# LED Lighting



## shadowbear559 (Jul 17, 2011)

I'm considering using LED lighting for my viv. It's still in the early stages. I have not even siliconed the great stuff yet, but I was wondering if the light output would be sufficient for the plants.


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

if im not mistaken even though LED's are bright, they lack the lumens like in CFL's.


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## Dizzle21 (Aug 11, 2009)

you can use LEDs but they have to be high out put. 3watt crees would do it. they are not cheap it will probly cost over $100 to build a fixture for the tank. and if your not electronic savy i wouldnt attempt it.


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## Fitzy (Sep 12, 2008)

Or just grab one single screw in LED bulb from lightyourreptiles.com when he gets more in stock


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## ems1016 (Apr 23, 2010)

Personally, I'm going to hold off for a year or two. LEDs are becoming more and more common place. I have to believe as time goes by, prices will drop. Those who buy now, IMHO, are going to be paying a premium. Remember VHS tapes? Ed


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## shadowbear559 (Jul 17, 2011)

I was going to go with the reef aquarium pre made LED that you can get fairly inexpensive at petco for qround 50 bucks. It's supposed to be great for freshwater plants but I see your point. I will probably just scrap the idea.


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## Dizzle21 (Aug 11, 2009)

ya theres different types of Led lights the technology is still fairly young, and manufactuers are still tweaking with lighting spectrums etc to get these to work as good as what we use now. unfortunatly when they get it right the product is at a premium price. Ems1016 is right in a few years these will be the standard. expecially with how much electricity cost. leds are more popular right now in reefs than plants right now but im sure it will catch on


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## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

Fitzy said:


> Or just grab one single screw in LED bulb from lightyourreptiles.com when he gets more in stock


I can echo this. I have two of these, one is over my varadero viv and the growth and color on the plants is excellent. These are VERY bright, plenty bright enough for good plant growth.


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## El Saptio Joyas (Jun 15, 2011)

shadowbear559 said:


> I was going to go with the reef aquarium pre made LED that you can get fairly inexpensive at petco for qround 50 bucks. It's supposed to be great for freshwater plants but I see your point. I will probably just scrap the idea.


I have one of those "inexpensive" LED - garbage compared w the new screwin LED from light your reptiles.com - exo terra top $40 - [email protected] LED screwin bulbs $60 (i bought 4 and got slight discount)

LEDs should last 4 years min. maybe more by what i read 

The std CFL plant lights will last 15-18 months before losing needed intensity for healthy plant growth ( 1 bulb is about $5-7 cheaper than the LED screwin)

LED puts out very little heat vs any other light source - depending on where you live this could be important health factor for your frogs if you have mult vivs in the same room + heat build up w light over each viv. 

Cost to run the LED vs CFL others is cheaper (helps offset minor initial cost difference) 

Id highly recommend LED - lots of creative solutions and benefits w LED and price is not that bad anymore. 

Good luck


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

for $7bucks$ you can go to walmart and get a 2pack of 6500k bulbs in the following wattages, 10watt, 13watt, 20watt, 26watt.


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## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

WONTON SALLY said:


> if im not mistaken even though LED's are bright, they lack the lumens like in CFL's.


not true anymore.

but.. don't get wrong... I still love full spectrum CFLs. 

Cheers.
Todd


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## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

It's more of a relative statement

For an equivalent wattage LED, it has 20% less light intensity as the CFL bulb. But you will also be paying 10x more $$$ 

Here's some eye candy http://www.amazon.com/Lighthouse-Hydro-BlackStar-Light-Flowering/dp/B004E662SA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311012289&sr=8-1


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

AeroWRX said:


> It's more of a relative statement
> 
> For an equivalent wattage LED, it has 20% less light intensity as the CFL bulb. But you will also be paying 10x more $$$
> 
> Here's some eye candy Amazon.com: 240W Lighthouse Hydro BlackStar Grow Light 6 Band 3W Chips Flowering 240 Watts: Patio, Lawn & Garden


we all know what those lights are for, but for the walmart solution $7$ bucks a year far out weighs the cost for an LED light,fixture. But if it looks cool than that is a whole other story, hence my mistking setup as opposed to a spray bottle.


