide red spectra, not a narrow spike.


Possibly, unless it is just a dual diode. Chinese were making "cyan" that was really one green and one blue diode.. Double peak..
actually now that I think about it it "might" be a blue w/ phosphor chip:








http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/led1/ledleft.htm

Also some are pretty specific..
Phosphor pink LED (obviously I took the trickiest one.. 










LEDs - Gallium Indium Nitride UV, violet, purple, blue, aqua, turquoise, green, white. Also Gallium Arsenide and others. New LED MUSEUM! GaN, InGaN, SiC, GaAs, GaP, GaAlP, ZnSe, flashlight, flashlights.


----------



## Druggist

I just put 2x 36" 130 - 0.5w beamswork lights on a 40b, in hopes of getting better than medium light. They are growing everything great, even blyxa turning red on center leaves. I'll update in a few weeks.


----------



## max88

Got a Green Elements EVO 30", for a 56G tank (30" x 18" x 24"H). Trying to find out PAR at 24".
Base on the this documentation, PAR = 130 @ 17" with dual EVO 48".
Is it correct to calculate EVO 30" PAR at 24" as below?
130 * (17/24) ^ 2 / 2 = 130 * 0.501 / 2 = 65 / 2 = 32.5


----------



## max88

Got a Green Elements EVO 30", for a 56G tank (30" x 18" x 24"H). Trying to find out PAR at 24".
Base on the this documentation, PAR = 130 @ 17" with dual EVO 48".
Is it correct to calculate EVO 30" PAR at 24" as below?
130/2 * (17/24) ^ 2 = 65 * 0.501 = 32.5


----------



## angelcraze

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> Reflect the light of the pink LEDs off of the back of a CD/DVD/Bluray, a prism or diffraction grating, to determine what kind of LEDs they are. If the light diffracts into three separate colors, then it's RGB LEDs. If they diffract into an even spectrum with a dominance in red and a blue spike, then it's a pink LED.


Very cool trick, Solcielo! I tested the BW freshwater pink 162 x 0.2w 48" fixture against a red/blue hydroponic light using this method, both in complete darkness except for the LEDs themselves, one by one, and I can 100% confirm that the BW pink fixture uses RGB diodes.


----------



## angelcraze

I wasn't able to edit my last post:
Well, the trick seemed to work to me. I saw separate red, blue and green lights relecting off the Bluray, all close in a row for each diode when I tested the BW pink fixture.

I saw NO other lights emitted from the red/blue hydroponic LED except those two colors: red and blue.


----------



## Lakehouse

I'm building a hanging canopy that will house my soon-to-order Beamworks evo quad 3W led light 48" long. Can someone that has this light please give me 2 measurements? I need the overall length of fixture (NOT including any switches, cord housings, etc). AND I need the distance from the end of light to beginning of the first row of led's.


----------



## yakal

no more success stories? i figure to resurrect the thread and hoping for more success stories and also want to hear longevity.. be receiving mine soon


----------



## Lakehouse

*55g*

Not really a success story yet as its Only been 1 week of running my 48" beamswork quad evo light, but the plants are loving it! Tons of pearling😊


----------



## ROWEBLAST

Posing a quick question. Is there any difference between the body styles of the pent .5w between the older turtleback and the new Razor/ELF, aside from body? It appears to have the same (or close) to LED count. My intention is to use on a 40B, but just want to ensure I'd be in the med light range with a single fixture. I'd prefer not to hang the fixture - so I'm concerned the 3W would not be a viable option given the spread.

I have the 3 row version of the razor, and it's pretty low light from what I can tell (just for mosses and anubias). Just looking for a little advice from pent/3w owners.


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## jeffkrol

There is a 5 row ELF..Certainly the form would fit a low hung light for a 40b.
currently can't find the 36" though..
I take that back... 291488153333 
Rated 6000 lumens..
One would hope that as the LED tech gets better so would the diodes..but no real proof AFAICT.
The .5W SMD emitters are fairly mature tech..
Amazon.com : Beamswork 48" ELF 1200 6500K LED Aquarium Light Pent Freshwater Plant Discus 160x 0.50W : Pet Supplies


----------



## ROWEBLAST

What are your thoughts on that as a medium light option for a 40B? Is that going to provide enough spread without being hung? Having seen some videos on the pent-style it looks like it _should_ be enough for a 16" deep tank.


----------



## jeffkrol

ROWEBLAST said:


> What are your thoughts on that as a medium light option for a 40B? Is that going to provide enough spread without being hung? Having seen some videos on the pent-style it looks like it _should_ be enough for a 16" deep tank.


spread where? "As is" it is a bit too narrow for full f/b coverage at the water line.. (rough guesstimate) but once a few inches down, no problem.


worse comes to worse you throw a cheap Razor or stingray as a supplemental light..
Stingray for color isn't bad idea anyways..

$100 to light a 40b is not unreasonable..really.

most cheaper options will be led floods or cf lights, most likely hung.. 

5 row ELF for a total of $40 is pretty good..

A bit higher light is RayII/Planted plus combo..

to be honest, an inch or so higher legs on a single fixture would work too..


----------



## yakal

ROWEBLAST said:


> What are your thoughts on that as a medium light option for a 40B? Is that going to provide enough spread without being hung? Having seen some videos on the pent-style it looks like it _should_ be enough for a 16" deep tank.


i have the 36 inch 24 led x 3 watts plant evo on my 65 that is 20 inch front to back and hung approximately 14 inches from the water line and it gives me pretty good coverage. thanks to jeffkrol who recommended it to me. its looking pretty good so far. i say this because if i try to lower the light, you can really see the spread or beam of the light inside your tank so when i raise it up 14 inches i can tell the coverage in my tank.


----------



## pwu_1

Whew just read through this entire thread but still pretty confused so looking for some suggestions please. I'm setting up a 46 gallon bow front and I'm planning to dose fertilizer and pressurized co2. I would like to grow some kind of carpeting plants, maybe HC. From reading the thread, the pent .5watt fixture is out since it will probably have issues penetrating down to the 20 inch depth. What if I got 2 pent .5watt fixtures? Seems like that would not really help with penetrating light down to substrate level?
The recommended choice seems to be the quad 3w fixture and hanging it maybe 15 inches above water line to get good coverage front to back. However, I'm not too thrilled with the idea of suspending the light so high above the water line since the tank will be next to a couch and with the light shining down it might bother people sitting right next to the tank?
The last choice is the tri 1watt fixture they have. If I got 2 of these fixture and put them directly on top of the glass top would that give me good enough coverage front to back and side to side? How about depth? Will the light be bright enough to grow carpeting plants at roughly 18 inch depth?(20inch tall tank - 2 inch substrate).
I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could give some advice. TIA


----------



## yakal

my guess (IME) is that you will a second fixture if you dont want to suspend or raise the fixture.


----------



## Aparker2005

http://pages.ebay. com/link/?nav=item.view&id=291258920404&alt=web 

How would this light work on a 125 gallon? Java fern, anubius and water wisteria 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk


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## Only One Haze

Hey guys, currently have a 10 gallon with just crypts and soon to be buces and moss. Using an 8.5 watt Sylvania bulb hanging in a small dome light. Want to upgrade my lighting as I have excel and dry ferts on the way. Don't want/need high light, just want something better and to help the plants along better. How would this work?

Razor EA50 LED Light 18" 6500K
LED Aquarium Lighting Freshwater Bright

Have been thinking about a Stingray but if this is comparable for less $ that is cool with me. My tank is open top if that is a concern. I have heard some stories about Stingrays going out with minor splashing. I am using sponge filters.

Thanks for the help!


----------



## ichy

Only One Haze said:


> Hey guys, currently have a 10 gallon with just crypts and soon to be buces and moss. Using an 8.5 watt Sylvania bulb hanging in a small dome light. Want to upgrade my lighting as I have excel and dry ferts on the way. Don't want/need high light, just want something better and to help the plants along better. How would this work?
> 
> Razor EA50 LED Light 18" 6500K
> LED Aquarium Lighting Freshwater Bright
> 
> Have been thinking about a Stingray but if this is comparable for less $ that is cool with me. My tank is open top if that is a concern. I have heard some stories about Stingrays going out with minor splashing. I am using sponge filters.
> 
> Thanks for the help!


go with the Stingray, you will be happier.
I own them both..


----------



## nanoguy

So I've read (most) of this thread and my head hurts. Short of becoming an expert on LED and light spectrums and intensities can someone help me out? I purchased the light below from TopDog Sellers and installed it over my 60" wide 24" deep lightly planted tank (new tank) in hopes of growing lower light plants without CO2. I don't have access to a par meter so I don't have anyway of knowing what my light levels are and it seems much more complicated with LED than CF or T5s.

What range would you say I'm in with this one fixture? Should I add another of the same or look for a more powerful one? I should mention I am still running the glass top which doesn't seem to stop much light.

Light Specs:


LED 60" 0.5W 6500K HI Freshwater Plant Bright LED by Beamworks 4th Generation

The Beamworks Plant Bright LED fixture provides a high quality, energy efficient light fixture that replaces the typical single tube fluorescent light. LEDs in the range of 6500K are great for planted aquarium setups. The Beamworks LED is a sleek and contemporary light fixture that will make any other aquarium light look boring. Long lasting LEDs with no bulb replacement required. 

Extendable brackets - 60"-64" (150 - 160 cm) 

Super energy efficient freshwater aquarium lighting. No bulb replacement required.

Features:

• Dimensions - 59.50” x 5.00” x 1.00”
• Brackets add 0.65" in height
• Includes 120 LEDs
• 5600 Lumen
• Super energy efficient .50 watt LEDs
• 120x 6500K LEDs
• Slim and contemporary light design
• 2 mode on / off function for day and night use
• Mode 1 turns on all LEDs 
• Mode 2 turns on 8 LEDs only
• Extendable bracket - 60" - 64" max extend
• Extendable bracket - 150 - 160 cm max extend
• Splash guard
• 110V - 220V


Tank pic:


----------



## Freemananana

Question: Evo Green fixture, the standard 6500k one with two rows of 3w LEDs, what kind of par can you expect if it is suspended 36" from the substrate? Will it do low lighting?


----------



## jeffkrol

Freemananana said:


> Question: Evo Green fixture, the standard 6500k one with two rows of 3w LEDs, what kind of par can you expect if it is suspended 36" from the substrate? Will it do low lighting?












2x the light you are asking about..so roughly 65PAR at 17".....
At 36 roughly 1/2 that (yea lights not supposed to behave like this)


----------



## Freemananana

I know it is an exponential increase and based on Hoppy's post in the sticky, I still have no idea. haha. Just wondering if anyone had the ability to test it. Even lux would be fine.


----------



## jeffkrol

Freemananana said:


> I know it is an exponential increase and based on Hoppy's post in the sticky, I still have no idea. haha. Just wondering if anyone had the ability to test it. Even lux would be fine.


nobody seems to bother.. 

