Bruno Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 So I didn't intend to come up with a DIY project, but instead was looking for a light and heard good things about this one: http://www.bigalspets.ca/satellite-freshwater-led-plus-lighting-system-48-to-60.html But I then noticed this one: http://www.bigalspets.ca/satellite-freshwater-led-plus-flexible-strip-light-44.html And finally seen in the reviews someone mention this from Costco: http://www.costco.ca/Luxlite---RGB-Colors-LED-Strips-Light-Kit--4-x-50cm-(4-x-19.67-in.)-%E2%80%93-with-Remote-Control.product.100082747.html So came here looking more for opinions from those who may be more skilled at DIY then me... I was thinking of taking the current florescent in my canopy out and putting these 4 strips from Costco on the bottom of it. It is a full wood canopy, and I have a glass top between it and the aquarium, so there shouldn't be alot of moisture accumulating on it. Sound like a good idea? A workable one? A bad idea because of something I am missing...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 If you're just looking to supliment some color, then those strips could be a good option. If you're looking to replace your current lighting with LED, it's hard to beat Finnex.ca for price and quality. I bought a couple to try them out in my fishroom; after a month, I decided to switch my whole fishroom and turtle tank over to Finnex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deano85 Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 Holy expensive batman, those are much cheaper on ebay. Like Jason said those wont work as your main lighting, they would be more accent lighting. Are you trying to grow plants or is it fish only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted January 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 Fish only, mbuna tank. The only ones I am considering are the Costco ones - 4 strips of 20" with wiring and remote for $47 - but I will check out ebay first too for that. Not enough light to light up a fish only tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deano85 Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BOStJk3SXA Say he used 2 meters, not sure how big that tank is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jokersnightmare Posted February 15, 2014 Report Share Posted February 15, 2014 I'm all for LED lighting but as a recommendation I would go with the first option. There may be better priced vendors out there so I would check around. The problem with the strip lighting is 1) You have to supply power and signal to it so that the remote works 2) If you cut it you have to worry about sealing it to the elements so you don't get any electrical shorts. 3) *specifically for the costco ones* they do not specify waterproof. They would have to be completely encased. Also, you can get similar lighting for much cheaper $15ish from ebay or aliexpress. Short end of the story is do lots of research and look around for your best possibilities. If you decide to go with the strip lighting, make sure you know someone with some electrical soldering skills or practice on your own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy_9 Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Do you have any good eBay links to which LEDs you have used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbyist Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 (edited) There are two different types of LEDs. Indiam ,Gallium. Nitride for general lighting and RGB for plant growth. A tremendous amount of research has gone into and is still being persued in the second type. Philips has been the world wide leader in the developement of grow lights and recently stated that aquarium fixtures were still not ready for market. LED lights do not penetrate the water past a fairly shallow level, the CRI is still too low and they have to find a good many phosphors at a lower price to bring the cost down to a reasonable level. I have looked at Finnex and am aware of several shortcomings that need to be addressed before I would purchase their product. Edited October 6, 2014 by hobbyist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Percilus Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 I know it's a little late but I too was searching for a good led for a planted tank. I am new to the hobby but I do a lot of research before I jump into something and I've come to the conclusion that for best bang for my buck the Aquaray led's by TMC are a great choice. J&L in Vancouver stocks them and that says something in itself and gives us a great place to order them from at fair prices for the quality. Anyone looking to get through a lot of hoops on this issue should research PAR vs PUR in led lighting and the difference from say T5 par and LED par readings. http://www.aquarium-...m-lighting.html good link on the subject. If you dig deeper and look hard you will find the pros using aquaray for it's awesome pur and pwm technology at a good price. Apparently in Europe these lights are all the rage but unknown to the masses in north america for many different reasons. I encourage everyone to do research on these lights, and the numerous opinions on them and the science of led lighting in general before buying say a Finnex unit. Especially when we Canadians would be jumping threw so many hoops for that light at the moment when for the same price we could get something far superior for what we want to do any ways right out of Vancouver. I plan on purchasing the aquaray mini 400 for a small chi or standard 5.5 betta tank to start learning from experience and keep costly mistakes cheaper. Even though I've researched planted tanks to death I think it's something you gotta do a lot of the stuff not just read or watch on you tube. I'm not saying I'm correct. But I read a lot of different articles on this subject from a lot of different sources. What I