Led Lighting Question

zigis

AC Members
Mar 2, 2009
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Will three of these support plant life???????
They are 12"x12" it would be a total of 675 leds.


225 White + Blue LED Aquarium Grow Light Panel Plant Growth Lite, 2501w+b

Product Description
50% Blue + 50% WHITE 225 LED Aquarium and Grow Light Panel PRODUCT INFORMATION DESCRIPTION:Quality built 50% Blue + 50% White 225 LED Aquarium and Grow Light Panel This 12 by 12 inch LED panel has 225 super bright LEDs. FEATURES: Solid state, Cooler running, High efficiency, Wide angle, 50% blue + 50% WHITE LED Aquarium and plant light. BENEFITS: This panel has no ballasts to burn out like other aquarium or plant lights. It runs at a warm temperature rather than very hot which is common with most other inefficient plant lights. This more controlled running temperature reduces water evaporation and keeps rooms with tanks and plants from getting uncomfortably hot in the summer months requiring additional air conditioning. They save electricity dual fold. This state of the art WHITE LED panel tank and plant light is extremely energy efficient paying for itself many times over each year in electricity savings. It saves 50% to 90% in energy consumptioncompared to incandescent bulbs or fluorescent tubes. Wide angle projection insures uniform coverage. This specialty 50% blue + 50% WHITE LED Aquarium and grow light panel is designed to allow you to custom tailor the light spectrum for maximum growth and breeding condition. These LED light panels are perfect as all year permanent Aquarium and Plant lights for Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Mammals, Insects and Plant tanks and benches. Specifications: Body material: Thermoplastic Circuitry board material: Diecast Chrome 225 Super Bright LEDs 112 Blue, 113 White Color: WHITE 6000-7000K Blue = 450 nM Working Voltage: 110V (Plug in To North America Standard Outlet
 
Power: 13.8 Watts
Driving 225 LEDs?

I would not get this. Might as well hang LED Christmas lights over your tank.

Best review:

I really wanted to like this light. I was hoping it would at least work as a supplemental light for 2 65w compact fluorescent bulbs. It was not even close to what I expected. Visually the light is very blue, like an actinic bulb. The brightness is not even equivalent to a 9 watt compact fluorescent. LED Wholesalers has no business labeling this light as an "aquarium light". I am returning it ASAP.

The person that gave it 5 stars, well um? If you look at the low cost T5 HO lighting out there I can't say that buying 4 of these at $40 a pop is a good idea.
 
The idea that actinic blue light is useless for planted tanks is rubbish. Efficiency of photosynthesis varies with wavelength of the light. Peaks occur in both the blue and red end of the spectrum. And it just looks good to boot.

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I tried this on my 330gal, not those squares but LED. Here is a comparison shot between twin t8 shop light and 600 leds.



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The color of the led's was WAY cool, but it was like a semi bright night light. I figured I would need 2400-3000leds to maybe get close to the brightness I would have needed. So I scrapped the project.

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I first started out like this, then took the red out and added 2 more whites. did Nothing that I wanted it to. I bet for a 55gallon or smaller it would provide enough light. I was trying to cover a 4'x3'x24"deep area when I tried:silly:
 
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The panel listed is mW. A tank needs real Watts.

That panel is mis-advertised, mis-labeled, and a mistake.
As someone suggested, Christmas tree lights would be a better solution. Considering some of the LED tree lights on the market now, that isn't as silly as it was just two years ago.

If you want an LED light for a tank look into the Marineland Double Bright or a saltwater setup. Both actually work but... The Marineland Double Bright looks better to the plants than it does to human eyes. Saltwater LED set ups can be incredible. Incredible looking. Incredibly efficient. Incredibly good for corals, and incredibly expensive. A lot more credible than that panel.
 
well I have 3 of the blue and white panels and two solid white panels so I guess I will set them up and get back to ya.
 
mw refers to light output, not wattage used..probably
and blue lighting which is not actinic (blue-460nm, actinic-420nm) is pretty good for plant growth but plants tend to use more red than this fixture produces.
at any rate, small leds like this cannot penetrate very far and for a fish only tank might be okay if you can live with the fact that it will probably be toast in a year due to poor thermal management and cheap chinese parts.

a better option might be to diy..its really not as daunting as it seems there are a few of us on here with diy led for freshwater. i had no experience with eletricity and after a few hours of reading i was good to go.

a less diy option would be to go with led bulbs of par30 size and up or maybe the marineland double bright "reef capable" fixture for a shallow tank.
 
I probably should have written mW as in milli-watt.

These panels have 225 .05 to .06 watt LEDs.
A single Cree LED can be 5 watts and requires a beefy heat sink.

Anyone who has questions about the utility of the 12x12 225 LED panels can please Google using the search
225 LED panel review

Here is the link to Amazon. Scroll down to see reviews from purchasers.
http://www.amazon.com/Hydroponic-LED-light-Panel-2501MX/product-reviews/B001MVWYZA

If you want LED for an aquarium, go with a Marineland Double bright or one of the reef site LED setups. Those work.
 
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