As to the log part.. Check the curves.. it is really fairly linear in a good part of the range..
due to the lensing effect of the water and glass interfaces..

LED's "arrays" really don't follow the inverse square rule well.
In the above if it did at 12" 1/4 of 6 (1/4 power at 2x distance)) PAR would be 87.5... 

Yet it is at 130 @ 17"...........

350/2 = 175 @ 12".. Sure would fit better ... 

now back to your PAR;
17 =130/2 = 65..
At 2x that (34).. fudging for some losses= 25-30PAR.
wouldn't mind if someone would verify this..


----------



## Freemananana

I guess it is a good 'guess' for the time being. Definitely a good light for my needs though. Especially since the par sky rockets as you get towards the surface. 

Thanks for the explanation too. I presume it is due to the overlap since every LED is actually a source itself. So it is like having hundreds of light sources, not just one.


----------



## SNAXX

YESSSS...... This must be the thread jeffkrol was mentioning to me in my thread. Thank you for posting in it. My Beamswork success story will be forthcoming. Only a few weeks into it at this point.

About to busy myself studying this thread.


----------



## Freemananana

I had really good luck with a cheap .5w LED model on a standard 20g. At some point the guppy grass and frogbit overtook the tank and growth of everything sort of halted. Nothing died, but it all stopped growing.


----------



## SNAXX

Freemananana said:


> I had really good luck with a cheap .5w LED model on a standard 20g. At some point the guppy grass and frogbit overtook the tank and growth of everything sort of halted. Nothing died, but it all stopped growing.


So no frogbit or guppy grass.... Any suggestion for a floater? Not necessary for me but I wouldn't mind having one species. I have a 48" Beamswork, 160 x .5w 6500k


----------



## Blky2k

I ordered the 72" .50w 6500k the other day. I cant wait to see how it does on mine.


----------



## martini5788

I just ordered this one for my 50 gallon. Anyone used this before? What kind of light am I looking at? I was hoping for low-med










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SNAXX

martini5788 said:


> I just ordered this one for my 50 gallon. Anyone used this before? What kind of light am I looking at? I was hoping for low-med
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have the same light, got it a few weeks ago. I have it on a 48" x 24" deep 72 gallon bowfront. It's a good light. Upper end of low range as per 
jeffkrol who seems to really know his stuff when it comes to LED's. Here's before and after photos for some perspective and a link to the thread.

http://www.plantedtank.net/#/forumsite/20495/topics/982465?page=1


----------



## nanoguy

nanoguy said:


> So I've read (most) of this thread and my head hurts. Short of becoming an expert on LED and light spectrums and intensities can someone help me out? I purchased the light below from TopDog Sellers and installed it over my 60" wide 24" deep lightly planted tank (new tank) in hopes of growing lower light plants without CO2. I don't have access to a par meter so I don't have anyway of knowing what my light levels are and it seems much more complicated with LED than CF or T5s.
> 
> What range would you say I'm in with this one fixture? Should I add another of the same or look for a more powerful one? I should mention I am still running the glass top which doesn't seem to stop much light.
> 
> Light Specs:
> 
> 
> LED 60" 0.5W 6500K HI Freshwater Plant Bright LED by Beamworks 4th Generation
> 
> The Beamworks Plant Bright LED fixture provides a high quality, energy efficient light fixture that replaces the typical single tube fluorescent light. LEDs in the range of 6500K are great for planted aquarium setups. The Beamworks LED is a sleek and contemporary light fixture that will make any other aquarium light look boring. Long lasting LEDs with no bulb replacement required.
> 
> Extendable brackets - 60"-64" (150 - 160 cm)
> 
> Super energy efficient freshwater aquarium lighting. No bulb replacement required.
> 
> Features:
> 
> • Dimensions - 59.50” x 5.00” x 1.00”
> • Brackets add 0.65" in height
> • Includes 120 LEDs
> • 5600 Lumen
> • Super energy efficient .50 watt LEDs
> • 120x 6500K LEDs
> • Slim and contemporary light design
> • 2 mode on / off function for day and night use
> • Mode 1 turns on all LEDs
> • Mode 2 turns on 8 LEDs only
> • Extendable bracket - 60" - 64" max extend
> • Extendable bracket - 150 - 160 cm max extend
> • Splash guard
> • 110V - 220V
> 
> 
> Tank pic:


Still hoping someone can help out here, really don't want to buy a par meter if it isn't necessary.


----------



## jeffkrol

3 row Beamswork "Razor" PAR measurements:


> 30" Beamswork Razor 6500K (EA80):
> Center-----6" off center
> 1” - 250
> 4” - 84
> 6” - 71
> 8” - 54 ----- 31
> 14” - 31 ----- 24
> 16” - 27 ----- 24
> 18" - 24 ----- 22
> 20” - 21


Multiply by 1.67............35 Par at 20"...

"Guesstimating" from there is not very problematic. Light behaves well.. 


Measurements were ALWAYS a problem. Many just pretended they were not..


----------



## nanoguy

jeffkrol said:


> 3 row Beamswork "Razor" PAR measurements:
> 
> 
> Multiply by 1.67............35 Par at 20"...
> 
> "Guesstimating" from there is not very problematic. Light behaves well..
> 
> 
> Measurements were ALWAYS a problem. Many just pretended they were not..


Sounds like it lands me somewhere in the bottom of the "low" light category which is where I intended to be. Would adding an additional light (same light) simply help coverage or would it basically "double" the intensity? (or both)?

I'm debating on doing that down the road (and adding CO2) or potentially swapping this light out for the pent 0.5w beamworks.

Thanks BTW.


----------



## yakal

if i were replace the lenses on a evo dual 3 watts 36 inch fixture. can somebody direct me where and what to buy please. can i replace it with a 90 degree one or is it already at 90 degree?replace 120 maybe then? posible? thanks is advance


----------



## jeffkrol

yakal said:


> if i were replace the lenses on a evo dual 3 watts 36 inch fixture. can somebody direct me where and what to buy please. can i replace it with a 90 degree one or is it already at 90 degree?replace 120 maybe then? possible? thanks is advance


They are already 90-ish lenses.
Getting others is not really a problem BUT they won't be just "snap in" like the orig.
Need a bit of DIY work..
most that change lenses also replace front "splash board" AFAICT
New lenses are just glued to the LED board. silicon or hot melt..generally. Don't use super glue. Solvent release can damage diode lenses..

All sorts like this on eek bay
http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/20mm-85-degree-led-optic-lens_60305687723.html


----------



## yakal

ok thanks jeffkrol


----------



## Lakehouse

Finally got a par test done on my beamswork quad 3w fixture. It's the 4' length.
Tank is acrylic 55g. 48x12x20
And has 2.5" of Aquasoil 

Wow...was I surprised at how much light it's putting out. 

I have the hanging kit and raised it 16" above the top of tank/water line. Par readings are as followed (measured via a apogee mq-200)

Back corners= 80
Back-center=100
Front corners=130
Front center =150

I could not measure the dead center as I have a large piece of dw in the tank. 

I'm off to an appt now but I will update later today with different heights in water and different hanging heights (above water). But as you can see, these numbers are perfect (at least for me)


----------



## Goldie818

I hope someone here can help me out!! I am wondering if anyone has had experience with the two following lights, and maybe what the differences are if they know? I plan to use them for my 18"/17" tall 40-45gal (not 100% sure about gal because I am not the one who bought it) low-med light low tech tank. I would love if someone is willing to help me at least guestimate the par! It would really help!!

1. Beamswork EA Timer 6500K LED Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant 
-36" EA 90 42x - 2075 lumen 36x 6500K, 6x Actinic
-Timer Ready 0.50W High Lumen Extendable Brackets


2. Beamworks EA Series 0.50W LED Aquarium Light Freshwater Cichlid Marine FOWLR (only offers 24" and 30") 
-Lumen: 2700
LEDs: 0.50W LEDs
Config: 48x 10000K, 6x Actinic 460nm
2 Modes: All On / Moonlight Only
Suitable for freshwater, cichlid, marine FOWLR setups

#2 was said to offer fine growth with someones's 40gal low-med planted tank. However, I would much rather go with #1 if the output is the same since they offer it in 36". I also think #2 was just mentioned a few posts ago but for a much bigger tank. 

Please let me know if more info is needed! I'll gladly add it! Thanks! It would really solve my lighting problems.


----------



## jeffkrol

Goldie818 said:


> I hope someone here can help me out!! I am wondering if anyone has had experience with the two following lights, and maybe what the differences are if they know? I plan to use them for my 18"/17" tall 40-45gal (not 100% sure about gal because I am not the one who bought it) low-med light low tech tank. I would love if someone is willing to help me at least guestimate the par! It would really help!!
> 
> 1. Beamswork EA Timer 6500K LED Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant
> -36" EA 90 42x - 2075 lumen 36x 6500K, 6x Actinic
> -Timer Ready 0.50W High Lumen Extendable Brackets
> 
> 
> 2. Beamworks EA Series 0.50W LED Aquarium Light Freshwater Cichlid Marine FOWLR (only offers 24" and 30")
> -Lumen: 2700
> LEDs: 0.50W LEDs
> Config: 48x 10000K, 6x Actinic 460nm
> 2 Modes: All On / Moonlight Only
> Suitable for freshwater, cichlid, marine FOWLR setups
> 
> #2 was said to offer fine growth with someones's 40gal low-med planted tank. However, I would much rather go with #1 if the output is the same since they offer it in 36". I also think #2 was just mentioned a few posts ago but for a much bigger tank.
> 
> Please let me know if more info is needed! I'll gladly add it! Thanks! It would really solve my lighting problems.


#2 is generally considered the wrong "color" .. The high blue/low red content is not favored..


----------



## Goldie818

jeffkrol said:


> #2 is generally considered the wrong "color" .. The high blue/low red content is not favored..


Ooh, I see. I figured it would be fairly blue since it is listed for cichlids and marine. How/would this affect plant growth? Ugh! Lighting is nuts lol I have tannin stained water, so I wonder if the more blue light would almost balance that out anyways? Thank you for your input! I am definitely more concerned with how the lights would grow plants than just how they look. HOWEVER, If the plant growth would be the same, I would want to avoid washing out my tank. I do have two partially white goldfish, so it would be cool to see them look white instead of their current yellow due to the tannins. Any other advice you or anyone would like to give is always awesome and welcome! 

Thank you!


----------



## Freemananana

@Lakehouse is that 36" to substrate I am seeing? A whopping 100 par with the quad fixture! That would mean the double evo is about 50 par, still higher than anticipated. Very well done.

On the topic of 6500k vs 10000k: I actually used the 10000k on my shrimp tank and had great growth. It looked pretty good to me too. It is still very white, it isn't blue like some 10000k lights. In my opinion, it will work. But it isn't ideal. I went with it because it was in stock and I had minimal requirements for the light.


----------



## Goldie818

Awesome to know! I have really enjoyed this thread, and wish there was more beamswork info out there! I'd also love having a par reader. It'd make stuff so simple! Thank you for the input on the difference btwn 10000 and 6500. I have heard some different opinions about whats "right" for plants. 

