newfisher Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 I have been looking to switch out my DE250w Metal halide, dual 65 PC actinic and moon led fixture to an L.E.D. set up for awhile. I didn't want to take on a D.I.Y project and looking at new ones, they seemed a little expensive and out of reach for just swapping lights to have the latest and greatest. I was recently up at Garrett's( The Premium Aquarium) and he had a SAHWEEEET little fixture he had been having great sucess with hanging over one of the frag displays. :p He said they were a new design that OIAB is also selling and have proven to meet both PAR and wallet requirements. I had him order me one through OIAB. HOLLY CAT'S! is this sucker bright. (naughty) I would post pictures, but have you ever tried to take a photo of the sun? You get my point. My wife says we should add blackout cutains to the living room so the police and energy management don't get suspicious. It's self contained, fans, gloss black and looks super professional and compact. A third the size of my old fixture ( thank you TAT2D for the sale...it is a great lamp) and I can now grow frags across the street at the neighbors place. Corals opened up immediately to soak in the new light, the fish....still hiding. I am sure they think the world is on fire. (rock2) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Glad you like it so far! They are pretty sweet little units at a pretty decent price. I really enjoy the looks of them myslef, especially the configuration that you got! Thanks for buying one from me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 I have two of the same ones. They are awesome. Very bright. A little to bright for my chalices in the sand. I have light where I never did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 how much do they cost and how big im looking into building a diy for a 40 breeder do they dim? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyInside Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 How much are these and would one cover a 40b? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefSafari Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Can we get a little more details on these? Like how much they are, how much space does one fixture over, like the previous posts, I too have a 40b that would be awesome to give LED's a try...How are they mounted (Hanging or legs?) Can you get them in different arrangements, like if you want a 20K look vs say a 50/50? What type of LED's are they, CREE? Sounds really interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tat2d Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Thank you for the deal on the light John. My tank looks sooo much better. And the xenia that hasn't seemed to pulse very well since I got the tank is pulsing like mad today. I saw the LED light firsthand last night.... Unbelievable! Even Brown stuff glows under the actinics. There is a mini-maxi in his tank that didn't look like much under the daylights, it looked like a neon rainbow under the LED blues. And don't look directly at the leds. I made that mistake with just the actinics on, and could see the led pattern superimposed on everything I looked at for the next 15 minutes DOH! I can't wait to see what kind of growth you get out of these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfisher Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 I will try to answer the basics...Garrett please chime in on the rest. 1) size: they come in several configurations. I replaced my 36"x18"x3" system with this 14x10x2 and thought it was going to be to small....hahaha was I wrong. It's a very nice smooth glosy black slim fixture. 2) will it work for a 40 breeder: yes ...and then some. Compare it to sitting in a theater and the turn up the house lights ( this is your current fixture/lighting system) now introduce a hot ball of molten mass on fire at the top of the ceiling allowing you to see popcorn kernals between the bolts that hold the theater seats to the floors and when you look at it and then look away, you are reminded of that doctors appointment for blindness when you watched your buddy welding in his garage. 3) Cost: I looked around and found Garretts prices well below what I was going to spend on something that didn't look as nice. 4)Are they dimmable: they have on/off, but I am looking into a rheostat system. Eugenereef has his D.I.Y. dimmable and I am sure the factory set up can be controlled. 5)How do the mount: the fixtures come with solid brass/machined pegs at the top (4) near the corners and are drilled. The kit includes a stainless wire spider system to attatch to the legs/pins and center hang. I tossed the spider and used 2 yo-yo's. i will try to post a pic tonight. looks good and can move it up/down several feet. My neighbors like it closer to the water surface, but my fish are looking for spf50...hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 One of these fixtures is more than enough for a 40b. I have two on a 80 gal and is a little much. They are super bright. With the whites and blues on it looks like a little less than a 20k. If there was a 18k that's what I would say. I have seen great PE with them so far. Going on 2 weeks. I do wish you could dim them but they are still great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefSafari Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 One of these fixtures is more than enough for a 40b. I have two on a 80 gal and is a little much. They are super bright. With the whites and blues on it looks like a little less than a 20k. If there was a 18k that's what I would say. I have seen great PE with them so far. Going on 2 weeks. I do wish you could dim them but they are still great. That sounds perfect, 18K would be awesome! How much does one of these fixtures run? