red/blue led grow bulb

[Nick28]

what do you guys think of this bulb

http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-LED-Spotlight-Bulb-TriBand-Spectrum---ONE.asp


if you know of a better bulb let me know thanks

[SantaMonica]

That's the best one I've seen yet. 13 LED watts, and it's spread out over a wide area.

[Floyd R Turbo]

That is a pretty good looking lamp. $30, all LEDs are low power though, < 0.1w ea, but looks like a 6" diameter so this is a good replacement for a CFL flood, better than the other one with similar form factor but with Orange mixed in, I think Ace tried that one and it was a fail.

If you were to use this on a scrubber I think it would have to be as close as you can get it, 2" maximum from screen, and only good for 6x6 screen max, but I suppose it remains to be seen what it can actually do.

For reference, a 6x6 screen would need 36 W total of CFL for normal intensity, and 72W total (36W per side) for high intensity. I think at best this lamp might meet the normal intensity guideline. That would mean that instead of an 18W CFL per side, one 13W LED per side. That's being conservative on the actual intensity output being about 1.5x that of a CFL

You gonna try one out Nick?

[Nick28]

That is a pretty good looking lamp. $30, all LEDs are low power though, < 0.1w ea, but looks like a 6" diameter so this is a good replacement for a CFL flood, better than the other one with similar form factor but with Orange mixed in, I think Ace tried that one and it was a fail.

If you were to use this on a scrubber I think it would have to be as close as you can get it, 2" maximum from screen, and only good for 6x6 screen max, but I suppose it remains to be seen what it can actually do.

For reference, a 6x6 screen would need 36 W total of CFL for normal intensity, and 72W total (36W per side) for high intensity. I think at best this lamp might meet the normal intensity guideline. That would mean that instead of an 18W CFL per side, one 13W LED per side. That's being conservative on the actual intensity output being about 1.5x that of a CFL

You gonna try one out Nick?


I agree on that it might be .75 watt equivalent instead of .5 led watts for these

however given the perfect spectrum for photosynthesis (hits A and B). Who knows?

I mean this is for growing garden plants and they require a lot of light and the leds are really close together.

I don't think I'll try it soon though.

[Nick28]

how about this 1 watter!http://www.lightinthebox.com/e27-par46-12w-1100-1200lm-red-and-blue-light-led-spot-bulb-85-265v_p469662.html?currency=USD&litb_from=paid_adwords_shopping&gclid=CPOBj9Cw-7gCFVCf4AodvisA-A


not specific on spectrum nm though

[Ace25]

That bulb in the first post does NOT work at all. I tried 2 of them for about 6 months trying to make them work.. I ended up putting 2 23w CFLs back in and the screen exploded with growth within days. I had high hopes for the bulb, but unfortunately I can't recommend them. They create a very tight spotlight so they have to be moved back at least 12" on either side to fill a screen, at that point they are not intense enough, and adding a diffuser also blocks too much light to make them useful.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8216/8343248155_42143798ce.jpg

[Floyd R Turbo]

Ace I thought you used the one with orange in it?

[Ace25]

Nope, the bulbs I got stated they were 660nm/460nm, but when I tested them under a spectrometer the reds were actually 630nm. Still red, but not 'deep red'.

Looks at these 2 links, pretty much the same bulb (I would put $ on they are Mfg in the same chinese factory), different specs on the LEDs. One is correct, the other is lying.

http://www.amazon.com/Counts-Lot-Hydroponic-110-volt-Growing/dp/B00C023TPE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1376758798&sr=8-6

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-plant-light-550LM-Promote/dp/B000B9TZUG/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1376758798&sr=8-12

[Nick28]

I think I will try that PAR46 bulb i posted it says its comparable to a 40 watt cfl!

5.75 inch diameter bulb is pretty big should have a good spread

So, Ace would you say that the 168 led bulb was burning the screen when it was too close?

[Ace25]

It was just too weak.. I use a full size screen, and 8" away from the screen I still had a 6" spotlight over a 10x13 screen. It barely grew in the spot, nothing on the outside. If I pulled it away far enough or diffused it nothing grew. For me it doesn't even do as good as a 23w CFL.

[Nick28]

It was just too weak.. I use a full size screen, and 8" away from the screen I still had a 6" spotlight over a 10x13 screen. It barely grew in the spot, nothing on the outside. If I pulled it away far enough or diffused it nothing grew. For me it doesn't even do as good as a 23w CFL.

yea I guess .07 (christmas lights)watts per led just doesn't have the depth no matter how many there are. probably would need to be an inch or 2 away for growth but then there would be no spread.

