Chinese par30 type LEDs.

[tyler1503]

Hey everyone. I'm looking into getting one of these E27 9W LED Aquarium Light Fish Tank Marine Coral Reef Grow Lighting Lamp Bulb | eBay.
I actually want the 2x 10000k and 1x 465nm blue combo as opposed to this one with the green in it.
Any thoughts as to how well they work? It would be replacing a 9W 50/50 PC on a 5gal softy/LPS tank.
Also, can I just screw them into a regular desk lamp assuming the connection is the same?
I don't know enough about LEDs lol.

 

[tyler1503]

Here's the one I'm looking at.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/201135754839
I couldn't find the link before.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Those will work fine for you, those are 3w leds in there. Color might be a bit white for you though, and yes they screw right in.

 

[tyler1503]

Awesome thanks! I have a blue led strip that may help balance the blue:white ratio a little.
My memory is a bit off lately, but do I remember there being a photosynthetic peak in the green part of the light spectrum? Hence the green led in the first link. I'm just wondering what the thought was behind 33% of a fixture being green.

 

[tyler1503]

Would a 15W be overkill on the 5gal?

 

[ISR Jimmy]

Tyler,
I will start off with a disclaimer. I am relatively new at reefs myself. Up to now my experience has largely been FOWLR tanks. Now that I am getting into the reef scene, I too have been researching the lighting requirements for reefs. It seems there is no firmly set guidelines for a reef. Several rules of thumb may apply, but with a myriad of factors, (depth of tank, type of corals...) it's difficult to say exactly what will be the ideal lighting for any one aquarium. I'm sure the successful hobbyists in here will offer many different answers about how much light is needed to grow corals. A lot depends upon what type of corals you have and or plan to keep. Some corals are more adaptable than others to changes in light intensity. I have read a few blogs that show a general rule of thumb of 6 to 8 watts per gallon, but that did not factor in LEDs. I am using a 150 watt metal halide (15k) light over my Cardiff nano, but I think I need to cover more of the spectrum to achieve maximum growth.
Bottom line - research a bit about the lighting requirements for your corals, then see if the lighting you are considering meets those requirements. Hope this helps.

James


Sent from my iPad using REEF2REEF

 

[Reefing Madness]

Would a 15W be overkill on the 5gal?

All depends on how high you put them over the tank. Also keep in mind, you can also put a dimmer on then, like you would a regular light fixture.

 

[tyler1503]

Tyler,
I will start off with a disclaimer. I am relatively new at reefs myself. Up to now my experience has largely been FOWLR tanks. Now that I am getting into the reef scene, I too have been researching the lighting requirements for reefs. It seems there is no firmly set guidelines for a reef. Several rules of thumb may apply, but with a myriad of factors, (depth of tank, type of corals...) it's difficult to say exactly what will be the ideal lighting for any one aquarium. I'm sure the successful hobbyists in here will offer many different answers about how much light is needed to grow corals. A lot depends upon what type of corals you have and or plan to keep. Some corals are more adaptable than others to changes in light intensity. I have read a few blogs that show a general rule of thumb of 6 to 8 watts per gallon, but that did not factor in LEDs. I am using a 150 watt metal halide (15k) light over my Cardiff nano, but I think I need to cover more of the spectrum to achieve maximum growth.
Bottom line - research a bit about the lighting requirements for your corals, then see if the lighting you are considering meets those requirements. Hope this helps.

James


Sent from my iPad using REEF2REEF

Thanks James, this tanks been up and running for a few years so everything is settled in nicely and is happily growing. My main worry is that I've never used LEDs and I know they are far more powerful than any other lighting source watt for watt. For instance I read a 165W LED fixture can replace a 400W MH. My concern isn't so much how much light each coral needs/wants, it's more how many watts of LEDs should I use to replace 9W of PC lighting.
Thanks for the info

 

[tyler1503]

All depends on how high you put them over the tank. Also keep in mind, you can also put a dimmer on then, like you would a regular light fixture.

I think I'll just go with the 9W. I don't wana have to hang it too high and get lots of light spill. Plus I'm renting so I can't go putting holes in the ceiling!
The dimmer would be awesome for a far more powerful one. That way I could put it on my 24 later. Too bad I can't find a decent priced one on eBay that's plug and play.