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 As mentioned there are several options available for these units and several peopl who are selling them in all sorts of configurations. OIAB and several other shops as well as myself have a few different sources and several configuration options for these. The ones that OIAB and I got in this last shipment were a bit different in that we had them bump up the blue to white ratio a bit. We also ordered a couple of other varieties but my favorite so far and the ones that most people seem to like the best are a 64:48 blue to white ratio. They have a total of 112x 1w Quality LED's, 3 cooling fans, 2 switches and cords to allow for timer and blue/white operation, come in a real sleak powder coated casing, the LEDs are back by and aluminium heat plate, and their wattage totals right about the 120w mark. As of now they are not dimmable straight from the factory so some modification or a dimmer option would have to be applied post purchase. I have tested these over tanks from 12"-29" deep with excellent results. As mentioned they are extremely bright and will pretty much grow anything well from my experience. From the looks of it side by side with a 400w single ended MH with batwing reflector, I would say they are pretty close to the same output visually with the exception being that the LED fixure has a better spread allowing for more coverage and the MH having more shimmer do to its single source nature. Benefits: -120w of power usage vs. 250w-400w power usage. -Way less heat! No need for a chiller in most cases so there is 250w-1500w of power saving when that isn't running. -No more lamp replacements. $60-$150 savings per unit anually there. The LED's themselves are rated at 50,000 hours which is about 13.5 years running them 10hrs/day -Slim and sleek design allowing for better asthetics and more room to work in your tanks. Many mounting options with the 4 corner brass loop pegs. -No need to run retrofited or seperate actinics since the blues are built in and the switches and individual cords make things easy. -Casing uses standard Phillips screws, look to be standard case fans, etc. Fixing and replacing parts if any break/wear should be easy for the most part. -Great light penetration and spread. This in many cases means fewer units per foot needed. Most metal halide reflectors/housings need to be placed so that you have a lamp every 2ft or so where as these are more like 2.5-3ft. They have around 200 PAR at 24"(may be a hair less with the 64:48 ratio vs. the 1:1 ratio but still pretty great). -Probably the best bang for the buck on the market. Units range from about $280-$500 depending one what their configuration is and who is sellling them from what I have seen(I sell them for around $300 give or take depending on configuration). Prices will change as modifications and the market for these change. Downsides: -Chinese built, though built welll, means that they have little to no warranty unless one is given by the individual seller. This is good in that it keeps the cost of these units down but the dowside being you pretty much fix it yourself is something goes out. -Less shimmer than a MH but more than T-5's(this is do the the single light source of a MH lamp) -Depending on when you want one they can take a 2-5 weeks to get them since they are built to order and shipped from China. Most retailers have to meet a minimum # of units ordered in order to keep the cost of each unit down both in terms of manufacturing and transit costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfisher Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Here's a couple crappy phone pics with the flash on to see the housing and reduce the led light glare. Showing yo yo's and using supplied spider Still have to route cords. This is with a flash, without the flash on all that the camera picks up is giant glare. I also have it tilted away from the camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 i would already have one ordered if it had dimming option i may get one anyway and im just not sure what the best configuration is im equally interested in attaining fast growth and great color any suggestions would 50/50 b the best for or would a higher blue count still provide decent growth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I like the 64-48 myself. Do you want growth over looks? If so go 50-50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 well i want coral to grow but i suppose id like to c more vibrant color the 64-48 will still provide growth right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I am seeing pretty good growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 would i have low light spots in a 40 gallon with the same size fixture newfisher mentioned also would this light cook zoas because thats what i plan on starting with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfisher Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 In a natural aquascaped set up I don't see how you would have any shadows or low par areas. You should come check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bswe22 Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Cool new light Jon. How's the tanks doing these days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgrcrain Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 As far a growth goes, here is my ORA Miami Orchid. All of the growth from the 3 branches up is since I got the same LED's from OIAB, its over an inch in 2 month's. And my sand is covered with zoas so no cooking.(laugh) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefSafari Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Still havn't seen any ball park prices being given, is it some kind of secret or something?(scratch) EDIT!!! Ooops...Missed this part -Probably the best bang for the buck on the market. Units range from about $280-$500 depending one what their configuration is and who is sellling them from what I have seen(I sell them for around $300 give or take depending on configuration). Prices will change as modifications and the market for these change I can't wait to see one of these setup, I am guessing OIAB has one setup as a display? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Yes they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trautman Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 beware however. an led fixture WITHOUT PASSIVE COOLING (these ones), is liable to burn out when the fans burn out. so WATCH YOUR FANS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burningbaal Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 anyone try dimming these? I'd love to time the dimmers separate for the blue and the white, but it sounds like these don't even have dimmable drivers? I'm hoping to do an LED fixture in a while...currently rocking 64 lame watts of T8 in my 4ft 55ga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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