GU10 LED Build Thread (Chinese Ebay Lights)

[fote03]

iheartJMS - dont forget you have to wait for them to float over from china. Post pics and detail with whatever you end up doing.

[iheartJMS]

iheartJMS - dont forget you have to wait for them to float over from china. Post pics and detail with whatever you end up doing.

 

Yeah, unfortunately that is a factor...atleast I'm not in a hurry....yet I pick up the tank Friday

[moovinfast]

moovinfast - do you have a build thread?

 

I have one, but its posted on my local club forum. I'll update it after I install the new lighting. I'll try to post my results here once I get the new LEDs.

 

My tank build thread

[michelleshusband]

just to keep you guys updated, I just received gu10 adaptor and 2 led bulbs (4x1w blue and cool white).

Its bright, period. i tried to take pictures but i don't have super expensive camera so its pointless. just cannot capture the color i want to show. so let me verbally display the image. i have 2 about 10-12 inches from the surface on my 2.5 aga pico. i set them about 5-6 inches apart and aimed to slightly to an angle so two colors overlap in the middle. blue is really blue, more like a dark blue or bluish violet. white is not yellow at all, it shoots like 10k t5ho. so far i have zoa frag to test the growth. if proven successful i will order bunch more, if not i'll just order maybe 2 more and stick them all in the small 2.5 gallon to see if that will solve my growth problem.

so far i'm happy about the bulbs. things i'll be watching for would be the life of the bulb (50k hours, which i doubt), growth and maybe par if i can get my hands on them readers.

 

ps. it shimmers like the sun.

 

oh, forgot the thank tinygiant for bravely testing these bulbs and sharing the results with us. if everything goes well, i'll be shipping you a beer of your choice

[TinyGiant]

it'll be cheap I like my beers root and my ales gingered lol

 

I am in the process of ordering some 4x1w to give them a try too

[mrbigshot]

i got my e27 4x1w bulbs in. i chose the standard e27 screw in base so i dont have to bother with the e10 bayonette sockets. one white and one blue. standard screw bases are available everywhere and i figured the blue would be fun for the kids ceiling fan if i didn't like it. the cool white might end up in the sump growing my cheato. shipping took 14 days from hong kong, ordered from led-hk on ebay.

 

i like the blue's a lot. the cool white's are much yellower than my cool white fluorescents. i wanted to try them out so i only ordered one of each. the color is bleh if you mix them 50/50 imho. i think 2 blue/1 white would look the best or even 3/1. currently running them without the optics in place for a better color spread over my ricordea's.

 

i haven't decided if im going to order more whites or not, im contemplating mixing in with either some 50/50 cfl's or using some of the t5ho's i have laying around. blue's would look really good against some ati aquablue spezial's and blue pluses.

 

this is what they were

Edited April 25, 2011 by mrbigshot

[TinyGiant]

i havent tried the 4w. maybe they are a little yellower

 

 

i've been very pleased with color and growth using 50/50 with the 3w ones

 

if you want to grow the cheato really well get the warm whites

[Erics5.5]

Man, I am just on the fence on this one. I'm still debating bewteen the t5ho 4 bulb fixture (4x54) or doing this... I'm just concerned that you may be an outlier and having a great experience. I want to believe that these bulbs provide everything the corals need, and your videos and pics sure make a good case.

 

You haven't seen anything detrimental happen in your 55 yet? No colors washing out, nothing looking sick? I'm wondering if I really want 24 total over my shallow little 33long- Maybe one every 3 inches? I wonder how the light spread would be with that?

[Coastie]

I just got my first shipment of LEDs in for a build. Gonna drive them with my Dodge (HAHA) just kidding, actually buckpucks. May even use a meanwell for the RBs. Anyhow.... This will be in a week or two considering I don't even have the heatsink yet.