I think I'll go with this fixture: Beamswork EA Timer 6500K LED Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant 18 24 30 36 48-Timer Ready 0.50W High Lumen Extendable Brackets. Its only $28 on [Ebay Link Removed] Honestly, if its a complete fail, I can't be too mad with the price lol


----------



## Bill K

So far I'm really liking the Beamsworks HE 1W 6500k fixture on my 55 gal. http://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-6500K-Series-Aquarium-Freshwater/dp/B019GE4W9K

Plants are showing growth running the light for 8 hours a day (No CO2, daily Excel). I haven't had a chance to test PAR yet on it. Fish glow nicely due to the blue leds. The light produces a great shimmer.


----------



## zerodameaon

Does anyone know the type of DC connector that the 48" beamswork use with the 12v power supply? I bought a Sunsetter ramp timer and after about 5hrs the connector melted. If I end up being stuck with it I at least want to fix it with a connector rated for higher amps. If these end up being to low I will just replace it with a EC3 connector. If my math is right I should not be pulling more then 8Amps total so its likely they used a substandard connector.


----------



## jeffkrol

zerodameaon said:


> Does anyone know the type of DC connector that the 48" beamswork use with the 12v power supply? I bought a Sunsetter ramp timer and after about 5hrs the connector melted. If I end up being stuck with it I at least want to fix it with a connector rated for higher amps. If these end up being to low I will just replace it with a EC3 connector. If my math is right I should not be pulling more then 8Amps total so its likely they used a substandard connector.






This size barrel jack worked for some..
5.5mm x 2.1mm


----------



## zerodameaon

jeffkrol said:


> Amazon.com: Hanvex 3 ft 2.1mm x 5.5mm DC Plug Extension Cable for Power Adapter, 20AWG: Electronics
> This size barrel jack worked for some..
> 5.5mm x 2.1mm


Using my eyeball calipers that looks to be about right. I will have to see if I can find something with a higher amp rating. It looks like beamswork just used your standard CCTV power connector. Thanks for the help jeffkrol.


----------



## jeffkrol

zerodameaon said:


> Using my eyeball calipers that looks to be about right. I will have to see if I can find something with a higher amp rating. It looks like beamswork just used your standard CCTV power connector. Thanks for the help jeffkrol.


5A:
PP3-002A CUI Inc. | Connectors, Interconnects | DigiKey


----------



## zerodameaon

Nice, thanks for those, that should do just fine.


----------



## zerodameaon

I should add that in the next few days I am going to be adding in a blue strip light to run as moonlight via the sunsetter ramp timer. I was considering going with RGB but my color temp ends up being decent and this way the ramp timer can take care of sunrise/set and moon rise etc. I will post pictures and such after it is completed.


----------



## Jsack12

Does anyone recommend a beams work fixture for a low light low tech 55 set up? If so which model? Or a link would even be better


----------



## jeffkrol

Jsack12 said:


> Does anyone recommend a beams work fixture for a low light low tech 55 set up? If so which model? Or a link would even be better


The a single Razor is fairly weak for a 55gal..
LED Aquarium Lighting Freshwater Bright
A colored alternative.
LED Aquarium Lighting Freshwater Bright

IF you want more light there is a 5 row "razor" that pops up here and there..

Like this but in 6500k:
: Amazon.com: Beamswork 48" DA 120 LED Aquarium Light Pent Marine FOWLR Cichlid 160x 0.50W

bit strong for what you seem to want though..


----------



## Jsack12

jeffkrol said:


> Jsack12 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Does anyone recommend a beams work fixture for a low light low tech 55 set up? If so which model? Or a link would even be better
> 
> 
> 
> The a single Razor is fairly weak for a 55gal..
> LED Aquarium Lighting Freshwater Bright
> A colored alternative.
> LED Aquarium Lighting Freshwater Bright
> 
> IF you want more light there is a 5 row "razor" that pops up here and there..
> 
> Like this but in 6500k:
> : Amazon.com: Beamswork 48" DA 120 LED Aquarium Light Pent Marine FOWLR Cichlid 160x 0.50W
> 
> bit strong for what you seem to want though..
Click to expand...

Ya those first two look a little week. I don't think 2400 lumen would enough and the
Other one is 10000k and like 5000 lumen which is probably too much but maybe someone else could clear it up for us


----------



## Joel5000

This is my first post here on the forum, so I apologize if this is in the wrong spot. I have a Mr. Aqua 7.5 gal bow-front on the way, and I am trying to select the lighting. I am thinking of getting a BeamWorks unit, and I hope the forum can give me a little guidance. This will be my first planted tank in over 10 years, and my first time using LEDs. Everything is completely different than it was when I was in the hobby before, and I feel a little lost. My plan is to use Aqua Soil or Eco Complete, and dose Excel. Not planning to inject CO2. I'd like to be able to grow stems like rotala and bacopa, some more demanding crypts like parva, as well as stauro and maybe some DHG (am I crazy to think I can grow these without CO2?) 

The tank, based on published specs, is only 10.2" tall, so it seems to me that I don't need super-intense lighitng, especially without CO2. There are 4 BeamWorks 18" fixtures that I'm looking at. The first is the 18" EA Timer FSPEC with 22 .5 watt LEDS: 15 10000k, 3 actinic, 2 red, and 2 green. The price is right, and I like the idea of it being full spectrum, but I'm afraid it wont be bright enough to grow what I am hoping to grow.

Another option is the Freshwate18" 1300 6500K Plant Bright 1W LED r Plant version of that fixture, with 19 6500k .5 watt LEDs, and 3 actinic LEDS. Better spectrum for plants, but I'm still concerned it just isnt bright enought.

A step up would be the 18" 1300 6500K Plant Bright 1W LED. 18 1 watt LEDs. Would this be a better choice? It is $15 more than the others, but only 150 more lumens.

Finally there is the 10 x 3W LED EVO strip. I'm concerned this would be overkill on such a shallow tank. 

Any advice that anyone can give regarding these fixtures would be greatly appreciated. I'd also be open to recommendations of other fixtures than the ones listed. Thanks in advance!


----------



## Kampo

I have a 90 Gallon currently with a Current Sattalight Plus that I got with it, I know its not up to the task to really grow plants well with as deep as a 90 is. I would like to be on the high end of low light. what would be the best bang for buck Beamswork?

saw this guy
Amazon.com : VivaGrow DN RGB LED Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant 24/7 Remote Automation (120cm - 48") : Pet Supplies

not beamswork, but looks to be maybe a rebrand.


----------



## tkblazer

I just saw that light today as well, looks like a cheaper planted+ 24/7 alternative. I may try it on a 40g breeder

Kampo, you may want to look at the beamsworks fixture with the 3w leds


----------



## SNAXX

Finally ready to show my Beamswork success story tank.This set up is a little over 2 months old. Still have ALOT of growing in to do. Warning: I'm not a skilled aquascaper! This 22" tank is a pain to plant in. 

72 gallon bow front

Water Parameters: 
Temp: 78
PH: 7.6
GH: 6
KH: 5
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20

Substrate: Flourite Black 46.2 lbs , Eco Complete 40 lbs
Lighting: http://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-6500K-Aquarium-Freshwater-Discus/dp/B016P96UA8

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008L...+aqualight&dpPl=1&dpID=41GoJO7f3kL&ref=plSrch

Filters: Eheim 2026 with pre-filter sponge, Substrat Pro, Mech
Penguin 350 with pre-filter sponge, 500g bio max
40 gal sponge filter
Heater: Eheim Jager 300w
Water quality: Seachem Prime
Ferts: Seachem: Flourish, Trace, Potassium, Osmocote Plus Tabs, Iron Tabs

Plants: from left to right, back to front
Corkscrew Val, Echinodorus Quadricostatus, Flame Moss, Anubius Nana Petite, Hygrophila Corymbosa, Java Moss, Dwarf 4 Leaf Clover, Bacopa(?, gifted), Dwarf Sag, Marimo Ball on Driftwood, Rotala(?, gifted), Banana Plant, Cardamine Lyrata, Windelov, Amazon Frogbit, Crypt Wendtii Red, Marimo Ball, Hygrophila Pinnatifida, Anubius Nana, Aponogeton Ulvaceus, Dwarf Hair Grass.

Livestock: 93% stocked 150% fitration not including pre filter sponges, Bio Max, sponge filter


----------



## zenquarium




----------



## benealing

I am saving to update my lights. I was going to go with BML...

For a standard 75g, do I need 1 or 2 fixtures to achieve medium light from front to back? I can hand it, or rest it on top of the tank.

Thanks,
Ben


----------



## jeffkrol

benealing said:


> I am saving to update my lights. I was going to go with BML...
> 
> For a standard 75g, do I need 1 or 2 fixtures to achieve medium light from front to back? I can hand it, or rest it on top of the tank.
> 
> Thanks,
> Ben


Which fixture? 1/2W 1W, 3W ????? (Ignoring .2W-ers..)


----------



## benealing

The 3W. EVO Quad 48 LED Reef Bright (TR)

Ben


----------



## visionist

benealing said:


> I am saving to update my lights. I was going to go with BML...
> 
> For a standard 75g, do I need 1 or 2 fixtures to achieve medium light from front to back? I can hand it, or rest it on top of the tank.
> 
> Thanks,
> Ben


Also wondering about this for my 75. Was looking at the quad 3w 48" but with almost 130par at the substrate I fear it might be getting into the super high light category?

Maybe a combo of a Dual 3w fixture and a dual 0.5w fixture such as this might be more suitable and also provide a better mix of color? or would it look weird?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Beamswork-48...989561?hash=item1a0b9d0539:g:kZYAAOSwKtlWhu9Y
or 
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/DayNight-RGB...hash=item43e9f80537:m:mJo_y9Z1Wjn9zlmT90M6tIQ


----------



## jeffkrol

benealing said:


> I am saving to update my lights. I was going to go with BML...
> 
> For a standard 75g, do I need 1 or 2 fixtures to achieve medium light from front to back? I can hand it, or rest it on top of the tank.
> 
> Thanks,
> Ben


you will probably need to hang it for full f/b coverage from t/bottom.
And guesstimating" at a decent height like 8" above the water line and 2 in gravel will give an approx effective depth of..27"
At 65PAR at 17" (best guess) 2 row 3W fixture PAR will be approx..30-ish give or take Someone medium. someone elses low..


----------



## benealing

Thanks, sounds like saving for two lights might be the best best, then I can dim it if need be.

Ben


----------



## yakal

jeffkrol said:


> guesstimating" at a decent height like 8" above the water line and 2 in gravel will give an approx effective depth of..27"
> At 65PAR at 17" (best guess) 2 row 3W fixture PAR will be approx..30-ish give or take Someone medium. someone elses low..


48 inch dual 3 watt is 65 par at 17"? or the quad? 

getting confused, there was a thread about a 30 inch 3 watt dual that is 130 par at 23 inch, the 48 is less? or am i reading it wrong.

