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GU10 LED Build Thread (Chinese Ebay Lights)


TinyGiant

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I am about to start 2 new tanks. A 40 gallon breeder and a standard 75 gallon tank that I want to keep sps, clams and anemones.

 

How many do you think I would need for both tanks?

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My main concern is if there will be too much light and how best to let them adjust to the new lighting??

 

I do the same routine after any major lighting change:

 

Knock your photoperiod down to 3 hrs. Then every day or so add an hour or two until you are back to normal (<=10hrs generally). Judge along the way if that's too fast/too slow - three hours is actually plenty for them so no need to hurry through the process.

 

I am about to start 2 new tanks. A 40 gallon breeder and a standard 75 gallon tank that I want to keep sps, clams and anemones.

 

How many do you think I would need for both tanks?

 

I vote for three rows on 18" wide tanks

 

Especially with the direction you're heading.

 

114 bulbs should cover both tanks. 48 over the small tank in three rows of 16. 66 bulbs in three rows of 22 on the big tank. You can technically fit two more bulbs in each row, but light spill on the sides becomes a bigger factor (and I'm happy without them).

 

Good luck!

 

-Matt

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I vote for three rows on 18" wide tanks

 

Especially with the direction you're heading.

 

114 bulbs should cover both tanks. 48 over the small tank in three rows of 16. 66 bulbs in three rows of 22 on the big tank. You can technically fit two more bulbs in each row, but light spill on the sides becomes a bigger factor (and I'm happy without them).

 

Good luck!

 

-Matt

 

Thanks for the input, how much would you spread the bulbs apart?

 

Originally I was thinking one every 3 inchs

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I do the same routine after any major lighting change:

 

Knock your photoperiod down to 3 hrs. Then every day or so add an hour or two until you are back to normal (<=10hrs generally). Judge along the way if that's too fast/too slow - three hours is actually plenty for them so no need to hurry through the process.

 

Thanks :)

 

My bulbs have arived! just 10days wait for them to arrive in the UK at my door (from LED-HK)

tested them all, all fine and boy are they bright!! really didn't expect it even from reading this entire thread!

now just waiting on sockets then I can start building! edit:still waiting on sockets 20days since purchace, wasn't expecting the huge wait for sockets!

I held one of the blues over some of my zoas and man do the colours pop! cant wait to get this fully setup!

 

thanks Tiny!!

Edited by mini_matt
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Does anyone have a pic of using gu10s over a 9" tall tank? Im wondering how many lights to use over me pico. Right now 2 bulbs. blue and white with removed lenses. 3" above the water. keeping zoa and lps. little help pls for a test answer over a shallow tank.

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These things saved my butt!

Thanks for starting this thread!!!!!

The story:

I ordered a 2 blue 1 white epistar e27 base LED bulb from ebay. I liked it so I grew some coral in my sump for a few weeks and it worked. Then I ordered 2 more for a pico and they came here two weeks ago...

 

So meanwhile I have LED stuff coming and my Maker's Heatsink on the way. However, my MH bulb is 2 Years Old and just died a week ago.

Now I have 3 GU10's over my tank keeping my corals going in my 29 gallon tank and everything seems to be growing :D

 

If I didn't have the LEDs I'd be stuck spending $70 on a bulb plus like $15 or so just to get it here fast, plus I'd enjoy it for like a week. That's without delays since it's going to Hawaii, with any delays I don't know if the corals would live.

Edited by jm82792
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It's cool since for $15 you can light some stuff up.

They don't look awesome, I mean I don't love the color but it's not a particularly bad mix.

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Does anyone have a pic of using gu10s over a 9" tall tank? Im wondering how many lights to use over my pico. Right now im using 2 bulbs. blue and white with removed lenses. 3" above the water. keeping zoa and lps. little help pls for a test answer over a shallow tank.

advise please... how high to hang the lights pls..

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  • 2 weeks later...
reefnewbie1985

i have a 40 breeder and mainly going for zoanthids and palys

would i be okie with just 2 rolls of 4x1w gu10 or should i go with 3 rolls of 4x1w gu10?

 

currently i have 10 bulbs ( 6 bulbs 4x1w 50/50 blue/cool white , 4 bulbs blue )

IMG_0610.JPG

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i have a 40 breeder and mainly going for zoanthids and palys

would i be okie with just 2 rolls of 4x1w gu10 or should i go with 3 rolls of 4x1w gu10?

 

currently i have 10 bulbs ( 6 bulbs 4x1w 50/50 blue/cool white , 4 bulbs blue )

IMG_0610.JPG

 

 

 

i would shoot for a total of 20-30 bulbs. ideally like two rows of 18. but running one row of 18 would even be fine considering the 40b isnt a very deep tank

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So I got everything all set up. I have 12 (6 white and 6 blue) bulbs with 60 degree optics mounted approximately 7 inches over the water of a 24 gallon, 19x19x19 tank.

 

I got a zoa colony to test out the set-up and I'm really disappointed... They aren't opening up hardly at all. All of my water parameters are good so I'm wondering if they're not getting enough light. The 60 degree optics are giving me a great color blend but I'm wondering if they aren't getting enough light to my coral.

 

Any thoughts?

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If you just put them in I would say wait a few days. They ay be getting too much light too. If they were not acclimated it may be a problem if you did not have LED before. I switched from my kessils to a DIY aquastyle kit and fried my corals. My zoas are barely starting to forgive me and open up a month later and dimmed at 30%.

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If you just put them in I would say wait a few days. They ay be getting too much light too. If they were not acclimated it may be a problem if you did not have LED before. I switched from my kessils to a DIY aquastyle kit and fried my corals. My zoas are barely starting to forgive me and open up a month later and dimmed at 30%.

 

They've been in for over a month. I'm going to reduce he lighting cycle to 1hr/day and increase it 1hr/day til i get to my normal cycle. will that work or should i take it slower?

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They've been in for over a month. I'm going to reduce he lighting cycle to 1hr/day and increase it 1hr/day til i get to my normal cycle. will that work or should i take it slower?

 

1 hr/day may be a little low. What is your normal cycle? I would try reducing it to around 5 hours a day and increase it an hour every week or so and see how it goes. But that's just my opinion.

 

1 hr/day may be a little low. What is your normal cycle? I would try reducing it to around 5 hours a day and increase it an hour every week or so and see how it goes. But that's just my opinion.

 

 

Reading back your lights should not be too much. It should be just right. But if you did not have led before it may be a bit strong like I said. There might be something else making the zoas mad. Pests or water quality maybe? Is there other corals in there?

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After 10 days of running my lights I have now upped the lighting and now running them at 80% on the blues and 100% on the whites.

 

Here is a pic I have just taken although I have to say the tank does not look as blue as in the pic and even looks brighter when viewed directly.

 

80blues100whites.jpg

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JamieSheffield

Tiny Giant,

 

I looked but could not find a picture of your wires joining the plug end of operations...can you link to or upload a picture of the paralleled wire being spliced into the plug wire?

 

Thanks,

 

Jamie

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Are those gu10 in the light fixture? And if so how do you dim?

 

And is that a gorgonian in the middle?

 

Yes near the middle is a photosynthetic gorgonian. They are the latest Bridgelux LED's so the seller in China says. I have a remote dimmer/timer/ controller which uses a Lan cable approx 9' long to attach to them.

Here's a pic of the controller.

LEDsontank40B80W.jpg

The controller will control up to 4 of his LED units.

Edited by atoll
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Is it aquastyle? I have an aquastyle 48 led kit on my tank with bridgelux lights. I use a reef angel controller to dim. Your tank looks really nice

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