Hey Reefers. New to Reefing, and would like to know if anyone is running LED lights from Amazon. They go for like 1/10th to 1/2 of the price of the top end brands. I see some good reviews on Amazon. My tank is new, and won't be adding corals for awhile, so figured I'd try a cheaper light option for now. Anyone here have success with their amazon light? Thanks!
Anyone running Amazon LED Lighting?
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Jon Fishman
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Amazon sells all sorts of lights. What ones?
Some have smaller wattage lights, so be careful. I think Vivra-spectra and Mars Aqua make great lights, at a great price, for what it’s worth
Some have smaller wattage lights, so be careful. I think Vivra-spectra and Mars Aqua make great lights, at a great price, for what it’s worth
I would skip on both, as both are using 0.5W LEDs. Only good for really shalow tanks and low light corals. Look for 3W LED fixtures, like Mars Aqua, Viparspectra/Bloomspect and so on. Cheap, no nonsense, can grow any coral you want.
ReefBeta
Valuable Member
If you want to try cheap LED, you'd better to get a PAR meter, either rent one for about $50, or buy one from $250 up. Because it's super unreliable to judge LED by your eyes. If you're not measuring, you're basically risking all coral you're putting in, which is even more expensive.
Therefore I would start with at least AI Prime level of LED if you want to go that route. Or use T5, with shop light fixture from Amazon and good ATI bulbs.
Therefore I would start with at least AI Prime level of LED if you want to go that route. Or use T5, with shop light fixture from Amazon and good ATI bulbs.
Bpb
2500 Club Member
Just like Dana Riddle says. There are no bad lights. Just bad application. If you use that type of unit, you should have appropriate expectations of what to get from it. If your expectations are in line with its capabilities. You will be happy with it. That light will be capable of providing visible light to see your fish, and possibly enough to keep some very low light pieces alive. Maybe not thrive, but live for some amount of time, provided you are able to maintain excellent water quality
We would need to know a lot of details about your future plans to really make a judgment. Personally I don't find Amazon to be a very good source for much vis-a-vis marine aquariums.
At the risk of sounding like a vendor shill I prefer to spend a small bit more and support those who support us as a community, and, where deserving, the good old "local fish store". Building a rapport locally, or starting to stockpile "reward points" with a good online vendor may prove more valuable than any money you save short-term.
At the risk of sounding like a vendor shill I prefer to spend a small bit more and support those who support us as a community, and, where deserving, the good old "local fish store". Building a rapport locally, or starting to stockpile "reward points" with a good online vendor may prove more valuable than any money you save short-term.
Don't really have any plans around coral yet. That may be towards the end of next year, so not looking to spend on a high end light now as a new model will probably out by end of 2020. When I'm ready and have plans for corals, I will be getting a quality light for sure at that time.
Just curious to see if anyone here is using any of these Amazon lights, and how it's working for them so far. I might just go with a Current Orbit LED light for now, as they are relatively cheap.
I use a "came with the tank/stand/hood" LED for my quarantine tank, and ran my refugium pretty successfully with a similar (smaller) LED unit. Just be realistic in your visual expectations, and while I defer to more knowledgeable members on the topic, would be a little concerned with algae if the spectrum is off badly.
Bpb
2500 Club Member
you have to realize most people will only advise from their own point of view. If you’re new, and seeing if this hobby might be for you, and aren’t loading up on corals for at least a year, there’s absolutely no reason to spend $300 let alone $3000 on aquarium lights. Buy the $35 unit, as it will allow you to view your tank without spending a ton. Fish don’t need intense light. You don’t need ecotech radions for a fish tank. You don’t need Mars aqua lights for a fish tank. If you expect a 1 year lifespan of your lights. But literally the cheapest thing you can and research what direction you hope to take with the hobby
JohnnyKnuckles
FragTags
You get what you pay for....But with that being said, Just like Bpd above, start out cheap. especially if you have no specific corals in mind. But, at some point, if you stay in this hobby, you may need to upgrade if your coral taste get a little more expensive side.
Flippers4pups
Fins up since 1993
Mars Aqua's here for the past going on 5 years. Grows anything.
Guillermo4
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Flippers4pups
Fins up since 1993
When I first put them on my current tank:
Light spectrum and intensity is important, but there is so much more to a successful reef tank.
