LED lighting suggestions

Well after a big fiasco with an Amazon vendor who posted LED's for too cheap and then backed out, Im on the hunt for LED suggestions.

The tank is a 40B, so 36" in length, 18" wide and 16" tall. I am doing freshwater with fish only, no plants.

I have used Beamsworks single brights in the past and while a good value not happy with the light output. I have the Aqueon LED on my 72g bow because it came with it when I bought it. I added a single colormax and its better than it was stock but the lights dont blend well and at times you can see the red lighting spotting on the gravel. This one can add up quickly in price with the adding of extra LED modules. My favorite out of what I own is my Current Satellite + on my 210g. I am using a rose setting and the fish pop. The thing I dont necessarily like is the sensor and cable, the remote and gimmicky 'effects'. I just like it for the rose color and full spectrum settings.

So I would like suggestions of what else you guys have used and liked. Finnex? MarineLand? Aquatic Life? Others?

For a fish only setup. Perhaps check out a Finnex Monster Ray?

I saw Pokes review on it and I did not like how it looked when it was ran just by itself. In conjunction with the second light he had I liked it. But I dont want multiple fixtures. I had considered the FugeRay, any comments on that one?

Since 40g breeders are so wide do you need to either raise lighting, or have 2 fixtures to evenly illuminate the whole tank?

I like the fuge rays. Although at the same price point I'd just go with a planted plus. I find it nearly impossible to convey the differences in the light without showing someone in person. When you can see 3 or 4 LED fixtures on tanks in the same room you can compare them.

fishNAbowl wrote:Since 40g breeders are so wide do you need to either raise lighting, or have 2 fixtures to evenly illuminate the whole tank?  

Thats why I was thinking the FugeRay since it sits higer up.
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This one does however intrigue me.... [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Freshwater Bright LED Aquarium Light 36" HI Lumen RGB Pink
LEDs Count: 117
2900 Lumens
Super energy efficient 0.2 watt high output LEDs
117x RGB Pink LED
Use 41 watts
$53.97

Not to de-rail the thread, but I'd like to know if anyone has had any experience with BeamWork products at all? Doing an LED light for the 55, fish only, and would like to get max color from the fish.

Not a derail at all. I have used the Beamswork single bright and they are just OK, nothing special. They really do not enhance fish color and only provide enough light to see your fish and not much else in my opinion. I have the Aqueon with the colormax and the Current Satellite + which both have a red tint and the fish color pops a lot. That was my reason for bringing up the Beamswork pink light. I think it would work wonders for fish color.

Google the hack to the beamworks legs, a lot of people have bent the legs down (with the legs extended obviously) to raise the fixture up. I personally have PAR30 LED lights (still need to get the 3rd one for the left side) above mine hanging from conduit similar to the ADA style for suspending their lights above tanks.

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Another Chinese knock off light I have been interested in is this:
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I love that it uses two power supplies for the white and moon lights. With two timers you could have a pretty nice effect. Decent price with shipping but not sure how it would really look with fish.

I don't think the beamworks is the best lighting but for the price they do pretty good.  He is my tank with 2 48" reef bright on it.   I wouldn't waste money on single brights.   I also popped off the littile plastic lenses for more dispersion made a world of difference...

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Yeah, I was not happy with the single brights. They were great as a replacement for the T5 HO that I had when it came to energy savings and algae growth. They were very dim at night trying to light up a deep tank. For my 40B project I wonder if it would be better to stay with the single bright due to the fact the tank is pretty shallow.... thoughts?

I have never seen the single brights but my guess is they would be ok in a shallow tank. You could go with the reef bright and tape over some if it were too bright..

The single brights struggled on the 210g which is 29" deep. The 40B is only like 16" deep but then will I get full coverage on the 18" wide tank? Decisions, decisions... I think if I did go with the Beamswork, I would just try out that Pink fixture. With all my other LED's this combo seems to make fish really stand out. Im just trying to get a good fixture with out dropping $100+ on it. While I love the color tone of my Satellite + and kind of like the Aqueon Colormax, I dont want to be in those price ranges for this tank.

