LEDs

So I was wondering if you guys would rather buy an LED pannel like this or buy one made to order for a little more?

 

It's always iffy whether or not Ebay lights are going to work out well for you, so if you are going to get one, I would go with the stock one they make and see how you like them. This way you don't waste as much money if you don't end up liking them.

 

I am not looking to buy these but I have seen these all over ebay and they also use these ones at my lfs (well they look similar) and was thinking to my self that I could make these but build them to the specific order of the customer with what ever K value they want, like 6500K, 10,000K, 14, 20 or a mixture of those. They could also choose the color of the fixture and if they wanted just an aluminum one or one made out of some nice wood like I did for my fixture.

 

That fixture uses 1w bridgelux LEDs. From what ive seen the higher end and more effective models use Cree bulbs and mostly 3w ones. Those Cree 3w can rival a250 halide at 24 inches w optics. Dunno if the 1w bridgelux can do the same

 

From all the research I have done 3 1 watt LEDs are more powerful than one 3 watt cree LED. I an using 1 watts over my frag tank right now and I seem to be getting good growth on my corals. So my question is would you rather buy a pre made fixture or have one built to how you want it?

 

I've done both. If your fixture is out in the open, paying a little more for aesthetics is optimal. If it is in a canopy, looks matter a bit less. I have fixtures both ways, and both have their pros/cons.

 

But the key with point source lighting is to get more power coming from a single point for deeper penetration. This is why when people set up deeper tanks they don't add more low power halides. They instead use higher power lamps. Either way, if you can market L.E.D.s at competitive prices right now you won't lose. Everyone is looking to get into them whether they have deep tanks or not and few are willing to pay the premium for top of the line.

 

that Is true and I will have to see what the lenses will do to the 1 watts. But I will probably try to sell a couple and see how it goes.

 

The eBay light is perfectly fine.