# Beamworks/Green Element LED



## royalchondro (Nov 2, 2015)

Hello, I am starting a new viv and this one is bigger than the one I have currently. My main concern is lighting. I have been looking at the Beamswork LEDs but cant decide which is best. I keep readying conflicting things on which to get. This viv is 36 long, 12 deep, 24 high. With soil and false bottom plants will be anywhere from 20-2 inches from the top. I mostly want to support bromeliads, but some other plants as well. Im on a budget so thats why im looking at the beamsworks/green elements. So I have a few questions.

1. Which light would be the best? Im thinking either the 36 inch .5 Watt Pent, 5700 lumen or the 1 watt tri 2610 lumen. 
2. Wheres the best place to buy these lights, aquatraders?
3. Whats you opinion on these LEDs if you've used them?
4. Other information is appreceiated

Thanks in Advance!!


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

Good lights. I would not go with the .5 watt per diode. I would go with either the 1 watt or 3 watt per diode, especially if you want to do broms. Also, I would shoot for 6500k not the 5700.


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

pdfCrazy said:


> Good lights. I would not go with the .5 watt per diode. I would go with either the 1 watt or 3 watt per diode, especially if you want to do broms. Also, I would shoot for 6500k not the 5700.


pdfcrazy Why would you recommend the 1watt or 3watt vs the .5watt units? I, too, am looking at these fixtures for a 24''.

It seems the .5watt units have a higher lumen output. I also read that 1watt and 3watt diodes aren't as efficient since they don't pull the amount of watts specified. For example 80 - .5w diodes will pull ~38 watts while 40 - 1watt diodes will pull ~26watts. I gathered this information from indoor "tomato'' farmers.

I would love all the information before I make an investment on these.


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

The higher watt diode will generally penetrate deeper into the tank. I have a 3 watt diode unit on a 65 gallon and it's great. It can really keep your bromeliads colored nice wherever they are located. I also have a .5 watt 6500k on a 20 gallon, and as long as the broms are not at the bottom of the tank it does a great job too and is planets of light. Overall I think you will be happier with the 3 watt though and agree with pdfcrazy. Make sure you get a fan for the light fixture though because it will get warm.


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## JPP (Mar 25, 2015)

pdfCrazy said:


> Also, I would shoot for 6500k not the 5700.


5700 is lumens of the LED fixture royalchondro mentioned, _not_ the color temperature.


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

royalchondro said:


> Hello, I am starting a new viv and this one is bigger than the one I have currently. My main concern is lighting. I have been looking at the Beamswork LEDs but cant decide which is best. I keep readying conflicting things on which to get. This viv is 36 long, 12 deep, 24 high. With soil and false bottom plants will be anywhere from 20-2 inches from the top. I mostly want to support bromeliads, but some other plants as well. Im on a budget so thats why im looking at the beamsworks/green elements. So I have a few questions.
> 
> 1. Which light would be the best? Im thinking either the 36 inch .5 Watt Pent, 5700 lumen or the 1 watt tri 2610 lumen.
> 2. Wheres the best place to buy these lights, aquatraders?
> ...


Hi JPP! Answers below...

1. I think you will find that most of the options from this company will light your tank just fine. As near as I can tell, the options are" lots of tiny LEDs (the pent), 1-watt arrays and 3-watt arrays. I have mostly 3-watt arrays and have been really happy with them. The only one I have not been as happy with is the one that has 1-watt arrays. It just doesn't seem as bright as the others. It's my fault for buying it, though, because they give lumen ratings that I chose to ignore in that case. Should have bought the 3-watts.

Pubfiction has said in other threads that the pents are really good. I have seen him recommend them several times. I have been wanting to try one, but they have been out of the 30" 6500K ones for a long time. I will get one when they come in. Ordinarily, I think I would agree with Chris about getting 3-watt arrays for a tank that tall. However, it appears that the sheer number of LEDs in the pent makes up for the lack of individual power of the arrays. It is also wider, and would cover a broader array of your tank top without relying on off-nadir angles to light your plants. That will probably lead to fewer shadows, as well.

2. I have gotten them off of both aquatraders and off Ebay (topdogsellers). I would not be surprised if it's the same company. I have been happy with my buying experience with both but I think you can sometimes get better deals on Ebay.