Light spectrum and intensity is important, but there is so much more to a successful reef tank.
Depending on size of your tank and being new to the hobby without breaking the bank, I did a lot of research on lighting for the past year on LED vs T5s....I now run a mixture of T5 and LEDs and it's the best combo for my 90gallon. I've spent so much money on lights I could have just bought a really nice 800 dollar light from the beginning, lol however my knowledge wouldn't be as good. But, I recently bought a new light for my refugium and honestly, this light works GREAT, even for corals, downside you will need to buy a timer. This light for the money is a pretty awesome buy if you are unsure how far you wanna go into the hobby and when you do decide to go with corals it grows them.well too, but eventually you will want to buy a nicer light with more options eventually.
This is what I've found that works for cheap, but always do your own research so dont have to take my word for it
This is what I've found that works for cheap, but always do your own research so dont have to take my word for it
Bpb
2500 Club Member
Truthfully I don’t think anyone NEEDS an $800 light to grow colorful healthy corals. A horticultural t5 or metal halide unit will grow corals as good or better than a $1000 Orphek at literally 1/10 the price in some instances. Especially if you got something second hand
DesertReefT4r
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This is my old 40B from about 8 years ago. It was light by a single 250w MH.
To answer the OP. Yes many many reefs are light with these lower cost light. Viparspectra and Mars are the 2 most common.
To answer the OP. Yes many many reefs are light with these lower cost light. Viparspectra and Mars are the 2 most common.
dhof
Active Member
I have high-end lights on my DT (4xT5 with 2xHydra26), but my spare frag tank has always had a pretty poor spare light. A friend of mine who used to run Black Box lights on his tank, bought this light on Amazon for $100 and reported that it was really good. I purchased it last week, and it's honestly pretty darn good looking on my frag tank. Really nice ability to control between blue and white to achieve a great looking result.
It is bluetooth, and with the app you can set 6 times of the day for a schedule. Each schedule slot you can program whatever intensity of blues or whites that you want (so you could use the first slot to turn them on at 25%, 2nd 50%, 3rd 75%, 4th 100%, 5th 50%, and 6th to off, for example)
The MAJOR problem is that if you turn off the switch manually, or if you lose power, then all the scheduled programming is totally lost and you have to re-set it all up. I never plan on manually turning off the switch, but I know that I have to remember to program it whenever the power goes out to my home.
It is really super thin, but it has a large footprint so I'm getting really great light all over the frag tank. For 100 bucks, I'd definitely recommend this thing.
It is bluetooth, and with the app you can set 6 times of the day for a schedule. Each schedule slot you can program whatever intensity of blues or whites that you want (so you could use the first slot to turn them on at 25%, 2nd 50%, 3rd 75%, 4th 100%, 5th 50%, and 6th to off, for example)
The MAJOR problem is that if you turn off the switch manually, or if you lose power, then all the scheduled programming is totally lost and you have to re-set it all up. I never plan on manually turning off the switch, but I know that I have to remember to program it whenever the power goes out to my home.
It is really super thin, but it has a large footprint so I'm getting really great light all over the frag tank. For 100 bucks, I'd definitely recommend this thing.
ReefBeta
Valuable Member
That's fair. I was using the led came with my first "reef ready" tank kit and growing anemone and clam with it, so that's that. But I can't keep sps in it exact one brown stick. If you just want to start something affordable, I think AI Prime 16 is the best to start with. It's only $200. And it's very future proof, very easy to get more for higher intensity, or use it in your inevitable frag tank. Only reason I won't recommend it is if your tank is very narrow and long like a 20 long.
Thanks. I need a refuge light too actually. HahaDepending on size of your tank and being new to the hobby without breaking the bank, I did a lot of research on lighting for the past year on LED vs T5s....I now run a mixture of T5 and LEDs and it's the best combo for my 90gallon. I've spent so much money on lights I could have just bought a really nice 800 dollar light from the beginning, lol however my knowledge wouldn't be as good. But, I recently bought a new light for my refugium and honestly, this light works GREAT, even for corals, downside you will need to buy a timer. This light for the money is a pretty awesome buy if you are unsure how far you wanna go into the hobby and when you do decide to go with corals it grows them.well too, but eventually you will want to buy a nicer light with more options eventually.
This is what I've found that works for cheap, but always do your own research so dont have to take my word for it