[Nick28]

this site has some nice units http://www.accesshydroponic.com/led-grow-lights/index2.html

[SantaMonica]

Yes it does.

[Nick28]

This site has some better prices for the 225 led http://www.thelashop.com/led-grow-lights/

[elveloz]

I bought the PAR 46 bulb Nick28 mentioned on reply #9. I removed the lenses from blue led and know the bulb doesn't go on. Why?

[Floyd R Turbo]

Did it come off easily, or did you have to wiggle it quite a bit? If the latter, you might have busted it. The whole array or just one one LED?

[elveloz]

When I remove screws from cover plate all optics just splatter all over the table.

[rleahaines]

When I remove screws from cover plate all optics just splatter all over the table.

The optics actually fit into slight depressions in the cover plate on these types of lamps. You put the cover plate face down on a flat surface and place the optics in them, then to put the plate back on you have to very carefully put the base over it so that everything lines up.

I changed the optics in a PAR 38 recently from 90degrees to 120 degrees doing this.

Note: the optics also act as a spray and water barrier as well. if you don't have them there, you will eventually short out the LEDs.

[rleahaines]

If you wiggled the LED's at all you could have broken a wire somewhere. This would cause it to not work.

[elveloz]

Thank you rleahaines, I follow your instructions, it took me like 1 hour but I reline the optics and now it's working again. I was trying to remove optics because I'm only having algae grow at the center of screen, but bulb doesn't work without optics unless any other way of doing this.

[Floyd R Turbo]

That is really odd. So none of the LEDs worked after taking the optics off?

[elveloz]

That is really odd. So none of the LEDs worked after taking the optics off?

No, none of them work .It seems like the optics and the upper plate push the plate with LED down to have some kind of contact and them the bulbs lites up.

[Floyd R Turbo]

Sounds like that particular one has some kind of contact like you mentioned. That's pretty strange though. Have you tried a process of elimination? Remove just one optic and see what happens. See if there is one particular chip that is "breaking the chain". You might have a bad connection on one chip that is being held in contact with the lens. If one contact is lost, then the whole array will not work.

I would not think that they would have designed it such that it would not work without all the lenses in place. I would think what you are experiencing is a defective product. Try the elimination process first though.

[SantaMonica]

These seem to be good too:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12W-40W-60W-100W-LED-Grow-Light-Lamp-for-flower-plant-herbs-vegetable-/251320043955?pt=UK_Baby_Baby_Feeding_Bottle_Warmer s_Coolers_LE&var=&hash=item3a83d789b3

[Nick28]

These seem to be good too:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12W-40W-60W-100W-LED-Grow-Light-Lamp-for-flower-plant-herbs-vegetable-/251320043955?pt=UK_Baby_Baby_Feeding_Bottle_Warmer s_Coolers_LE&var=&hash=item3a83d789b3

a lot of reviewers have problems with those like wrong led's, burnouts.The Philips 14.5 watt led 2700k flood would work really well. saw them for about $20 at homedepot

[Floyd R Turbo]

LED 2700K is not the same as CFL 2700K. CFLs use phosphors to shift base UV light to visible, so there is a large spectral mixture. LEDs are element based and give out a completely different signature. That is why all LED grow lamps you see are 660nm red and not 2700K WW - because LED 2700K doesn't work for growing plants, at least not growing them at the optimal pace.

[Nick28]

LED 2700K is not the same as CFL 2700K. CFLs use phosphors to shift base UV light to visible, so there is a large spectral mixture. LEDs are element based and give out a completely different signature. That is why all LED grow lamps you see are 660nm red and not 2700K WW - because LED 2700K doesn't work for growing plants, at least not growing them at the optimal pace.

they use phosphors for leds aswell (its cheaper) then elemental based ones.

CFL's with no phosphors emit mostly harmful UV light

[Floyd R Turbo]

I didn't say that we use CFLs without phosphors. All fluorescent tube lighting is UV on the interior. The phosphors shift that light into visible light. This is why a UV fluorescent tube is totally clear. That's what all fluorescent tubes are like if you take away the phosphors.

I am aware that there are phosphors applied to LEDs as well. But it is still a totally different form/source of light.