found was a bunch of marketing hoopla or un-researched bias opinions promoting this light or that light and not a lot of science backing any of it up until I ran into a article about pur vs par and started digging into things that route. The only draw back I can see about this form of lighting is it may not make the tanks look as good as say a T5HO setup would to the actual human eye. But for me less carbon footprint, lower energy costs and great light for plants and animals is my #1 concern. Anyone who has gone to a place like Bigal's or petsmart in Edmonton or Calgary know it would not be expensive to augment looks with a cheap LED light on top of the one getting things done any ways But finding one that grows plants as well as a T5HO setup is another matter entirely. Oh and one more thing when your looking for quality in a product look for the warranty to be massive. TMC warranty is 5 years. Good comparatively priced LED's running on decent but outdated LED technology generally have a 3 year warranty and a lot of knock off garbage has a 1 year or no warranty at all. There is a reason for this and I encourage all who invest heavily in lighting to not be lazy in finding out why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearBarry1 Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 Very true Percilus. I have gone with the Marineland Planted leds and was very happy at first but did not like the light spread at the top of the tank so have added 2 more led lights, one from Stunner and another from U Techology Corporation which was $100 bucks for 14 meters. One is just on for a light for me to see the fish when I feed them before the main lights come on. For me the big switch was because of noise. Hated the fans on the T5. Yes with the LED's my chiller workes less and I use less energy but those are just bonuses. As for switching to LED's for plants just make sure you are over the 6000K range for a start. There are lots of other factors (spread, depth of water penetration, etc) but I see you are in Calgary so if you want send me a pm and you can come by my house and look at my tank and plants and see for yourself. I think it's funny that some people say LED's are 5 years away from growing plants. Yep hate the idea of jumping on the new band wagon. Going to stick with old tried and true. Got my incandescent bulbs any you watch all those people wilth fluorescent lights are going to discover its just a fad. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbyist Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 Unfortunately the par and pur theories have gone the way of the dodo bird. Par is applicable to human sight, not plants. Pur was thought for a long time to be the engine which drove photosynthesis. The reason for this was that the precise wavelength which exactly matched the length of a chlorphyll molecule was thought to transfer the most energy. When the U.S. Universities got deep into determining the photosynthesis reaction they discovered that it was driven by a collection of frequencies which produced a halo. It is this " halo" which energises photosynthesis. There have been a few articles on the internet discusing this phenomen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Percilus Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Unfortunately the par and pur theories have gone the way of the dodo bird. Par is applicable to human sight, not plants. Pur was thought for a long time to be the engine which drove photosynthesis. The reason for this was that the precise wavelength which exactly matched the length of a chlorphyll molecule was thought to transfer the most energy. When the U.S. Universities got deep into determining the photosynthesis reaction they discovered that it was driven by a collection of frequencies which produced a halo. It is this " halo" which energises photosynthesis. There have been a few articles on the internet discusing this phenomen. Strange I have not found anything talking about this yet in my research. I will search harder. I did order the aquaray mini 400 already. As far as LED options that don't run $1000 a fixture I don't think I'm going to find a better deal unless I want a T5HO set up so hopefully the popular European aquarist opinion on these lights ability to grow plants pretty damn well for a lower priced LED is true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Percilus Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Very true Percilus. I have gone with the Marineland Planted leds and was very happy at first but did not like the light spread at the top of the tank so have added 2 more led lights, one from Stunner and another from U Techology Corporation which was $100 bucks for 14 meters. One is just on for a light for me to see the fish when I feed them before the main lights come on. For me the big switch was because of noise. Hated the fans on the T5. Yes with the LED's my chiller workes less and I use less energy but those are just bonuses. As for switching to LED's for plants just make sure you are over the 6000K range for a start. There are lots of other factors (spread, depth of water penetration, etc) but I see you are in Calgary so if you want send me a pm and you can come by my house and look at my tank and plants and see for yourself. I think it's funny that some people say LED's are 5 years away from growing plants. Yep hate the idea of jumping on the new band wagon. Going to stick with old tried and true. Got my incandescent bulbs any you watch all those people wilth fluorescent lights are going to discover its just a fad. LOL I'm actually in Edmonton or I would have taken you up on this offer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearBarry1 Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Well get a passport and drop by for a visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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