# Are these a good LED alternative for larger tanks?



## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Does anyone use LED fixtures like this one:

Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus ?

Obviously they would only be for the larger tanks, but I don't see why they wouldn't be a good alternative to having multiple smaller units, all running in their own hood.

If there is a reason why the smaller units like the JDs are better than a unit like these, please let me know. Also, if anyone knows how to equate these to the JD units in terms of growing potential, I'd love to hear.

Thanks!
Mark


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## gabnepenthes (Jul 17, 2013)

I don't know much about those, but I have great success with these led strips on my saltwater reef tank Ecoxotic 12.5 Inch Stunner 6 watt LED Strip


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## gabnepenthes (Jul 17, 2013)

They're super bright and I kept mine running for over a year and it's still as bright as day one. Plus they come in different sizes and colors.


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## IEatBugs (May 15, 2012)

Hey these are really neat. So many more options to choose from these days when it comes to LED. These aren't terribly expensive either. They seem pretty bright from the videos on youtube and the features are nice as well.


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## gabnepenthes (Jul 17, 2013)

I know they're awesome and I use them to grow coral, so I imagine that they can grow plants easily.


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## IEatBugs (May 15, 2012)

gabnepenthes said:


> I know they're awesome and I use them to grow coral, so I imagine that they can grow plants easily.


Well, I was referring to the Current USA units, but I know the stunner strips are pretty neat as well.

On another note, the Current website has all of the fancy numbers people have been searching for in those LED showdown threads.

Fun stuff!


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

If they can grow corals fine (this one is for Freshwater), I see no reason why they wouldn't do swell for a viv. And I would MUCH rather have a strip over the tank as opposed to a series of LED pendant lights (considering LEDS for a 46g bow (36x18x21)).

Mark


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Markw said:


> Does anyone use LED fixtures like this one:
> 
> Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus ?
> 
> ...


If you buy the "plus" model then the 18" would probably be enough to light a 10gal (13watts), the 24" (18watts) enough for a 20 long. Two of the 24"s might light a standard 30gal... and 2 of the 36" (25watts each) or a 36 and 24 might be enough to light a 40b. 40B's are deeper front to back so even though it isn't a tall tank you'll probably want 2 fixtures to fill in the back and corners with enough light. 

The FX are cool on these, and I'm tempted to try one to use in conjunction with my FX work with I get some money...but they are pretty low wattage fixtures and kinda a pricey way to light tanks of the size I mentioned...and you might not have adequate light for some mosses and plants even then. Leaf litter tanks with low light plants would probably work best with these fixtures. They are just good enough though that with the fx I may have to try one.

Strip lights using jungle dawn Led sticks, with 11-13watts for each bulb would give at least twice the lighting as the 18", some mixed spectrum for growing plants better then many lights (Though this light does mix up the spectrum so that is good), and may even till be roughly twice as bright as the 24" since that is only 18 watts, and the JDs are really bright. 2 13-20watt cfl spiral screw ins would be noticeably more light too. 

I wouldn't bother with the standard 3 button remote version...at 7.5 watts for 18" that would barely be enough to maybe light a 10gal IMO. The full "plus" version may be worth the buy though if you care about the FX and aren't lighting a very tall tank.

Thanks for bringing these to my attention...been awhile since I shopped for fixtures like this so I hadn't heard about it and the fx...I thought Marty's light was the only one doing that stuff (If anyone knows any other lights with fx like this please let me know)....btw Marty's light is pricey but puts out way way way more light, so it would be good for large cube/column style tanks and taller then average verts, and JD's are always a win


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Dave, you might enjoy seeing one of the high end reef LEDs. I have a friend with one. He says one of the things you can do is to adjust the spectrum. You can start out with a redder spectrum in the morning, turning to crisp white throughout the day. You can have it go back to red for a sunset, and then go deep blue at dusk. You can also have it programmed to have the intensity rise and fall with your cycle. I believe he said he also programs successive darker "flashes" into it, to simulate the shadows of clouds passing overhead.
I wonder if you could flash the whites, while in a dusky blue cycle, for a lightning storm.
Dave, all this can be yours for a paltry $746 to $1034. 
Radion ™ XR30w | EcoTech Marine

Now the SMALLER one is 130 watts of LEDs. This 130 watts is squeezed into a package only 12" x 7" x 1.5" tall. One hundred and thirty watts in a fixture not a whole lot bigger than the lid of a shoebox! (well, twice as thick)
Can you imagine the price of outfitting a frog room? Lets see, currently 20 vivs x $746 is only a measly $14,920. For phase one.

Now, can I interest anyone in a pair of sunglasses?