Many have tried WW LEDs and they don't work as well. I have been meaning to do some sorts of testing but have never gotten around to it. One thing that could be the issue is that 660s output a much lower intensity that other LEDs. Similarly, deep violet. But when you throw on CWs, RBs, etc, these tend to overpower a screen. This might be the reason why WWs haven't really worked as well. But regardless, there is still 'wasted bandwidth' in any other LEDs inside the deep red through royal blue spectrum.

[Nick28]

I didn't say that we use CFLs without phosphors. All fluorescent tube lighting is UV on the interior. The phosphors shift that light into visible light. This is why a UV fluorescent tube is totally clear. That's what all fluorescent tubes are like if you take away the phosphors.

I am aware that there are phosphors applied to LEDs as well. But it is still a totally different form/source of light.

Many have tried WW LEDs and they don't work as well. I have been meaning to do some sorts of testing but have never gotten around to it. One thing that could be the issue is that 660s output a much lower intensity that other LEDs. Similarly, deep violet. But when you throw on CWs, RBs, etc, these tend to overpower a screen. This might be the reason why WWs haven't really worked as well. But regardless, there is still 'wasted bandwidth' in any other LEDs inside the deep red through royal blue spectrum.

Phosphor led's are not the perfect bulb, elemental based are a little more efficient but here is a lot of wasted bandwith in CFL's as well and we know they work.philips rebel 4940 CFL 2700k4941

Both are using material to slow light down

also consider other problems with cfls

-Light is scattered everywhere even backwards towards a reflector
-Wrong temperature ruins intensity
-500 hours of operation gives a 10% perminent drop in intensity

[Nick28]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riBQkOqviCY

this vid made me feel most photosynthesis response charts are exagerrated.

[Floyd R Turbo]

That is about the most unscientific experiment though. Look at the beginning. He takes cellophane colored filters and puts them over each pod to filter out the other colors of light. That's no comparison to actually using specific spectra of LED or CFL, etc.

[Nick28]

That is about the most unscientific experiment though. Look at the beginning. He takes cellophane colored filters and puts them over each pod to filter out the other colors of light. That's no comparison to actually using specific spectra of LED or CFL, etc.

ahhhh I missed that. It does appear to be taken under sunlight though

red/blue seem to be most important based on everything i have researched but its confusing when you see experiments like the melvs reef bulb and very little difference between 6500k and 2700k scrubber growth.

do to the expense and difficulty to find red/blue bulbs its not worth the aggrevation

[SantaMonica]

More good ones:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12W-40W-60W-100W-LED-Grow-Light-Lamp-2W-Chips-flower-plant-herbs-vegetable-/221307240090?pt=US_Hydroponics&var=&hash=item791d9386f3

[Dunter]

This one any good? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230980702037?var=530149780805&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

its red and blue

[SantaMonica]

I think so it is if not too close. The single LED might be too strong if very close, which is why the ones I linked to before (with multiple LEDs) might be better because they are more spread out and could be closer to the screen.

[rleahaines]

This one any good? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230980702037?var=530149780805&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

its red and blue

I am using one of these [30 Watt] on a waterfall scrubber I have installed. It works fairly well. I am getting good dark green to medium green growth.

What I like about it is that you can move it closer or farther away from the screen as needed and don't need anything between it and the screen as it is basically sealed. It is not 100% waterproof, but is made to be water resistant.

I use a plastic bag over my screen to control spray which also works somewhat as a diffuser and slight light block. My screen is mature so I don't get any burning in the center, and good growth over the whole screen with it.

[SantaMonica]

A new good one...
http://www.expressions-ltd.com/Algae_Scrubber_LED_Light_p/led-grow-light.htm

[Rmb0513]

Rleahaines
I was wondering if you are still using the same light as in your post and also how large you screen is,
Guess also if you changed up your lighting why?
Thanks randy

[rleahaines]

Rleahaines
I was wondering if you are still using the same light as in your post and also how large you screen is,
Guess also if you changed up your lighting why?
Thanks randy

Still using the same light. Actually now two of them as I made my waterfall scrubber two sided.

The screen is 5 inches wide by 8 long with the lights concentrated on the top 4 inches or so - the screen is long enough to reach the water in the sump below to keep splashing down.

I have an effective 20 sq. inches on each side of the scrubber.

I have tried CFL's and some home made LED's - but in both cases I ran into problems with salt spray and possibility of water getting into the wiring. These lights are sealed, have enough power and easy to adjust. And the price is fairly reasonable.

Salt spray and water splash don't have any effect on them. I wouldn't put them underwater.

