ecoxotic Panorama LED

snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I found these little 12 1/2" ecoxotic LED lights... a 12w unit. They have them in 50/50, white, blue, and royal blue for around $96. By the time you buy two of these little 12w units, you could buy a 150w HQI Metal Halide...
I would really like to go the LED route, but I'm still skeptical. The wattage isn't there but the PAR value is? Or barely any watts but a lot of lumens? I don't get it, why are LEDs so much better?
Reason being is that I am trying to find some affordable to operate lighting for my little 20g high. I talked to the two docs customer service and they said that I would only need two of these little strip lights for a 20g high mixed reef. Can anyone verify this claim?
I would rather one of these compact strip lights than a PAR 38 bulb, being that I want to put them in a canopy. HELP !
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
The thing with LEDS is they last for 10 years (supposedly)....MH bulbs are EXPENSIVE......I am really wanting to go led for my 225g....IF my husband can make them.....I am going for it
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
UGH! Why can't I decide?!?! Over time LEDs would probably be the best decision that I could make. $100 at a time... add a light at a time and do it like that... But a 12w LED unit goes against everything that I have learned about lighting for the past six years. I'm just making sure that I am not making a bad decision.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
You know....I don;t understand the LED's either.....2quills and acrylic are really good at giving that type of advice....I recently got a custom made LED system for my 54G corner bow....LOVE IT
and really LOVE the fact that I am not pre-ordering replacement bulbs.....LOL
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/387182/ecoxotic-panorama-led#post_3404625
The thing with LEDS is they last for 10 years (supposedly)....MH bulbs are EXPENSIVE......I am really wanting to go led for my 225g....IF my husband can make them.....I am going for it
Meowzer you can get prepackaged kits with driver selection and LED choices....Your hubby has the ability to put it together, plus there's a really good video tutorial that he could watch before hand and during......
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///forum/thread/387182/ecoxotic-panorama-led#post_3404626
UGH! Why can't I decide?!?! Over time LEDs would probably be the best decision that I could make. $100 at a time... add a light at a time and do it like that... But a 12w LED unit goes against everything that I have learned about lighting for the past six years. I'm just making sure that I am not making a bad decision.
SnakeBlitz...IMHO I'd build a DIY over the PAR 38 bulbs.....I think you as well could benefit from a small prepacked kit, and get all you need and plenty of bang for the buck....As far as your concern of enough light.....PC wouldn't put dent in the MH's or LEDs......That's bottom line facts.....MH's way overkill for your tank IMO, and LEDS would work quite well and you have less expense over time with energy savings and bulb replacement as mentioned earlier.....
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/387182/ecoxotic-panorama-led#post_3405325
Meowzer you can get prepackaged kits with driver selection and LED choices....Your hubby has the ability to put it together, plus there's a really good video tutorial that he could watch before hand and during......
REALLY??????? Can you PM me where to look.....I would love to look into that....(and he said he would do it) LOL
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Hey now! I would like to see that video as well if you'll let me?
Ok, I mise well invest in some CRE bulbs and a driver and other stuff to make my own. I'm pretty good ad solder work and DIY stuff. XD
I guess I'm off to do some research on how to DIY an LED setup. If you could, PM me that LED DIY video please?!?!
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///forum/thread/387182/ecoxotic-panorama-led#post_3405345
Hey now! I would like to see that video as well if you'll let me?
Ok, I mise well invest in some CRE bulbs and a driver and other stuff to make my own. I'm pretty good ad solder work and DIY stuff. XD
I guess I'm off to do some research on how to DIY an LED setup. If you could, PM me that LED DIY video please?!?!
Long time man,
Pm'ed a link.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member

Thanks for the link. Yeah, it's been a long time. I'm glad to be back. Also glad to see your still here.
Not real sure you could say im here. I pop in every once in a while.
Do you ha e a thread on your tank?
how long has it been running?
I feel you on the led thing. I have an Ecoxotic par 38 bulb. I ran it for 6 months now. I ran it on a 2 gallon tank and have recently tore down the tank since my bulb went bad. They are gonna warrenty it for me still....I think my halide will go over my 20 L. At least for now.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member

SO let me ask you this, for a 225G that is 30" deep, would you build a unit with the exoxotic led stirps....or build them with the kits available from rapid led????
 
 
 
 
Use the kit from rapid. Or buy seperate parts and build the light to your (count of led's) specs. I think 40 degree optics would be best for you. Your gonna need more leds but you'll get the light to the bottom gang buster style.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Posiden http:///forum/thread/387182/ecoxotic-panorama-led#post_3407051
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/387182/ecoxotic-panorama-led#post_3407045
SO let me ask you this, for a 225G that is 30" deep, would you build a unit with the exoxotic led stirps....or build them with the kits available from rapid led????
Use the kit from rapid. Or buy seperate parts and build the light to your (count of led's) specs. I think 40 degree optics would be best for you. Your gonna need more leds but you'll get the light to the bottom gang buster style.
One kit from rapid has 48 leds....I figure we would need 3 of them....would that be enough for my tank...PLUS something called high noon..LOL...I ahve no clue what that is.....My husband is looking at them for me...since he will be putting them together if we do this....and he said it looked like it added more light and for my size tank I might need it
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
You know, after doing a lot of research on LED lights, I'm still not satisfied with the readings. I'm going to go with T5s on individual reflectors and maybe a ecoxotic LED stunner strip for some shimmer effect. It will be more expensive in the long run to do it that way, but 24" T5 lights aren't that expensive.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
I don't know what numbers your looking at, but T5's aren't comparable in a sense if you ask me!!!! What readings are you studying??? I don't have all the technical jargon, but it's well documented PAR meters aren't truly accurate at measuring LED output. Hopefully Corey will chime in!!!
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/387182/ecoxotic-panorama-led#post_3407181
I don't know what numbers your looking at, but T5's aren't comparable in a sense if you ask me!!!! What readings are you studying??? I don't have all the technical jargon, but it's well documented PAR meters aren't truly accurate at measuring LED output. Hopefully Corey will chime in!!!
Not sure about the par meters. I think alot has to do with how the meter is being used and where in relation to the light output of optics are being used on the fixture. And optics definately change what kind of readings you're going to see. But there's a big thread on a A.I. fixtures over on RC where guys are claiming that the AI's put out an excess of around 1500 par 6" below the fixture. And that's pretty high. Sanjay also did a study using the AI's and the Ecoxotics and the Ecoxotic's don't even compare. This is from last year. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/5/aafeature2
But there is no doubt, especially if you diy a fixture that I could create one just as strong or infact stronger than 400w halides. And if you really wanted to get crazy you could build a fixture that utilized 5w or 10w leds and mount the thing on top of your house and it would still probably be too strong for the tank dimmed down to 50% lol. That's probably an exaggeration ofcorse but you get the point.
 
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