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

As a DIY kinda guy, I like LED's. I can't fit a CFL and all it housing under a bookshelf easily. Plus these nightlight examples are 24LED's at 12v and 66ma. I have 3 in parallel and they work well for $10 total (each 24 LED strip was $2.66)










I just fixed my day lighting of 66 LED's at 12v and around 200ma. I made a few mistakes in my testing (the transformer did have enough amps which is why the light it a bit dim) but now the 3 in parallel are working well. This ran be $30 total (each ring of 33 LED's was $5.00). I'll post a better picture if I can.


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

anone else not seeing the posts?


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## shadowbear559 (Jul 17, 2011)

This is the one. Marineland double bright LED 

WWW.Facebook.com/floridaboy704


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

shadowbear559 said:


> This is the one. Marineland double bright LED
> 
> WWW.Facebook.com/floridaboy704


dimensions/price?


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## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

shadowbear559 said:


> This is the one. Marineland double bright LED
> 
> Jeff Scroggs | Facebook


I tried this product on a nano planted tank. Its pure GARBAGE IMO. I really don't mean to rain on your parade, however, its just a bad product and you probably wont get any decent growth from it.

WontonSally is right about the CFLs from Walmart. I'm using 1 of the 26 watt (100w eq) over one of my vivs and it is getting the job done. However, these bulbs run considerably warmer. My vivarium temp is ~2-4 degrees cooler with the screw in LED I got from light your reptiles. If heat isn't a concern for you then the cheep CFLs will get the job done. For me, you cant beat the color and appearance of the LEDs.


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## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

ZookeeperDoug said:


> I tried this product on a nano planted tank. Its pure GARBAGE IMO. I really don't mean to rain on your parade, however, its just a bad product and you probably wont get any decent growth from it.
> 
> WontonSally is right about the CFLs from Walmart. I'm using 1 of the 26 watt (100w eq) over one of my vivs and it is getting the job done. However, these bulbs run considerably warmer. My vivarium temp is ~2-4 degrees cooler with the screw in LED I got from light your reptiles. If heat isn't a concern for you then the cheep CFLs will get the job done. For me, you cant beat the color and appearance of the LEDs.


Agree with this. Find room to stick in a 23-26W CFL and you're set to go. LED is a waste of money and I still believe is inefficient in terms of lumens per watt and even more so in terms of lumens per dollar.

It's not that LED is still immature as a lighting technology. It's more that it reached its limit. I'm sure there will be better solutions in terms of lumens per dollar in the future. It just won't be in the current LED technology.

At this point in time, indoor plant grow lighting is governed by the light intensity bracket you want to be in. For low to decent plant life sustaining, the most efficient way is fluorescent technology AKA CFL bulbs or high output T5 strips. But if you want higher lumens for top notch growth, you'll want to head into HID territory which isn't necessarily great on your animal life. In terms of terrariums, i believe HID isn't necessary unless it's for large enclosures in the realm of >48x48x48. 

All small, mid reptile vivariums or planted terrariums should use fluorescents.


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## shadowbear559 (Jul 17, 2011)

Thank you so much guys for the valued input. The experience you guys have shows me I was wrong and I'm glad to have you guys around. Compact flourescent it is! Cheaper anyway. I liked the idea of the moon lights though but not necessary.


