Is this enough light

rslinger

rslinger

Member
Well i am just looking at lights. I know it would be way cheaper to build my own but not sure if i can do it!! so I found this light. Would it be enough to keep what ever i wanted in a 75 gallon.

Evolution LED Light

Retail Price: $299.00
119- 1 watt LED's [85 Blue/34 White]
Switch for white off.
Hanging hardware included!
Housing dimensions are 16" x 8.5" x 3" unit has 3 fans built in for optimal cooling. We have been testing this LED aquarium lighting unit over our frag tanks and so far the growth is the same as we had with the power hungry 400 watt metal halide, the colors are much better; it is a perfect blue color like a well balanced blue T5 or a 25K metal halide look!
Housing is powdercoated black for a sleek look if you do not use a hood on your aquarium.
Warranty is 2 years on these units, typically in stock email us for availability if you need them fast!
PAR testing with 1 light:

  • 5" above water line shows 926 PAR at surface

  • 565 PAR 5" underwater
    263 PAR 19" underwater
    115 PAR 23" underwater at the sandbed
Unit comes with 2 cords 1 for the white and 1 for the blue so you can independently control them and have a dusk dawn cycle (timers and or controller's not included)
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
It is nowhere near the best unit out there, but for the price why not? You would probably need two units for a 48" long tank though.
 
rslinger

rslinger

Member
How hard is it to make your own leds i really want to go the led route i think but i got three kids to think about and even six hundred is more than i can spend on lights. I am build me own stand and canopy so i am sure i could put them in there some how. just not sure how hard it is. on there website they show a 300 gallon tank with 2 the also sell one with 200w for $499 not sure if 80w is worth the extra $200 but want to be able to keep what ever i want.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
I posted some info in this thread that might interest you and give you an idea on DIY led.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/forum/thread/382800/led-fixture-set-up-questions
 
rslinger

rslinger

Member
Well i get it and it really doesn't sound all that hard, but the cost suprissed me he has well over 600 dollars put in that light.... Ok what about MH. All me old tanks were PC then T-5 HO. I really want more light. and 8x54 t-5 ho cost a lot. My budget is tight. could i run 2 250W MH with out a chiller. I see them for sale on my local reef webpage all the time like $50 for ballast, reflector and socket. would i still need like some t-5 or vho for color?
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
$50.00 isn't a bad price. But you get what you pay for as well. Sounds like the reflector is nothing more than your basic spider reflector which is ok, but not near as efficient. You can mount tons of lights over a tank, but with inefficient reflectors your light is wasted. Find out more about the reflector before purchasing. Supplemental lighting is a personal choice. Depending what MH bulbs you run might be to your liking and not need supplementing. What Kelvin range were you looking at? Also remember, bulbs will vary on ballasts they are run on as well. Any idea what brand ballast at your local site?
 
rslinger

rslinger

Member
Here is the post

250 halide ballasts and reflector material
by O&J'sdad » Sat Dec 18, 2010 3:51 pm
I have 2 250 watt ARO electronic ballasts $30 each OBO
1 250 watt Icecap electronic ballast (old style) $30 OBO
2 mogul sockets for halides $5 each
Anyone who buys a ballast can have my used bulbs. I believe I have around 8 that I need to get rid of.
I also have 2 2'x4' hammer tone reflective material for making DIY lumenbrite reflectors $15 each.
So for $50 i can make a 250w mh. Is this a deal. I think i want aroudn 20000k but not real sure is that to yellow i never really messed with MH before.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
I would suck those ballasts up for the price.....As far as the material to build DIY Lumenarc's, there isn't enough material to build 2. I would buy the MH ballasts if that's the route you want to go, and look at some good quality reflectors and you'd be set.
 
rslinger

rslinger

Member
Ok did a little more reading on diy led's and think i might do this. I found i can get 36 3w cree with covers 3 drivers for about less than $300. I think i would want to do blue 2:1. i will figure out my own aluminum track to put them on I saw a thread somewhere using sliding door tracking i could make that work. this should be fun!!
 
rslinger

rslinger

Member
That's the one that i was reading yesterday!!! I went to the website they ordered from and priced it out. I an going this route for sure just for the heat and energy use. I figure i will start with 3 string and then after the tank cycles and matures a little i will put five on it that should be plenty.
 
rslinger

rslinger

Member
So how thick do you guys think the aluminum sheet needs to be? They sell them in different thickness at a local Menard's store. I think i like the idea of thinner easier to cut, but will it displace enough heat. they sell it up to a 14in thick.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
1/4" should be plenty. I don't think it's about thickness of material more in lines of spacing which factors into heat dispersment.
 
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