converted from florescent to LED bulbs

[sean w]

whats up guys,

thought id share the results of a little project i was working on. i just got a 22 gallon cube tank, about to start my next tank and the hood only fits 18" bulbs... not a lot of options for huge light out put, plus the bulb i got with the tank was about to burn out, so i thought this might be as good a time as any to upgrade to LED bulbs. I did some research the other night and found that LEDs are better than their florescent counter part for our aquariums in almost every way ( i say ALMOST because i didnt really go into to much research as to how LED bulbs will sustain a planted tank, im not planning a planted tank, so this area of research didnt interest me much ).

Why would you want to switch from florescent to LEDs in your Aquarium... well, from what ive found from my research... LEDs are brighter, less prone to damage, consume less energy, produce little to zero heat, most LEDs have an average life span of 100,000 hours which is about 11.4 years of being on 24/7, needless to say they will out live any florescent bulb, i like the color better and the price of them is coming down a lot... /pitch haha

anyway, here are the pictures... sorry i didnt take any progress shots.

[purplecandle]

Thank you for posting this, I found it informative. I have two tank lights about to die, I will consider what you have done.

[RTR]

The available spectra are limited and the life spans advertized tend to be rather extremely optimistic. But I do largely planted tanks, so do have different requirements from just lighting a tank for visibility.

[Iliveinazoo]

I feel that you may have to do more research on the subject.

Most manufacturers will quote that their expected lifespan is 50,000 hours - be very wary of any quoting 100,000 hours at the moment - and a few of the good manufacturers wil guarantee their product for up to 5 years.

Heat is a major factor in LED lighting and the reason that it has taken so long to get lamps with significant light outputs onto the market is that the manufacturers have had major problems trying to get the heat to dissipate from the body of the lamp effectively - if you don't have an effective heat sink then the lamps won't last long at all.

They do generally produce more light than a flourescent of equivalent power. This comes with a significant rider - LED's are a more focused/direct light source so may light a smaller portion of your tank than a flourescent with reflectors because of it's narrow beam angle, some do come with good lenses however you get what you pay for.

LED's are generally more expensive - I would advise to work out whether the initial higher investment is worth it compared to the long term energy savings.

[Morkel]

Nice Post.Thanks for sharing it.........

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