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

ZookeeperDoug said:


> I tried this product on a nano planted tank. Its pure GARBAGE IMO. I really don't mean to rain on your parade, however, its just a bad product and you probably wont get any decent growth from it.
> 
> WontonSally is right about the CFLs from Walmart. I'm using 1 of the 26 watt (100w eq) over one of my Viv's and it is getting the job done. However, these bulbs run considerably warmer. My vivarium temp is ~2-4 degrees cooler with the screw in LED I got from light your reptiles. If heat isn't a concern for you then the cheep CFLs will get the job done. For me, you cant beat the color and appearance of the LEDs.


if you use this it will concentrate the light and help absorb some of the heat: *Exo Terra Compact Top Canopy Terrarium Lighting -PT2226
*


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

here is a little secret that i am going to use, lumen for lumen in a CFL you wont find anything close to these: 1800 LUMEN'S PER BULB WILL LAST JUST OVER ONE YEAR AROUND 15 MONTHS BEFORE THEY LOSE THEIR EFFICIENCY. i have ordered these and will let you know, they also have a 35watt that puts out 2400 lumens per bulb, too bright for my setup. 
3 25 watt =100 CF Compact Floro CFL VEG BLUE GROW LIGHT - eBay (item 120514165637 end time Jul-29-11 08:04:03 PDT)
photo courtesy of HIGH TECH GARDENING SUPPLY.


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

here is a little cheaper solution around 20bucks with shipping, but the lumen's are 1600 per bulb and a little less than a year for efficiency of the bulb as well. *4 CFL 2-6500K 100W 2-2700K 100W GREAT FOR PLANT GROWING.
*
4 CFL 2-6500K 100W 2-2700K 100W GREAT FOR PLANT GROWIN - eBay (item 180609977998 end time Aug-06-11 01:47:01 PDT)


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## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

WONTON SALLY said:


> here is a little secret that i am going to use, lumen for lumen in a CFL you wont find anything close to these: 1800 LUMEN'S PER BULB WILL LAST JUST OVER ONE YEAR AROUND 15 MONTHS BEFORE THEY LOSE THEIR EFFICIENCY. i have ordered these and will let you know, they also have a 35watt that puts out 2400 lumens per bulb, too bright for my setup.
> 3 25 watt =100 CF Compact Floro CFL VEG BLUE GROW LIGHT - eBay (item 120514165637 end time Jul-29-11 08:04:03 PDT)
> photo courtesy of HIGH TECH GARDENING SUPPLY.


That's a really nice find Sally! I believe these are the best lumen per watt CFLs i've seen.




WONTON SALLY said:


> here is a little cheaper solution around 20bucks with shipping, but the lumen's are 1600 per bulb and a little less than a year for efficiency of the bulb as well. *4 CFL 2-6500K 100W 2-2700K 100W GREAT FOR PLANT GROWING.
> *
> 4 CFL 2-6500K 100W 2-2700K 100W GREAT FOR PLANT GROWIN - eBay (item 180609977998 end time Aug-06-11 01:47:01 PDT)


You can find 23W 1600 Lumen CFLs at Lowe's under the brand Utilitech. Personally I would be weary of nonbranded or unknown brand CFLs like these found on Ebay or at an Asian markets. Lumen ratings are federally required, but the method of obtaining them isn't really governed. Not saying China products are entirely bad, but these could be Made in China CFLs that the manufacturer just slapped any random lumen rating to it since the lumen rating is a manufacturer estimate only.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

power compact are not worth it, ck out these pics one with compact and the other with an LED bulb that i got from Light your reptiles

LED bulb









Compact Fluorescent


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

I'm reposting this from my other post on a my bookshelf build:
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...stom-glass-ikea-bookshelf-vivarium-build.html

Quick light parts list for the daylight LED setup:











2pcs CCTV camera DC Power Female Jack Connector Plug | eBay

Amazon.com: RCA AH50N 50 Ft. 24-Gauge Speaker Wire: Electronics

12V AC/DC 2A CCTV POWER ADAPTER & DC SPLITTER 4 CAMERAS | eBay

110mm 36 LED Car Angel Eye White Ring Light Headlight 2Pcs - DinoDirect.com

Two light rings are above each tank, connected to 4 feet of the speaker wire with a female jack on the end. There are three total 2-ring setups. They all go to the same 12v 2amp adapter.










