Kessil

All Reefbrite LED worth it?

The shimmer is greater with LEDs. Some people don't like the amount but i find it totally acceptable.
 
I love LEDs.. my reef brites are awesome.. I run 1 x 48" 50/50 on a 48x15x15 prop tank and grow pretty much everything. I got a 36" blue on my Tech 70 with a illuminarium 120w :)
 
GreshamH said:
And I don't get them for free... I don't get a screaming deal, I know that. The mark up on those isn't like livestock, that is for sure.
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Yeah I noticed that. Even if you went a DIY approach on these you're barely saving any money (if any). Where as other LED fixtures out there seem to be much more pricey in comparison.
 
I like the shimmer as well.
But a couple of notes on that:

1) It can be reduced a little with frosted optics.
The frosted (not clear) lenses diffuse the light a bit. Less of a point source.
Carclo sells those. They have some pics to show what it looks like.
Loss through the lens seems negligible.

2) Theoretically, shimmer can lower lighting requirements.
I am not sure this is real, but maybe.
Basically : In the shimmer lines, light is obviously a lot more intense.
Now if you think about what a coral sees - it gets random bursts of high intensity light.
Supposedly, chlorophyll likes that.
The high intensity knocks electrons loose quickly, pushing the chemical reactions.
But since it is intermittent, it does not burn the coral.
So you can lower overall lighting levels a bit or get better growth.
 
3 on a 120? yikes, unless its a fish only tank, good call on rethinking. People tend to over estimate how powerful LEDs actually are (including one self appointed guru :D)
 
Well, 3 x 48" reef brite = 72 LEDs.
They say they use 3W LEDs, but pretty sure they are not the top end XP-G.
And the 25VDC max number is a bit of an odd way to spec them.
They claim to be roughly the same as 2 x 48" T5's. (So 3 reef brite = 6 T5s)

So 3 is possibly enough for a 120 with softies. Likely weak for SPS.
Depends a lot on depth of tank.
On the other hand, 6 seems like a bit too much.

My suggestion is this:
Buy ONE, from a place that handles returns.
Put it on, and measure the PAR values, look at the color.
Decide how many you need, and if you like the look.
Then either buy more or return it.

That sort of investment is not something to do based on an internet thread.
 
Trust me you need 6 on a 120..... a mixed reef 6 is suggested heavily.. if you did a diy led prohect you put 180 watts of light over a 120 if you do the math 6 rb are 180watts as well
 
While finding out some actual specs on reef brites is proving a bit difficult from google but from what I can find, is while yes they are '3 watt LEDs' they are not being run at 3 watts, only 1 watt.

Also, from a pure number standpoint no way 2 48" T5HO = 1 reefbrite as far as light output, MAYBE if don't have reflectors on the T5s and you take the angle very small where you read your light then maybe... but very doubtful. Then again, finding up to date data is next to impossible for me, and maybe the newer batches are different than at the beginning of the year.

That said, I think Jess has 6 on his tank, so half of that? nah.
 
rygh said:
Well, 3 x 48" reef brite = 72 LEDs.
They say they use 3W LEDs, but pretty sure they are not the top end XP-G.
And the 25VDC max number is a bit of an odd way to spec them.
They claim to be roughly the same as 2 x 48" T5's. (So 3 reef brite = 6 T5s)
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Who says they are running CREE? They are using a 3w and it's being run at closer to 1.5 IIRC. I never listen to claims especially from a manufacturers mouth, well, at least in the lighting world.

rygh said:
So 3 is possibly enough for a 120 with softies. Likely weak for SPS.
Depends a lot on depth of tank.
On the other hand, 6 seems like a bit too much.
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Yes if you were going to go ALL white LEDs that may work for a very low end softy tank with corals placed higher in the tank. Want any blue, PAR drops with them so more are needed which is why people go with 6 for tank this size.
 
Wow, only running at 1 W huh. :~
Well, I was confused earlier looking at the pics online, since there seemed to be a serious lack of cooling.
Now that is not much of an issue.

So a 48" is only 25W or so. Yes, very weak.
But less thermal issues, more efficient at 350mA, and lasts longer.

Agree with the 6 count.
Ouch : $1500
 
eldiablosrt8 said:
You can get 6 for 1200 all day.....

N each 48" fixture is 30 watts
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Not that case if you have an adjustable power supply like on the old models.
 
Wonder how many watts the power supply uses. But yeah IIRC Jake said the heatsinks on the reefbrites were not sufficient if they were run at 3watts.
 
at 3 watts, you basically need active cooling. The PSU is probably in the 85-90% efficiency ballpark if it is a current source.
 
The old power supplies have a display that indicates how many watts are being consumed, I'll check today and see how many are consumed on a customers tank.
 
Jeremy, see if there is any indication on if it is LED watts drawn or system (wall power) drawn. Id suspect it is post powersupply measurement, but I'm sorta guessing.
 
tuberider said:
The old power supplies have a display that indicates how many watts are being consumed, I'll check today and see how many are consumed on a customers tank.
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Watts? Pretty sure it's voltage that is being displayed.
 
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