# Best Budget LED



## tkaupp (May 11, 2017)

Hey all,

I'm sure everyone on this board has an opinion on this, and I'd love to hear it. I have a 36x18x18 exo-terra, and I've been parsing through all the budget lights on Amazon (most around $50), but I'm a little obsessive, and wanted to see if any of you had any tried and true favorites.

So, what in your opinion is the best budget light for a vivarium of my size? Do you think it's worth it to buy a system that includes automation?


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## GOSKN5 (Dec 31, 2011)

The evo green ones have done well for me so far... they were highly recommended on here and I have two on my tank for 3 or 4 months and everything is growing well 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

I second the evo's. Really powerful lights just make sure you get the 6500k ones. 2 evo duals light my 24"deep tanks more than sufficiently.


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## tencentk (Apr 20, 2017)

Im using the Zoomed Reptisun LED and so far Im not to happy with it its not the worst but growth dosnt seem to be the best.


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## TheForSaken (Nov 21, 2016)

The Evo's are a good value and put out bright light, but also be aware that they are cheaply manufactured.
On day 2 my power supply crapped out, and was getting random strobe lighting effect. Contacted ebay seller he says can't help because my purchase date was over 30 days old and the manufacturer doesn't warranty the power supply.
Cost me an additional $80 CND to get another. Could have gotten it a bit cheaper online but I couldn't wait on the shipping.


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

I'm also interested in this. I need an upgrade and I've been curious about the efficacy of a flood style LED cluster vs a long unit or strip of LEDs where the chips are spread evenly over the vivarium. 

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## tkaupp (May 11, 2017)

I know a lot of people on here swear by the Finnex Planted+ 24/7 as well, any of you think it would be worth springing for that over the Evo? Any advantages, or is the cycling etc a waste?


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

You should calculate the total cost of your build to see where you sit. If you do not already have a timer that may shift your decision. One advantage of the finnex 24/7 is the timer is built in. 

That said you definitely do not need the extra features of the finnex. 


Here is a generic alternative to the finnex 24/7 that is much cheaper. You could buy 2 for the price of one finnex and spread the light out more. DayNight RGB LED Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant 24/7 Remote Automation VivaGrow | eBay

As for the evos, I don't think you need or want the focused LEDs on such a short tank. You could pop the lenses out, or switch to another light like this one that does not have the optics. 

Beamswork DA 6500K LED Aquarium Light 0.50W Freshwater Plant 24 30 36 48 72 | eBay


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## Integrated Exotics (Apr 12, 2012)

I'm a bit biased considering I sell them, but I like the Value Grow LEDs from NEHERP in the US (or from us here in Canada). They are a great option for a low-cost, high-output screw in horizontal or spotlight LED. 

Here is a great article on lighting with information on these and other light sources if anyone wants to look into them:
NEHERP - Vivarium Lighting 101 - Everything you need to know, to grow plants in a live vivarium


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## scahb (Jul 18, 2016)

adding on to the original question, are there any reasons not to use a generic grow light on a set up? Any sort of negative effects the extra infa-red and ultra violet LEDs would have on frogs or anything?


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

scahb said:


> adding on to the original question, are there any reasons not to use a generic grow light on a set up? Any sort of negative effects the extra infa-red and ultra violet LEDs would have on frogs or anything?


Those 'purple' looking high power grow LEDs are really bad for your eyes. You are supposed to wear protective eyewear. I cringe whenever I see them sold without warning labels. Gotta love China... The UV and 'infared' would be useless for frogs. Not to mention your glass top would block them. 

The typical 6500k lights and aquarium fixtures we use in this hobby work just fine. The frogs don't care if you have fancy lights or not only you and your plants notice.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

scahb said:


> adding on to the original question, are there any reasons not to use a generic grow light on a set up? Any sort of negative effects the extra infa-red and ultra violet LEDs would have on frogs or anything?


If you are talking about lights that are very purple looking because they are heavily skewed to red and blue light the main reason is they just do not look good or right. You will not see all the colors of your animals and plants well. I don't know anything about them being bad for eyes though. 

Other white generic grow lights are typically fine, and you would need to give specific examples in order to have much in the way of feedback. 

In general light for growing plants is just light, the configuration, efficiency, power, and other parameters have to be evaluated on a fixture by fixture basis.


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## scahb (Jul 18, 2016)

FrogTim said:


> Those 'purple' looking high power grow LEDs are really bad for your eyes. You are supposed to wear protective eyewear. I cringe whenever I see them sold without warning labels. Gotta love China... The UV and 'infared' would be useless for frogs. Not to mention your glass top would block them.
> 
> The typical 6500k lights and aquarium fixtures we use in this hobby work just fine. The frogs don't care if you have fancy lights or not only you and your plants notice.


so if UV and infared wouldn't bother frogs, would just being under the light be harmful at all? Or would i be risking damaging their vision? I ask because these grow lights tend to be a lot cheaper than aquarium fixtures, and usually penetrate deeper into large tanks. i have a three foot tall build in the works right now with a grow light on top, and I'm trying to figure out if I need to switch out the fixture before adding frogs.


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

It really depends which 'grow light' you have. Do you have the specs? Or a link to where you got it? If it is a smaller unit you may not have to worry.

Most of the China LEDs don't list what spectrums they use and use much less wattage than advertised. I work with these lights a lot and have experience with most of the brands available on amazon.com. Gotta love prime shipping and free returns. 

The brightness of the light in less visible spectrums is what makes them harmful to your eyes. It's very similar to working under powerful High Pressure Sodium lights or staring into the sun. Only with these LEDs you may not necessarily have to squint or shield your eyes since they don't appear as 'bright'. But, in reality your eyes are getting hit with very intense light. The smallest units I use are '300watt' (they use 135w at the plug). Maybe yours are less powerful. I religiously wear protective glasses because even 10 or 15min will make you see those pink spots and longer exposure will make your eyes feel strained for a while.

As for frog's eyes, I'm not sure what spectrums they actually see or are sensitive to. Maybe we should ask them....


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## scahb (Jul 18, 2016)

FrogTim said:


> It really depends which 'grow light' you have. Do you have the specs? Or a link to where you got it? If it is a smaller unit you may not have to worry.
> 
> Most of the China LEDs don't list what spectrums they use and use much less wattage than advertised. I work with these lights a lot and have experience with most of the brands available on amazon.com. Gotta love prime shipping and free returns.
> 
> ...


Here is a link. i believe this was like 50 watts https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N48PJIF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## alyon7 (Jun 12, 2012)

10pcs Cree XP-G XPG R5 5w Cool White 6500k LED Emitter chip With 20mm star Base | eBay

These guys work great super bright and you can add as many as you'd like to each tank. Very cheap and custom. Overall a great value.


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## Jeremy M (Oct 19, 2012)

alyon7 said:


> 10pcs Cree XP-G XPG R5 5w Cool White 6500k LED Emitter chip With 20mm star Base | eBay
> 
> These guys work great super bright and you can add as many as you'd like to each tank. Very cheap and custom. Overall a great value.


Can you show us an example of your setup? How did you mount and wire them, what power source did you use, how many you would suggest for a standard sized vivarium, and overall costs of all the materials? I've been interested in experimenting with these types of lights but have yet to take the plunge.


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## tkaupp (May 11, 2017)

For the record, I ended up going with a Vivagrow 24/7, and I have to say I'm really enjoying it. Dried moss slurry applied to a piece of driftwood is already beginning to show new green sprouts, after a weeks exposure. 

For a 36", I paid about $50, which is more than reasonable, in my opinion.


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