tajewell Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Ive got the biocube 29 and was looking at lighting upgrades. would it be in my best interest to ditch the stock and buy just the hqi hood and use the mh light it comes with. and if i did this where would be the best place just to buy the hood and light. also would i be able to keep clams with the hqi? and does it come with moon lights on the bulb? or my second option is to shell out the 400 for leds retrofitted into the stock hood. i really like how the hqi hood looks but if the mh it comes with isnt strong enough for some sps and clams then its not worth my time. also heat is not an issue because im running a chiller already. thanks for any help you can offer. Tyler Link to comment
Nicks29bio Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Well I just bought steve's led's retrofit kit for my biocube 29. It is on sale for 249 and comes with the philips luxeon es series LED's for a limited time I believe this is a good price and a good kit. Also with the HQI light from the biocube 29 you will be able to keep clams and sps. Its up to you what you would rather do though. Link to comment
Singlefin Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 you can also check rapidled.com i thought they were cheaper. also ledgroupbuy.com there are cheap and quality leds. just depends what your budget is. i have 3 ecoxotic panorama pro strips in mine.. i think i spent about $400 for those. Link to comment
tajewell Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 how do you two like the leds so far? Link to comment
2 Dogfish Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I just upgraded my biocube 29 with the Steve's LED retro fit kit ad well. These are my first LEDs on any aquarium and they are fantastic. You will have to mod the hood a bit but it is very easy to do. I was lazy so I had Steve do the assemble "plug and play". I also went with a second power supply so I could control the royal blues and whites on/off separately with my lighting timer. So my blues come on first then the whites then the whites go off then the blues. I also kept two if the LED moon lights from the original lighting so they come on when the royal blues go off. Simulates night, dawn, daytime, and dusk. I really like it this far and I just added my first SPFs. Link to comment
gonzalez78 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I would say go with rapidled 29 gallon retrofit kit. He had either dimmable or non dimmable and no modification to the hood. They are going to come out to my local reef club and do a demonstration on easy installation and also providing a 10% discount to club members, can't wait to get my kit then for my bc29 Link to comment
2 Dogfish Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 So I do not mislead anyone. The mod to the hood was to cut off the old hardware mounting post that are no longer needed and I did open up the intake and exhaust vents for better air flow which IMO should be done regardless of light kit selected. I heard Rapid does a good kit but at the time I ordered they were out of stock. Link to comment
tajewell Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 my biggest problem is i dont have a credit card. is there any way to get the kit in some sort of store in ohio? i really want the rapid led kit but i have no way of getting it. id buy it off someone if they had an extra one and lived close to westchester. moneys not really an issue any suggestions? also does the rapid led kit come with everything id need right off the bat or are there other things id have to purchase? Link to comment
Edelmango Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Rapid LED dimmable with plug and play. Really easy to put together but still interesting. REALLY BRIGHT!!! Have them turned down now and corals seem happier. They are easy to work with so they may be willing to work something out with you for payment. Maybe a bank check will work??? Link to comment
tajewell Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 do i need anything other than the kit? on the sight it says you need a reef keeper or something else like that. is that true? Link to comment
Rollermonkey Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Go LED. I have the HQI, and I had to switch from the MH to LEDs due to high water temps. (Like 85F) LEDs were cheaper than getting a chiller. Link to comment
2 Dogfish Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I just use digital timers. Same here. Timers will give you options with you light cycles. Link to comment
tajewell Posted June 21, 2012 Author Share Posted June 21, 2012 i already use a timer for my lights and my fuge light. what im worried about is the dimmable thing? do i need an add on or is it out of the box adjustable Link to comment
Rollermonkey Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I got the JBJ Unibody for my 29 biocube... It is dimmable out of the box and durned sexy too. Link to comment
Isaac5981 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 do i need anything other than the kit? on the sight it says you need a reef keeper or something else like that. is that true? You do not need to have a Reef Keeper or any other controller. The controller would automate the dimming. When you buy the kit, or if you buy the kit you would select the PWM option. This allows you to manually dim the Leds. You can still put them on timers for set times on and off. You will just have to manually dim or brighten the leds to the color you like. The hood for the Biocube HQI will not fit a standard Biocube either. Rapid Leds is great to deal with and super easy to install. I would suggest emailing them and asking about another form of payment like suggested above. Bank check, Money order maybe? HTH's Isaac Link to comment
tajewell Posted June 21, 2012 Author Share Posted June 21, 2012 thanks this is all extremly helpful. ill be gone for a week in mexico so if i go for the leds ill keep you posted but it should be the middle of july Link to comment
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