3 gal leds

A lumen isn't a really good way to measure light for corals, you want to look at PAR. However, the par levels will different for each type of coral. I think you are better off looking at individual lights and comparing them based on their type of bulb and power
 
Something like this would allow you to keep pretty much whatever you want

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Here is mine
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They are made by Dave Fason at Nano Box . Here is a link to his site, but the pico version isnt on there yet. Shoot him an email if you are interested and he will get you fixed up.

The pricing is all based on what you want , color , # of LED , etc.

Nano Box Reef - Custom LED Aquarium Lighting
 
The tank is in a cubby in my entertainment center. It has a light socket right above the tank. I'm looking for something with both white and blue leds that can screw into the socket without breaking my wallet. Any idea where I can find one?
 
little_fish said:
A lumen isn't a really good way to measure light for corals, you want to look at PAR. However, the par levels will different for each type of coral. I think you are better off looking at individual lights and comparing them based on their type of bulb and power
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This is something that I have found very perplexing. Why is the lumen output not an important measure in selecting lighting? While I understand the importance of PAR and wavelength output, when it comes to intensity of the light everything still references power, i.e. watts/per gallon, watts per inches of depth, etc. Having worked in the electrical industry for many years, I can tell you that watts is only the measure of how much energy a bulb will use. For example, a 100W Sylvania softwhite 120v bulb puts out 1530 lumens. A 23 watt Sylvania CFL at 6500K puts out 1450 lumens. I mention all of this not to show how much I know, but I'm wondering if I'm missing something or if old conventions are just slow to change. And also if there is a lumen recommendation for various set-ups.
 
Lumens are useful to understanding how bright something will appear to the human eye, because that is what the scale is based on. But bright to a human eye doesn't translate to bright useful energy to a coral. Take LEDs for example, they don't appear very bright to human eyes(unless you look right at the bulb), but they put out much more useful bright light for corals. We tend to use watts as a judge of how good a light might be only because par measurements can vary a lot between tanks, but it is still is pretty crude because t5 watts are better than t12 watts, but metal halide watts and led watts better. But because its easier to know the watts and then what type of bulb you have, it's how we have formulated the rules of thumb for buying lights. Old fashion yes, but I'm not sure of a better way to base guess how good a light might be
 
That's not exactly correct, but close enough. Let's say I'm trying to find the least expensive way to achieve the needed light levels. How do I know how many LED's I would need vs how many T-5 lamps. I can get the color spectrum I need simply by choosing the right bulb/led, but as far as how many bulbs or LED's, how do I know what I need? Is there some other method of calculation or at least a watts/gallon or watt/inch of depth for each type? Inquiring newbies want to know! And thanks for your reply.
 
Jahm said:
That's not exactly correct, but close enough. Let's say I'm trying to find the least expensive way to achieve the needed light levels. How do I know how many LED's I would need vs how many T-5 lamps. I can get the color spectrum I need simply by choosing the right bulb/led, but as far as how many bulbs or LED's, how do I know what I need? Is there some other method of calculation or at least a watts/gallon or watt/inch of depth for each type? Inquiring newbies want to know! And thanks for your reply.
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This depends on what LEDs are being used, if they are being used with optics etc. I have 24 of the 3 watt Cree LEDs covering a 24x24 area on my tank.

To the OP, it sounds like a Par38 led bulb will be your best bet, it uses a standard light socket
 
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