Just to compare the LED lights to the florescents in the rest of the room.










The tank to the left has two 14w CFL's. The rack has two 40w lights for each level, and the side tanks keep a 9w CFL within the tank.


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

konton








Member
your right about the LED being brighter, but in your case what is the lumen rating on them? or are you not trying to grow plants?


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

AeroWRX
you are right about the cheaper bulbs, nut the other from HTG have a blue spectrum to promote vegatative growth as well, sucks that shipping is almost as much as the bulbs, but at least they wont show up broken.


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

I've used them in other tanks for over three months with no problems and visible growth.

Justin


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## singhm29 (Jun 28, 2009)

Do you guys think this would be a good deal? 


Homegrown Hydroponics Inc. - T5 4FT 6400K KIT WITH REFLECTOR COMPLETE
What I dont get is why cant I just buy a cheap shop light and throw some better bulbs into it...actually would the problem be the fact that the cheap shop light would have a low wattage and crappy ballast?


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

chances are you are correct about the ballast not being strong enough on the cheap light. i would call the store and ask them what wattage/power ballast it takes to drive those bulbs.


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## LookinRound (May 1, 2011)

singhm29 said:


> What I dont get is why cant I just buy a cheap shop light and throw some better bulbs into it...actually would the problem be the fact that the cheap shop light would have a low wattage and crappy ballast?


My understanding is that the main thing that sets the better fixtures apart from the cheap shop lights is their reflector. Some of the higher end fixtures have really nice reflectors meaning more of the light produced by the bulb is directed towards the plants where you want the light. With the cheaper fixtures, some of the light escapes use by the plants.


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

i would still call the company, you got nothing to lose in doing so.


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

singhm29 said:


> Do you guys think this would be a good deal?
> 
> 
> Homegrown Hydroponics Inc. - T5 4FT 6400K KIT WITH REFLECTOR COMPLETE
> What I dont get is why cant I just buy a cheap shop light and throw some better bulbs into it...actually would the problem be the fact that the cheap shop light would have a low wattage and crappy ballast?


I don't trust a company that accidentally adds an extra 0 to the kelvin measurement. And you can get a cheap shop light. Many do. I have 4.


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## singhm29 (Jun 28, 2009)

Hmm didn't think that it was the reflector so much but that does make sense. Ill have to post the home depot light I'm thinking of getting to see what everyone thinks. I'm getting ahead of myself and just wanting to upgrade from the shotty light I currently have lol. Reflector, capable wattage and what's so important about the ballast that I would need to look at for a lower end light?


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

the ballast is what drives the light, with out the correct wattage on the light it won't power it correctly then the lights won't shine like they are meant too, if I'm not mistaken.


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## singhm29 (Jun 28, 2009)

So im debating between these two currently
Lithonia Lighting | 4' Ulitity Work Light | Home Depot Canada
which would be using 2 T8 32 watt 6500k bulbs
or the previous fixture i posted which is Homegrown Hydroponics Inc. - T5 4FT 6400K KIT WITH REFLECTOR COMPLETE using T5 bulbs

The price difference is about $15 dollars if you factor in the bulbs I would have to buy separately for the home depot fixture. Opinions?


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

i believe HTG has them a little cheaper with higher lumens per T5.


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## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

Fitzy said:


> Or just grab one single screw in LED bulb from lightyourreptiles.com when he gets more in stock


*I got them back in stock now.* 



ZookeeperDoug said:


> I tried this product on a nano planted tank. Its pure GARBAGE IMO. I really don't mean to rain on your parade, however, its just a bad product and you probably wont get any decent growth from it.
> 
> WontonSally is right about the CFLs from Walmart. I'm using 1 of the 26 watt (100w eq) over one of my vivs and it is getting the job done. However, these bulbs run considerably warmer. My vivarium temp is ~2-4 degrees cooler with the screw in LED I got from light your reptiles. If heat isn't a concern for you then the cheep CFLs will get the job done. For me, you cant beat the color and appearance of the LEDs.