Bump: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/10-lighting/278578-odyssea-36-evo-led-3w-fixture-par-data.html


----------



## jeffkrol

yakal said:


> 48 inch dual 3 watt is 65 par at 17"? or the quad?
> 
> getting confused, there was a thread about a 30 inch 3 watt dual that is 130 par at 23 inch, the 48 is less? or am i reading it wrong.
> 
> Bump: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/10-lighting/278578-odyssea-36-evo-led-3w-fixture-par-data.html


All readings are using a DIY PAR meter 
so take each for what it's worth.
I just assume the in tank measurements are more err.. relevent:









this is 2 2 row 3W beamsworks side by side.

From Center
Height 0" / 6" / 12"
0" 450 / na / na
12" 220 / 140 / 6
18" 140 / 108 / 12
24" 108 / 100 / 28
30" 83 / 90 / 45
36" 70 / 75 / 49

This is a "native" 4 row fixture.. numbers correspond relatively..1`30 at 17 140 at 18 close enough..
A SINGLE 2 row fixture (not a quad) will be, roughly 1/2 that.


----------



## visionist

any real difference between the "snake eyes" quad 3w led lights and the EVO 3w quad led lights?


----------



## jeffkrol

visionist said:


> any real difference between the "snake eyes" quad 3w led lights and the EVO 3w quad led lights?


Well they do have different types of lenses.. I "believe" the snakeyes are more efficient and a bit narrower output..
don't quote me on that. All circumstantial..


----------



## will5

Most cost effective place to buy a Beamworks Quad 3W 6500k for my 29 gallon. Looking to buy the 36" my tank to avoid the dark spots on the side of the tank and to be able to grow carpet plants like HC.


----------



## jeffkrol

will5 said:


> most cost effective place to buy a beamworks quad 3w 6500k for my 29 gallon. Looking to buy the 36" my tank to avoid the dark spots on the side of the tank and to be able to grow carpet plants like hc.


$160

291712836897


----------



## will5

Where at?

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk


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## yakal

looks like evil bay , just search item number


----------



## yakal

will5 said:


> Most cost effective place to buy a Beamworks Quad 3W 6500k for my 29 gallon. Looking to buy the 36" my tank to avoid the dark spots on the side of the tank and to be able to grow carpet plants like HC.


for a 29 gallon 36 inch long? i think the dual will work if you have the tank that is 12 inch wide by 16 height.


----------



## will5

The tank is 18" high though.


----------



## visionist

Sooo would 1 48" quad 3w or 2 dual 3w be better to get the best coverage /highest lighting in my 75g? 
Im thinking the 2x dual as they can be spaced out more than the single fixture?

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk


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## yakal

will5 said:


> The tank is 18" high though.


you have to consider the height of your substrate too. like 2.5 - 3 inches so you are down to like 15. think about it. should have enough par

Bump:


visionist said:


> Sooo would 1 48" quad 3w or 2 dual 3w be better to get the best coverage /highest lighting in my 75g?
> Im thinking the 2x dual as they can be spaced out more than the single fixture?
> 
> Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk


.
you are right


----------



## will5

yakal said:


> you have to consider the height of your substrate too. like 2.5 - 3 inches so you are down to like 15. think about it. should have enough par
> 
> Bump: .
> you are right


Awesome...thanks!

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk


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## yakal

this is mine, i added 5630 3000k light strips for color rendition and actually made it brighter and maybe added PAR


----------



## Smooshface

Has anyone here tried the Beamswork EA Timer FSPEC LED: http://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-Timer-Aquarium-Freshwwater-Extendable/dp/B019YXYO0K/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 ?

I've almost pulled the trigger 2 or 3 times today, but I just want verification from someone not on Amazon's reviews that it will grow plants. I have a 29g marineland with about 18" in height (about 2 - 3" of substrate) and while I know this won't get high light plants to flourish, has anyone gotten low and medium light plants to work with this light?


----------



## jeffkrol

Smooshface said:


> Has anyone here tried the Beamswork EA Timer FSPEC LED: http://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-Tim...019YXYO0K/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 ?
> 
> I've almost pulled the trigger 2 or 3 times today, but I just want verification from someone not on Amazon's reviews that it will grow plants. I have a 29g marineland with about 18" in height (about 2 - 3" of substrate) and while I know this won't get high light plants to flourish, has anyone gotten low and medium light plants to work with this light?


There are stronger at the same pricepoint..





more reef centric but comes in 6500k as well, sometimes..
2x the output as the one you are considering..

this is the 5 row .5W led style.. Wrong size though:





Back to your orig. light:

"used" but $24.. inc. shipping.. 
111982932852
Worst thing is you add another cheap light bar..


----------



## Smooshface

jeffkrol said:


> There are stronger at the same pricepoint..
> Amazon.com : Beamswork HE 1W Series LED Aquarium Light Marine Coral Reef Cichlid (30") : Pet Supplies
> 
> more reef centric but comes in 6500k as well, sometimes..
> 2x the output as the one you are considering..
> 
> this is the 5 row .5W led style.. Wrong size though:
> Amazon.com : Beamswork 48" DA 120 6500K LED Aquarium Light Pent Freshwater Plant Discus 120x 0.50W : Pet Supplies
> 
> Back to your orig. light:
> 
> "used" but $24.. inc. shipping..
> 111982932852
> Worst thing is you add another cheap light bar..


That first one scares me just because it never talks about plants and neither do any of the reviews, though it has the 6500k lights.

I may ebay the cheap one, it's hard to argue with less money than a meal for me and my wife + free shipping. Thanks!


----------



## leoffensive

heres my tank (first attempt at planted) after i set it up about 3 weeks ago. its a 40 gallon with 2 bags of eco complete and 1 bag of florite black mixed in and some tahitian moon sand in the middle no c02 with a beamswork that came with the tank its 24" long with the legs extended out to sit on the tank. i use flourish excel once a week. and it gets about 10 hours of light a day.



and here it is today. it has made the duckweed, watersprite, and anacharis grow like crazy! i do have some minor algae on the glass and amazon sword leaves but nothing the siamese algae eaters and snails cant keep under control. also have some of that string algae but i just pull out as it accumulates.



i like this light but have been considering the finnex planted+ 24/7. would i be better off just getting a timer for this light? i do like all the light features of the 24/7 function being able to enjoy it at night with lower light level.


----------



## Smooshface

leoffensive, I love your tank, what is the blue fish with the red tail on the right side in the second picture? I think once the wife gives me the go-ahead, I'm going to pull the trigger, thanks guys!


----------



## alindeman1989

Help me pic for a 40 gallon breeder I dose gla dry ferts and have co2 
EVO Quad 36 LED 6500K (TR)
Or 
BeamsWork HI LUMEN LED Light Fixture 3W Quad Power 48" (TR)


----------



## jeffkrol

alindeman1989 said:


> Help me pic for a 40 gallon breeder I dose gla dry ferts and have co2
> EVO Quad 36 LED 6500K (TR)
> Or
> BeamsWork HI LUMEN LED Light Fixture 3W Quad Power 48" (TR)


Only real difference between the 2 is the shakeyes lens system.
Arguably better but has a narrower beam angle.
Light needs to be farther off the water line than the normal Beamswork, and farther than that for a wider 40...

The snakeye is capable of 90 PAR at 21"...
The other one, theoretically a bit less then that..though one reading has them even more than 90PAR at 21" (extrapolated)..

Each one you may have to "modify" higher for the 40 and the snakeye is starting at a higher point. Design point.

My head always leans to the snakeyes since I believe it might be easier to re-lens to suit or the lenses are more efficient than the normal beamswork.

Tough choice at the same price........


----------



## Blackheart

Any idea of a possible beamswork led fixture to go with for a low-tech 55 gallon? Will have lots of stem plants such as Ludwigia and Rotala if that makes any difference.


----------



## leoffensive

Smooshface said:


> leoffensive, I love your tank, what is the blue fish with the red tail on the right side in the second picture? I think once the wife gives me the go-ahead, I'm going to pull the trigger, thanks guys!


Sorry for the late reply thanks for the compliment and that fish is a dwarf neon rainbow fish

Bump:


----------



## Smooshface

He's so pretty!

I ended up buying the Beamswork LED PENT 24 .5w light. It's got 80 x 6500k lights, so I think I'll be good for my plants. Thanks everyone!


----------



## Lakehouse

Anyone know what par I would get on a 48" quad evo hung over a 55 g tank (48x12x20tall) with 2-3" of aquasoil? Looking for par readings with light hung at 6" above tank and 12" above tank.


----------



## jeffkrol

Lakehouse said:


> Anyone know what par I would get on a 48" quad evo hung over a 55 g tank (48x12x20tall) with 2-3" of aquasoil? Looking for par readings with light hung at 6" above tank and 12" above tank.


you can guesstimate from this a bit..


----------



## Lakehouse

Are the measurements meaning distance from the light or distance below water surface (and unsure how high light is above tank)? 
I assume distance from light and light is right at surface level. 

If hanging and If I'm correct, 6-9" above water surface will be a manageable high light tank (at 20" tall)

Bump: Ps- thanks jeffkrol.


----------



## Lakehouse

Or is that much light a recipe for failure even with good co2, ferts, circulation?


----------



## jeffkrol

20-3+6 = 23" + 2" for light bracket.... 25" you will probably be around 75-100
another 6" 50-70-ish guessing..
No matte how I cut it it certainly is a fair amount of light.. into the high category regardless... 
Only guessing though but don't see any major errors..

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/10-lighting/278578-odyssea-36-evo-led-3w-fixture-par-data-2.html


----------



## Lakehouse

That's weird but sounds good. I say weird because when I first set up my tank I rented a par meter from a shop and at 20" above tank I got the following readings....
Front left...100
Front middle..110
Front right...100
Back left...60
Back middle..90
Back right...60

Thinking those numbers were good (and accurate), I've left the light at 20" but haven't been impressed with the growth and minimal pearling, so today I'm dropping it to 9" above tank (might drop to 6"). 

I'm wondering how accurate the par meter was and/or being an acrylic tank if that thew the reading off or increased it, as a fair portion of the top is acrylic with just the two large cutouts (like most acrylic tanks)


----------



## jeffkrol

Lakehouse said:


> shop and at 20" above tank I got the following readings....
> Front left...100
> Front middle..110
> Front right...100


acrylic or glass for that matter.. will only cut light 10-15% even relatively "dirty"..

looks like you didn't center the light???



> 25" you will probably be around 75-100


seems fairly consistent..
Maybe I'm lnot looking at it just right..


----------



## Lakehouse

It was 20" above the top of tank so it was 37" from substrate. 

When you said "25 inches will be around 75-100, you meant 25" to substrate correct and not to top of tank? 

