CJ's BoostLED Bulb Review

I'm sure people have been wondering how good these lights work. Granted it took a little while to get them in, but my first impression well worth the wait.

I ordered two 3 Royal Blue 2 Cool White with 60 degree optics for my new 29gal frag/QT tank. These bulbs are available in a variation of style and color configurations.

The big pluses to these lights are low power consumption, small in size, low heat, very well built, and fits in a standard light socket.

Here they are unpackaged.

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Since my 29gal is at my LFS getting drilled, I won't have it til the weekend. I couldn't wait to test it, so I install one if the bulbs on my custom 40gal sump/refuge to see what the light output was.

I'm very impressed with the shimmer and color it produces. My refuge size is 17H x 13D x 18L. Which the length is a little more than half the length if my 29gal. It is very bright considering the bulb was 9 1/2" above the water. So I believe two bulbs should be plenty.

Thought the light output has basically no heat, the heatsink on the bulb and the metal socket was very hot. How hot? I read the temp with my temp gun and the heatsink was 135F and the metal socket was 123F. My only concerns would be using a cheap socket and having the bulbs enclosed a canopy without a fan. I'll keep everyone posted when I have the 29 up and running.

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great write up Computer John

the fuge does look very bright on the images under this lamp

Steve

 

That's pretty warm, if they are pendants then will matter?

 

What the wattage on these? Are they good for corals?

JP

 

Thanks for the write up

 

Hello Steve thanks. Yes the light is very bright. If you can notice, the tubeworms that I have in there were all out when I had the light on for 20min with this bulb. I normally have a CF 6500K bulb on it. I very rarely see the tubeworms with their fans out with that bulb on for hours!

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I have been in contact with BoostLED and asked about it getting that hot. He said that's fine and the heatsink is doing what it was designed to do. I would leave them in the open without a cover over them like a can cover or if in a canopy, you need fans to cool them off.

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I'm currently working on a nice mount for these bulbs that will address cooling them at the same time. I'll keep you guys posted on it.

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Kool thanks, if I ever decide to go with these I may just build shelves above the tank and have these off the bottom with cooling fans...