Economical led lighting.

[Artisan]

Thank you for the advice! Noise is a HUGE consideration since my tanks are in the living room. Got some decisions to make.

It was an expensive lesson for me so I hope it saves you some $. Unfortunately, I learned that you can't swap out the fans on the cheaper lights. I searched high and low with no luck.

 

[pmorphb28]

Is that AI Hydra? I've never heard of them and would like to at least look them up

 

[tyler1503]

Honestly, that's not entirely true. I have some of the new Radions and some budget lights and I have to admit that the Radions are quite a lot better. Not only in terms of light quality, but the control, mounting options and build quality are light years ahead. Obviously Radions are expensive, but there are used models available for much less that retain that overall quality over the Chinese lights. It sounds cliche, but you really do get what you pay for. I bought the Radions because the fans on the Chinese lights were too loud for my tank in my living room. That's really a personal preference, but the parts on the Chinese lights are cheap and I was concerned about what might happen when they fail. I understand that everyone is on a budget, but with the amount of money people spend on fish and corals, it's worth the extra $ to buy a better quality light. Again, if you want to save money on lights, buy a higher quality used light. It DOES make a difference.

It may be true that radions are a better light, but I can't justify spending almost 7 times the amount for the extra quality and features. Considering the price, I would suggest the OR to anybody :) Although mine are just over a fowlr so I can't yet speak in terms of reef lighting.
But from what I've read, for those that want the best, radions seem to be one of the most popular choices around :)

 

[pmorphb28]

Yeah I'm having trouble swallowing the price after some online shopping. I appreciate all the input. I'm just wanting a dependable light that doesn't require $50 bulb changes every three to six months. No is is also a big factor. I didn't even think about the fans. For folks that have the economical lights, are they loud? What level of noise would you compare them too? Thank you all for being so helpful!

 

[KJ]

Yes sps lps soft any coral gonna do great under that led.kj

jersaint thanks for the info! Definitely going to check that out. Kj and nana reefer, i have a 28g nanocube28 jbj that is my reef tank. The bulb replacement is 50$. Would the led you listed be sufficient for that tank to help my corals thrive? Thanks for your time!

 

[JerSaint]

I barely notice any sound. The only time I hear the fans is when the first turn on. In the units I have, the fans work in conjunction with how high a percentage the lights are adjusted.

 

[whazeeeeedog]

165W Dimmable Full Spectrum LED Aquarium Light Marine Reef Coral Fish Tank Lamp | eBay

+1 for this type. I just installed mine 2 days ago and so far I am very happy with the results. Color of the corals is popping in a way I never knew possible. Everything is happily opening more then I knew it could. Now I just hope they last as long as they're advertised for. They are even quiet-er then the previous fans from the CFLs I had installed, I am not running at 100% although.

 

[Artisan]

Yeah I'm having trouble swallowing the price after some online shopping. I appreciate all the input. I'm just wanting a dependable light that doesn't require $50 bulb changes every three to six months. No is is also a big factor. I didn't even think about the fans. For folks that have the economical lights, are they loud? What level of noise would you compare them too? Thank you all for being so helpful!

It sucks, but you have to be patient when looking for the higher quality used lights. They do hold value though so if you ever decide to sell them, you aren't left with nothing.

I think fan noise is going to bother people differently. Usually I can adapt to white noise, but 2 OR with 4 fans (2 fans each) was more than I could handle. I did try to use a small filter to lower the noise, but the lights started to overheat. While looking for replacement fans, the quietest I could find was just over 27 decibels. I believe that's probably quieter than the stock fans, but probably still not enough.

 

[tyler1503]

I found the OR fans to be pretty quiet. Almost like a very faint white noise. It's something that if your trying specifically to hear it, you'll hear it. But if your not thinking about it, you won't even notice they're turned on :)
But as mentioned above, the noise is going to bother people differently.