mangoman Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Will do, thanks Mcarroll, how many bulbs are you planning on ordering? Quote Link to comment
OceanDweller Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) Well guys, I have emailed a couple of guys on to see if they can get some dimmable gu10 3x1 watt EPISTARS, so far I am only seeing the 3x3 watt and 3x1 watt regular. I am still a month from doing the hood, but also a month on shipping judging by your posts "totally understandable w free shipping". I have seen some of the dimmable 16 color gu10 leds, they come in 3 watt RGB modules that allow for 16 different color combinations. My plan is using a couple of these as pure actinic spotlight on specific corals, namely a RBTA with reddish highlights, maybe a frogspawn with green or blue, and maybe a purple LTA if I am lucky enough to find one. Tank will be a long time before its done. Thanks Tiny for all the info, nice band btw. I do have one question that hasn't been fully answered, what height do yall run them off the water, I have noticed some of the optics on the dimmables are 45, so that would be 30, 45, and 60. How high would you run each wo getting spill over 10" like tiny? I think that would help a lot of people like myself with orders as some have picos, others nano's, while some have 24" depth. 20x20x20 rimless currently being built. I am thinking 8-9 blue/8-9 white and 2-3 16color. 4 for fuge/propagation. I am planning on a controller as well, or would like to get dimmable if I add a controller like the apex down the road. Though 3$ each is really appealing... Edited February 17, 2012 by OceanDweller Quote Link to comment
C.I._Reefer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Well guys, I have emailed a couple of guys on to see if they can get some dimmable gu10 3x1 watt EPISTARS, so far I am only seeing the 3x3 watt and 3x1 watt regular. I am still a month from doing the hood, but also a month on shipping judging by your posts "totally understandable w free shipping". I have seen some of the dimmable 16 color gu10 leds, they come in 3 watt RGB modules that allow for 16 different color combinations. My plan is using a couple of these as pure actinic spotlight on specific corals, namely a RBTA with reddish highlights, maybe a frogspawn with green or blue, and maybe a purple LTA if I am lucky enough to find one. Tank will be a long time before its done. Thanks Tiny for all the info, nice band btw. I do have one question that hasn't been fully answered, what height do yall run them off the water, I have noticed some of the optics on the dimmables are 45, so that would be 30, 45, and 60. How high would you run each wo getting spill over 10" like tiny? I think that would help a lot of people like myself with orders as some have picos, others nano's, while some have 24" depth. 20x20x20 rimless currently being built. I am thinking 8-9 blue/8-9 white and 2-3 16color. 4 for fuge/propagation. I am planning on a controller as well, or would like to get dimmable if I add a controller like the apex down the road. Though 3$ each is really appealing... The RGBs are junk. Blue isnt really blue, white isnt really white, red is orange. Plus you have to re input what color you want every time you turn the fixture on. not worth it at all. Also, not nearly as bright as the other units Quote Link to comment
OceanDweller Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) Good to hear about the RGB, glad I asked. I had not thought about them resetting. I was checking out profilux, I do think you could get two red epistar 3x1 watt and run the profilux storm, that would be pretty darn cool if you had the controller for 6-10$. I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if the color spectrum in the next 2-3 years are good though, I bet we have purple, purple blue, etc. mixed even, spectrum and colors soon in GU10. That is one really nice thing about this, you custom build your hood, then if something new in gu10 comes along, its cheap, and you can add it. What height are yall running them off the water surface, I would think it would be different heights for tanks and optics? Edited February 17, 2012 by OceanDweller Quote Link to comment
C.I._Reefer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 most everyone is running at 10-12 inches with standard 30 or 40 degree optics to get a good blend. I think if you have the room to run that high off the tank, then the standard optics tend to offer the best penetration, while still blending well Also, you are probably right, but i cant figure out why certain color LEDs are so expensive. For example, i would love to add a couple purple/violets to my array, and they simply cant be had for a price comparable to the other colors. Quote Link to comment
ozzyvega Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Been reading this thread all day it seems like. And have ordered some gu10's for my sons 10g. Im excited to see them in person. If there as good as they seem to be in this thread ill put some on my 20l. Thanks for the info everyone! Now I wait. Lol. Quote Link to comment