3. I have about 5 or so of these lights and the first one failed on me the other day after about 5 years of use. I think that's not too bad, especially given the cost. They also grow my plants very well. I think they are as cost-effective an option as you can get when you figure in price and performance. I have tried lots of other options (Jungle Dawns of various sizes, t5s, Finnex Planted Plus, etc.) and have not found anything I like better for the price.

Hope that helps!

Mark


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## royalchondro (Nov 2, 2015)

Thanks everyone, just bought the pent .5 watt. I will do an update thread when it arrives.


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

royalchondro said:


> Thanks everyone, just bought the pent .5 watt. I will do an update thread when it arrives.


Congratulations! I am going with the .5w unit as well for my 24'' tank. Let us know how it grows plants at the bottom.


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## kromar (Jun 6, 2015)

i just got a pent 24" today (0.5wx80 6500k) and man that thing packs some serious brightness compared to my other led lamp (also beamswork but with 3 rows of led's).
i think you made a good choice


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

Dang it! Why does my tank have to be 6 inches longer than you guys'? I guess they will get the 30" ones in sooner or later 

Two months and counting...

Mark


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## kromar (Jun 6, 2015)

here are some pics to show the difference, although i think my device did some correction for the brightness so it doesnt show a bright as it really is. i think its almost as bright as if the real sun is shining in about time my plants get some serious light

0.5w x 46









0.5w x 80


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

kromar said:


> here are some pics to show the difference, although i think my device did some correction for the brightness so it doesnt show a bright as it really is. i think its almost as bright as if the real sun is shining in about time my plants get some serious light
> 
> 0.5w x 46
> 
> ...


That looks really good. I'm glad I didn't spend the extra money for the 1watt or 3watt leds since the lumen output was lower.

How tall is your tank? That 80x0.5w lights it up great! I hope one of those fixtures and a Finnex Plants Plus 24/7 won't be too much light for my tank...(24x18x24)


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

FrogTim said:


> pdfcrazy Why would you recommend the 1watt or 3watt vs the .5watt units? I, too, am looking at these fixtures for a 24''.
> 
> It seems the .5watt units have a higher lumen output. I also read that 1watt and 3watt diodes aren't as efficient since they don't pull the amount of watts specified. For example 80 - .5w diodes will pull ~38 watts while 40 - 1watt diodes will pull ~26watts. I gathered this information from indoor "tomato'' farmers.
> 
> I would love all the information before I make an investment on these.


Frogtim, The 24" Evo Quad 3watt per diode is 4320 lumen, the 24" pent is 3500. Thats not a HUGE difference in lumen. But, for the money, the pents are much cheaper. You also have to consider penetration. The pents have ZERO optics, just straight diode, the 1 & 3 watt models have optics that will focus the light down and you will get a better penetration deeper into the tank.


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

Thanks! Sorry to highjack the thread.


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

no apologies...all here to learn, myself included


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

I have been following this thread as well and I noticed the Pents are all 10,000k I thought we need more around 6500k for our hobby 
They look like great fixtures though and not too expensive.


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

DragonSpirit1185 said:


> I have been following this thread as well and I noticed the Pents are all 10,000k I thought we need more around 6500k for our hobby
> They look like great fixtures though and not too expensive.


You are right 6500k is the spectrum for vegetative growth. There are some pents that are 6500K you just have to make sure you order the right one. 

I'm going with one 24'' 80x0.5w pent 6500k and one 24'' Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 for a 24x18x24 exo. I will post a build log once the tank arrives.


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

Ah all I see is the 10,000k ones on Amazon. I need a 36 inch one 

Edit: Nvm I need a 30" one and I found one 
Now just need to wait until I get the money


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## kromar (Jun 6, 2015)

FrogTim said:


> That looks really good. I'm glad I didn't spend the extra money for the 1watt or 3watt leds since the lumen output was lower.
> 
> How tall is your tank? That 80x0.5w lights it up great! I hope one of those fixtures and a Finnex Plants Plus 24/7 won't be too much light for my tank...(24x18x24)



my tank is 50cm (~20") high, but i use about 10cm (~4") for the ground but the lamp is about 10cm (~4") above the tank so that evens out again. i opted for this light because i think i dont need the penetration power of the 3w leds and i think i made the right choice. and i think this light should be enough for quite some more height, like another 10". but that would need to be tested i guess and only time can tell how much the plants like this light.

since i also have the 2nd led on top of the tank, you thik the 3700 lumen should be enough or should i keep the extra lumen (~2100lumen) from the first lamp?