CFLs are good, espcially true full spectrum ones with a high CRI.
But Doug hit the nail on the head -- the LEDs produce so much less heat it is amazing. Especially when we are all working to keep our vivs cool this time of year. LEDs are great in saving electricity, too. 
The marineland led hoods seem very blue to my eyes anyway.... they were designed for reef fish, not to mention they seem kind of dim. Not good terrestrial lighting IMHO. 
One thing I will say, I have some mixed lighting of Full Spectrum 5.9K Indooor Sunshine® CFLs and Day-White LED units, and I LOVE the light. And the frogs do too. 
Personally, for the money $pent on frogs because they are so beautiful and colorful, it doesn't make sense to me to then turn around light them with a bargin basement light. I want to see how beautiful their natural colors are in lighting that approximates natural light/sunlight. 



Dizzle21 said:


> ya theres different types of Led lights the technology is still fairly young, and manufactuers are still tweaking with lighting spectrums etc to get these to work as good as what we use now. unfortunatly when they get it right the product is at a premium price. Ems1016 is right in a few years these will be the standard. expecially with how much electricity cost. leds are more popular right now in reefs than plants right now but im sure it will catch on


Dizzle, you echo what I thought too... and if you asked me about LEDs a few months ago. I was saying the exact same things. 
Sheesh.. I remember telling forum Mod Scott the same stuff as to why I was not looking into LEDs at all and had little interest in them. 
But now... I am eating crow!  (you were right on Scott.)

Somebody asked me the other day (sorry. I forgot who) if they though an LED light would do a 20L Vert....
Well, I decided to test it out today with a 14 watt screw in unit in a small, 12" Aqueon 2.5 gal. tank strip light. I did a quick mock-up below and snapped a few pics.
You can all judge for yourself. 

I also snapped a pic (w/o flash) of a tank lit with Indoor Sunshine® CFLs AND Day-White screw in LEDs. Mixed lighting. Click on it to enlarge.
(BTW. Thats one of Adam, aka The Dude's southern variabilis I got from him recently. he has nice frogs.)


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

what's the lumens on those bulb's?


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## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

WONTON SALLY said:


> what's the lumens on those bulb's?


Hi Sally,

I sense a kindred spirit in lighting with you. 

The 12 watt is like 680 and the 14 watt is 800.

I know... it's weird, because in the pic below, I am comparing the 12 w unit to one to a 27 w CFL rated at 1450 lumen, in a hood that is lined with reflective tape. (That benefits the CFL... doesn't do much for the LED, since the light in the LED all points downward.)

I think its because all the light is directed towards the viv, and there is hardly and "wasted" light, that is why they appear practically the same.
No "backstrike" of light, and that is where you lose allot in a CFL. 
Don't get me wrong, I DO like CFLs, but these units sure give a CFL a run for its money!

Todd


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## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

Venutus1 said:


> Hi Sally,
> 
> I sense a kindred spirit in lighting with you.
> 
> ...


Fact is that lumen is the measurement of light intensity with respect to the human eye. Your comparison is almost like comparing apples to oranges. What color temperature is the 12W LED and what color temperature is the 27W CFL? I'm running 23W CFLs that are 1600 lumens each and there's no way a 12W LED fixture is comparable. I say put an actual Lux or Par meter under that and then we can't be deceived by the Kelvins. 

Despite LED and CFL lumen/Watt being very close, the problem is lumen/dollar isn't. It is apples and oranges because if money isn't really tight on you, then by all means go for LED. But if you care about performance per dollar, CFL and T5 hands down.

