Lighting
- Thread starter colsoscar120
- Start date
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Nope. FOWLR don't even need lights, so its your pick for them.
gtbarsi
Well-Known Member
While you could go that route it is more light than you need.Orbit marine led
LED or T5 will work fine, you only need a fraction of the light that a reef tank needs. PC lighting will work but it really is a soon to be dead technology.
Personally I would go with a LED light for several reasons. One is to save power, another is to not have to replace bulbs (T5 bulbs will shift spectrum and grow more algae after there useful life before they quit working). Additionally many LED lights have the ability to adjust the color via channel dimming so you can get something you like to look at with out having to replace bulbs if you do not care for the look of the one you have. Finally many LED lights are programmable and you can program dawn / dusk dimming in order not to scare your fish when the light comes on and goes off.
What are the dimensions of your tank? I could provide some much more specific recommendations if I knew exactly what you were looking to light.
gtbarsi
Well-Known Member
If you have some time and like to tinker you could do what I did on my first FLOWER tank and DIY an LED light solution.
I purchased a programmable LED controller like this one (https://amzn.com/B00OH9ENVW), and some 12V LED strip lights that were "waterproof". I used one RGB strip, one white strip, and two blue strips. The RGB strip used 3 channels, the white another, and the two blue on the last. Once you know what you know what your LEDs will use for power you can figure out what you need for a power supply. I believe mine was 2 or 3 amps.
I was able to adjust the color of the the light as I liked it and had nice dawn / dusk dimming. I will admit the program for this unit is not that friendly but I found it manageable.
If you go this route, take your time, don't pay extra for rush shipping, and plan out as much as possible. You will need a decent soldering iron, so if you do not have one factor in $50.00 for a decent one. One other thing I will mention, be sure to use some mechanical fastener with the led strips, the adhesive will likely let go at some point, and you do not want them falling in to the tank!
I purchased a programmable LED controller like this one (https://amzn.com/B00OH9ENVW), and some 12V LED strip lights that were "waterproof". I used one RGB strip, one white strip, and two blue strips. The RGB strip used 3 channels, the white another, and the two blue on the last. Once you know what you know what your LEDs will use for power you can figure out what you need for a power supply. I believe mine was 2 or 3 amps.
I was able to adjust the color of the the light as I liked it and had nice dawn / dusk dimming. I will admit the program for this unit is not that friendly but I found it manageable.
If you go this route, take your time, don't pay extra for rush shipping, and plan out as much as possible. You will need a decent soldering iron, so if you do not have one factor in $50.00 for a decent one. One other thing I will mention, be sure to use some mechanical fastener with the led strips, the adhesive will likely let go at some point, and you do not want them falling in to the tank!
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twilliard
Tank pests..
Build your own led light is what was ment.
seriously thought you can't beat the cost vrs light output Ohh and control of intensity/schedule that Orbit has to offer with their units.
seriously thought you can't beat the cost vrs light output Ohh and control of intensity/schedule that Orbit has to offer with their units.
