# LED rope lights?



## ibfan1 (Jun 15, 2011)

Hi, I've been thinking about setting up a relatively low light aquarium, and I've been wondering if using just LED rope lights would be okay? I've heard of using the blue ones for moonlights, or light supplementation, but never for the main lighting. Could this work? Thanks!


----------



## ObiQuiet (Oct 9, 2009)

I'm afraid not. LED rope lights won't be bright enough to be the main lighting even in a low-light tank.


----------



## ObiQuiet (Oct 9, 2009)

For night lighting, though, I do use these:

http://www.eaglelight.com/product/S...Mood-Ribbon---Color-Changing-Light-Strip.html

I couldn't decide what color I wanted, so I got these that allow a fair amount of control over the color. Blue for the moonlit look, orange for sunset, green to highlight the plants...


----------



## singolz (Oct 27, 2011)

ObiQuiet said:


> For night lighting, though, I do use these:
> 
> http://www.eaglelight.com/product/S...Mood-Ribbon---Color-Changing-Light-Strip.html
> 
> I couldn't decide what color I wanted, so I got these that allow a fair amount of control over the color. Blue for the moonlit look, orange for sunset, green to highlight the plants...


wow I've never seen anything like this and would love to have some sort of night light on my tank. any pictures of said light?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## ObiQuiet (Oct 9, 2009)

I tried to do photos when I first installed the lights, but the pics didn't match reality (the camera adjusted the exposure and color balance).

If you're interested in the Eagle LED strip lights, there are some things you should know:

* I really like the ability to change the lighting colors, and have gotten in the habit of changing the color at the start of each month.

* The two-strip kit is adequate for a tank that is 36" wide.

* There is a remote control that lets you choose colors and brightness. (It also lets you set flash and strobe modes, but that's not useful for an aquarium)

* Some of the 15 colors work really well (blues, greens, oranges, white). Others don't look right for an aquarium (purple, pink, red)

* The lights produce very little of the shimmer effect many people look for in moon lights

* The red, green, and blue colors don't come from single point sources, so there is a slight chromatic abberation effect with some of the color mixes. It's not generally noticeable, but would affect macro photography and those looking at fine points of fish plumage.

* The LEDs are encased in a rubbery gel-plastic, so are water proof. The power connector, though, is easy to pull out. I added a strain-relief clip since mine are on a hinged lid.

* The lights can be controlled by a timer, but the color changes cannot. (When powered on, they remember the last color and brightness they were set to)

* I used white plastic U-molding to create a kind of reflector around each LED strip.

* Now after nearly two years, I've noticed that some of the individual leds have failed. Since there are so many in the strip, this doesn't affect the overall look yet.

All in all, I'm happy with them as accent lighting, but there are pros and cons.


----------



## singolz (Oct 27, 2011)

ObiQuiet said:


> I tried to do photos when I first installed the lights, but the pics didn't match reality (the camera adjusted the exposure and color balance).
> 
> If you're interested in the Eagle LED strip lights, there are some things you should know:
> 
> ...


sounds great think I might have to invest in this. thanks for all the great info

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------

