Shopping for new lights

Features:

Brand New in Box Ready to Be Operated Upon Arrivals
Non-corrosive Powder Coated Aluminum Housing
Durable German Aluminum Reflector for Maximum and Optimal Lighting Effect
A Single Power Cord To Power All Lamps for Making It Easy to Mount On The Aquarium
LCD Panel with Timer Controls T5 Lamps and Lunar LEDs Independently
Well-ventilated Design with Thermovents on Top and Both Ends of the Fixture
Acrylic Shield to Protect the Light from Splashing
Standard T5 Sockets
Mounting Legs to Jack Up the Light & Keep Safe Distance from Water
CE Certificated
Specifications:

Voltage: 110V
Power: 324W
Dimension: 48"L x 13"W x 3"H
Dimension with Legs: 49"L x 15"W x 7"H
Power Cord: Approx. 90"
Package Content:

1 x 48"Aquarium Light Fixture
3 x 54W T5 HO 12,000K Fluorescent Lamps
3 x 54W T5 HO Actinic Blue Lamps
10 x Dual Bluemoon LEDs
4 x Mounting Legs

 

I have 200 watts of led over my 120 and it's overpowered. Right now I'm maxing out at about 65%.

 

what light is this

 

the purpose is 2 fold, 1 to get the closest spectrum you can for good color growth(closer to the sun but tweaking it to prevent algae growth) and 2 to make your corals look better

BLAH

you can't go by watts with LEDs, you go by PAR, and 2 of those will at 100% will FRY your tank, I'm running mine at 40% white 70% colors and its MORE than enough

AS cheap as leds and you don't have to replace bulbs every 9 months at $25 a pop, plus they save energy. T5s are great, but in the long run, pricier than LEDS, and I disagree that most favor T5s. Good luck in your decision, both will work, but I can change the look of my tank with the twist of a knob, T5s can't do that.

 

Watts per gallon is an outdated rule of thumb. One of the biggest selling points of LEDs is the low energy consumption and lack of heat (comparatively none). For a deeper tank, you would want to buy the 90 or 60 degree optics. I have mine running at 30% output and growing SPS.

If you go with T-5, 6-bulbs is overkill, imo. You will also want to replace the stock bulbs with more quality bulbs like ATI or Geismann. They are $20-25 each, so keep that in mind.

If you are looking at those EBAY lights, reconsider. I had a 4 bulb T-5 unit that got really hot. It made the room smell like hot plastic and sometimes the bulbs with cut of randomly (probably from overheating).

 

After seeing your growth, I would consider buying the same light. It seems to be working magically for you.

 

That really is a good question, it's on e-bay of course, but i'll be damned if i can find a manufacture for it.

 

Hahaha!! it was just one of those cheap Odyssey 250W MH lights with 4 T5's, but I think a ballast should never go out in less than a year and you guys are right, all the bulbs on it need to be replaced and the MH light ain't far behind in needing changing either.

 

I am glad I still have time to research on it, I started sanding my stand and with my limited time and caveman tools it can take a full weekend if I ever get one. When I am done sanding and re-staining I will have to decide then.

 

So what kind of par does those value led lights have?