I'll leave it at 9" above tank (9+17=26" to substrate) and see what happens over the next few days


----------



## jeffkrol

Lakehouse said:


> It was 20" above the top of tank so it was 37" from substrate.
> 
> When you said "25 inches will be around 75-100, you meant 25" to substrate correct and not to top of tank?
> 
> I'll leave it at 9" above tank (9+17=26" to substrate) and see what happens over the next few days


100Par @ 37" "is" pretty hard to believe 

And yes everything was estimated as light to bed...

As a point of comparison, some 4 tube t5 lamp fixtures don't come close to that..









It would roughly be equiv. to a 6 tube ATI t5ho fixture..
I'm pretty sure dropping the height will give sig. changes..


----------



## Lakehouse

The meter must not have been accurate. 

Thank you so much for all your help and time!!!

I'll post results in a week or so☺


----------



## DAKn2

Wow. I just finished reading all 28 pages of this thread and learned a lot. I really appreciate all the posters and the info/opinions that have been shared.

I am looking to upgrade the lighting in my 46 Gallon Bow (16"L x 36"W x 20"H). My plan is to stay low tech; liquid CO2; and easy to grow low/medium light plants. I do not want to suspend the light; so will utilize the included brackets to mount it on the tank.

Based on all the info in this (and other) threads, I have narrowed my choices down to two Beamswork lights:

1)	36" Beamswork HE 1W Series https://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-Aquarium-Light-Marine-Cichlid/dp/B019GDKPP6/

2) 36" Beamswork DA 6500K 0.50W Series https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KYELCSA/


Dimensionally they are almost the same; Lumen ratings are almost identical (so since the same manufacturer I assume that the PAR values will be similar - correct?); but the DA features 84x 6500K + 16x Actinic LEDs, while the HE features 42x 10000K + 9x Actinic 460nm LEDs. 

Do the 1000K + Blue LEDs make a visual difference than the 6500K only LEDs?

I am not concerned with the secondary mode (moon light vs reduced light). Is there an advantage to one model versus the other? Any recommendations for my application?

Thanks in advance for the assistance!


----------



## jeffkrol

There is def. a "look" difference between the 6500k and 10000k ones. Both will look pretty different from the "aquarium purplish" lights in your photo.
6500k is more a white w/ some seeing a slight yellow tint. 10000k is a crisp blue/white w/ some wash out in the reds.
Picking either you may need a supplement for 1)color and 2) depth front and back.

That said, starting w/ the wider .5W 5 row bar is a better start.


----------



## dshuld

Hi Beamswork guru's, I'm looking for some suggestions on which of these two to go with. Looking at setting one of my 75's back up as a planted tank again after it being down for the last 1.5 years or so. Was running two of the hd diamond plate lights before but would like to do two led's this time. Mostly because the shop lights bit the dust when I moved.

Previously I had gone dirt with pool filter sand/ black diamond cap but will probably be doing safe t sorb instead of dirt this time. Want to stay low tech for now but may move to co2 injection down the road. For now I'll be using metricide along with dry ferts. As for plants I'm probably going to do Amazon and red flame/ozelot swords again, narrow leaf anacharis, red roundleaf ludwigia, dwarf sag for ground cover. Possibly some crypts (kind of miss my 55 gal crypt tank), Rotala rotundafolia and possibly some cabomba. 

https://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-65...1472566713&sr=8-1&keywords=beamswork+48+6500k DA model

https://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-65...1472566713&sr=8-4&keywords=beamswork+48+6500k dhl model


----------



## jeffkrol

dshuld said:


> Hi Beamswork guru's, I'm looking for some suggestions on which of these two to go with. Looking at setting one of my 75's back up as a planted tank again after it being down for the last 1.5 years or so. Was running two of the hd diamond plate lights before but would like to do two led's this time. Mostly because the shop lights bit the dust when I moved.
> 
> Previously I had gone dirt with pool filter sand/ black diamond cap but will probably be doing safe t sorb instead of dirt this time. Want to stay low tech for now but may move to co2 injection down the road. For now I'll be using metricide along with dry ferts. As for plants I'm probably going to do Amazon and red flame/ozelot swords again, narrow leaf anacharis, red roundleaf ludwigia, dwarf sag for ground cover. Possibly some crypts (kind of miss my 55 gal crypt tank), Rotala rotundafolia and possibly some cabomba.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-65...1472566713&sr=8-1&keywords=beamswork+48+6500k DA model
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-65...1472566713&sr=8-4&keywords=beamswork+48+6500k dhl model


either one.. The 5 row (slightly weaker) one is more "sculptured"..and about the same width...


----------



## dshuld

jeffkrol said:


> either one.. The 5 row (slightly weaker) one is more "sculptured"..and about the same width...


Do you think the dhl will put me into medium or just high low?
Last time I looked at led the satellite+ had just come out. That is what I had on my crypt tank and is currently on my african tank. Would love to do a pair of fluval's or finnex but my other half would be a little fussy about that lol.


----------



## dshuld

jeffkrol said:


> either one.. The 5 row (slightly weaker) one is more "sculptured"..and about the same width...


Or do you think I'd be better off with using a dimmer like the one thread you were helping someone in with a quad snake eye until I'm ready for co2 injection?


----------



## jeffkrol

2 of the DA's (5 row .5W) is more than enough light for a 75gal...
Same w/ the DHL.. Do need to add the extra bit of "color" (blue) w/ the DHL is somewhat a bonus.. Just not crazy about the old style case.


----------



## dshuld

jeffkrol said:


> 2 of the DA's (5 row .5W) is more than enough light for a 75gal...
> Same w/ the DHL.. Do need to add the extra bit of "color" (blue) w/ the DHL is somewhat a bonus.. Just not crazy about the old style case.


Cool thanks. Reason I asked about the snake eye was found one for $30 more then two of the others. I think I do like the two fixtures better then one idea better still though. Was reading some the strip mod posts to add some extra colors. I tried looking briefly earlier, is there a rgb 5630 and I missed it or just one color only on those?


----------



## jeffkrol

dshuld said:


> Cool thanks. Reason I asked about the snake eye was found one for $30 more then two of the others. I think I do like the two fixtures better then one idea better still though. Was reading some the strip mod posts to add some extra colors. I tried looking briefly earlier, is there a rgb 5630 and I missed it or just one color only on those?


I don't believe there are 5630's in RGB. You really don't need the power of the 5630's if you go w/ 2 Beamsworks. 5050's will add the color needed..for the most part.


----------



## dshuld

jeffkrol said:


> I don't believe there are 5630's in RGB. You really don't need the power of the 5630's if you go w/ 2 Beamsworks. 5050's will add the color needed..for the most part.


Do you think doing some warm white 5630 strips mixed with 5050 strips would help get more red into the depth's or just stick with 5050 and adjust to my liking? Sorry for so many questions, and thanks for the help with this Jeff.


----------



## jeffkrol

dshuld said:


> Do you think doing some warm white 5630 strips mixed with 5050 strips would help get more red into the depth's or just stick with 5050 and adjust to my liking? Sorry for so many questions, and thanks for the help with this Jeff.


warm white 5630's add plenty of red. Only reason for the5050's is to "do" color..
Red diodes ramped up w/ cool white diodes (6500k or better) add a pink tone not a warm sunrise tone.You would need to dial in a yellow/orange tone. Doable but more complicated..
Aesthetically ww are arguably better (more natural?)..plant wise about equal..
5050's are pretty poor at penetration (too weak) AFAICT..
I only personally used them w/ 3w diodes and discarded.. not enough of an effect so to speak. Not a real fair assessment (I was a bit impatient..)


----------



## gt turbo

No one replied to this guy's question funny enough. I read through the 29 pages and this is exactly what I want to know. Really frustrated at this point. 

The only difference is that I'm gonna use a standard 10g aquarium, so I'm looking at substrate height of around 10"-11" from the light. 

Also I think the EVO Green is gonna be to bright cause I'm not gonna be doing pressurized co2 on this tank as it will be on my desk in the office so I wanna keep it lower maintenance but I still want to be able to grow a carpet of glosso or marsellia. Really need to pull the trigger on this buy to meet my transshipment date.

Thanks in advance.



Joel5000 said:


> This is my first post here on the forum, so I apologize if this is in the wrong spot. I have a Mr. Aqua 7.5 gal bow-front on the way, and I am trying to select the lighting. I am thinking of getting a BeamWorks unit, and I hope the forum can give me a little guidance. This will be my first planted tank in over 10 years, and my first time using LEDs. Everything is completely different than it was when I was in the hobby before, and I feel a little lost. My plan is to use Aqua Soil or Eco Complete, and dose Excel. Not planning to inject CO2. I'd like to be able to grow stems like rotala and bacopa, some more demanding crypts like parva, as well as stauro and maybe some DHG (am I crazy to think I can grow these without CO2?)
> 
> The tank, based on published specs, is only 10.2" tall, so it seems to me that I don't need super-intense lighitng, especially without CO2. There are 4 BeamWorks 18" fixtures that I'm looking at. The first is the 18" EA Timer FSPEC with 22 .5 watt LEDS: 15 10000k, 3 actinic, 2 red, and 2 green. The price is right, and I like the idea of it being full spectrum, but I'm afraid it wont be bright enough to grow what I am hoping to grow.
> 
> Another option is the Freshwate18" 1300 6500K Plant Bright 1W LED r Plant version of that fixture, with 19 6500k .5 watt LEDs, and 3 actinic LEDS. Better spectrum for plants, but I'm still concerned it just isnt bright enought.
> 
> A step up would be the 18" 1300 6500K Plant Bright 1W LED. 18 1 watt LEDs. Would this be a better choice? It is $15 more than the others, but only 150 more lumens.
> 
> Finally there is the 10 x 3W LED EVO strip. I'm concerned this would be overkill on such a shallow tank.
> 
> Any advice that anyone can give regarding these fixtures would be greatly appreciated. I'd also be open to recommendations of other fixtures than the ones listed. Thanks in advance!


----------



## jeffkrol

consider other than Beamswork..
https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/s...current-usa/?gclid=CPywjbbO7s4CFVKDfgodaMsBqg
PAR @ 12" is "only" 36..
want to guarantee enough light and the luxury of ramping and tailoring of the spectrum an office deserves:
https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/s...24-led-freshwater-aquarium-light-current-usa/


----------



## gt turbo

Thank you but just remember that I'm on a budget. This tank can't be charged to business expenses. lololol. 

I have already used the finnex line and I'm satisfied, but I'm looking around for reasonable alternatives and truth be told, I don't need the features that the current brand is offering.

It seems like I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and go back to the original suggestion you gave in the first pm.



jeffkrol said:


> consider other than Beamswork..
> https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/s...current-usa/?gclid=CPywjbbO7s4CFVKDfgodaMsBqg
> PAR @ 12" is "only" 36..
> want to guarantee enough light and the luxury of ramping and tailoring of the spectrum an office deserves:
> https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/s...24-led-freshwater-aquarium-light-current-usa/


----------



## vvDO

gt turbo said:


> Thank you but just remember that I'm on a budget. This tank can't be charged to business expenses. lololol.
> 
> I have already used the finnex line and I'm satisfied, but I'm looking around for reasonable alternatives and truth be told, I don't need the features that the current brand is offering.
> 
> It seems like I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and go back to the original suggestion you gave in the first pm.




