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LED lights for Chiclid tank.

16K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  calveezzzy 
#1 ·
has anyone use LED lights for their chiclid tank? can you share your ideas if this is Nice to use.

i have a 110gal Tank. i want to remove the 4ft light replaced it into 3 pcs 10w LED.

Pls share your ideas and knowledge.

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
LEDs tend to provide a spotlighting effect depending on their optics and how they are laid out on the board. 3 10W LEDs MIGHT cover a 110 if they are hung relatively high up. Since you aren't worried about PAR or the energy getting down for plants you could raise it up pretty high. Inside a canopy I think you will see major spotlighting

Otherwise, as I mentioned in the equipment and supplies section thread about growing plants with LEDs, there are lots of fixtures out there that have plenty of power and provide copious coverage. Maxxspect, Key K3, vertix, pacific sun, aqua illuminations, etc. they are all costly, geared towards saltwater and thus probably more than you are looking for

the Marineland LED fixtures would probably be the best coverage for dollar for you
 
#3 ·
Im going led on my 90 gallon and im gonna try to build a fixture using 1 watt leds. im gonna use three rows with 1w leds spaced 3 inches apart to get around 48 leds to avoid the spot light effect. Ill look at this thread since your tanks are similar size and i want to get led to ge tthe shimmer and lower electric bill..
 
#5 ·
Vadimshevchuk said:
Im going led on my 90 gallon and im gonna try to build a fixture using 1 watt leds. im gonna use three rows with 1w leds spaced 3 inches apart to get around 48 leds to avoid the spot light effect. Ill look at this thread since your tanks are similar size and i want to get led to ge tthe shimmer and lower electric bill..
i think i would do the same as yours sir. ill check first the stocks of led lights here then ill try to compute and measure how many can i put. i think its very nice with Fronts. am i right?
 
#8 ·
here are some pictures of my tank.







currently it has 2 four feet tubes light. and for me its too much lighting. and the Fronts are almost hiding all day.

im planning to remove the light bulbs and put 3 bulbs of 10W LED or 30 1w LED.

Any suggestions Sir/ masters.

Thanks in Advance
 
#11 ·
I went with a different plan with LEDs :D I picked up 4 12"8000k stunner strips for 110 shipped from a member. I hung them up and spread them out and im getting perfect light. If you want low-medium light i would go with 1 4' led strip color either 8000k with blue or just 1200k I got these and i love the low profile and no heat and the shimmer is awesome. check out youtube vids on them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzVltnNI ... re=related

http://www.marinedepot.com/Ecoxotic_48_ ... LK-vi.html

Get the 12k with 453 mn
 
#12 ·
May I make a suggestion about the fronts hiding? I find that almost all fish like to hide sometimes. When they find they have few places to hide they are nervous all the time. It may seem odd but I find adding hiding places, makes them less nervous and they hide less. Maybe just some large flat rocks leaned against the back would make them feel better?

Pretty tank and if the fronts were out more it might be fine.
 
#14 ·
im supposed to be recieving my 48" stunner strip tomorrow and hooked up, it is a 12,000k/453nm royal blue combo and my tank is a 55gallon 4' long. i can post pictures if anyone would like to see it.
 
#16 ·
lighting is current usa nova extreme 48" X2 54watt each bulb. 10,000k and one 460nm blue. might get myself two 50/50s in the future.


same lighting


LED lighting is one 48" ecoxotic stunner strip, 12,000k/453blue with reflectors


hard to make out true coloring with camera, im using a droid btw. color is more crisp in person and the shimmering effect is awesome. my fish dont seem to mind the LEDs

i also have lunar lights set up too, true lumen LEDs which are cool looking as well.


i tried uploading a vid but it was choppy. overall great lighting. if i were to use this as a day light type setup i would use another 48" stunner and yes that is brown algea on my coral :x
 
#17 ·
Here are two pics of my tank. One is pre fish and plants with 2 18" 15w florescents and the other is with two Marineland 18" Singlebrights.

The LED's show brighter highlights and cast more distinct shadows. The higher contrast looks crisper and much more natural to me.





This third one is with just the blue leds on. My digital cam does not render this wavelenght very well in pics, but is a nice night light and the shimmer effect is very noticeable.

 
#19 ·
stevenp said:
ya plz do show sum pics and were did did you buy them and how much did they cost you
i assume youre asking me..?

if so i posted pics above and i went to marinedepot.com. after shipping and taxes i spentaround 170$
 
#21 ·
I am definitely loving the night lighting with the blue LEDs, and the spotlighting on some of the other tank pictures makes the lighting look more natural IMO. I really like the shadowing on the rocks and everything. I'm now considering getting the Marineland LED lights since theyre not that bad of a price at petsmart
 
#22 ·
I ended up getting 2 36" Marineland Doublebright LED's for my 125 tank and they are much brighter than what i was expecting, but like others i prefer a dimmer tank. Below is a video i took of them the other day of the lights...It looks a little darker than they actually are but it will give you an idea.

Overall i'm very happy with them, and the nightlight is great too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tByi4yp3 ... ture=g-upl
 
#23 ·
I was looking up on google and there are many DIY's for making your own LED light bars. After reading through a few of them, they seem pretty easy to make, and cost fractions less than what you pay for already made LED lighting. This is especially good for the people who just want an LED night light.
 
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