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Pumilo said:


> Dave, you might enjoy seeing one of the high end reef LEDs. I have a friend with one. He says one of the things you can do is to adjust the spectrum. You can start out with a redder spectrum in the morning, turning to crisp white throughout the day. You can have it go back to red for a sunset, and then go deep blue at dusk. You can also have it programmed to have the intensity rise and fall with your cycle. I believe he said he also programs successive darker "flashes" into it, to simulate the shadows of clouds passing overhead.
> I wonder if you could flash the whites, while in a dusky blue cycle, for a lightning storm.
> Dave, all this can be yours for a paltry $746 to $1034.
> Radion ™ XR30w | EcoTech Marine
> ...


I actually did run across that light awhile back...maybe it was you that posted it, but I know I've seen it before. Sadly way out of my price range, but cool 

I found on the petco site that current usa actually has a flexible strip version of the light the OP posted...it is strange though, Current's site shows it as only having the 3-button wired control which is what comes on the cheaper version of the fixture with white and blue leds while the Plus model has the RGB and white leds, but petco shows the flexible retro fit version with the 32 button wireless remote. So not sure what is going on there...maybe they upgraded it but didn't update their company site.

So anyways that is a cheaper version that is going to do most of what the actual fixture would do, but it is only a total of 800 lumens even though it is 44" long...so you would have to bend it, maybe cutting it and reattaching the pieces (looks like it can be cut every 3 leds or something, like most strips) and make it go around the top of your lid and spread those 800 lumens out evenly enough to maybe light a 10 gal...or use it as an add on to your main lighting for some extra light and some fx. I think I'd just buy the actual fixture though...looks like it is quite a bit more wattage even though it is shorter in length. 

They have the retrofit strip for 76.49
Current USA Satellite Freshwater Aquarium Flexible LED Plus Light at PETCO

They have the "Plus" model starting at 93.49
Current USA Satellite Freshwater Aquarium LED Plus Light at PETCO

Looks like the 44" flexible strip is equivalent to the 18" housed fixture in wattage and number of leds...though that listing on the company site is for the 3 button flexible strip with only white/blue leds...and if they are actually including the 32 button controller, I would assume that will only do everything it should with the white/rgb strip...so again, not sure what is going on there. Might wanna be something you check out in store to make sure you get what you think you should get and it does what it should do with the 32 button controller if you go for the flexible strip...but again *looks like overall the housed fixture is the better deal/brighter light.*

Anyways one thing you could do with the retrofit flexible strip or the true fixtures is set them up on a timer (assuming they can be set so the program runs when the light comes on), and have either the FX fixture/strip or main lights come on...probably the fx strip/fixture as your sunrise, then the timer kicks on your main lights when the FX strip peaks, they all run together through the day, then the main lights shut off, the fx strip goes through its sunset mode (and you can play with it during the day using the remote of course), and finishes on moon light? (if it can do that).* That is how I'd set it up on a tank that was to large to just run the fixture itself as main lighting. 
*

I have a led music controller, and 2 remote control units, motion activated sound loop player, motion sensor plugs and a remote control outlet and 5 meters of RGB flexible strip lighting, and the holographic plasma lightning setup has its own sound response so I can probably simulate most everthing this light does with my equipment. Maybe even setting the light to white, the music controller to ultra sensitive and some of the led strip on the roof of the viv so that any sound fluctuation caused it to fade in and out a bit simulating cloud cover. But this all in one unit would be a much easier way to do a lot of what I've put together from off the shelf parts 
*
If anyone missed my holographic FX threads here they are...*
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...-activated-lightning-cloud-proof-concept.html

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...erie-flys-through-cave-viv-proof-concept.html

Anyways cool light, I think I'll have to get one to play with once I can afford it.


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## ndame88 (Sep 24, 2010)

Here is another, a lot of people swear by these in the planted aquarium hobby

AquaVibrant


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

I would check out plantedtank.net those people rely directly on light performance so they have a lot of good information. 

I own a finnex ray 2 but have not put it into use yet. Another option is the monster ray which has RGB LEDs. Some people like to mix 1 of each.


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## Vermino (Aug 1, 2013)

(I actually came over from planted tank forums)

It really just depends on what your looking for in a light mark. I did a review on the satellite freshwater LED plus here

If your looking to grow anything deeper than 18", then this light isn't for you. Now you can purchase another one and get twice the impact but your just better off waiting for their planted version to come out or buy a finnex fugeray 2.

I personally been able to grow dwarf hair grass and UG (Utricularia graminifolia) in a mr aqua 12 gallon long aquarium in a DSM (dry start method). so that is about 9" of depth from substrate.


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