mcarroll Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Lemme elaborate. GU10-based lighting is by far the cheapest solution I've come across. You'll spend A LOT more even on other DIY solutions, let alone if you're considering a commercial fixture. (I'm using some of each on my system now....first I replaced my old GU10 system with a commercial fixture...then I built a new GU10 fixture for my second tank which was dark before that.) I will say that it's worth reading this whole thread, though. As with anything else, these lights are not perfect, even as good and cheap as they are. So take advantage of the experience that's been collected here and get to know the details! -Matt Quote Link to comment
Deny Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 I think they are awesome. cool! I bought mine 3 weeks ago, but didnt get it yet. However, I think I made a mistake. the blue bulbs that I bought are 220v AC only. does anybody know if this will be a problem? Thanks Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Not good...and return postage is (AFAIK) prohibitive. Do you know are they 220v/50Hz or 220v/60Hz? In theory there are power converters, but finding one that converts 120v/60Hz into 220v/50Hz didn't work out for me. Most go the other direction, converting to 120v instead of from it. The ones that converted to 220v that I found were either 60Hz-specific or they were too generic to specify at all. 220/60 might be easier. (I was also trying to make a pump work that I ended up with through an eBaytNswitch - not lights. FWIW.) -Matt Quote Link to comment
Deny Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Not good...and return postage is (AFAIK) prohibitive. Do you know are they 220v/50Hz or 220v/60Hz? In theory there are power converters, but finding one that converts 120v/60Hz into 220v/50Hz didn't work out for me. Most go the other direction, converting to 120v instead of from it. The ones that converted to 220v that I found were either 60Hz-specific or they were too generic to specify at all. 220/60 might be easier. (I was also trying to make a pump work that I ended up with through an eBaytNswitch - not lights. FWIW.) -Matt Hey Matt, I do no know. This is the description, : Base Type: GU10/E27/MR16/E14 Rated voltage: 220V AC(MR16 DC 12V) Power: 3W Light Color: White/Warm White/Red/Yellow/Blue/Green Lumen: 90lm/led Led Qty.: 3pcs Beam angle:60° Life time: about 25,000 hours Material: Made of Aluminum alloy I was thinking about a 220v to 110v converter. Sorry for all the questions, but I dont know anything about electricity. Quote Link to comment
Travis55 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 How many of these would I need over a 5.5g? Thanks! Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 How many of these would I need over a 5.5g? Thanks! Depends a little on the shape, but I'd be tempted tp do one (get a bulb with blue and white mixed) and mount it higher (>12") to get the spread you need. 30º lenses are a must. Quote Link to comment
andiok Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 How many of these would I need over a 5.5g? Thanks! according to the owner of this thread is the length of the tank divided by 2 -1. so if your 5.5g is 16" long /2 is 8-1=7 bulbs Quote Link to comment
dgphelps Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Ok I think I've read this all correctly but am looking for confirmation. Great amount of info in this thread btw! I have a 3 gallon pico (roughly 9 x 9 x 9 inch cube). I believe the best light would be the 21w option sold here http://www.ebay.com/itm/E27-15-21-27-36-54W-LED-Aquarium-Light-Coral-Reef-Tank-Plant-Grow-Lamp-PAR38-/181593782595?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item2a47d53943 Power: 21W 7pcs* high power 3W Bridgelux led(blue: white=3:4) Light Spectrum: blue 460~465nm; cold white 6500~12000K Input voltage: AC 110~220V Lumen: about 1260~1470lm Viewing angle: 60 degree(best for plants) Recommended Lighting time: 8~9 hours Full Aluminum housing for enough cooling Suitable for coral reef and fish aquariums CE & ROHs approved Dimension(diameter*height): 94mm*99mm/3.7inch*3.9inch approx Life span: above 50,000 hours Or maybe the 27w? Power: 27W 9pcs* high power 3W Bridgelux led(blue: white=3:6) Light Spectrum: blue 460~465nm; cold white 6500~12000K Lumen: about 1620~1890lm Input voltage: AC 110~220V Viewing angle: 60 degree(best for plants) Recommended Lighting time: 8~9 hours Dimension(diameter*height): 121mm*128mm/4.76inch*5.04inch approx Full Aluminum housing for enough cooling Suitable for coral reef and fish aquariums CE & ROHs approved Life span: above 50,000 hours I'm only planning soft corals like zoanthids, green star polyps, Xenia, etc. I have a smaller led (5 led) which I think has a 30 degree spread and it only gets one side of the tank. That side of the tank looks great though. Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Unless you have some strange or unusual non-tank requirements, you could do a tank that small with a single 3-watt bulb. If your smaller bulb is mounted at 12" you should get a decent spread...raise the light a little higher if you want more coverage, but 12" should be about perfect without over-lighting the glass and space around the tank. According to the thread's standard install at 12", you'd only need three regular gu10 bulbs at most. Unless you have specific reasons (or wanna try your smaller bulb), I would go this route and skip the larger bulbs with the wider optics. -Matt 1 Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Anyone notice that Coralife has a new light out using the mr16 version of our bulbs? It's designed to sit on the tank like a "normal" aquarium light (maybe 6" from water?), so the lamps are slightly offset from one another and have wide optics. The lamps are replaceable, as you would expect, and the fixture comes half-loaded so you can add on. Not cheap, but cool to see! Quote Link to comment
PicoDog Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 so, these GU10 led lights can grow SPS? Quote Link to comment
nanomania Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 hey guys i know its a nano reef forum, but would 2 rows of 3x1w gu10s work for 72"x24"x24" mixed reef? or will i need 3x3w? also howmany rows? Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Two rows @ 12" from the water should do it! Three watts per bulb - no matter the format - will be perfect. More isn't needed. Quote Link to comment
nanomania Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 So at 24" height of the tank.. another 10" to 12" height from water is really ok? Coz thats 34" to 36".... tinygiants 55g is 22" + 10" from surface of water. Thts 32". Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Yup. The 3-4" of difference in height between a 180 and 55 isn't really that significant. These lights are also more intense than everyone imagines going in....witness all the builds with needlessly higher-power bulbs or more-dense layouts. (One of my builds included.) Quote Link to comment
nanomania Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Has anyone ever used gu10s in huge tanks? Like 200g? Never seen any vids or pics... Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Coralife's Aqualight LED uses essentially the same lamps, just plug-in style and with lenses suited to on-tank deployment. Searching for that brand might be another way to find for others using these bulbs on bigger tanks. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment
djhuma Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Seems like it's been a while since anyone posted on here but would like to know if anyone can help me. Does anyone know a vendor on eBay or wherever that sells gu10 bulbs that are 2Blue 1White? Seems like the vendor Luck...something is no longer selling these on eBay. Thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 LOL...late reply...but no I don't know of any others building them like that, but it seemed like lots of ebay lighting vendors will customize some bulbs for you. Just ask, but be willing to ask a few! Quote Link to comment
MaxedAquatics Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 bump Can anyone please give me a good link to some cheap white and blue lights. It is pretty difficult to find a gu10 with a 30 degree beam angle. I found some with 40 (white ones) and I think they will be fine. ALSO= how many white vs blue bulbs should I place? Thanks! Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 You might have to message a few vendors that have the odd-lens sizes and ask if they can customize. Also remember that lenses costs slightly more than dirt. So you can buy bulbs and lenses separately if you wanted to. Quote Link to comment
Darsh Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 Anyone still using these?? Still going strong? Just ordered a bunch of bits from China to give it a go 🙂 Quote Link to comment
TheStar Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 Which ones did you order? Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 On 7/29/2019 at 4:26 PM, TheStar said: Which ones did you order? Any should work...just search for "blue gu10" or "neutral gu10", for example. Post the links you find if you have any doubts. Quote Link to comment
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