boomeraudio Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Here are pictures from the most recent project I did for my 20g tall. The supplies: 1 x ABI 12W PAR38 LED Aquarium Light https://www.jacobsparts.com/items/GR-PAR38-12W-BW/ From Home Depot: 1 x 3/4" PVC Pipe cut to appropriate size for tank 2x 3/4" 90 degree PVC Elbows 1x Replacement Cord Set 1x Weatherproof Socket 1 bag of butt connectors 1 bag of 3/4" PVC holders Black Spray Paint Electrical Tape So I first started by using a hack saw to cut the PVC to size using a hack saw. I cut an additional piece of straight PVC to hang the light over the top of the tank. The pictures will show it best. I then spray painted the PVC black and waited for it to dry. While it was drying, I placed the clamp on the back of the stand where it would be holding the PVC. I drilled the holes for the clamp. I then ran the replacement cord set through all of the PVC prior to crimping and assembling. I used the butt connectors to connect the light socket to the replacement cord and wrapped them with electrical tape. I tested the light after connecting the cables and everything looked great! I fixed the PVC together, and tightened it behind the tank with the clamp at the correct height. It came out exactly like I needed! Looks great and the shimmer effect from the light on the water through the versa top looks so awesome! Comments and questions welcome. Link to comment
zooman72 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 OK, first - nice DIY.. Second - a single Par38 is not a lot of light for a full-on reef in an aquarium that size, but a pair would probably allow you to grow many corals throughout the tank instead of just a 12" area under the light... Third - there are better Par38's out there than the one you are using, as color rendition may not be very good (10000K whites usually stink for color, especially with only blue diodes in the mix), and it is only running at 12W, whereas other Par38's run at 18-24W - there is a reason the one you have was so inexpensive... Sorry to be so negative, but I see no use in giving you a load of BS just to make you feel good - maybe you can modify your PVC hanger to house a pair of sockets, and seriously consider looking for some better Par lights if you decide you like that form factor. Even with a pair of the Par38 you have now, you probably will only be able to keep lower light corals - good luck either way moving forward. Link to comment
boomeraudio Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Thanks for the input! What do you think is a good Par38 light? What would you recommend? I know Ecoxotic makes one, they are somewhat expensive but definitely nice. What do you think? Link to comment
jcgilmore2 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I'm new to this forum, but I feel like there are a lot of people who don't like PAR38s because they are cheap compared to these ridiculous $750 fixtures. I'm pretty new to Reef tanks, but coming from my experience with hi-tech planted tanks... I am a firm believer that people use way too much light these days (With the exception of many SPS corals that of course need much higher light) That being said, I agree that the 12 watt fixture might be too little. I have an OCREEF 12x3w with 6 blue 4 white and 2 UV hanging about sixteen inches off the top of my 20 Long that supported the tank alone for a while (mostly softies at that time) Now I built my own little fixture to go with it using two 10w blue/white hybrid multichip LEDs from ebay that I got for $12. Using an old PC power supply, the PC heatsink, a pair of lenses from ebay and some resistors I fashioned up a little fixture that compliments the PAR38 bulb. It kicks on for about 4 hours midday and all my coral are healthy and already showing signs of growth. If you want details PM me for a parts list. Its fun and pretty easy to do and will give you the light you need for under $50 Also, I got my PAR38 bulb from an OCREEF ebay listing that didnt have a reserve for some reason, Paid 37$ shipped! That being said I think they are well worth the 90ish that they are being sold for by them now. Link to comment
zooman72 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Thanks for the input! What do you think is a good Par38 light? What would you recommend? I know Ecoxotic makes one, they are somewhat expensive but definitely nice. What do you think? Coral Compulsion is a vendor/ sponsor here, and they offer a couple of nicer options. RapidLED also makes a useful Par38 that is better than the option you are currently using. Link to comment
boomeraudio Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Nice tank jcgilmore. You're setup is really nice and the Coral is really popping. I wish I didn't have to buy a new bulb but if its better for the tank then I should. That being said, I have an LED strip hanging on the inside of the tank too...so the coral is definitely getting a lot of light. An extra Par38 might not hurt though. Thanks for the rec @Zoo! Link to comment
zooman72 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 No problem, glad to be of some help, and you are right - that is a nice tank jcgilmore has, with a neat layout for the lighting... One thing to note - watch for the common practice of vendors stating that the Par38's are running 36W because they have twelve 3W diodes in the light - they are usually not running them at full power (heatsinks are not big enough and passive), instead running them at 1.5-2W per diodes, so they are actually running at 18-24W... Link to comment
slowngreen Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Can you post a pic at night, no room lights, just the aquarium lit? Link to comment
frankdontsurf Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I expect you'd be able to sustain any coral you want with that light but I doubt they will grow much. There's a dude on eBay selling "reefbars" every foot is 9w, 10000k or 420nm. I bought something else from him and had a problem and he sent me out a foot of blue and a foot of cool white as a pardon. I have them over a 10 gallon around 5" off the water level almost a year now. My acans are the only corals I have that have actually grown/spread/multiplied. My frog, zoas, hammer, rico, and condy anemone all look good but they are exactly the same size they were when I bought them 8-9 months ago. I feed frozen mysis/brine, minced fish (I fish often), coral frenzy, new life spectrum pellets, seachem fuel, supplement with idodine, 3 gallon water changes every 10 days. I'm new to this but im pretty much doing everything I can while keeping stability and nothing seems to pop except my acan. I'm about to pull the trigger on some GU10 LEDs, 5x cool white, 5x blue each 3x3w Epistar. I'm hoping its overkill, shouldn't cost more than $50. Link to comment
boomeraudio Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 Can you post a pic at night, no room lights, just the aquarium lit? Pics of the tank at night. Link to comment
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