beginner looking for led

[Aquavid]

hello people,

 

i just started a 8g nano, and looking for a led lamp. i found this on the ebay, and ask you to judge if it is looks good or crap.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Over-Head-5050SMD-LED-Lamp-Light-35-45-58-76-CM-White-Blue/351284314147

 

it will be a soft coral, 1-2 fishes small tank.

 

thx

[CCXGT]

Chances are, softies will be fine with it.

 

But I'd be skeptical of its low price and lack of detail in important specifics.

 

I'd want to know what PAR the fixture puts out, I'd want the spectrum of each LED.

 

Just "Blue/White" isn't describing much.

[Aquavid]

thx

 

i try and will let you know.

[Sailfish]

Welcome to the forum!

Hmm, I'm sceptical about this light

 

It says in the ad that it has 12V DC power output.

 

For the 35cm model, with 45 LEDs, that means that max 12V is available to distribute to the LEDs. That equals to max 0.26V/LED. If you would want 3W of power from those LEDs you would have to supply it with 11.54A (3W/0.26V=11.54A). The "Power adaptor within" is not capable of delivering 11.54A, that I can promise you. If the LEDs are 1W each (too low, keep reading and I will try to explain why), then they need to be supplied with 3.85A (1W/0.26V=3.85A), which I also highly doubt is within the power adaptors capacity.

 

The longer the fixture you choose, and thereby more LEDs, this calculation just gets worse.

For example, the 76cm fixture with 120 LEDs, but still only 12V DC output, would require the power adapter to supply 30A to power 3W LEDs (common house main circuits are 10A) or 10A to power 1W LEDs.

 

Generally, we tend to use 3W LEDs and stronger for our reef tanks, even for soft corals. The reason being that a higher powered LED has much greater ability to penetrate down into the water column, than say a 1W LED. If you only need the light to be enough for soft corals it is better with fewer 3W LEDs positioned higher over the tank, than many 1W LEDs close to the surface. Note that both will light the same area, but the light consisting of 3W LEDs will penetrate deeper.

 

Disclaimer: I'm not an electrician or a very experienced DIY LED guru, like some other guys here on the forum (Evil, Ben and Milad, where are you? ). I'm talking in common tongue here, not necessarily the correct technical term. Still, I think I know enough to safely discourage the use of this eBay light to use for growing corals, at least as the main source of light.

In addition you have the other factors lacking, previously mentioned, like especially what LEDs (light spectrum, [nm]) have been used. Lastly I have to say that the price is so low that it is about enough reason in itself to consider other options.

 

If you want a cheap LED light for your 8G nano, I would look into maybe doing a DIY GU10 build.
Forum thread with everything you need to know: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/267432-gu10-led-build-thread-chinese-ebay-lights/page-78

I don't have any personal experience with these, but they are supposed to be plug-and-play except for the fact that you need to mount the GU10 sockets somehow.

 

The next step up will be a full spectrum PAR38 bulb ($100-$140).

Good luck, with whatever you choose, and please keep us updated!

[CronicReefer]

TBH it's pretty low in power. I'd try to find a PAR30 or PAR38 bulb along the lines of this one I've linked below. Same price point but about 5x the power. If you want full spectrum LED lighting expect to pay about $75 or more for a par38.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Full-Spectrum-E27-Fixture-18-LED-Aquarium-Coral-Reef-Light-Fresh-Saltwater-PAR38-/131245565794?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item1e8ed86762

[Sailfish]

TBH it's pretty low in power. I'd try to find a PAR30 or PAR38 bulb along the lines of this one I've linked below. Same price point but about 5x the power. If you want full spectrum LED lighting expect to pay about $75 or more for a par38.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Full-Spectrum-E27-Fixture-18-LED-Aquarium-Coral-Reef-Light-Fresh-Saltwater-PAR38-/131245565794?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item1e8ed86762

Hmm, skeptical about this one also

Blue:White ratio of 6:12 seems weird. The old philosophy when we were using Cool White LEDs, instead of Neutral White or Warm White LEDs like today, were 50/50 of Cool White and Royal Blue. More cool whites and the light turned yellow

 

If you want to go for a PAR38 bulb I would strongly suggest getting one from a tried and true PAR38 Reef Bulb vendor like Coral Compulsion, OCreef, rapidled etc.

[CronicReefer]

Hmm, skeptical about this one also

Blue:White ratio of 6:12 seems weird. The old philosophy when we were using Cool White LEDs, instead of Neutral White or Warm White LEDs like today, were 50/50 of Cool White and Royal Blue. More cool whites and the light turned yellow

If you want to go for a PAR38 bulb I would strongly suggest getting one from a tried and true PAR38 Reef Bulb vendor like Coral Compulsion, OCreef, rapidled etc.

I agree with you it will probably be whiter than what most people prefer but I only chose that one because of the similar price and the fact that it has strong power output. I would highly recommend a full spectrum par38 like you listed but that's if OP is willing to spend the cash.

[cju84]

TBH it's pretty low in power. I'd try to find a PAR30 or PAR38 bulb along the lines of this one I've linked below. Same price point but about 5x the power. If you want full spectrum LED lighting expect to pay about $75 or more for a par38.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Full-Spectrum-E27-Fixture-18-LED-Aquarium-Coral-Reef-Light-Fresh-Saltwater-PAR38-/131245565794?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item1e8ed86762

 

+1

[CCXGT]

Keep in mind, none of this means you have to go out and buy a £300 light.

 

Especially on a 8G stocked with Softies.

 

A Power Compact would probably do.

[CronicReefer]

Softies need light just like any other coral but they tolerate lower levels much better than a stony coral would. Just buy a decent par38 bulb and you won't regret it (I recommend going full spectrum).