# LED Grow Lights?



## Feeling Froggy (Apr 24, 2010)

This should work fine on my 18x18x18 tank right? Any heat issues? 

FEATURES:

All White 225 LEDs Panel
Sufficient for faster growing and blooming plants.
Very Little Heat Mix LED Bulbs Protects your plants well.
14 to 16 hours per day for maximum plant health
reduces water evaporation and keeps plants growing comfortably
The purity of the LED generated light lengthens growing and flowering periods.
Electricity savings up 50% to 90 % in energy compared to any other bulbs
No ballast needed, simply plug it in and ready to go.
SPECIFICATONS:

Thermoplastic Circuitry board material
225 ALL WHITE Super Bright LEDs grow light
Dimensions: 12.25” x 12.25” Inches (30.5cm) square
Thickness: Low profile 1.25”
Color: WHITE 6000-7000K
Power cord length: 48”
LED Bulbs Power: Power: 13.8W
Voltage: 110V/60Hz
Perfect for indoor growing.
Recommended Coverage: One panel per 18” x18” (about 2 sq ft) LED life:
INCLUDE:

(1) 225 WHITE LEDs Light Panel (12”x 12”x 1.25”)


----------



## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

LED's are wicked, prices have finally dropped to a more affordable point. LED's dont really radiate much heat, most of the heat is created by the power source so they shouldn't heat up your tank at all.


----------



## Feeling Froggy (Apr 24, 2010)

So they are fine for moss as well?


----------



## Brien (Aug 27, 2009)

yea they should be where are you buying them from?


----------



## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

Feeling Froggy said:


> So they are fine for moss as well?


Sure, but you may have to dim them down a bit. Most moss like low light and LED's are a bit bright.


----------



## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

moss actually likes really bright light.


----------



## tommy2 (Feb 13, 2007)

225 WHITE LED GROW LIGHT PANEL HYDROPONIC LAMP AQUARIUM for sale


----------



## Feeling Froggy (Apr 24, 2010)

Tom got the correct link.Very cheap, hope they work...lol


----------



## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

I never heard good things about these discount LED panels


PS if you have a light meter I would be really interested in seeing the actual readings for this thing


----------



## bobzarry (Mar 2, 2005)

I have one of these over my 20 vert. It puts out a decent amount of light. But I would not use it on anything larger. For the price vs light output I would still recommend the lights of america outdoor cf fixure over these.


----------



## AzureFrog (Feb 3, 2009)

Feeling Froggy said:


> This should work fine on my 18x18x18 tank right? Any heat issues?
> 
> FEATURES:
> 
> ...



I think I have this same LED Panel... so far it is great! It is much brighter than all of my other tank lights (with T10 and T8 bulbs), I can actually photograph the tank without putting my camera on a tripod or using a flash. I have had it over my 24" high Zoo Med for about 4 months and there is one plant (on the bottom of the tank) that has been in bloom almost all of that time.


----------



## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

frogparty said:


> moss actually likes really bright light.


Really? I picked up some selaginella moss locally and the label says it needs full to partial shade.


----------



## Feeling Froggy (Apr 24, 2010)

Well I bought a couple i will let everyone know how they work out. I like the compact size...it will look soo awesome on top of the Tropical Ecos tank that is on its way. WOOO HOO


----------



## bobzarry (Mar 2, 2005)

JaredJ said:


> Really? I picked up some selaginella moss locally and the label says it needs full to partial shade.



If you were to take a reading with a light meter you would find that full to partial shade in the sun is a heck of a lot brighter then most people can keep their tanks at.


----------



## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Selaginella is not a true moss


----------



## Feeling Froggy (Apr 24, 2010)

I am using 6500K CFLs and 48'' 6700K t-8 bulbs and my moss loves it. I have a 10 gallon tank with glass lid where i grow my moss. It grows tall due to humidity being so high. I just trim the top off the moss and put where i want it to grow. Starts growing in no time. I hope the LEDS will do the same. I will test the output to get a true reading.


----------



## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

bobzarry said:


> If you were to take a reading with a light meter you would find that full to partial shade in the sun is a heck of a lot brighter then most people can keep their tanks at.


That's awesome. I always thought of shade being low light. I'd love to pickup a light meter one day.


----------



## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

I know those things are garbage when it comes to reef tanks, though corals need much more light than most viv plants. 

Most of the LED bulbs I've heard recommended for plants are at least 1W... the bulbs on that fixture are 13.8W/225 = .0613 watts per bulb, and that's not even including the power taken off by the resistors. I have a feeling that thing's gonna be pretty weak, but let us know how it goes.


----------



## Feeling Froggy (Apr 24, 2010)

tclipse said:


> I know those things are garbage when it comes to reef tanks, though corals need much more light than most viv plants.
> 
> Most of the LED bulbs I've heard recommended for plants are at least 1W... the bulbs on that fixture are 13.8W/225 = .0613 watts per bulb, and that's not even including the power taken off by the resistors. I have a feeling that thing's gonna be pretty weak, but let us know how it goes.


They don't sound so good now...lol


----------



## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

With LED's, you really get what you pay for... most of the pre-made systems are like 300+ for a 24" fixture. A DIY kit is way less, but still usually a pretty penny.