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Top tank is a 65 gallon using a 36" 3watt snake eyes model, bottom is a 24" .5 watt pent. Both are 6500k, get a fan the pent and the 3 watt get hot, you will wish you got one if you don't! Both have been great lights. 

My broms are supposed to be green (green fireball, no not Greenball) in the 65 gallon. You can see how it colored up the Billbergia poquito mas all the way at the bottom of the tank in the front right. 3 watt = great light penetration!


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## kromar (Jun 6, 2015)

austin said:


> Top tank is a 65 gallon using a 36" 3watt snake eyes model, bottom is a 24" .5 watt pent. Both are 6500k, get a fan the pent and the 3 watt get hot, you will wish you got one if you don't! Both have been great lights.
> 
> My broms are supposed to be green (green fireball, no not Greenball) in the 65 gallon. You can see how it colored up the Billbergia poquito mas all the way at the bottom of the tank in the front right. 3 watt = great light penetration!


Can you post that pic again? I can not see it.


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Let's try this again! Hmmm not sure what's going on.


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## kromar (Jun 6, 2015)

i guess the site you are using doesnt support embedding or you using a wrong link, they can be opened in a new tab, so i can see them directly on the site.


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Using imgur usually works for me? So you can see them though?


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

I copy the BBCode link (on Imgur) and paste it into my forum messages. Is that what you are doing?

Mark


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

kromar said:


> my tank is 50cm (~20") high, but i use about 10cm (~4") for the ground but the lamp is about 10cm (~4") above the tank so that evens out again. i opted for this light because i think i dont need the penetration power of the 3w leds and i think i made the right choice. and i think this light should be enough for quite some more height, like another 10". but that would need to be tested i guess and only time can tell how much the plants like this light.
> 
> since i also have the 2nd led on top of the tank, you thik the 3700 lumen should be enough or should i keep the extra lumen (~2100lumen) from the first lamp?


Have you tried it with both lights on? If it's not too bright and your frogs seem fine go for it. More light = better plant growth.

I plan on running my finnex planted plus 24/7 continuously and having a ramp timer for the beamswork led gradually turning it on and off between 11am and 4pm to supplement peak hours. A couple of my auratus are shy under their t5ho light so im hoping the less bright dawn/dusk modes coax them out more.


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## kromar (Jun 6, 2015)

FrogTim said:


> Have you tried it with both lights on? If it's not too bright and your frogs seem fine go for it. More light = better plant growth.
> 
> I plan on running my finnex planted plus 24/7 continuously and having a ramp timer for the beamswork led gradually turning it on and off between 11am and 4pm to supplement peak hours. A couple of my auratus are shy under their t5ho light so im hoping the less bright dawn/dusk modes coax them out more.


im currently running both lights, will probably see in a week or 2 how the plants react. since im still in the grow in phase i do not have any frogs in there. i will do an extra half year or so since i built my background with cement and want to give it some extra time till i introduce any animal in the tank.

speaking about lights, i was trying to get a similar cycle as in south america but there the sun rises at about 6:30 am and settles at around 6:30pm, so that is 12h of light but since im home in the evening i like it to be lit till about 10pm, so i turn the lights on at around 8 am and do a 2h break at from 12-2pm.

anyone has tested or knows what is better (if at all) and if it makes a difference if i run the lamps for 12h straight or have such a brek 4h-2h-8h?


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

austin said:


> Top tank is a 65 gallon using a 36" 3watt snake eyes model, bottom is a 24" .5 watt pent. Both are 6500k, get a fan the pent and the 3 watt get hot, you will wish you got one if you don't! Both have been great lights.
> 
> My broms are supposed to be green (green fireball, no not Greenball) in the 65 gallon. You can see how it colored up the Billbergia poquito mas all the way at the bottom of the tank in the front right. 3 watt = great light penetration!


WOW I really like your vivariums. I Love the look of green plants contrasting with dark tree fern. Is the bottom tank a 65 gallon as well? What are the dimensions?

