20K LED For Frag Swaps

Geo's Reef
Jump to Last
gmastr85

gmastr85

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 14, 2014
Messages
347
Reaction score
61
Location
PA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm looking for a recommendation for a cheaper but good quality LED light that will only be used a couple times a year at frag swaps. I need it to be able to switch from 20K down to 10K or so, and cover an area approx 24x24. I've been using Maxspect Razors for swaps, but they are only 16K and don't have the blue pop I'm looking for. That's what I use on my personal tanks and they work great.

Can anyone tell me what they use that works well?
 
Chewy.com
What size tank?
 
Deltec
The t247 has a blue channel and a white/colors channel. Each channel is dimmable so you can set it to whatever color temp you are looking for.
 
Top Shelf Aquatics
Deltec
Rpujol85 said:
The t247 has a blue channel and a white/colors channel. Each channel is dimmable so you can set it to whatever color temp you are looking for.
Click to expand...

It may have blue and white channels, but that doesn't mean that the blue channel is 20k. The Maxspect Razors can do that also. But the blue is only 16K. Unless it specifies that it is 20K, I'm not interested.... thanks for the suggestion though.
 
Nutramar Foods
No not trying to grow but I do want them open up and stay alive. I'll look into the pros. Didn't know they existed... thanks!
 
Are you looking for a 20,000K color temperature or just a mixture of blue LEDs? They are nowhere close to being the same thing. Blue LEDs have no CCT, you cannot measure a single LED as such, so your 'I don't want the R420R because the blue LEDs are 16k' doesn't make any sense., as its not how it works. You're not going to get any different results by purchasing something else.

If you want to see what '20k' really looks like, find pictures of a Radium metal halide running on an M80 ballast. It is nothing like blue LED.
 
Last edited:
So what's so special about "20k"?

Anyways the Razor, and any other light for that matter, typically advertise their color temp when both/all channels are at 100%. It doesn't mean that the blues on that fixture are "20k".

So if you are going for a "20k" look you can most definitely achieve that using this fixture, or the Razor you already have for that matter.

+1 to what Ben said.
 
ReefBot Lab, Automated Water Tester
I am looking for a small led lamp capable of reproducting light in the 20K range. It has to be a mixture and controllable. That way I can turn it down to 12k or something in that range if someone wants to see coral under that light. I'm not sure what you are referring to as I am not an expert and I have no idea what CCT means. And I'm not sure what you mean by I am not going to get different results.

For example, the lights I currently have are 16K maxspect razors. They also produce a maxspect razor in a 12k version. The are fully dimmable and programmable. There is a difference between these lights. My light cycle everyday ramps up and down to simulate the sunrise and sunset. I am not looking for that. I just want a light that is capable of reproducting a 20K light spectrum and also the ability to turn it down if someone desires to see coral under a whiter light. Pretty simple. The light you suggested says it is 12K. Not what I'm looking for. On my maxspects I can completely turn off all the white light and just run the blues. But the light doesn't compare to the 20K lights I've seen other swappers use. It's just not blue enough.

I do understand that lights have various colors and spectrums they give off. And that manufacturers average the lights and get a color temp. However, I'm looking for a light with many more blues than whites. Something that will be more powerful than what I have now.
 
Last edited:
Rebuild a generic D120. You can usually get by with a budget of $30-50 using a repurposed fixture and 3W leds off of Ebay.
 
Orphek OR3 reef aquarium LED bar
Blue LED only is not '20k', please get that out of your head. The following picture is what a '20K' light looks like.

lighting_metal_halide_radium_20000K.jpg
 
Buy a full spectrum led fixture and start swapping whites out for 440nm leds. It's super easy to do if you have a soldering iron. I found a 20k look when I was down to about 8 whites and the rest mixed blue and colored leds. Would get closer to 14k at 100% both channels and 20k at 100/60%
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%

  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%

  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%

  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
See comments…

New Posts

Dinkins Aquatic Gardens
Nutramar Foods
Top Shelf Aquatics
Deltec
Tidal Gardens
World Wide Corals
Chewy.com
TCK Corals
Dinkins Aquatic Gardens
New Posts
Back
Top