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Post by devonjohnsgard on Oct 8, 2014 16:56:38 GMT -5
Thanks for the info devonjohnsgard. Before I pull the trigger on either the Grobeam 600 or one of the Aqua**** units does anyone have any experience with the Beamswork units? Specifically the "Freshwater Bright LED Aquarium Light 30" 0.5W HI Lumen 6500K"? There seems to be darn little technical data available. I couldnt find anything on the lumens, nor the PUR/PAR values. They are attractively low in price but without tech data I fear another case of you-get-what-you-pay-for. I also just came from PetSmart - a large LFS chain here in California. They just restocked their aquarium lighting with something branded National Geographic LED Lights. They come in two and three rows of LED's. Since I dont really believe that NatGeo is in the business of building/marketing aquarium lights these must be another rebrand??? The prices are between the Beamswork units and the Grobeam 600 so if the PUR/PAR values are in the correct range could these be an effective emerging alternative just coming on the market? They both look like more economical units. I personally haven't heard of either of them and I work in the industry. There's just new types coming out all the time. The Beamwork LED I found was 10K, so watch for that. I believe these are the same as the Marineland double bright LEDs. A review: aquarium-digest.com/2010/06/30/led-light-review-tmc-xg-1500-maxspect-more/#doublebrightThe NG does look like it's from NG. At least their logo is the same. These look like LED tubes screwed into a fixture. This is more new to the LED scene. No fan needed, which is nice. For me, I just think quality when it comes to aquarium lighting. It's one of the bigger investments for the tank, so I don't want to have to do it over and over. I also think how it's going to effect the tank. I look at amount of light, mounting, safety, and warranty. LEDs with a 3 month or 1 year warranty make me nervous. Sorry I couldn't help more. They do look like affordable options, I'm just picky when it comes to LEDs.
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Post by Carl on Oct 8, 2014 18:53:10 GMT -5
The Beamsworks is a very low end LED. Here is a quote from a website I trust: Example of very low quality emitters (Sky LED, Fluval LED):
A really good example of very low quality emitter use in mass is the “SkyLED 36″ Aquarium Light” with 378 LED emitters (sold by Amazon, Truaqua, & a few others). At 23 watts and 378 emitters, this comes to only .06 watt per low PUR output emitter. Even an online search of pictures/videos shows that this large LED fixture is nothing more than a replacement for a standard 36″ T8 aquarium lamps (cicra 1980) and should certainly never be used for a Reef or high light planted aquarium.
Another similar LED fixture with this same shotgun approach is the “Freshwater Bright LED by Beamworks” with .2 watt per LED (as well as too much algae growing blue for a freshwater aquarium)!!
Another yet is the “New Fluval LED” with 312 emitters providing only 25 watts. There is no way to correctly regulate voltage over this many emitters, especially for the price point Hagen offers. Which is why all Hagen and the mass merchandisers selling this LED mention is CRI, not PAR or PUR.I am not familiar with the Nat Geo LEDs, however it is not all that difficult to tell the quality, as any LED that has to use dozens of emmiters to achieve the same amount of light output in PUR and still be affordable, could not possibly be using the drivers necessary to control the voltage over all emitters, so PUR will suffer greatly As well the use of Warm White, and any emitter with little PUR value cannot possible end up suddenly having even a decent PUR Here is the resource for the quoted website, a long read, but definitely a worthwhile read (along with my Aquarium Lighting Article ) aquarium-digest.com/2010/04/11/led-aquarium-lights-lighting/Carl
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Post by mmfed01 on Aug 1, 2015 23:11:12 GMT -5
I am not very happy with the way my plants are growing, so I am thinking about taking the CO2 plunge. I read Carl's article about CO2 and even though he doesn't recommend it, I may just try the DIY CO2 method with yeast and a pop bottle, just to see if CO2 will make the kind of difference I'm hoping for. If that works I may consider upgrading to a store-bought system. I think that will be the most cost effective thing to do at first. I was just curious if anyone else here uses CO2 and if so, what method do you use? I use DIY CO2 on my smaller planted tanks...both yeast and citric acid methods. My larger tanks all have pressurized CO2. I have simple Azoo regulators, MA957's and Sumo (no longer in business) to name a few. I did an experiment with dwarf hair grass in my 16 gallon. Planted it with ferts and lighting...let it go for a month. Slight growth, mild browning. Added DIY CO2 and the grass took off like the first week of summer. Just my experience though.... Mike
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Post by angelminx on Aug 2, 2015 0:28:00 GMT -5
I've considered using supplemental CO2, but it sounds like too much work/expense to me ...I think I'll just stick with Excel for now. Angelminx
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CO2
Aug 3, 2015 8:50:10 GMT -5
via mobile
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Aug 3, 2015 8:50:10 GMT -5
I've considered using supplemental CO2, but it sounds like too much work/expense to me ...I think I'll just stick with Excel for now. Angelminx Adding co2 is pretty straight forward. You just could the number of bubbles in a counter and it gives you some idea of how much is in the tank. Its difficult to harm any fish, unless you are completely not careful. I use it. It speeds up growth.
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CO2
Aug 3, 2015 9:02:00 GMT -5
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Post by mmfed01 on Aug 3, 2015 9:02:00 GMT -5
Devon is right....even with DIY CO2, I simply put an air stone on a timer for the lights out period..for my tanks that have livestock. A simple CO2 drop checker is a good tool to have as well.
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