PAR38 54w LEDS
- Thread starter Albz
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sbash
Valuable Member
I have two of these on my 20 gallon frag tank. One would have been bright enough, but the spread was not good enough so I added a second (they are only $22 CAD, so why not!). They are extremely bright so it might be overkill for a Biocube 14.
Be prepared to hang the light higher than you might expect. Theoretically, you could open it up and put a potentiometer on it to control the brightness, but I have not tested it with mine. Although I did order the (same) parts to build my own and will test out adding dimming functionality. I will be posting my findings when I can find them...
Also, the LED configuration with mine is 12 Blue (460nm) and 6 White (6000-12000k); so the white spectrum is good, but the blue is not the best looking. The corals will grow, but without the lower blue (down to the actinic nm range) you may not get the colours you want. I would imagine if you swapped a couple of the blue LEDs for 400-430 LEDs, it would give you a better glow out of your corals.
Be prepared to hang the light higher than you might expect. Theoretically, you could open it up and put a potentiometer on it to control the brightness, but I have not tested it with mine. Although I did order the (same) parts to build my own and will test out adding dimming functionality. I will be posting my findings when I can find them...
Also, the LED configuration with mine is 12 Blue (460nm) and 6 White (6000-12000k); so the white spectrum is good, but the blue is not the best looking. The corals will grow, but without the lower blue (down to the actinic nm range) you may not get the colours you want. I would imagine if you swapped a couple of the blue LEDs for 400-430 LEDs, it would give you a better glow out of your corals.
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Albz
Active Member
I will pass on them than lol... I might as well goo with prime leds
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Albz
Active Member
I want to keep my biocube hood so if i can diy something that thats cheap and does a good job for corals im all in. So let me know!
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Albz
Active Member
If i have too remove it than id remove it. Whatever helps My corals grow..
mcarroll
10K Club member
You might be able to get away with something under the hood, but then you have a heat management task to do whatever is necessary make sure the hood stays cool enough so that your LED's don't fry out in a year or two.
Removing the hood does make that easier....pretty much solves the problem. But it also introduces some side effects....more evaporation, the possibility of fish jumping, etc. So it's worth fully considering.
Here's the main thread for that DIY I mentioned....in case you do decide to remove the hood. The design is made to be mounted 12" from the water.
http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/267432-gu10-led-build-thread-chinese-ebay-lights/
Some of the photo links are dead, but watch the youtube and scroll down to the example builds. I've built a few of these, so holler if you have questions!
Removing the hood does make that easier....pretty much solves the problem. But it also introduces some side effects....more evaporation, the possibility of fish jumping, etc. So it's worth fully considering.
Here's the main thread for that DIY I mentioned....in case you do decide to remove the hood. The design is made to be mounted 12" from the water.
http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/267432-gu10-led-build-thread-chinese-ebay-lights/
Some of the photo links are dead, but watch the youtube and scroll down to the example builds. I've built a few of these, so holler if you have questions!
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Albz
Active Member
Thanks!!You might be able to get away with something under the hood, but then you have a heat management task to do whatever is necessary make sure the hood stays cool enough so that your LED's don't fry out in a year or two.
Removing the hood does make that easier....pretty much solves the problem. But it also introduces some side effects....more evaporation, the possibility of fish jumping, etc. So it's worth fully considering.
Here's the main thread for that DIY I mentioned....in case you do decide to remove the hood. The design is made to be mounted 12" from the water.
http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/267432-gu10-led-build-thread-chinese-ebay-lights/
Some of the photo links are dead, but watch the youtube and scroll down to the example builds. I've built a few of these, so holler if you have questions!
