# Check out these LED panels! I'm thinking of using them over a 10ft w x 5ft d x 3ft h



## apctt77 (Mar 15, 2009)

Hey Guys

Has anyone tried these out?

I know a lot of people have been doing some DIY LED lighting projects but just thought I'd post this as:-

They're a good price, use hardly any watts, put out loads of light and last 10years!

You get 3 12.25inch x 12.25inch square panels, each covered in 225 top quality LEDS and they only use 14w per panel, total cost is $119/£78 inc P&P (I'm not the seller buy the way  )

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/675LED-All-White-Grow-Light-Panel-Lot-LED-Lamp-Bulb-14w_W0QQitemZ220406942174QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item33514709de&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A30

There's also another guy selling a strip light version that's 4ft long and has 276 LEDs, it also lasts 10years and uses 15w. It also puts out 100w of light!

check it out
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AQUARIUM-LED-...hash=item330327561739&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177

What do you guys think about them?

I'm considering getting the 3 12x12 panels for my 55ukG tank and I also want them for my future Mbu Puffer tank which is going to be 10ft w x 5ft d x 3ft h.

Do you think these LED lights will penertrate through 3 ft of water?

How many 12x12 LED panels do you think I'd need to light the whole Mbu tank?

I'd love to hear your thought's and suggestions

Thanks


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## apctt77 (Mar 15, 2009)

I trust your judgment on this guys but was wondering if you could have a look at these

These one's are red and blue LED's by the same people but they say the light output/floor coverage is Rec. coverage: 16 sq. ft. Max. coverage: 260 sq. ft.(I take it this is using all 4 panels) I wonder if the white LEDs the sell have a similar output/floor coverage
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/900-LED-Hydroponic-Grow-Light-4-Panels-56w-Red-Blue_W0QQitemZ220406517535QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3351408f1f&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A30

I've also just found these which have less LED's on them but it states they are:-

12w

also last 10years

cost £7 to run for a year

Tests have shown that a 12w AquaBeam produces up to 33% more illumination at 50cm than a 24w compact fluorescent aquarium fitting.

http://tmc-ltd.co.uk/aquarium/aquaray-lighting.asp

They might be good for a smaller 55g tank

What do you think


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## apctt77 (Mar 15, 2009)

Just so you know guys, I've posted this thread on about 5 different forums just to get a wide scale of feedback and I just got one guy reply who has bought both kinds of LED fixtures from both sellers!

In short he said the 4ft fixture is great and he has it over his FW, he said the square panels are crap!

Here's his reply:-
So I own both sets of these lights. I was thinking the exact same thing you are. The one that is a square sold by MIX Wholesale suck. They throw light straight down in a circle smaller than the frame of the light and none anywhere else. They are like LED spot lights. The other ones sold by Frog Food Half are sweet. The problem I found with the three foot light is the two I bought have both failed with in three months. I am currently running the 4 foot tube ad it is working great. The problem with the two that I bought is that they were lights that went into a fixture and the one over my salt tank got water inside the tube thru vent holes and started having the lights fail as they corroded. the other one had the cap loosen and and break the wires inside. So far the 4 foot light that is it's own tube and fixture has held up for about a month now over a fresh water tank. I really love the light they give off and the low power usage but the quality is what you pay for. The biggest down fall of these lights is moisture gets in the vent holes and causes havoc on the lights wiring inside. I am thinking of sealing all the vent holes but I am afraid they may get to hot and burn the house down. So a long post even longer I would recomend them and I am going to use them when I buy my 270 but be prepared to tinker with them a bit to get them working right.


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## supersmirky (Oct 22, 2008)

I don't know anything about the LEDs, but thanks for posting the feedback!


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## Shad0w (Nov 13, 2006)

you might want to compare the lumens

the 4ft 18W (276 LED) from your ebay link generate only 900lumens. A 23 Watts compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) emit about 1500 lumens.

if you happen to search around at LED company web site like cree or avago (agilent) you will probably found out that LED is not more efficient than CFL. They do last longger though.


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## apctt77 (Mar 15, 2009)

I'm thinking these LED's I've supplied links to are probably best if you have a FOWLR SW tank or a FW tank with just various moss plants etc

I'm thinking of getting one for my Frogfish tank


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## Mikeracing77 (May 15, 2009)

As a light / grow shop owner, I have people coming in from time to time to buy LED light setups. The problem with LED's though is that all the money and research they've put into them are the 5mm, which have a 12 degree viewing angle and hardly any intensity. People that are using them to grow not in water are having to put them about 6 to 8 inches from the plant, and they have absolutely no spread on the light. IMHO LED's just aren't ready to be used for growing plants. Which sucks because you can get them in the exact Kelvin that the plants use, they run cool, and have great life. Soon though, I know they're working on it. As soon as the big light guys have them, you can be sure I'll have some and be testing them.

If you compare lumens, make sure you check the at different distances. I hear there's a big swing.


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## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

i am kinda of the opinion to stick with tried and known to work technology - but an interesting read


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## fishyerik (Oct 8, 2008)

The only advantage with that kind of LED's is that the reflector function is built in.

Much of the "data" are pure lies, for example; if it would give 100 watts of light with 15 watts power consumption you should be able to hook it to a solar cell with 20% efficiency and create a perpetuum mobile, it would by far be the greatest technological breakthrough ever.

Some may say it's understood the 15 watts of LED's gives the same amount of light that 100 watts of incandescent lamps give, thats not true either, that kind of LED's is not very efficient, 15 watts of those LED's equals in reality roughly 30-60 watts of incandescent lighting.

Lifespan, as the person on the other forum testified those long lifespans are mostly theory/lies mostly because of the poor build quality. Normal lifespan on that type of LED-fixtures are closer to incandescent bulbs than to fluorescents, although some of those LED fixtures may last longer then even good fluorescents.

That kind of LEDs are only good for indication, decoration and where you can't use fluorescent or HID as in traffic lights or turn signals, or when you want a very small amount of light, as in night lights.

Being Swedish its tempting to compare that 15 watt US $40+6 LED to one of IKEAs 11 watts "sparsam" low-energy bulb witch you can buy 3 for US $3,99 where the amount of light in reality is about the same, average life expectancy will sparsam probably win, and so on. Surely the sparsam will need a fixture with a reflector to get the light down in the tank, but that don't have to cost $40, and it will be reusable, and, that LED panel would also need a reflector because a not insignificant part of the light would otherwise be reflected by the water surface due to the wide viewing angle, I'm thinking of the one with 120° viewing angle. 

Not that IKEA's "sparsam" is great for aquarium lighting, but they're better then those LED panels that cost over 30 times more.

There are LEDs that in reality are almost as energy efficient as florescents as ShadOw mentioned, but with their price per watt they have no real practical advantage as aquarium lighting except for tanks to small even for the smallest CFLs, besides the fact that they may on average last longer then CFLs even in reality. 

Being Swedish I should probably also apologize for my poor English, sorry, but I do think the message came through.


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