That fixture is probably enough for some low light plants, but just don't expect it to be really bright or make brom colors pop.

I've also heard they dim over time, but I've never owned one personally so I'm just regurgitating what I've heard. Most of that comes from reef forums too, and water stops a lot more light than air obviously.. either way I hope it works out for ya. 

(Yup, I'm that guy surfing dendroboard at 10:30 on a Friday night.. Saturday midterms FTL )


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

tclipse said:


> I know those things are garbage when it comes to reef tanks, though corals need much more light than most viv plants.
> 
> Most of the LED bulbs I've heard recommended for plants are at least 1W... the bulbs on that fixture are 13.8W/225 = .0613 watts per bulb, and that's not even including the power taken off by the resistors. I have a feeling that thing's gonna be pretty weak, but let us know how it goes.


Most of the LED's I've seen run about 70ish lumens per watt....so assuming these scale at about that...at 13.8watts you get 966ish lumens....Thats about enough for a 10gal...My guess is 2 of those panels over a 20L would light it nicely. Might even light a 20H adequately...Not sure 2 over a 30 would be enough. For short tanks thought I bet these would work ok, especially with wise plant choice.


----------



## padilla29 (Jul 18, 2010)

i use 3w leds 3 of them (red,white and blue) in my 10 gallons viv and my plants are growing great and i have java moss and it's growing like crazy


----------



## krysty (Mar 16, 2012)

LED Grow Lights are energy saving.


----------



## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

You could always watch some reefer forums classified section for used led fixtures and pick up a generation old setup for not to bad a price. Might not be 100% cool/daylight white but you could just not use actinic side. Do these plants benefit form the 435 nm spectrum? Sorry I am very new to terrestrial setups. 

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk


----------



## EvilLost (Jan 10, 2011)

I didn't read this whole thread but a few quick points that often come up...

-be wary of cheap LEDs; "white" does not mean "white" and many cheaper/older LED units are unable to output the proper full spectrum we desire

-look at the spectral output for this reason. please note that not all "6500K"'s are equal either...make sure to check the spectral graph and see it does generate both blues and reds (this is an extreme concern usually, but older and knockoff/cheap LEDs do have this problem)

-if you are buying used, check it with a meter! Impossible to eyeball just how much has diminished over time/use

-non-aquatic plants do need reds and blues for chlorophyll a and b production

-Wattage ratings are often misleading for LEDs because different LEDs (models/manufacturers) put out drastically different luminosities at the same wattage

-LED do dim over time (just as other bulbs do). However, the LED lifespan is typically on order of 7-11 years (varies depending on how bright you run your LEDs)

-current "grow" lights on the market are not very good for our purposes as they tend to be too heavy on the red/blue spectrum (causing visual/aesthetic issues)


----------



## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Let it die. This thread is a year and a half old and the OP has left the hobby.


----------



## krysty (Mar 16, 2012)

A grow light or plant light is an artificial light source


----------



## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

krysty said:


> A grow light or plant light is an artificial light source


Really?

Jake


----------



## krysty (Mar 16, 2012)

LED Grow lights are quite energy saving.


----------



## parkanz2 (Sep 25, 2008)

krysty said:


> LED Grow lights are quite energy saving.


Be wary of classified postings by this user perhaps?


----------



## DanHav81 (Sep 26, 2011)

I have only been in the PDF hobby for a year and I have used cheap quad band leds the entire time and all my plants grow like crazy.
And to offset the purplish light they put off I put high intensity green led flex strips on the panels and it balances the light spectrum closer to white and looks much more natural.


----------



## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

EvilLost said:


> I didn't read this whole thread but a few quick points that often come up...
> 
> -be wary of cheap LEDs; "white" does not mean "white" and many cheaper/older LED units are unable to output the proper full spectrum we desire
> 
> ...


_*
"....-current "grow" lights on the market are not very good for our purposes as they tend to be too heavy on the red/blue spectrum (causing visual/aesthetic issues)"*_

So true, my friend Mr. EvilLost. 

*Excellent point.*

Correct me if I am wrong.... but the goal that advanced animal keepers and hobbyist is, and has always been, to try and duplicate NATURAL sunlight. 
You know... 
_the spectrum of light that all life on earth has evolved under for millions of years._
That is what is best for plants and animals.

Folks using this or that red and blue "plant spectrum" LED light (usually off ebay, direct special from Shanghai LOL) on a naturalistic vivarium enviroment with animals... 
well... 
it tells me where that the person is at in their _skill level of animal(frog/herp) keeping_.
(was that tactfull?   )

Hopefully they all will all come around, Evil.
And move past the gimmick-y phase and quickly on to a more advanced understanding. 

FULL SPECTRUM LIGHTING is key.

You know... 
Using lighting that is trying to duplicate the Sun's natural light that ALL life on Earth gets in Nature.

The light spectrum (*including UV A&B*) that ALL terrestrial life has evolved under for millions of years.

News flash:
NO ONE has figured out how to improve on that for animal husbandry. 

