Ressurecting my old JBJ 28 Gallon Nano Cube with a new hood - Can I dim the LEDs?

Tobe71 · Oct 28, 2013

The HQI hood I had from nanotuners finally started having some issues (the CF Actinic retro fit fixtures and one of the moonlights died) so I decided to ditch it and get the Pro LED hood from JBJ and avoid the heat issues the HQI caused..

The question is, can I plug these lights into a dimmer switch? and if so, what kind of dimmer and where can I locate one?

Also, has anyone else had experience with this JBJ Nano cube 89 watt Professional LED hood? If so, what are your impressions and do you dim it in any way or see a need for that?

Thanks!

Tobe71 · Oct 28, 2013

Bump

reid429 · Oct 28, 2013

Non dimmable and not really all that great of lighting. Perfect for softies but your looking for something more controllable it looks like

Tobe71 · Oct 29, 2013

They have an Intermediate (29 watts) and a Pro (89 watts) .... The Pro, at 89 watts, seems capable of handling SPS if I should want to try that. Just was concerned about acclimation, thus the dimming question...

after a little searching, it seems some have used an inline dimmer between the transformer and the fixture with certain LEDS, but I couldn't find anything specifically with this fixture :/

Bobn · Oct 29, 2013

I have a jbj 28. I bought the pro lid and was unhappy with the growth and color. I actually put the halide hood back on with some LEDs from rapid led.

Tobe71 · Oct 29, 2013

Bobn said:
I have a jbj 28. I bought the pro lid and was unhappy with the growth and color. I actually put the halide hood back on with some LEDs from rapid led.

I had to run a chiller with mine when I was running the HQI that had been modded by nanotuners. It had two CF actinics, so I could get a good dawn to dusk lighting cycle with timers, etc.

The color and growth were GREAT, but the heat was a problem... where I'm setting it up this time will not allow for a chiller... :/

bummer that you didn't like the JBJ LED... Mine is already on the way, so I'm hoping I like it! ha!

Did you have any problems acclimating new corals? I was concerned that the PAR may be too high...

mcarroll · Nov 8, 2013

Even with simple on/off you can acclimate well enough using simple lamp timers. Just start small...like 1-3 hours a day. Then also ramp up slowly...add maybe an hour a week, or every other week. You can mess around with putting screen over the tank, even in layers if needed. Raising the light fixture is another good idea if you can do it. Twice the height = half the intensity. You could combine effects, so you you could double the height of the fixture and get away with 2-6 hours of daylight per day. Just some ideas.

-Matt

Tobe71 · Nov 9, 2013

mcarroll said:
Even with simple on/off you can acclimate well enough using simple lamp timers. Just start small...like 1-3 hours a day. Then also ramp up slowly...add maybe an hour a week, or every other week. You can mess around with putting screen over the tank, even in layers if needed. Raising the light fixture is another good idea if you can do it. Twice the height = half the intensity. You could combine effects, so you you could double the height of the fixture and get away with 2-6 hours of daylight per day. Just some ideas.

-Matt

Thanks, Matt! Good suggestions...