Also in vertical tanks, you have to factor in the issues of the Inverse Square Law where you will lose 75% lumen intensity every 2 feet away from source. Low budget LEDs are probably better in wide tanks or hanging inside the terrarium because you're already not starting at a very high light output.
Vivarium Lighting: What Light Bulb Should I Get? - Geckos Unlimited

I believe you get best lumen/watt in a T5 than T8 or T12.

I AM however VERY interested in Konton's LED setups. I don't believe us folks in the terrarium plants agenda have enough info on minimum lighting requirements for plants. I see that Konton's bromeliads all within inches of the LED fixtures. Is the total worth of all your LEDs per tank just ~1W?


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## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

AeroWRX said:


> Fact is that lumen is the measurement of light intensity with respect to the human eye. Your comparison is almost like comparing apples to oranges. What color temperature is the 12W LED and what color temperature is the 27W CFL? I'm running 23W CFLs that are 1600 lumens each and there's no way a 12W LED fixture is comparable. I say put an actual Lux or Par meter under that and then we can't be deceived by the Kelvins.
> 
> Despite LED and CFL lumen/Watt being very close, the problem is lumen/dollar isn't. It is apples and oranges because if money isn't really tight on you, then by all means go for LED. But if you care about performance per dollar, CFL and T5 hands down.
> 
> ...


Interesting stuff for sure, AeroWRX. 
I actually have some new LEDs out for independent testing... so now I am even more anxious to get the results back!

I definitly think the look of the light with a nice white LED compared to a CFL do make LEDs an attractive option for many, especially those dealing with excessive heat issues.

But, like I said before, I still like CFLs and the light they provide... especially with good "day light" ones.

Cheers!

Todd


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

Venutus1 said:


> Hi Sally,
> 
> I sense a kindred spirit in lighting with you.
> 
> ...


the only reason why i keep asking what the lumens are is beacuse BROM'S need 2200-2800 lumens to thrive and i found that out the hardway in the beginning by under powering them, since i changed the wattage it's not a problem now, just curious if the LED's are successful with BROM growth?


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## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

WONTON SALLY said:


> the only reason why i keep asking what the lumens are is beacuse BROM'S need 2200-2800 lumens to thrive and i found that out the hardway in the beginning by under powering them, since i changed the wattage it's not a problem now, just curious if the LED's are successful with BROM growth?



Hi Sally.
I would say my results have been ok to good over the tank I have lit exclusively with the LEDs.
(Customers have not reported any poor results so far either.)
The reason I say it is "good" is because the broms have grown and not died back in the 8 weeks they have been lit with LEDs. 
However, they have not colored up or pupped either. 
The tanks I have the LEDs mixed with CFLs are doing well to. Those broms have pupped. 
Side note....
I am experimenting with LED spot lights.
The lighting effect from those is interesting. They can positioned directly over broms and other plants to hi-light them without allot of heat.
However, I am having a hard time finding the perfect fixture to go with them.
I am still searching for a minimal fixture or socket assembly that would hold these small spot lights that would work well with a variety of viv set-ups. More to come on those.... 
Cheers! 
Todd
LightYourReptiles.com
[email protected]


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

when you get that last part figured out, please post/let me know as i will be anxious to try them, thanks.


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## chadfarmer (Nov 2, 2008)

i own a par meter 


i run leds over one of my saltwater tanks and it bright (a different led but they are bright)


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## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

WONTON SALLY said:


> the only reason why i keep asking what the lumens are is beacuse BROM'S need 2200-2800 lumens to thrive and i found that out the hardway in the beginning by under powering them, since i changed the wattage it's not a problem now, just curious if the LED's are successful with BROM growth?


Sally - was it from personal experience that you found out about the 2200-2800 lumen range? I'm curious what your setup for this was!  
Right now i have some new broms under 3x 1600 lumen bulbs about 15" away. I'll see how it goes.



