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Bridgelux LED"S

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Marcus, Jan 18, 2013.

  1. Marcus

    Marcus

    218
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    So just thought i'd share this with everyone.. I have a 38gal bow front that i have never been happy with the current fixtures that i purchased, so i decided to build an new fixture on the cheap.

    1st i grabbed an old 2' T8 fixture that i had laying around

    2nd ordered 8 royal blue 3 watt bridgelux's and 8 10,000k 3 watt bridgelux's

    3rd i picked up a piece of metal that's used to transition from vinyl flooring to carpet

    I had an extra none dimmable meanwell driver that i got free with my previous order to rapid LED when i built my DIY'S for my 135 reef tank

    also had some 3" fans laying around, decide to put 2 on the fixture

    All i can say is it looks awesome perfect color temp, my fish have colors I've never seen before. Every bit as good as a Kesel tuna blue that ive seen on a similar sized tank at the LFS but this is brighter

    took me 2 hours to through it all together

    bottum line total invest of $50.00

     
  2. Kpotter2 Expert Reefkeeper

    North liberty, IA
    Ratings:
    +7 / 0 / -0
    Yes I agree I love my Bridgelux leds too. I have 50/50 Whites and Blues on a 12" Makersled Heatsink. I got mine at Aquastyleonline where did you get yours?

    KP
     
  3. Marcus

    Marcus

    218
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    I got them at Aquastyleonline also.. I would say they are very nice but my Cree's seem brighter.. It was just so simple to build i even built a 6' strip for under my stand on the 135 with 8 10,000k's on it OMG it's so nice to be able to get under there and work and be able to see everything. Hooked it up to my apex so a flick on the iPhone and let there be light
     
  4. Kpotter2 Expert Reefkeeper

    North liberty, IA
    Ratings:
    +7 / 0 / -0
    From what I read the Cree's are suppose to be softer and better par,but the Bridgelux brighter. So the is interesting.

    I know the Apex rocks. You can also hook up a door magnetic switch on a B/O box and as soon as you open your cabinet door it will come on. I am working on a Magnetic switch to turn off my skimmer when i remove the cup to rinse it out.

    KP
     
  5. nickbuol Here fishy, fishy, fishy...

    718
    Marion, IA
    Ratings:
    +17 / 0 / -0
    Actually the CREEs are more output with less energy usage (so more efficient), but they cost more too.

    Don't forget that the focus lenses make a big difference. A Bridgelux with a 60 degree lens will have what seems to be a brighter light than a similar CREE with an 80 degree lens or there about. But with the same focus, the CREE will penetrate deeper into the water with brighter light. That is why so many people have CREEs on dimmers. They typically run them at 50-70% because they are so bright. At least that is what I got out of reading and researching LEDs over the course of about 3 months.

    Oh, I went with the AquaStyle Bridgelux for my 120 gallon FOWLR build. Then again, can I really call it a FOWLR with it has 3 little mushrooms that hitchhiked from the previous tank, and no fish yet? LOL I picked them mainly because of cost and the fact that is FOWLR. If I ever would start with some corals, I can just add on with more lights later. I opted for two 24 LED kits from them and a 4 LED moonlight kit from RapidLEDs. My color combos per fixture are 12 royal blue, 1 red, 1 green, 2 actinic violet, 8 10k whites. Honestly, I am not sure that the red and green are going to do much, and the actinic are a lot less bright than the royal blues. They sent 2 extra whites and 2 extra blues. I might replace the red and greens with those at some point.

    I was just working on my LED mount tonight as a matter of fact. The LEDs got connected and soldered up back the beginning of December while I was sitting in a hotel in the evenings while on a business trip. With the "naked" LEDs I was concerned about the light output, but once I put on the lenses, holy crap were they bright!

     
  6. Kpotter2 Expert Reefkeeper

    North liberty, IA
    Ratings:
    +7 / 0 / -0
    This is what i read in my 2 Months of reading up on LED's. Bridgelux is 10-15% less efficient per watt per diode compared to cree. While cree is 40-70% cree more expensive.
    I think you right about the lens degrees. It make s difference that's for sure..
     
  7. Big D Well-Known ReefKeeper

    889
    Center Point
    Ratings:
    +3 / 0 / -0
    I have both on my 220 and like both of them and my corals do to.
     
  8. dead fish Dead Fish

    832
    Iowa City
    Ratings:
    +1 / 0 / -0
    Pics or it didn't happen.
     

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