The pent light looks like the lighting is more spread/diffuse while the 3w unit looks more focused and 'crisp'. Is this how they appear to the naked eye?


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

FrogTim said:


> WOW I really like your vivariums. I Love the look of green plants contrasting with dark tree fern. Is the bottom tank a 65 gallon as well? What are the dimensions?
> 
> The pent light looks like the lighting is more spread/diffuse while the 3w unit looks more focused and 'crisp'. Is this how they appear to the naked eye?


Thank you. 

The bottom tank is a 20 high 24x12x16.5 . You are correct about the appearance of the light, one nice thing about the 3 watt with the snake eye lenses is that you get very little spill outside the footprint of the tank. The .5 watt is definitely more diffuse.


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Encyclia said:


> I copy the BBCode link (on Imgur) and paste it into my forum messages. Is that what you are doing?
> 
> Mark


Yes that is what I am doing, I have no idea why its not working for me now? Thanks Mark.


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## gturmindright (Mar 15, 2006)

Hows the heat? I simultaneously moved and upgraded to LEDs. Well turns out my new frog space is in the basement and now I actually desire the heat of my old t5s because without it my tanks are 55 degrees. Do they get warm at all? Can you set them directly on glass?


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

gturmindright said:


> Hows the heat? I simultaneously moved and upgraded to LEDs. Well turns out my new frog space is in the basement and now I actually desire the heat of my old t5s because without it my tanks are 55 degrees. Do they get warm at all? Can you set them directly on glass?


They compare these to the GreenElement Exo lights and I know they get HOT lol I have a fan suspended over them but recently found fans for it


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

DragonSpirit1185 said:


> They compare these to the GreenElement Exo lights and I know they get HOT lol I have a fan suspended over them but recently found fans for it


What fans did you find? you are the first to mention heat. hotter than t5HOs? In my experience, heat is directly related to power draw regardless of the type of light.


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Mine all get pretty hot, aqua traders sells fans on thier website that fit the led units. Same fan for all units and they work very well. If you buy a 3 watt model 18"+ I believe it comes with the fans. My 36" came with two and they all attach on top of the fixtures. With two fans running my infrared thermometer reads my 3 watt 36" fixture between 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit on the surface of the fixture. So yeah pretty hot.


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

FrogTim said:


> What fans did you find? you are the first to mention heat. hotter than t5HOs? In my experience, heat is directly related to power draw regardless of the type of light.


I found the Fan's Austin is talking about on Aquatraders


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

I wonder if my finnex planted plus 24/7 is going to need a fan...


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

FrogTim said:


> I wonder if my finnex planted plus 24/7 is going to need a fan...


Not in my experience. It runs noticeably cooler than my EVOs. It does not have nearly the lumen output, either, though. For the money, I like my EVOs. I am going to order another one now 

Mark


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

Hmmm. I had to re-order the finnex 24/7 since it was out of stock. Now I'm debating between the 80x0.5w pent or the 16x3w Evo. Wish I could go for the quad but that's a bit out of my budget range. $140 shipped for a 24'' finnex planted+ 24/7 and a 24'' EVO 16x3w keeps me under my $150 budget. 

Now just have to save for the cooling fans and ramp timer....


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

DragonSpirit1185 said:


> I found the Fan's Austin is talking about on Aquatraders


Thanks I found them too. I am going to be running a less powerful unit so I'm still not sure I need these.


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

FrogTim said:


> Thanks I found them too. I am going to be running a less powerful unit so I'm still not sure I need these.


They aren't made for the Finnex fixture anyways 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy SIII using tapatalk


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

DragonSpirit1185 said:


> They aren't made for the Finnex fixture anyways
> 
> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy SIII using tapatalk


I meant fans for the 24'' 16x3watt EVO 6500K. I think austin was using a more powerful unit more like a 28x3watt in the same size fixture. I can imagine more lights in the same space = more heat.

The Finnex I realize I won't need fans for. It's there for the 24/7 FX and lunar lighting. I plan on only running my EVO unit 4-5hours a day during peak hours.


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

Well after seeing how much a 16 x 3watt plus fans would cost ~$80 I went ahead and ordered a 32 x 3watt Quad fixture for $85 since it came with the cooling fans and literally twice the light.


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Good choice!


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