Help, Need Light Review

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J

JC09

Gambusia
MFK Member
Apr 11, 2011
334
1
16
rhode island
hey guys, need a little help. ive been offered a great deal on a Marineland LED reef capable lighting system. as of now it is FOWLR only and will most likely stay that way. Can you guys tell me what you think of this light? is it worth the investment?

http://www.marineland.com/sites/marineland/products/Detail.aspx?id=3430

Energy efficient Marineland LED Reef Capable Lights provide the correct intensity and spectral output to maintain reef aquariums. These LED’s produce a high quality, natural-looking light that shimmers and creates shadows throughout the water, adding depth and dimension to the aquarium.

Slim, stylized lighting profile with daylight and lunar settings.
Powered by 1 watt LED’s
Energy efficient system that doesn’t require any bulb replacement.
Mimics underwater “shimmer” effect of natural sunlight.

Powered by Energy Efficient 1 watt LED’s that provide the correct intensity and spectral output to maintain reef aquariums.
Slim, stylized lighting profile.
Mimics underwater “shimmer” effect of natural sunlight.
Energy efficient system that doesn’t require any bulb replacement.
Two modes of lighting, Daytime (white and blue LEDs), Lunar (blue LEDs only).
Lifetime Hours - 50,000 hours.
Support legs adjust to fit multiple aquarium lengths
 
Couple things to consider here:

First, there is no need to spend a lot of money on lighting for a FOWLR, any lighting that allows viewing is sufficient.

Second, that is not a great LED fixture. Most high quality reef capable LED fixtures use 3w LED's, not the 1w found in the Marineland fixtures. When your looking for LED's you want a brand that gives full disclosure of the performance for their product. You want to see accurate PAR levels and specs. Here is an example of a quality LED fixture:

http://www.aquaillumination.com/sol/performance.html

Whether you intend to keep it FOWLR or eventually convert to a reef, I would skip on that fixture unless it is as cheap as a High Efficiency T5 fixture. A T5HE fixture is probably best for a FOWLR, it's cheap, produces little heat, and replacement bulbs don't break the bank since you don't need many of them. What size is the tank you need to light?
 
its a 55gal and the light is being used but was just opened this week. originally around $400 but would be able to buy it for $150
 
I don't think they are bad and that's a good deal is it the 36-48" one def grab it
 
it is the 36-48" version. i was not originally going to go with LED but rather T5 and this offer just kind of happened out of the blue..
 
Purevil21 said:
I wouldn't bother with it, I see used Marineland LED fixtures all the time on CL, they almost can't give them away. There was one posted a few weeks ago that half the LED's had stopped working and it was only a few months old. Quality LED fixtures should last 10-15 years.

http://www.aquacave.com/sun-blaze-t-5-48-lightbr-fixture-4-x-54w-lampsbr-by-sunlight-supply-698.html

Plenty of quality new fixtures in that price range that would work great for a FOWL system.
Click to expand...

if i did grab this light, which option would be best for me?
 
Any would suffice, but you don't necessarily need that light. I was just pointing out that there are plenty of quality T5 fixtures you can buy brand new in your price range.
 
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