[TinyGiant]

nope everything looks really good. my sps are growing quickly and have great colors. as with switching any light source you will get a stage where the corals are getting used to it. but everything has colored up nicely and looks great. if you find you arent getting the pop from the corals you want just add a t5 or two to bring more of the colors out.. but the Blues in these are great.

 

i know i am not a outlier since others in the coral club i run in NH are using them and reporting back great growth also.

 

 

the only thing that doesnt grow like wildfire in my tank are zoa. palys grow and spread super fast. zoa.. not so much.. so it might just be the corals themselves. I have had some spreading with zoa.. just not nearly as much as with the palys and the growth of the sps and my clam

[fote03]

just got mine in from hk.

[TinyGiant]

sweet!

 

i am going to be setting up a 33g frag tank really soon and will be ordering 10 of the 4w to try from LED HK

[scubasteve2580]

i ordered 2 of the 4x1 blues to supplement my 250 pheonix over my 20 gallon. are these enough to use as a supplement??

[mrbigshot]

they dont cover much area. you will want more.

[fote03]

TinyGiant point us to the build thread once you start the frag tank.

 

Has anyone retro fitted these into anything?

Edited April 26, 2011 by fote03

[Erics5.5]

Hey Tiny, how is the heat on these? I know you mentioned to use them open air, but I'm thinking about making a floating shelf with no bottom and having these stick out down toward the tank (33 long), about 10" above the water surface. I can put a fan in the side of the shelf to help move air if you think that is necessary, but I thought I'd check?

[Erics5.5]

There would be sides to the shelf, too, so the lights would basically be recessed into the shelf, with no bottom, so air can move around. Hope that makes a bit more sense?

[mrbigshot]

the ones i have hardly get warm to the touch. i am running them without optics however. 30 degree optics are to intense to keep on a nano without a good 6"-7" between the water. an exception would be a acro tank or perhaps clams down deep. most of the things we keep on the bottom like zoa's, challaces, ricordea, and mushrooms cant handle the amount of par thee are capable of when kept just of the waters edge on a tank that isn't 20" deep.

[Erics5.5]

So if I plan on having that shelf about 10" off the water, what do you suggest? I'm already thinking that 24 of these will be a bit much... I'm going to start with 20, 10 of each color. Since the tank is only 12" deep, maybe I oughta take the optics off anyway?

[Erics5.5]

One last question... You mentioned that the single 3w bulbs seem to have better spread... is the color any different on the blue or cool white when it's the 3w single bulb? Thanks!

[bench]

Anyone know if these would be to much over a 5.5 frag tank? Thinking about 4 of them

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/GU10-1x3W-LED-Spot-Ligh...=item4aa0f64d95

 

Thanks

Edited April 28, 2011 by bench

[mrbigshot]

as far as temp goes the outer heatsink on mine is only reaching 85 degrees. the inner heatsink directly by the leds is around 97. i dont see much if any of a problem with heat building up inside a canopy.

[fote03]

TinyGiant had one setup i think he started out with 5 and added a couple later. Maybe he will chime in and point you to his build thread and some more info.

[Erics5.5]

as far as temp goes the outer heatsink on mine is only reaching 85 degrees. the inner heatsink directly by the leds is around 97. i dont see much if any of a problem with heat building up inside a canopy.

 

That's really good news. So what are your thoughts about the height that I'll have them at, about 10"? I should probably be able to keep the optics on them up there I'm thinking?

 

Thanks again for the information!

[Erics5.5]

Bulbs ordered! I went ahead and ordered the whole lot... Hope it was worth it! I got 12 cool white and 12 blue. I also found that they always have the bulbs if you just email them thru ebay, even if they don't have them listed. If you ask, they have the 1x3w bulbs, too, and in both colors. I opted for the 3x1watt just in case there was any kind of a heat buildup in the "hood" I'm going to be using.

 

After further reading, down the road I may add in a red or two, and try to use something like a 90 degree optic, just to see how it does with the warmer colors in the tank (red, orange, peach).

 

I will report back as soon as they arrive!