How about a finnex stingray... I have a 0.5 w 18" beams work with all 6500K LEDs and it's a bit yellow for my tastes. They now have FSPEC which may put out a better color spectrum, costs 27 on Amazon. If I had to do it over I would have gone with a stingray. Only reason I'm keeping the light is no algae except for glass, I have it on a fluval spec V, the light sits about 10-11" above substrate. Plants are mostly crypts, dwarf sag and moss.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## gt turbo

vvDO said:


> How about a finnex stingray... I have a 0.5 w 18" beams work with all 6500K LEDs and it's a bit yellow for my tastes. They now have FSPEC which may put out a better color spectrum, costs 27 on Amazon. If I had to do it over I would have gone with a stingray. Only reason I'm keeping the light is no algae except for glass, I have it on a fluval spec V, the light sits about 10-11" above substrate. Plants are mostly crypts, dwarf sag and moss.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Not sure if the Stingray will grow glosso or marsellia or even stauro, that's why I'm looking for something that's more in the range of medium to high. It can always be dimmed if it's too much but I can't increase its output anywhere near as easily.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Claytonc

Standard 75 w/one 5row .5 6500. Co2,excel,flourish and tabs. Taller rear plants look great with little Pearling. Front center DHG not doing much. Would my light x2 be good or should I get a 1watt in front for depth?


----------



## Claytonc

Tannins still clearing. One 48" 120 .5 6500


----------



## jeffkrol

Purple/pink color is from the wall??


----------



## Claytonc

It's 2 rgb strips. Forgot that bit.


----------



## jeffkrol

Claytonc said:


> It's 2 rgb strips. Forgot that bit.


LOL.. yea I was wondering about that...
nice looking tank.. 

What is the reddish leaved plant in the background?
I grew it for months, then killed it all..


----------



## chytownprincess

110XH under evo quad green element by Beams work

















The first PIC is a photo when everything was in order the 2nd PIC is tonight.I desperately need to trim my tank!

"Hmmmm, gas and car insurance, or a war paint Scoly? I am walking home with my coral! "~Tattooed Nurse


----------



## gt turbo

Hey guys, was to tell you that i bought this to try and I'll let you know how it worked out.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00APBKT64/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## Claytonc

Any of you guys have any input on what would be better here? I want to order.


----------



## gt turbo

Claytonc said:


> Any of you guys have any input on what would be better here? I want to order.




What exactly do you want to do cause it looks like your tank is growing plants quite well?



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Claytonc

Like I said the DHG won't grow. Should this light be enough on my tank? It's beamswork 120 .5 6500 on a standard 75. Was thinking of getting another. Thought I might go with the 1 watt version for penatration and add it up front. Should I wait until tanins are all clear to see if might light will do the job or would one of you pros recommend doubling up the beamswork?


----------



## Claytonc

DHG isn't doing much up front. I just wanted to know if my 1 beamswork 120 .5 6500 is a bit underpowered for my tank or if it's the tanins. If a second light is recommended should I 2x the same light or get the 1watt version to reach down to my shorter plants and DHG carpet at the bottom. Sorry I didn't know the first one posted and don't know how to erase one.


----------



## jeffkrol

Claytonc said:


> DHG isn't doing much up front. I just wanted to know if my 1 beamswork 120 .5 6500 is a bit underpowered for my tank or if it's the tanins. If a second light is recommended should I 2x the same light or get the 1watt version to reach down to my shorter plants and DHG carpet at the bottom. Sorry I didn't know the first one posted and don't know how to erase one.


See how close your other parameters are to this..



> *Step 1: Optimal Conditions*
> 
> Here are the optimal conditions you'll want to strive for in your aquarium:
> 
> 
> *Water Conditions:* 70-83° F @ pH 6.5-7.5 (4-8 KH)
> *Lighting: *Moderate to High
> *Nutrients/Ferts: *Nutrient-Heavy substrate with Fert dosing
> *CO2:* Not required, but best for optimal growth
> While Dwarf Hairgrass grows in a variety of conditions, these are the _optimal_ conditions for the fastest growth & healthiest carpet. If you're looking for the fastest, most healthy growth, it's also important to get a few other things right:


https://www.aquascapeaddiction.com/articles/dwarf-hairgrass-carpets-made-easy


----------



## gt turbo

Claytonc said:


> DHG isn't doing much up front. I just wanted to know if my 1 beamswork 120 .5 6500 is a bit underpowered for my tank or if it's the tanins. If a second light is recommended should I 2x the same light or get the 1watt version to reach down to my shorter plants and DHG carpet at the bottom. Sorry I didn't know the first one posted and don't know how to erase one.




I'm gonna let Jeffkrol answer that but I would assume that adding the second light would be best. I'd also agree with you about going for one with higher wattage LEDs for deeper penetration at the front.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Drew Hawker

Hello,


I have a tank that measures 72" long, 22" deep and 18" wide. I am looking for high light conditions for carpeting plants. Co2 will be used as well as ferts. I am looking for the propper lighting for around $300. So far Im between the EVO quad 72" 96 x 3W which I would only be getting ONE, or TWO of the Beamswork ELF 1800 6500K 72" LED Aquarium Light 280x 0.50W.

Would these configurations provide high light? Which of these would you suggest or would you recommend any other setup that may be better for under $300


----------



## jeffkrol

This is for a Fluval but it uses small emitters.. 
18" 57 to 82 PAR @18" .. 
Just use the diode count to compare..Since most lights of thistype are built on a sort of 'generic' circuit board.. shouldn't have too many differences.. 
Maybe deduct 25% off the Beamswork (guesstimate)
I have no doubt 2 of the Beamsworks will be more than enough light at 22" overall


----------



## chytownprincess

My tank is 30 inches tall. I have difficulty growing dhg but it could be due to numerous other parameters and settings...such as hard water, inert gravel mixed with some plant substrate, and no ferts except occasional root tabs (seachem) and osmocote every once in a blue moon.

"Hmmmm, gas and car insurance, or a war paint Scoly? I am walking home with my coral! "~Tattooed Nurse


----------



## chytownprincess

Beamswork uses bridgelux LEDs. I found info on all the necessary parameters while researching reef capable lighting. Look for PAR/PUR/Lumens and color temperature to buy the best lighting for your needs. Don't use high number actinic (blue to purple)420-455nm on freshwater tank...it can cause (and did in my 45XH) cause excessive algae growth.

"Hmmmm, gas and car insurance, or a war paint Scoly? I am walking home with my coral! "~Tattooed Nurse


----------



## jeffkrol

chytownprincess said:


> Beamswork uses bridgelux LEDs. I found info on all the necessary parameters while researching reef capable lighting.


Generally assumed as correct for the 1W or greater "egg" type emitters..Even that is questionable.. Too many Chinese knockoffs and/or name liscensee's
No idea who makes the .5W SMD type emitters..
China, India, Korea.. who knows..

Kwality Photonics - LEDs, Manufacturer of LED - Light Emitting Diodes in India. Opto Electronic Components in India, LED Displays & Opto Electronic Products. LED Lighting Manufacturer, LED Indicator Lights, LED Indicator Manufacturer in India.Color L


----------



## Mark R Foran

Any recommendations for BW lights for a 40 breeder. Looking for medium to high light.


----------



## dshuld

jeffkrol said:


> warm white 5630's add plenty of red. Only reason for the5050's is to "do" color..
> Red diodes ramped up w/ cool white diodes (6500k or better) add a pink tone not a warm sunrise tone.You would need to dial in a yellow/orange tone. Doable but more complicated..
> Aesthetically ww are arguably better (more natural?)..plant wise about equal..
> 5050's are pretty poor at penetration (too weak) AFAICT..
> I only personally used them w/ 3w diodes and discarded.. not enough of an effect so to speak. Not a real fair assessment (I was a bit impatient..)


Sorry I dropped off @jeffkrol my v10 kicked the bucket and have been waiting on a replacement. Anyway, thoughts on running a single(double) evo up front to get the depth to keep my dwarf sag "shorter" and something like the vivagrow 24/7 on the back to help even out the rendering since the taller plants will be back there? Still kind of hung up on the snake eye fixture though tbh. I like the over all look of the legs vs metal slides better I think is why. I really don't mind the "white wash" at the top as I had that with the dual diamond plate lights with Phillips 6500k bulbs too.

All that being said at some point I'll be doing a canopy and will probably suspend the lights from that after I do. Which throws another wrinkle into this for me I suppose is I think the dhl model will end up being lower light then I want in the long run. Right now I'm thinking I'll be 18.5 to 18 to the glass tops and once I get the canopy I'll end up another 6-8' beyond that. After I have the canopy the metal slides wont matter much as it'll end up out of site out of mind on that part but I'll be contending with the height of 24 to 26". I have been able to collect most of the rest of what I needed to finish setting up my co2 in the mean time. But with the height I'm looking at in the long run I'm thinking either evo or snake eye now. I set up my 20L to start some sag grow out and have gone from 8 plants to 21 in 1.5 weeks. Now my girlfriend is excited so I think I can squeeze a little more budget money back into the 75 reset lol. Thought's on which way to go now with all that info?


----------



## jeffkrol

dshuld said:


> Sorry I dropped off @*jeffkrol* my v10 kicked the bucket and have been waiting on a replacement. Anyway, thoughts on running a single(double) evo up front to get the depth to keep my dwarf sag "shorter" and something like the vivagrow 24/7 on the back to help even out the rendering since the taller plants will be back there? Still kind of hung up on the snake eye fixture though tbh. I like the over all look of the legs vs metal slides better I think is why. I really don't mind the "white wash" at the top as I had that with the dual diamond plate lights with Phillips 6500k bulbs too.
> 
> All that being said at some point I'll be doing a canopy and will probably suspend the lights from that after I do. Which throws another wrinkle into this for me I suppose is I think the dhl model will end up being lower light then I want in the long run. Right now I'm thinking I'll be 18.5 to 18 to the glass tops and once I get the canopy I'll end up another 6-8' beyond that. After I have the canopy the metal slides wont matter much as it'll end up out of site out of mind on that part but I'll be contending with the height of 24 to 26". I have been able to collect most of the rest of what I needed to finish setting up my co2 in the mean time. But with the height I'm looking at in the long run I'm thinking either evo or snake eye now. I set up my 20L to start some sag grow out and have gone from 8 plants to 21 in 1.5 weeks. Now my girlfriend is excited so I think I can squeeze a little more budget money back into the 75 reset lol. Thought's on which way to go now with all that info?


snakeyes or equiv 3W emitters w/ 90 degree lenses will be better if you plan on raising it.
The small emitters are better suited (or any at 120 degrees for that matter) closer to the top..
vivagrow seems somewhat optional except to add a colored "sunrise/sunset effect b4 blinding everyone w/ the snakeyes..