Venutus1 said:


> Hi Sally.
> I would say my results have been ok to good over the tank I have lit exclusively with the LEDs.
> (Customers have not reported any poor results so far either.)
> The reason I say it is "good" is because the broms have grown and not died back in the 8 weeks they have been lit with LEDs.
> ...


I would assume for the low powered LEDs to maintain the broms livelihood they would need to be point blank distance to the plants to mitigate the Inverse Square Law completely. I'm very interested in how you do with your LEDs. Please let us know! 

Konton's LED setups have actually inspired me in terms of night time lighting. Since LED bulbs are naturally dimmable, you can easily connect a cheap fan speed controller to the LEDs and have a huge range of dialing down the voltage. This would be so perfect for night time viewing lights that don't disturb reptile's natural cycles.


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## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

AeroWRX said:


> ....Konton's LED setups have actually inspired me in terms of night time lighting. Since LED bulbs are naturally dimmable, you can easily connect a cheap fan speed controller to the LEDs and have a huge range of dialing down the voltage. This would be so perfect for night time viewing lights that don't disturb reptile's natural cycles.


Very cool... I think I need to check that out. It would be good to have something that can auto dim. I huge fan of having gradually rising and dimming light levels to simulate dawn and dusk.
Thanks!
Todd


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## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

Venutus1 said:


> Very cool... I think I need to check that out. It would be good to have something that can auto dim. I huge fan of having gradually rising and dimming light levels to simulate dawn and dusk.
> Thanks!
> Todd


I don't know how you plan on doing gradual auto dim. I believe no matter what you need some kind of microcontroller that tracks time and PWM to change the output voltage with respect to the time. Everything I've seen does on/off. Let me know if you figured out something!


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## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

AeroWRX said:


> I don't know how you plan on doing gradual auto dim. I believe no matter what you need some kind of microcontroller that tracks time and PWM to change the output voltage with respect to the time. Everything I've seen does on/off. Let me know if you figured out something!


Hey AeroWRX.
you can already do dusk and dawn automatically w/ flo tubes. 
kind of neat, don't you think? 
Exo Terra : Light Cycle Unit / Electronic Dimming Terrarium Lamp Controller

I wonder if it would work if you used the auto dimmer w/ LED tubes?
One more thing for the "try it out" list.

BTW, I can get LED tubes to offer at LightYourReptiles.com... but I didn't think there was much interest.
I haven't tried them to see what kind of light they throw... but if there is any interest, (?) I could request a few samples. They now come in a variety of K's and better quality diodes.

Cheers.Todd


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

AeroWRX








Junior Member

when i was using a lower wattage CFL i was only outputting 2000 lumen's and within a week they slowly died. when i went around lumen's they looked to slowly maintain life, no that i am outputting 3600 lumen's the BROM's literally came back from the dead and are well on their way to reproducing and recovering quite well.


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

is left out lumen's in the above post, that's where they slowly maintained life.


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## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

Venutus1 said:


> Hey AeroWRX.
> you can already do dusk and dawn automatically w/ flo tubes.
> kind of neat, don't you think?
> Exo Terra : Light Cycle Unit / Electronic Dimming Terrarium Lamp Controller
> ...


Thanks Todd, that Exo Terra looks like a sweet product. I see that it can do 3 stage dimming. Unfortunately, it might be too high powered for night time LEDs, but good on fluorescents for the rest of the day. However, I see that it probably has a built-in ballast for T8/T10 Fluorescents only. It would be nice if it can use a high output T5.





WONTON SALLY said:


> when i was using a lower wattage CFL i was only outputting 2000 lumen's and within a week they slowly died. when i went around lumen's they looked to slowly maintain life, no that i am outputting 3600 lumen's the BROM's literally came back from the dead and are well on their way to reproducing and recovering quite well.


Sally, were you using multiple CFL bulbs for the initial 2000 lumens? How far away were the bulbs from the bromeliads?