They are used commercially for outdoor lighting and deck lighting in areas where they can get wet. Basically weatherproof but not 100% waterproof.

[Rmb0513]

Thanks for the quick reply wanted to see which size I needed to order up
Thanks again Randy

[torosax]

What do you guys think of this bulb? http://www.ebay.com/itm/ABI-12W-PAR38-LED-Grow-Light-Bulb-Red-Blue-/321438334854?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ad737bf86 The only thing I'm noticing is that most of the "good" lights I've seen are all running 660nm and this particular one is 620-630.. will that affect much?

I found another one on Amazon but it's considerably more expensive.. and all the LEDs are red.. http://amzn.com/B004L5GQ1M

Right now I'm running 2700K CFL bulbs (100W Equivalent) on my waterfall scrubber and I'm not getting the growth I'd like to get.. mostly brown junk rather than thick green algae... 5462 5463 screen is roughly 11" long and 8" wide on my 90 gallon that gets fed 2-3x daily.. I know that I probably need my lights closer to the screen but I honestly have no idea how to go about doing that since I don't have much room in the stand...

Any thoughts would be great though! Thanks!

[SantaMonica]

Welcome.

Those LED bulbs should be good. Your current 18 watt CFL is way too small for a 88 square inch screen, and could use 2, 3, or 4 of the LED lights, preferrably on two side (2 bulbs each side)

[torosax]

Welcome.

Those LED bulbs should be good. Your current 18 watt CFL is way too small for a 88 square inch screen, and could use 2, 3, or 4 of the LED lights, preferrably on two side (2 bulbs each side)


Thanks a lot for the input! I'm running 2 23W CFLs (one on each side) but that's still probably not enough... I think I'm gonna go with the bulb from Ebay since it's cheaper, though. My project was interesting though, I tried making a floating algae scrubber but that wasn't really getting any growth after a month or so (most likely cuz of the lighting again). 5467 So, I took it apart and made a waterfall scrubber using the tube that brings water from the overflow box.. Thankfully after three weeks now, it looks like it's starting to finally have some growth on part of the screen! 5468 Can't wait to get the new LED bulbs and see what happens! Thanks again!

[levante]

Thanks for the quick reply wanted to see which size I needed to order up
Thanks again Randy

Did you place your order? Just ordered 2 x 30W of those today. I'm very cirious how fast they'll get here :-)

[SantaMonica]

Summary of links:

http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-LED-Spotlight-Bulb-TriBand-Spectrum---ONE.asp

http://www.lightinthebox.com/e27-par46-12w-1100-1200lm-red-and-blue-light-led-spot-bulb-85-265v_p469662.html?currency=USD&litb_from=paid_adwords_shopping&gclid=CPOBj9Cw-7gCFVCf4AodvisA-A

http://www.amazon.com/Counts-Lot-Hydroponic-110-volt-Growing/dp/B00C023TPE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1376758798&sr=8-6

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-plant-light-550LM-Promote/dp/B000B9TZUG/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1376758798&sr=8-12

http://www.accesshydroponic.com/led-grow-lights/index2.html

http://www.thelashop.com/led-grow-lights/

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230980702037?var=530149780805&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004L5GQ1M/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

BEST:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12W-40W-60W-100W-LED-Grow-Light-Lamp-for-flower-plant-herbs-vegetable-/251320043955?pt=UK_Baby_Baby_Feeding_Bottle_Warmer s_Coolers_LE&var=&hash=item3a83d789b3

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291399671385

[SantaMonica]

A new clip-on option:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/161252647371

[SantaMonica]

Nice new option:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291399671385

[SantaMonica]

I bought the $20 Chinese "IP65, 20w" light from ebay, and cycled it on and off many times per day for a few weeks. Then I took it apart and did some measurements. I removed the power supply for the temperature measurements, because I only wanted to get the heat from the LED, which was a LOT:

6434 6435 6436 6437 6438 6439 6440

So it turns out that the LED is getting .59 X 22.8 = 13.5 watts

As thought, the Chinese LEDs are labelled higher than their "real" watts. However, it is still a tremendous amount of heat and light. The back of the case, and the front glass, get too hot to keep your hand on. And the LED lens itself gets sizzling and will burn you.

Overall, even though it's not CE or UL rated, it's a good splash-proof light for the money. Just don't drop it in the water, because water will get inside and short the line voltage there.

