Some new lighting for those who are looking.

[Anonymous]

Check these LEDs and the dimmable Plasma light.

http://reefbuilders.com/2010/03/17/reef ... leds-roof/

For what it's got, the plasma light is priced pretty well. It looks like it could light a 4 foot tank by itself.

 

[Len]

Which one is the plasma light? i couldn't find references to plasma except in the comments section.

 

[Len]

And Rich is omnipresent these days! 8)

 

[Anonymous]

That's what happens when you're one of the major marine biologists (i.e. not a volunteer like my wife ) at a major aquarium institution

 

[Anonymous]

http://straylightoptical.com/seashine/s ... ochure.pdf

 

[Anonymous]

Which one is the plasma light? i couldn't find references to plasma except in the comments section.

The last few photos of the LIFI sunshine.

 

[Anonymous]

I plan on ordering one of these: http://www.lck-led.com/p715/Aluminum-30 ... _info.html

I will order the white one and test the spread and try to get my hands on a PAR meter. If the light is good I will use one white and one blue per 2' of tank, assuming the PAR is good and more are not needed. With a 120 degree angle I should be able to hang them pretty close to the water line and get decent spread. I am going on vacation next week and will order one when I return. If this works I can drop my electrical consumption down from 605 watts to 180 watts for my lighting.

 

[Len]

Which one is the plasma light? i couldn't find references to plasma except in the comments section.

The last few photos of the LIFI sunshine.

Ah. Looks very promising. I would love to see it in person (hard to tell how bright something is in photos).

 

[Anonymous]

Which one is the plasma light? i couldn't find references to plasma except in the comments section.

The last few photos of the LIFI sunshine.

Ah. Looks very promising. I would love to see it in person (hard to tell how bright something is in photos).

Apparently they give off the more PAR then a 400 watt bulb when mounted even higher from the water. The one thing that is not clear is the heat the unit creates.

 

[Anonymous]

Which one is the plasma light? i couldn't find references to plasma except in the comments section.

The last few photos of the LIFI sunshine.

Ah. Looks very promising. I would love to see it in person (hard to tell how bright something is in photos).

Apparently they give off the more PAR then a 400 watt bulb when mounted even higher from the water. The one thing that is not clear is the heat the unit creates.

The bulb doesn't put a ton of heat out, but I wouldn't hold the "ballast" for too long

Len, they are SUPER bright. Monterey Bay Aquarium had a few in operation last I was there, but now they have 40+ units.

 

[Anonymous]

And Rich is omnipresent these days! 8)

He's got a great agent

 

[Anonymous]

Which one is the plasma light? i couldn't find references to plasma except in the comments section.

The last few photos of the LIFI sunshine.

Ah. Looks very promising. I would love to see it in person (hard to tell how bright something is in photos).

Apparently they give off the more PAR then a 400 watt bulb when mounted even higher from the water. The one thing that is not clear is the heat the unit creates.

The bulb doesn't put a ton of heat out, but I wouldn't hold the "ballast" for too long

Len, they are SUPER bright. Monterey Bay Aquarium had a few in operation last I was there, but now they have 40+ units.

By not a ton of heat, do you mean cooler than a 250 watt halide?

With that fan cooled "ballast" I am guessing that there is a good amount of heat generated. That is why I am thinking LEDs instead. However, the fact that it is controllable/dimmable is awesome.

 

[Anonymous]

The bulb puts very little heat out BUT I would not hold the ballast for any extended period = ballast is fricken hot but the bulb isn't. Does it put out more heat then a 250w mh? Dunno BUT the bulb of a MH is fricken hot, hotten then the Lifi ballast, by a long stretch.

 

[Anonymous]

Cool to know. I would love to see one of those in person.

 

[Anonymous]

Cool to know. I would love to see one of those in person.

Do you know Tristen? (spent some time working at Atlantis) He's got a gen1 I believe.

 

[Anonymous]

I plan on ordering one of these: http://www.lck-led.com/p715/Aluminum-30 ... _info.html

I will order the white one and test the spread and try to get my hands on a PAR meter. If the light is good I will use one white and one blue per 2' of tank, assuming the PAR is good and more are not needed. With a 120 degree angle I should be able to hang them pretty close to the water line and get decent spread. I am going on vacation next week and will order one when I return. If this works I can drop my electrical consumption down from 605 watts to 180 watts for my lighting.

I'm interested to see how this does. If I can use two in my 92 gallon cube and keep most things for 60W of power, I will be a happy camper. I can't wait for LED prices to come down...energy usage is a major issue with this hobby for me and makes me contemplate either going only fish only or leaving all together.

One more question...does this have a MIXTURE of white and blue in one unit, or can one get either a white one (6000-6500K) OR a blue one?

 

[Anonymous]

I plan on ordering one of these: http://www.lck-led.com/p715/Aluminum-30 ... _info.html

I will order the white one and test the spread and try to get my hands on a PAR meter. If the light is good I will use one white and one blue per 2' of tank, assuming the PAR is good and more are not needed. With a 120 degree angle I should be able to hang them pretty close to the water line and get decent spread. I am going on vacation next week and will order one when I return. If this works I can drop my electrical consumption down from 605 watts to 180 watts for my lighting.

I'm interested to see how this does. If I can use two in my 92 gallon cube and keep most things for 60W of power, I will be a happy camper. I can't wait for LED prices to come down...energy usage is a major issue with this hobby for me and makes me contemplate either going only fish only or leaving all together.

Even if you needed 4 it is still worth it. $240 is what I pay for replacement bulbs anyway. I then expect not to buy replacements for at least 5 years. That puts you way in the lead over time.

 

[Anonymous]

I plan on ordering one of these: http://www.lck-led.com/p715/Aluminum-30 ... _info.html

I will order the white one and test the spread and try to get my hands on a PAR meter. If the light is good I will use one white and one blue per 2' of tank, assuming the PAR is good and more are not needed. With a 120 degree angle I should be able to hang them pretty close to the water line and get decent spread. I am going on vacation next week and will order one when I return. If this works I can drop my electrical consumption down from 605 watts to 180 watts for my lighting.

I'm interested to see how this does. If I can use two in my 92 gallon cube and keep most things for 60W of power, I will be a happy camper. I can't wait for LED prices to come down...energy usage is a major issue with this hobby for me and makes me contemplate either going only fish only or leaving all together.

Even if you needed 4 it is still worth it. $240 is what I pay for replacement bulbs anyway. I then expect not to buy replacements for at least 5 years. That puts you way in the lead over time.

Yeah right now I only have one MH over the cube, so replacement costs per year or year and half is in the $60-80 range. Plus, the reduction in heat would help out noise from fans, blah blah blah. I'm all for making this system whisper silent as well as energy conscious.

 

[Anonymous]

One more question...does this have a MIXTURE of white and blue in one unit, or can one get either a white one (6000-6500K) OR a blue one?

You need one of each. They also come in 10 watt floods that could be used, but more would be needed.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I did it I ordered the 30 watt led spotlights. One white and one blue. It will take 7-10 days to get here. When I get them I will try them out and let everyone know how they work. Wish me luck.