I always think when I read about the ravings of someone who just got their new 2 color Red and Blue LED unit...
What TF.... you want your frogs to think they are on Mars or some other planet with freekin' weird purple light?
To say the least, it will probably give them perpetual headaches....
I know it would give me one under it 24/7! LOL

And by all means, why not try and get some UV A in there for their VISION!

And what about vit d synthesis? 
How does one think the diurnal frogs get vit D in the wild?
(Answer: They make it in their SKIN from sunlight..... 
Since no one in the Amazon is around to dust their food with Repashy ICB with any regularity. LOL)

So I say.... save all those Red and Blue Gimmicky Panels and LED "UFOs" to use for your hydroponic tomatos, orchids and maybe some Mary Jane. 
Since THEY don't have eyes and retinas. LOL

Why not "see the light" & shoot for FULL SPECTRUM lighting? 
Either from Flo. lights or LED.... or using BOTH (like Sports_Doc is doing on his 100+ vivs) to create the best natural spectrum you can create for your captive frogs. 


Cheers!
Sincerely,
Todd

UVB Light: 
Most reptiles and some amphibians need to synthesize vitamin D3 in their skin for their healthy growth for which UV light falling within a particular wave band, known as UVB (290-320 nm), is required. Although Vitamin D3 can be commercially obtained from animal sources, and given to reptiles with their food, studies have indicated that dietary D3 cannot replace the D3 synthesized in the skin from sunlight, even in reptiles injected with supplemental vitamin D3. The vitamin D type derived from plants is vitamin D2 and is not suitable for proper calcium metabolism. For the best results, vitamin D3 must be obtained from regular exposure to UVB light, either from natural sunlight or specialist reptile lamps. 

UVA:
Unlike humans, who have ‘trichromatic’ vision, enabling us to see only three primary colours - red, green and blue, we now know that many reptiles, amphibians and other species (birds for example), have ‘tetrachromatic’ vision. This enables them to see the shorter UVA wavelengths (320-400 nm) of the spectrum that form a part of natural sunlight. Reds are redder and greens are greener – life without UV would be the equivalent of us seeing everything in black and white, only worse. This UVA, or fourth primary, can be critical for behaviour and even affect appetite. A reluctant feeder may need UVA light to stimulate its appetite. UVA is also needed to induce reproductive behaviour. Lizards have been found to possess ultra violet reflectance patterns on their skin, which indicate reproductive glands in particular. Female panther chameleons seek out UV light when preparing to lay eggs. Depriving a reptile or diurnal amphibian of UVA light would be like making it live in a darkened room.


----------



## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

Hey Todd are you following the development of UV emitting LEDs? Out of curiosity...


----------



## bobrez (Sep 10, 2011)

Question on UVA, is it completely blocked by our atmosphere? This is what I thought or read somewhere, could someone comment thanks.


----------



## moraki (Nov 5, 2011)

bobrez said:


> Question on UVA, is it completely blocked by our atmosphere? This is what I thought or read somewhere, could someone comment thanks.


No UVA is not completely blocked by the atmosphere. 

The sun emits ultraviolet radiation in the UVA, UVB, and UVC bands. The Earth's ozone layer blocks 97–99% of this UV radiation from penetrating through the atmosphere.[6] Of the ultraviolet radiation that reaches the Earth's surface, 98.7% is UVA. 


from Ultraviolet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## bobrez (Sep 10, 2011)

Thanks, good link. I mixed up C an A


----------



## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

jacobi said:


> Hey Todd are you following the development of UV emitting LEDs? Out of curiosity...


Hey there Jacobi. 
yes.  
But it is still a ways off until there is a FULL SPECTRUM LED that also will provide correct (repeat: Correct ) uv light.
Thanks.
 
Todd


----------



## krysty (Mar 16, 2012)

Sounds interesting!


----------



## heyduke (Sep 19, 2006)

Todd my main concern for using uvb/uva lighting is possible detriment to mine or my kids health, ocular burns etc, due to light pollution if the light is not sitting directly on top of the Viv. Your thoughts?


----------



## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

i know im not todd but i will give my opinion on uva/uvb exposure. i would not place a uva/uvb emitting light in a place that that light will expose myself or my children to that radiation. i also feel that anyone who goes to a tanning salon is an idiot so take what you want from this. i do get to see the results of long term uv exposure frequently and them i cut them off.


----------



## heyduke (Sep 19, 2006)

See that's my concern. I don't have a room that is dedicated to frogs. I have a communal living space in which we all inhabit. Yeah I'm not as lucky as some to be able to have the separation in some senses, but I'm also luckier than some to have this as a family project.

That being said, kids come before frogs. 

Any others with input on the dangers/ non-dangers of UVA/UVB lighting in relation to human health?


Sean


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

People need to keep in mind the rate of falloff of UV lighting of those bulbs.... the rate of fall off is a strong indicator of the risk of those bulbs doing damage to a person eyes or skin. If there is concern about the light leaking out of the edges of a lighing unit, you can always attach a piece of material to screen out the UV lighting...(since the light observed through the glass fronts and sides of the tanks will be screened and safe).


----------



## krysty (Mar 16, 2012)

Really a good discussion.


----------