C.I._Reefer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Been reading this thread all day it seems like. And have ordered some gu10's for my sons 10g. Im excited to see them in person. If there as good as they seem to be in this thread ill put some on my 20l. Thanks for the info everyone! Now I wait. Lol. Good luck! 2 fixtures ovet 2 different tank and no complaints so far! cant beat em for the price, that is for sure. I was also reading some literature today and it seems that 1w HO leds tend to be more efficient overall than 3w leds. Good to know, as it seems there are definately some nay-sayers of the 1w emitters. I think this has alot to do with that stupid "reef capable" 1w fixture from marineland. They really gave 1w LEDs in general a bad rep IMO Quote Link to comment
TinyGiant Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Good luck! 2 fixtures ovet 2 different tank and no complaints so far! cant beat em for the price, that is for sure. I was also reading some literature today and it seems that 1w HO leds tend to be more efficient overall than 3w leds. Good to know, as it seems there are definately some nay-sayers of the 1w emitters. I think this has alot to do with that stupid "reef capable" 1w fixture from marineland. They really gave 1w LEDs in general a bad rep IMO yeah when those came out the LFS i worked at ordered one to put over the 125g show tank. lol biggest waste of money ever. gu10 is the way to go Quote Link to comment
C.I._Reefer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 yeah when those came out the LFS i worked at ordered one to put over the 125g show tank. lol biggest waste of money ever. gu10 is the way to go Tiny, I'm thinking of swapping my 2 end bulbs on both sides(1w and 1b on each side) on both fixtures with bulbs that have 60 or 80 degree optics. Since they are over a frag tank, i was thinking i could focus on sps in the center and softies/lower light stuff on the sides. Is this a terrible idea? My fixture is bit shorter than the tank it is over, so i was thinking blend would be good, and the light would reach farther but not be quite as intense. Quote Link to comment
TinyGiant Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 the only way to tell would be to try it I feel i probably should have gone one bulb wider on my 33L one side is a little dim since it ends with a blue on the left end. But its sort of a good spot to put the meteor showers since they dont like a ton of light and color up nicely under the actinics we are all pioneers here Quote Link to comment
C.I._Reefer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I think i'll probably give it a go. Right now these are just raw fixtures(I.E. sockets mounted to a narrow plank of wood), cause i havent found anything that looks to retro them into. Are you still pretty happy with your PVC housing over your frag tank? Quote Link to comment
TinyGiant Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 I would love to get my hands on a par meter to keep track of the GU10s in both setups. and to take measurements every couple months to see if the numbers hold steady. it sucks they are $350 and the wand is another $50 lol anyone feel like donating a couple bux? maybe if enough people donate i could grab one and keep tabs on the system ( i wouldnt want to collect any funds unless i could collect enough to get one) its too bad nano reef doesnt buy a couple to rent for a few bux I have another experiment with zoas that I am going to hopefully start next week. Going to try to custom color zoas by transplanting Zooxanthella from one polyp to another.. i hope it works. I plan to try it with a couple monti cap frags too IF it works i'll be posting some videos and write ups lol i use alot of emoticons (had to fight the urge to put one at the end of this) Quote Link to comment
TinyGiant Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 I think i'll probably give it a go. Right now these are just raw fixtures(I.E. sockets mounted to a narrow plank of wood), cause i havent found anything that looks to retro them into. Are you still pretty happy with your PVC housing over your frag tank? yeah I still need to connect the other side or do something so it doesnt sag. I still have a pice of acrylic as a support. Should ha ve figured it wasnt sturdy enough to stay perfectly straight at 5ft Quote Link to comment
916 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I have a 6 gallon rimless tank how many gu10s should I get Quote Link to comment
C.I._Reefer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Depends entirely on the dimensions of your tank.... but 4-5 is the most likely answer. Quote Link to comment
916 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Also I saw some one made a fixture for these with PVC what size PVC do they fit in Quote Link to comment
C.I._Reefer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 what are your tank's dimensions? Quote Link to comment
916 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 It's about 15 3/4 long 9 deep 10 tall Quote Link to comment
mangoman Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Tiny, I contacted your supplier and they told me the best they could give me was the $4.50 price So I ran a bunch more numbers and contaced handful of other suppliers. Total cost for my project should be $215 for 220w of leds. Sockets, etc. included Going to add two 96w pc's for extra actinic.. already have those on hand so I won't be factoring that into my cost.. Quote Link to comment