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

they were 18inches away at most, but like i said i went with 25watt lumen's per bulb at 6400k and they came back from the dead.


is there an auto dimmer available for CFL's?


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## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

WONTON SALLY said:


> they were 18inches away at most, but like i said i went with 25watt lumen's per bulb at 6400k and they came back from the dead.
> 
> 
> is there an auto dimmer available for CFL's?


I read that you have to get "dimmable" CFL bulbs because those have special circuits that allow the change of voltage. It will say on the CFL box whether or not it is dimmable.

FAQs: Compact Fluorescent: GE Commercial Lighting Products

For example: Neptun 24W 1500 lumen dimmable CFL 5000K
http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/39...ash777SHD50ADIM&site=www.amazonproductads.com

And then you would also need the lamp fixture itself to have a dimmer switch.

Another option is going for a 3 Way CFL bulb. 3 Way CFL bulbs require a 3 Way compatible socket that you purchase separately from the lamp fixture. These CFL bulbs can operate on 3 different wattages depending on manual switching.

For example: GE 150W 3 Way CFL 12/23/29-Watt 600/1600/2150 lumens
http://www.amazon.com/47448-29-Watt-150-Watt-equivalent-Energy/dp/B000WUEP9U/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1311752957&sr=1-1


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

i know there are dimmeable CFL's, but i dont want to have to put a can light socket over my tank. i was asking if there was one similar to the exo terra.


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## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

WONTON SALLY said:


> i know there are dimmeable CFL's, but i dont want to have to put a can light socket over my tank. i was asking if there was one similar to the exo terra.


I'm a bit confused as to what you mean. Can't you just put a dimmable CFL into a lamp fixture with a dimmer switch? Such as this one:

Amazon.com: Fluker's Repta-Clamp Lamp 8.5 inch Ceramic with Dimmable Switch: Kitchen & Dining

The exo terra is just an external "ballast" unit with sockets to both ends of the fluorescent tube. Do you just not want the reflector hood at all?


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

AeroWRX said:


> I'm a bit confused as to what you mean. Can't you just put a dimmable CFL into a lamp fixture with a dimmer switch? Such as this one:
> 
> Amazon.com: Fluker's Repta-Clamp Lamp 8.5 inch Ceramic with Dimmable Switch: Kitchen & Dining
> 
> The exo terra is just an external "ballast" unit with sockets to both ends of the fluorescent tube. Do you just not want the reflector hood at all?


 
you would have to manually dim it if im not mistaken, with the one for the flo tubes it does it for you correct? that way set it and forget it.


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## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

WONTON SALLY said:


> you would have to manually dim it if im not mistaken, with the one for the flo tubes it does it for you correct? that way set it and forget it.


Sorry I had a brain fart there. Posting on too many forums I forgot the context of this thread already 

This is like the most advanced manual dimmer atm:
6673-10W > SureSlide® > Slide Type (SureSlide) > Residential Grade > Lighting Controls (Box Mounted) > All Products from Leviton Electrical and Electronic Products

If there is an auto dimmer unit for CFLs I'd like to know too. The only thing I can think of is putting together a homemade auto dimmer using some electrical engineering skillz. But it would have to be smart enough to adjust to any wattage CFL like this Leviton dimmer switch.


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

wonder why exo terra made it just for the FLO tubes and didn't include CFL's?


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## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

The real question is why make it for T8/T10 bulbs and not for T5 bulbs. 

Call Exo Terra and demand a T5/CFL dimmer unit be developed now! 

I'm surprised that Exo Terra even have the controller though. Although I don't believe Exo Terra really knows what they are doing as their customer service is subpar and no one really knows much about their products...

Zoo Med's sales people seem to actually know what they are talking about though.


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

AeroWRX said:


> The real question is why make it for T8/T10 bulbs and not for T5 bulbs.
> 
> Call Exo Terra and demand a T5/CFL dimmer unit be developed now!
> 
> ...


 
good to know.


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