[Jani]

Greeting Everybody,

I'm new to ATS. At the moment, I'm gathering as much information as it's possible to be able to build my first ATS. I want to go with LED light but there are way too much to choose the most suitable one. If I've read well there are differences between DIY LED and buying a ready-to-go one. Hence, I'm a bit confused. Could you, please, help me to decide which would be good.

I have a 180 gal system (DT+sump) with medium stock (22 fish) I think but I plan to add more soon/later. There is FrozenReef's 180 gal tank with a 18"x12" screen by T5HO. If I use LED could I go with a smaller screen?

Here are a few LED lights that I found on the local ebay. Could you give your opinions about them?

1. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/120W-1365-LEDs-LED-Hydroponic-Plant-Grow-Light-Panel-Lamp-Greenhouse-Red-Blue-/221925291924?hash=item33abc73794:g:~jAAAOSwl9BWMIn T&autorefresh=true
One of each sides.

2. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/10W-20W-30W-50W-LED-Plant-Grow-Light-Hydroponic-Lamp-Blue-Red-Floodlight-AUP-/221932404379?var=&hash=item33ac33be9b:m:mbGttIEYrASTp8jtdwhUu-g
Two of them each sides (4x50W).

3. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/30W-LED-Blue-Red-Orange-Grow-Light-Panel-Hydroponic-Indoor-Garden-Plant-Veg-Lamp/331728553501?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%2 6asc%3D20140106155344%26meid%3D8a66566cc9464559974 34395908a2766%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26 sd%3D131740213320
One of each sides.

4. Any other recommendations?

Sorry if I asked too much questions.

Thanks for your reply in advance!

Jani

[SantaMonica]

Welcome from Australia.

Although most China lights only actually have about 2/3 of the wattage they state, the 120w one is still way to much. You don't say how much you feed, but probably 3 to 5 cubes a day based on 22 reef fish. So although you could do a smaller screen than 10 x 12, if you use the lights you found, they would shine around (and miss) some of the screen. So 10 x 12 is fine.

The 30w one with multi LEDs works well; one on each side, about 5 inches away.

And the 30w version of the water resistant one works well; one on each side. 50w is too much, especially two of them on each side. You might have been thinking of CFL lights instead. LEDs only need half (or less) of the wattages for CFL or T5.

[Jani]

Welcome from Australia.

Although most China lights only actually have about 2/3 of the wattage they state, the 120w one is still way to much. You don't say how much you feed, but probably 3 to 5 cubes a day based on 22 reef fish. So although you could do a smaller screen than 10 x 12, if you use the lights you found, they would shine around (and miss) some of the screen. So 10 x 12 is fine.

The 30w one with multi LEDs works well; one on each side, about 5 inches away.

And the 30w version of the water resistant one works well; one on each side. 50w is too much, especially two of them on each side. You might have been thinking of CFL lights instead. LEDs only need half (or less) of the wattages for CFL or T5.


Thank you SM!

Yes, I forgot to mention that I feed about 4-6 cubes a day (1/3 morning and 2/3 evening).

That's really sounds good to be able to go with smaller size screen.

I might to go with the 30W multi LEDs with the increased 5 inches. Bigger distance from the acrylic sounds safer, maybe. Also, could I add a dimmel switch to adjust the intensity of the light if necessary?

The water resistant version wouldn't burn the acrylic? As you mentioned in the #48 post... "The back of the case, and the front glass, get too hot to keep your hand on. And the LED lens itself gets sizzling and will burn you."

[SantaMonica]

Problem with smaller screen, is you lose light.

Can't add dimmers to these; dimmers must be built in. Just use a cloth over half the light.

I'm not sure if they would melt acrylic; you could add a silicone seal around it maybe, to keep it from touching. Maybe best to go with the multi-LEDs if they are going to touch the acrylic.

[Jani]

Problem with smaller screen, is you lose light.

Can't add dimmers to these; dimmers must be built in. Just use a cloth over half the light.

I'm not sure if they would melt acrylic; you could add a silicone seal around it maybe, to keep it from touching. Maybe best to go with the multi-LEDs if they are going to touch the acrylic.


Ahh, sorry. My bad. I thought instead of the 18"x12" screen I can use the 12"x10" that you mentioned. But if I go with the 30W multi LEDs, I can use a 12"x12" screen which is the actual size of the dimensions of the light.

In fact, I'm not afraid to burn myself. I'm just aware to cause fire if it melt acrylic. But the 5" from it should be safe enough with a small air-vent.

Thanks the useful infos SM. I really appreciate it.