OceanDweller Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) 916, well it also depends on what you want to keep and how high your hanging it off the tank. I think if your going to hang them on a moveable mount it doesn't matter, but a stationary, wood/pvc mount you might have to play around. You can always order one white and one blue just to see first, I may end up doing that along with trying out the 4x1 watt in 30-45-60 degree optics. I'd do 5 as its 15" also 5 would look better than 4, and you could do something like bwbwb, maybe run the middle at night occasionally for moonlight? Those marineland 1watt systems do suck. They made the hobby look bad and I honestly think jipped people off, "they could have made those 10-15 years ago". I saw your post Tiny on RC, and one guy was like no these aren't even comparable at all to Cree... I would say don't go over to RC lol, I like them but they would then buy up all the product "or start calling it reef led compatible and charge 10$ more a bulb". Mandgo, I would probably skip the actinic pcs as thats just me, I mean 96 watts & added heat, I suppose you could always add some more blue, or maybe even get a 24"-36 purple t-5 super actinic similar to VHO, if you coupled that with a pinkish marine glow T-5 I think the colors would be insane. I also bet you could score on some T-5 fixtures in the range right now, as everybody on RC seems to be DIY led. Edited February 17, 2012 by OceanDweller Quote Link to comment
TinyGiant Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 there is a company called finnex selling the gu10s for 50 bux each! Quote Link to comment
mangoman Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 916, well it also depends on what you want to keep and how high your hanging it off the tank. I think if your going to hang them on a moveable mount it doesn't matter, but a stationary, wood/pvc mount you might have to play around. You can always order one white and one blue just to see first, I may end up doing that along with trying out the 4x1 watt in 30-45-60 degree optics. I'd do 5 as its 15" also 5 would look better than 4, and you could do something like bwbwb, maybe run the middle at night occasionally for moonlight? Those marineland 1watt systems do suck. They made the hobby look bad and I honestly think jipped people off, "they could have made those 10-15 years ago". I saw your post Tiny on RC, and one guy was like no these aren't even comparable at all to Cree... I would say don't go over to RC lol, I like them but they would then buy up all the product "or start calling it reef led compatible and charge 10$ more a bulb". Mandgo, I would probably skip the actinic pcs as thats just me, I mean 96 watts & added heat, I suppose you could always add some more blue, or maybe even get a 24"-36 purple t-5 super actinic similar to VHO, if you coupled that with a pinkish marine glow T-5 I think the colors would be insane. I also bet you could score on some T-5 fixtures in the range right now, as everybody on RC seems to be DIY led. Yeah i agaree about the t5's, that would be ideal.. i'll start looking but I already have a pc retrofit kit on hand. If i'm just buying cheap, chinese t5's, what colors would you reccomend? I know there's some really nice pinks out there but they usually cost a lot Quote Link to comment
bulldogpet Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Tiny , in your opinion comparing T5's to GU10's which do you think gives better coloration and growth ? Quote Link to comment
TinyGiant Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 i havent run t5 long enough to make that comparison. I have absolutely no complaints with my gu10s though. the blue gu10s are really nice. and give a great color. especially the ones from that luckydlz seller. enough so that i ordered a bunch more blues from them to replace some of my others Quote Link to comment
OceanDweller Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) Well I just got the news from china wholesale leds and luckydlz, that neither have the epistar in dimmable, kinda bummed about that. That would have been awesome. Other thoughts though http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-GU10-5W-5X1W-D...=item3cc2622d09 I did find a purple but it doesn't look legit, it says 5 watt but shows 3 leds? "contacted them" http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/52091964...U10_purple.html I have seen tons of CREE Knockoffs sense I have been looking, just some food for thought. I was just responding that I don't think T-5 is needed, but for actinic supplemntation with these leds I imagine t-5 would be the way to go, not needed to replace as often, small profile, not a lot of heat, and the red/purple tubes should look great with the blue/cool white leds. This is what I am going for all GU10, have the white/blues, missing red/sun, not done with research yet but think it can be done. Edited February 17, 2012 by OceanDweller Quote Link to comment
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