----------



## dshuld

jeffkrol said:


> snakeyes or equiv 3W emitters w/ 90 degree lenses will be better if you plan on raising it.
> The small emitters are better suited (or any at 120 degrees for that matter) closer to the top..
> vivagrow seems somewhat optional except to add a colored "sunrise/sunset effect b4 blinding everyone w/ the snakeyes..


Ok thanks, so you think the evo would be better then the snake eyes then? I can live with the extendable brackets vs legs til I get a canopy if you do. I've also considered moving my satellite + and getting a bottom rung beamswork/ stingray for my African tank instead for a low light startup.


----------



## jeffkrol

dshuld said:


> Ok thanks, so you think the evo would be better then the snake eyes then?


AFAICT, no, the snakeyes better optics will, in the end, be much better for you..





> *SnakeEyes Quad 48" 3W Timer 6500K by Odyssea*
> The SnakeEyes LED fixtures is the newest addition to the Odyssea LED lighting line. This new model features the SnakeEye lens that improves light distribution for better coverage throughout your aquarium. SnakeEyes plant version fixtures are installed with powerful 3W 6500K LEDs ideal for a fully planted setup. The SnakeEyes LED fixtures provides a high quality, energy efficient light fixture that will shimmer through your aquarium at the flip of a switch. This unit also features external LED drivers, two mode on/off switches, adjustable mounting legs, and anodized aluminum housing. Cooling fan(s) is included. Timer module and hanging kit are also available for future add ons.
> *Features:*
> 
> 
> Dimensions - 48.00” x 9.00” x 1.50”
> Brackets add 3.00" in height
> Includes 64 LEDs
> 8640 Lumen
> 3 watt LEDs
> 65x 6500K
> Two mode on/off switch
> Mode 1 turns on 1st and 4th row LEDs
> Mode 2 turns on all LEDs
> External LED driver(s)
> Adjustable mounting legs
> Includes cooling fan(s)
> Slim and contemporary design
> Timer module and Hang Kit are not included
> 2x pre-wired connections for timer modules
> Optional timer module add $22.00
> Optional hanging kit add $17.50
> Minimum 50.00" clearance space required when using the timer module
> 110V - 220V
> 
> *Listing includes:*
> 
> 
> 1x 48" SnakeEye Quad fixture
> 2x External LED driver(s)
> 2x Cooling Fan(s)


301048721545


----------



## dshuld

jeffkrol said:


> AFAICT, no, the snakeyes better optics will, in the end, be much better for you..
> 
> 
> 
> 301048721545


Cool thanks, that is the same one I have in my watch list lol.


----------



## jeffkrol

dshuld said:


> Cool thanks, that is the same one I have in my watch list lol.


A bit dated.. but some good info..

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...eeyes-led-quad-30-3w-timer-ready-6500k-2.html



> I have the 48" version, center area 80-90 PAR at 21" water depth.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia

The snakeeyes used black plastic lens holders which absorb light. If you removed them and painted the insides white, it will significantly increase light output.

I have the EVO and replaced the stock lenses due to the light spillage inside the fixture. I replaced them with white lens holders but the light still passes through the plastic. I painted some of the holders and it increased output even more.

The holder is the plastic that the clear lenses snap into.


----------



## dshuld

jeffkrol said:


> A bit dated.. but some good info..
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...eeyes-led-quad-30-3w-timer-ready-6500k-2.html


 
It was that thread that made me start questioning myself on which one to get for after I have the canopy.



Solcielo lawrencia said:


> The snakeeyes used black plastic lens holders which absorb light. If you removed them and painted the insides white, it will significantly increase light output.
> 
> I have the EVO and replaced the stock lenses due to the light spillage inside the fixture. I replaced them with white lens holders but the light still passes through the plastic. I painted some of the holders and it increased output even more.
> 
> The holder is the plastic that the clear lenses snap into.


Thanks I'll give that a shot then.


----------



## SingAlongWithTsing

Anybody know what the forward voltage is on the Evo Quad? (specifically the 72")

thinking of popping out 18 of the 6500k's and replacing em with 6 Cyan, 6 400-410nm Violet, and 6 660nm Red. If the forward voltage is too high I'll go with Pink/Full spectrum I guess


----------



## jeffkrol

V(f) is sort of whatever they designed it around.
If the power supply is 15V and there are 4 diodes in series and a smaller terminating resistor, figure about 3.4
Reds are going to be problematic at like 2 something..


----------



## lasttycoon

Would co2 be needed with these lights? I was looking at the slim model for my fluval spec v. It's the Beamswork ET 6500K Timer 0.50W LED Aquarium Light[censored]on amazon. Going for a more low tech approach. 
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


----------



## Fisshh

Need help I have a 120 gal 5 ft tank I have a beamswork ea fspec 60" light on it tank looks good but I'm barely keeping Anubius and java fern alive suggestions on what light to add thanks

Bump:

Bump:


----------



## clownplanted

Just got 4 lights  2xDHL and 2xDA FSPEC. Par data here.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...-fspec-dhl-6500k-par-lux-kelvin-pur-data.html


----------



## Kampo

Just snagged a 48in EVO Snake Eyes for my 120 (60x18x27) also got the hanging kit. planning on putting it about 18inches above the tank. if my math is right that should be the highest I can put it without light spill being to much of an issue. planning an overhead sump with plants in it so that will allow the light to cover both. tank is just anubias for the most part so no need for extreme par. I do have a c02 kit I might add just to keep algea in line though. are there any parcharts for the snakeeys lights out there? my guess is looking at prolly 120-150 par at surface of the water and prolly half thank to a bit less than that at substrate 25in below that?


----------



## jeffkrol

Should be similar to this.. Likely the same diodes.. Snakeye lenses are "supposed" to be better..










130PAr @ 17"


----------



## Bonea

Planning to get a Beamswork DA FSPEC 60CM/24IN. Any suggestion for a good dimmer to go alon with this. Any Blueprint on how to get it working with a Dimmer?

Thanks.


----------



## Kampo

HTML:


[HTML]

[/HTML]


Bonea said:


> Planning to get a Beamswork DA FSPEC 60CM/24IN. Any suggestion for a good dimmer to go alon with this. Any Blueprint on how to get it working with a Dimmer?
> 
> Thanks.


I use a Tc420 on a few beamswork lights. works great! has some good info on how to hook them up. 

TC420 Programmable LED Time Controller


----------



## clownplanted

Without having to hack any wires. This works wonders. Dimmed from 90 par down to 40. Connects up with no issues. Current USA Truelumen Inline Dimmer for 12 and 24-Volt LED Strip https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008FC04I8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_w23yzbSNRD1X2


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## StevieD

talontsiawd said:


> I like my little light fine. I don't believe they had a plant specific spectrum when I bought mine so that's my only issue with it. Well, that and it's plastic so it doesn't sit quite flat, but I do think the glossy black plastic is attractive. Here is a picture of a 6 gallon tank I had, not at it's prime but a good example of what it could grow in a non CO2 nano. I have since changed the tank out for a similar 10 gallon which fits the light even better, and still seems to grow things fine, it will just take some time to look good, it is only about 2 weeks old. Anyway, here is the old 6 gallon. I also plan to add RGB strips to mine, I have them, just haven't had time to deal with it.



Please excuse my ignorance but what are RGB strips?

Bump:


talontsiawd said:


> I like my little light fine. I don't believe they had a plant specific spectrum when I bought mine so that's my only issue with it. Well, that and it's plastic so it doesn't sit quite flat, but I do think the glossy black plastic is attractive. Here is a picture of a 6 gallon tank I had, not at it's prime but a good example of what it could grow in a non CO2 nano. I have since changed the tank out for a similar 10 gallon which fits the light even better, and still seems to grow things fine, it will just take some time to look good, it is only about 2 weeks old. Anyway, here is the old 6 gallon. I also plan to add RGB strips to mine, I have them, just haven't had time to deal with it.



Please excuse my but what are RGB strips?


----------



## vvDO

StevieD said:


> Please excuse my ignorance but what are RGB strips?
> 
> 
> 
> Bump:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Please excuse my but what are RGB strips?




RGB (red, green, blue) LED light strips


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jeffkrol

RGB are Red/Green/Blue LED ribbons...
Each channel can be independenly controlled and some "stick" them between the Beamswork row for color enhancement.


----------



## ItsTosh

lasttycoon said:


> Would co2 be needed with these lights? I was looking at the slim model for my fluval spec v. It's the Beamswork ET 6500K Timer 0.50W LED Aquarium Light[censored]on amazon. Going for a more low tech approach.
> Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


Did you end up getting the ET? I'm looking at that light for a new tank I'm setting up and curious on your thoughts...


----------



## austin187

Hello! I am looking to add a Beamswork in addition to my Finnex 24/7 se on a 40 breeder as well as a 20 long and am looking for medium light, after reading through this thread as well as others I am not sure which light to buy and was hoping to get some suggestions, thanks!


----------



## clownplanted

austin187 said:


> Hello! I am looking to add a Beamswork in addition to my Finnex 24/7 se on a 40 breeder as well as a 20 long and am looking for medium light, after reading through this thread as well as others I am not sure which light to buy and was hoping to get some suggestions, thanks!


You are already at medium light with the single finnex 24/7. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...24-7-planted-par-lux-kelvin-pur-readings.html
A Single Beamswork DHL or DA FSPEC will puts you at high light on the 20L. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...-fspec-dhl-6500k-par-lux-kelvin-pur-data.html Can get this dimmer to bring down to medium light easily. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008FC04I8


----------



## austin187

The finnex doesn't cover the whole 40 so looking to add a cheaper second light.


----------



## clownplanted

austin187 said:


> The finnex doesn't cover the whole 40 so looking to add a cheaper second light.


Either one of the two I linked are good and very well priced.


----------



## austin187

clownplanted said:


> Can get this dimmer to bring down to medium light easily. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008FC04I8


Is there a dimmer that doubles as timer?


----------



## jeffkrol

TC-420.. Programmable timer..


----------



## austin187

clownplanted said:


> Either one of the two I linked are good and very well priced.


I decided to add a pent Fspec to both aquariums which leds me to my next question do I need to use a ramp timer or can I use a regular timer if I have the beamswork lights set to turn on after my other lights that have built in sunrise/sunset functions?


----------



## clownplanted

austin187 said:


> I decided to add a pent Fspec to both aquariums which leds me to my next question do I need to use a ramp timer or can I use a regular timer if I have the beamswork lights set to turn on after my other lights that have built in sunrise/sunset functions?


depends on what you want specifically. For me I use the built in timer for my 24/7 which comes on at 6am for sunrise. Then at 8am I switch my 24/7 to full mode and also my Beamswork DHL comes on at full mode as I am running 50ppm co2 so I need the light. You could do something similar and have the 24/7 stay in 24/7 mode and have the beamswork come on at say 8am. If you want both to ramp you will need a ramp timer for the beamswork.


