What percent are you running your eBay 165w LEDs at?

[GoBigGuy]

Hi all,

I really need to get my hands on a par meter so I can tell what my light readings are at but until I do can you let me know what you are running your eBay 165w LEDs at?

Currently I have 4 of them on my 180gal, (72x24x24), about 5" off the top of my tank and have them set to about 75% blue and 60% white but not digging the blueish look so thinking of doing them all at around 60%. I'm hoping someone here has these lights and can tell me what they have found to be the best percents for coral growth.

Thanks for the input!

 

[GoBigGuy]

I should note that the first 2 lights I ordered had the 90 degree lens over the LEDs but the second 2 didn't have the lens so I just removed them all. Was this a mistake?

 

[xmas_one]

I have the same "165w" fixture, it's real easy to overdo it with these especially with the optics on it. I was hitting close to 500 PAR @ 24" through the air @ 100% on both channels. If you took the lenses off, you effectively have a 120 degree lens. With LEDs most of the intensity is within about half of whatever the angle the optics are quoted to cover, so a 120 is really a 60, and a 90 is really a 45. With a little sloppy trig you get roughly half the PAR at a given distance with 120 degrees vs the 90 degrees with the optics on. More sloppy math gives me that you would hit 250 at 24" and 100% and 170 at 24" and with the 75/60 mix you are set at now. At 29" and with the water in the tank it should be a little lower, maybe 140 with your current settings.

 

[GoBigGuy]

I have the same "165w" fixture, it's real easy to overdo it with these especially with the optics on it. I was hitting close to 500 PAR @ 24" through the air @ 100% on both channels. If you took the lenses off, you effectively have a 120 degree lens. With LEDs most of the intensity is within about half of whatever the angle the optics are quoted to cover, so a 120 is really a 60, and a 90 is really a 45. With a little sloppy trig you get roughly half the PAR at a given distance with 120 degrees vs the 90 degrees with the optics on. More sloppy math gives me that you would hit 250 at 24" and 100% and 170 at 24" and with the 75/60 mix you are set at now. At 29" and with the water in the tank it should be a little lower, maybe 140 with your current settings.

Hey Dan,

Thanks for the feed back but I do have to admit you went way over my head lol

Should I turn them down to a 50%/50%? (i like the look of equal blue and whites}

Thanks again for your help

 

[xmas_one]

I would think that would be fine.

 

[orbela]

I would start 40/40% those lights are pretty strong. I bleached a lot of stuff when I first got them and I started 50/50 as recommended then had to go down to 30/30 and slowly ramp up. Good luck

 

[Beezaroh]

I have mine at about 75% blue and 50% white. I like the blueish look tho. So i guess it depends on your taste. But yes always start low


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[AzusaReefer]

Do these lights support SPS? would one of these be overkill in a jbj 28 g?

 

[josebelthobby]

I running mine at 75% blues and whites just turn on

 

[dvu006]

40% go slow

 

[SJCfisherman]

I would start 40/40% those lights are pretty strong. I bleached a lot of stuff when I first got them and I started 50/50 as recommended then had to go down to 30/30 and slowly ramp up. Good luck

What kind of timers do you guys use with these lights? And do you find a happy medium so to speak setting to leave them on when you're gone? Ex. 40% blue 40%white? I was gonna just get a standard timer and plug it into a power strip. How are you guys doing it with your ebay lights? Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! -Dylan

 

[Reefcube29]

100 % blue , n 75% on white/other colors 10 hours a day n I turn off all the whites about an hour before the lights switch to my moonlights 37gal tall tank. Also just the basic corallife timer. I have the reefbreeders value fixture by the way...

 

[SJCfisherman]

100 % blue , n 75% on white/other colors 10 hours a day n I turn off all the whites about an hour before the lights switch to my moonlights 37gal tall tank. Also just the basic corallife timer. I have the reefbreeders value fixture by the way...

Cool thanks a lot. That is very similar to what I had in mind just wanted to get some perspective on how everyone else is doing it. I didn't have the extra 150 to get the cool programmable light with built in digital ramp timers lol. Thanks Jim!

 

[orbela]

What kind of timers do you guys use with these lights? And do you find a happy medium so to speak setting to leave them on when you're gone? Ex. 40% blue 40%white? I was gonna just get a standard timer and plug it into a power strip. How are you guys doing it with your ebay lights? Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! -Dylan

I have ReefRadiance and use my Reefkeeper to control it. You can go even lower % if you have a shallow tank. I'm happy with them just find it difficult to mount on my tank since I can't hang from ceiling or from the back.


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[SJCfisherman]

I have ReefRadiance and use my Reefkeeper to control it. You can go even lower % if you have a shallow tank. I'm happy with them just find it difficult to mount on my tank since I can't hang from ceiling or from the back.


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I have been seriously looking into and researching reefkeepers and I am gonna set one up eventually. When I find the right deal on one I'm picking it up. Thanks for the input Orbel!

 

[orbela]

I have been seriously looking into and researching reefkeepers and I am gonna set one up eventually. When I find the right deal on one I'm picking it up. Thanks for the input Orbel!

You can buy a lite version for $100


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[SJCfisherman]

You can buy a lite version for $100


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Good to know. I'm gonna save some dough and check it out.

 

[SJCfisherman]

You can buy a lite version for $100


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Oh yeah I almost forgot, I ordered a coralife digital timer/ power strip yesterday. This is what I'm thinking of doing, let me know what y'all think. So it has 2 sets of separately timed outlets. Since I don't have programmable light, I figure the next best thing would be to, for example, run my 1st timed set on the blue lights. Let's say I have those kick on at 7am and shut off at 7pm. Now I can have the whites at lets say 50 percent kick on at 7:30 or 8:00am and shut off at 6 or 630 pm. What do you guys think? Is 12 hrs too long of a light cycle for softies and zoas? Please let me know what you all think as your suggestions and opinions are highly appreciated!

Also do you guys run your blues all night or most of the night as moon light??

 

[SJCfisherman]

^^^^^^anyone?

 

[Hardridge]

I have 2 24 inch reef breeders over my 140 cube I set it on sunrise to sunset but it peaks at 100 on blues and other colors and 75 on whites for 4 hours