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LED Pendent Fixture or Par 38 style LEDs

jjersey85

jjersey85

JJersey
Manhattan Reefs
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Neptune, NJ
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So im tryin to decide on the lights for my new project, a 24x24x24 cube, and im gettin stuck here. ive seen all sorts of LED pendents with all kinds of great reviews and bla bla bla....but ive recently seen there par 38 LEDs and im quite captivated. My question is will the any par 38 LEDs, like the ones offered by Evil 66 at nanotuners, be powerful enough to be the sole light source for my cube at 24 inches of depth?
 
jjersey85

jjersey85

JJersey
Manhattan Reefs
Location
Neptune, NJ
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yeah i mostly just liked the aestetics of the par 38's but yeah for the 4 lamps alone id be in the neighborhood of $320 and thats without fixtures... Maybe ill make that a future upgrade :-/ Since im not goin that route i may give a diy LED setup a shot then...
 
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bill.garrett

New Reefer
Manhattan Reefs
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Toms River, NJ
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sillysidewinder said:
I can't seem to find the "right" fixture... Can you just use a regular desk lamp. I'm assuming no...
Click to expand...

It depends on the desk lamp. You don't want anything that won't allow the PAR38 to get air flow on the back side. I used an architectural lamp the first time w/o the cannister (you know, the black metal kind with the adjustable angles), but after 2 months it suddenly gave out and the bulb ended up in the tank.

I just built one for cheap using a piece of 1/2" steel conduit (10' for $2 at Home Depot) and wiring and cementing a socket to the end. I borrowed a pipe bender to make some angles so it would mount to the stand, around the lip, and bend over the tank. It looks slick and only took 2 tries to learn the pipe bender, so I actually had to buy 2 lengths of steel conduit. It looks slick and modern, and won't drop another bulb in the tank.
 
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picod

picod

Reefer Chick
Manhattan Reefs
Location
Port Orange, Florida
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Honestly, I would not have been satisfied with one Par38.
I actually started with one, and added the second very soon afterwards. I would still like it a bit brighter, but I do happen to like a very brightly lit tank. :)
I shut off one of the lights, put the other on over 12" of my tank. IMO, that is not enough light. There were definitely dark spots at the edges.
When I bought them in May, they were $125 each, and have now seen them much cheaper. Also, just thought I'd mention, I have two pieces of SPS in my tank, and they seem to be thriving.
I say two is the way to go, unless your doing a pendant!
 
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sillysidewinder

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Manhattan Reefs
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Brooklyn
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I say two is the way to go, unless your doing a pendant!
Click to expand...
My tank is 18"x18"x18" I wanted to be able to get away with 1 par38 on a pendant. but it looks like i am going to go with either the (2) par38's (2blue 3white) with a similar fixture to the one that you used or a 20" nova extreme T5 light. Trying to find the best deal. It seems like it's probably going to be the Par38's.
 
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