----------



## ItsTosh

I got my lights! I ended up getting two 18" EA FSpec's to run perpendicular on my tank. These are really nice lights but I have one gripe... The power cord and the timer port are on separate ends. So I have wires coming off both the front and the back of the tank. It would have been nice if the port were on the same side as the power port. 

But all in all, these are great lights for the price point!


----------



## Williak

How are you guys hanging these? I looked through the entire thread and didn't see more than a couple that were hung, and I couldn't see any details.


----------



## Boostr

I have the BeamsWork EA Timer FSPEC 30" on my 20 long and it's been great. Have it for a year now with no problems. I have it wired to Fluval timer with ramp and dim options (got one of the good ones I guess). Used 2 CCTV Y cables and a little soldering so I could have the siesta function with one light, and it's been working great. I had no problem growing low to mid light plants. Just ordered and received the BeamsWork DA 120 6500K 48" for my 55G.


----------



## cybercat

*Joining the club*

I just got in my Beams work DA 120. This is supposed to be for planted tanks. I have a 75 gallon Amazon tetra tank. This replaces a 9 year old Zoomed T5 unit that never work fully as I could only get one side of the two to work. Yes, I tore that fixture down till it came to breaking metal and could do nothing with a that one side. So this past weekend I was at Lowe's bought a LED T5 bulb to put in old fixture. That lasted ten minutes before melt down. At that point I just went online and bought the Beamswork. OMG what a difference in the whole look. It looks so much clearer. Ofcourse t5 bulb was old and ready for a change but it's more than that even. 

The old t5 was a warm light. This DA is daylight. It has 4 colors to it white, red,blue and green. One reason I bought it was because of 4 instead of 3 colors. It is Not a 24/7 as you turn it on and off. But it does have just a Moonlight setting. Plants in tank are various sword with pennywort and a fern. Hoping my swords grow better under this light. Fish look amazing and really pop. It's 5 inches wide and side 5 inches high off rim. Nice thing is I have room to add another LEd if I need too. Sure I will like electric savings too.


----------



## plurmaster

whats the difference between EA and DA besides DA got extra roll of lights? I see both series comes with 10,000k and 6500k. Lumens are higher on the DA series than the EA. I Also see beamsworks got another series called POWER LED. Whats the difference in this one?


----------



## angelcraze

EA has much less PAR ratings than DA. DA is 48 @ 18" depth, while EA packs only 15 @ 18" depth. 

I have the EA over a 18" deep tank, I find it looks very dim, but grows my plants as if it's low light. Stargrass on the bottom, trident fern, aponogenton, swords, crpts, rotala.

Here's a video of the tank with EA fspec to show what it looks like and how growth is. 
https://youtu.be/W-575zwXgwY

I have a question regarding my 120g, i'm hoping someone here can help advise. 

I currently have a RBG 'pink' BW 48" 0.2 watt fixture @ 50 watts with an accent 1W x 18 10000k tube BW fixture fixed at the back and pointing on my foreground. It's had this configuration for a few years, I really like the color rendition, but my accent fixture recently has started flickering when it first turns on, and i'm seriously considering a new updated fixture. I could keep the RBG fixture in the back cuz I still really love it. 

I was considering replacing the accent fixture (or adding) a DA fspec. It has similar PAR ratings to the DHL 1W 6500k fixtures, higher PAR at the top due to the 120° lenses as opposed to the 90° lenses on the DHL, but loses PAR quicker the deeper it gets. Still 36 PAR at 22" depth is acceptable. The DHL at 22" is 56 for comparison.

I realize the accent 1W is not comparable really to the DHL, but it always grew my low light plants wonderfully until the amazon swords doubled in size and started shading. 

Also fyi, I prefer the 10000k over BW's 6500k. I find the CRI is too yellow.

I have 3 6500k BW DHL fixtures as well. Thinking about changing the diodes to 10000k and full spectrum (which I believe is RBG or at least Red and Blue)

What do you all think? Should I go with the DA fspec?


----------



## angelcraze

I'm sorry, I can't seem to edit.

DA fspec is actually 42 PAR @ 22" depth


----------



## jeffkrol

Well first thing I'd check is getting a new ps for the 1W BW is in order, thought the 1W models have minor history of diode/resistor failure.
The "odd" voltage of the power supply is kind of annoying..
Cheap-sh fix w/ a bit of rewiring (or not depending) ................

It's your main PAR unit afflict so not sure I'd call it an "accent" light.. 

PAR differences between DA-FSPEC (5row) and DHL of the same sizes is minimal.


----------



## chytownprincess

micheljq said:


> I wrote to a supplier in Canada asking if he sells the pent 0,5W version. The guy said he sticks with the older 0,2W version because the leds have less chance to fail on those ones.
> 
> Those who have the 3W version : I am wondering for how long do you own them?
> 
> Michel.


I have the 3watt 48 inch Evo quad... Bought it from Amazon when they first hit the market... 2012?? Ish... still working well. In a 110XH... Plants grow well

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## chytownprincess

Just a couple pics of my 110XH with the green element Evo quad..
















Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## angelcraze

jeffkrol said:


> Well first thing I'd check is getting a new ps for the 1W BW is in order, thought the 1W models have minor history of diode/resistor failure.
> The "odd" voltage of the power supply is kind of annoying..
> Cheap-sh fix w/ a bit of rewiring (or not depending) ................
> 
> It's your main PAR unit afflict so not sure I'd call it an "accent" light..
> 
> PAR differences between DA-FSPEC (5row) and DHL of the same sizes is minimal.


Thanks! I'm gonna open a new thread for this, I'm hoping you can take a look there too 

I realized this isn't the right place to ask questions. 

This tank has been a success for years with just the RBG and "accent" BW fixtures, if I ever figure out how to upload a pic!

But for now, what is "ps"? Power supply? Actually I have 3 DHL fixtures (no actinic) and had a faulty power supply from the start. What do you recommend? Current power supply is 15V. Not sure about everything else.


----------



## jeffkrol

angelcraze said:


> Thanks! I'm gonna open a new thread for this, I'm hoping you can take a look there too
> 
> I realized this isn't the right place to ask questions.
> 
> This tank has been a success for years with just the RBG and "accent" BW fixtures, if I ever figure out how to upload a pic!
> 
> But for now, what is "ps"? Power supply? Actually I have 3 DHL fixtures (no actinic) and had a faulty power supply from the start. What do you recommend? Current power supply is 15V. Not sure about everything else.



Yea 21V is for:





> Beamworks DHL 72
> Beamworks LED Hex 30 Timer.20W
> Beamworks LED Hex 36 Timer.20W
> Beamworks LED 24 1600 1W
> Beamworks LED Quad 24 Timer 1W
> Beamworks LED Quad 48 Timer 1W
> Green Element EVO Quad Clip 3W
> Green Element EVO 24 3W





 well the biggest 15V DHL is 90W.. soo..


 https://www.ledsupply.com/power-supplies/mean-well-lrs-enclosed


Depends if you want to run more than one light off it though..


----------



## angelcraze

> Yea 21V is for:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Beamworks DHL 72
> Beamworks LED Hex 30 Timer.20W
> Beamworks LED Hex 36 Timer.20W
> Beamworks LED 24 1600 1W
> Beamworks LED Quad 24 Timer 1W
> Beamworks LED Quad 48 Timer 1W
> Green Element EVO Quad Clip 3W
> Green Element EVO 24 3W
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> well the biggest 15V DHL is 90W.. soo..
> 
> 
> https://www.ledsupply.com/power-supplies/mean-well-lrs-enclosed
> 
> 
> Depends if you want to run more than one light off it though..
Click to expand...

Thanks! It's a 1W x 54 fixture, I think it runs at 60 watts or a bit less. I forget when I tested the AC power on that one. 

Also, the ps I am familiar with are the ones already put together like this
https://www.no ebay links allowedca...797678?hash=item33f14eaeae:g:2CoAAOSwCmNZwyup
Am I right? This ps is good for up to 80 watts? I only will be running one fixture on each ps because the other fixture is a 0.2 watt diode fixture at 50 watts.


----------



## jeffkrol

angelcraze said:


> Thanks! It's a 1W x 54 fixture, I think it runs at 60 watts or a bit less. I forget when I tested the AC power on that one.
> 
> Also, the ps I am familiar with are the ones already put together like this
> https://www.no ebay links allowedca...797678?hash=item33f14eaeae:g:2CoAAOSwCmNZwyup
> Am I right? This ps is good for up to 80 watts? I only will be running one fixture on each ps because the other fixture is a 0.2 watt diode fixture at 50 watts.



no eek bay links btw..
and watts and diode type doesn't matter.. ONLY the voltage counts..




If both run at 15V you can power each off one 130W or greater 12V power supply..


Sort of like this (SET PS TO 15v)
Of course this has the controller (independently dim fade each fixture)


----------



## Nuggetshub

Edit: moved to own thread


----------



## angelcraze

Moved to my own thread tx!


----------



## Amuse370z

They really need a good website that explains the different models and what they are suitable for. All I can do is to decipher from Amazon reviews.

Can someone help me out here.

For a standard sized 180G tank (6x2x2), which light would you recommend and how many?


----------



## jeffkrol

Personally.. any 72" ones.. 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LFF07EC/ref=twister_B01LFF08QO?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

2 of these if you like "cooler" looking tanks.
Find the 6500k one if you like warmer tanks..


> Lumen: 8000
> LEDs: 182x 0.50W
> Config: 102x 10000K, 32x Actinic 460nm, 22x Red 620nm, 26x Green 520nm



8000 x 2 = 16000
Note that due to the thinness of thee they do have a tendency to bow a bit.

If you want more punch deep the less efficient but lensed at 90 degrees EVO quads are fine..



> 13000 Lumen
> 3 watt LEDs
> 96x 6500K
> 2x two mode on/off switch
> Mode 1 turns on all LEDs
> Mode 2 turns on a selective few LEDs for night vision
> External LED drivers


$180..


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## Blackheart

Anybody have any Beamswork suggestions for a 40B? Extremely low-tech? Mostly Java ferns, anubias, swords and maybe some crypts. stuff like that


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## angelcraze

Blackheart said:


> Anybody have any Beamswork suggestions for a 40B? Extremely low-tech? Mostly Java ferns, anubias, swords and maybe some crypts. stuff like that


I would do two EAs to cover front to back. It could be 2 fspecs if you like a cooler spectrum and vibrant colors, two 6500k if you like a warmer spectrum, or 6500k and 10000k for a mix.

For example. There are other combos


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## angelcraze

Is there only the EA and DA versions available now? I saw a couple 3w x 6 fixtures, but for larger tanks?


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## Dc5

Noob question, I just bought a Beamswork DA FSPEC. Would this be consider Med or high light for a 55g long? Used to have Finnex 24/7 before burnt out.


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## jayo

a 55 is 21" tall, right? So the light will probably be 20-24" from the substrate, yes? I'd expect the DA FSpec to be low to low-medium light at the substrate level. Go look at the PAR table in the lighting forum here and see what it is at the depth you'll have in your system between light and substrate.


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