So I am still searching for LED's but trying to do this on the cheap. I found a company that makes an interesting modular system. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The 36" model comes with 7 pods but can be expanded and hold up to up to 23 pods! The pods are not super expensive and can be found for about $4-$5 each.
I think I like this a bit better than my Aqueon modular with the glass tube LED's.

By reading this thread it seems you really get what you pay for. I've read a lot of "what's cheaper, what's cheaper". Then.... Ohhh, they are ooookaay...

I've never said that with a Finnex. You want color enhancing, choose a monster ray. You want bright? Perhaps a Ray2. You want warm natural tone? FugeRay planted+. Tank is 16" deep? Get one fixture. Tank is 2' deep, get 2 fixtures. You get what you pay for. You want quality , it'll cost. You want ho humm quality and an "okay" LED output, choose something listed above.

I would be interested in a build. However if I DYI'd a LED fixture I would still go with top shelf components.

I do agree you get what you pay for. I have no issues with my Satellite + fixture in performance but dont want to drop $100 on a fixture that is not really a show tank. If my pockets were deeper I would like to try one of the Finnex.

Looks like with this one I might just have to get a single bright Beamswork which would keep it under $50. Was just hoping to find that noticeably better light for just a little bit more....

Sometimes I see used LED fixtures for sale. Is used fixtures an option?

Used is an option. Sad thing is Ive sold off lights that would have worked!   

I've been there with aquarium equipment.

I may have decided on an LED: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Turns out the original light issue with Amazon might just be fulfilled after all with this as a substitution. Just have to see if it all falls into place. Normally about a $110 item (which was more than I wanted to spend) but price issue being worked out by vendor to make sure Im happy. This one too is a modular system with replaceable panels.

fishNAbowl wrote:By reading this thread it seems you really get what you pay for. I've read a lot of "what's cheaper, what's cheaper". Then.... Ohhh, they are ooookaay...

I've never said that with a Finnex. You want color enhancing, choose a monster ray. You want bright? Perhaps a Ray2. You want warm natural tone? FugeRay planted+. Tank is 16" deep? Get one fixture. Tank is 2' deep, get 2 fixtures. You get what you pay for. You want quality , it'll cost. You want ho humm quality and an "okay" LED output, choose something listed above.

I would be interested in a build. However if I DYI'd a LED fixture I would still go with top shelf components.

x2 I know you said you don't want to spend the extra money but I cannot say enough good about my

Ray 2
Fugeray Planted+

They are amazing. I'm saving for a ray 2 for my 60 gallon..

The Finnex stuff does have a good rep for sure. If money were not an issue I would likely own it. In the quest to have multiple tanks, lighting has been the last upgraded item. At this point Im done. Im pretty sure the wife will not agree to another tank, was shocked she was the one to suggest I could have my 3rd one. Made sure to make that one count and did the breeder size to be able to use it for more things. I will see if my ZooMed LED comes through and post my thoughts when I get it.

DMD123 wrote:The Finnex stuff does have a good rep for sure. If money were not an issue I would likely own it. In the quest to have multiple tanks, lighting has been the last upgraded item. At this point Im done. Im pretty sure the wife will not agree to another tank, was shocked she was the one to suggest I could have my 3rd one. Made sure to make that one count and did the breeder size to be able to use it for more things. I will see if my ZooMed LED comes through and post my thoughts when I get it.

I know how that goes!! That's why I haven't pulled the trigger on it for my 60..   happy wife happy life.

poffman wrote:I know how that goes!! That's why I haven't pulled the trigger on it for my 60..   happy wife happy life.

When it comes to my main tank, the 210g in our living room, the wife really does not have an issue with me spending money on it since its the focal point as you walk in our home. She was happy to see the improvements when I upgraded from Beamswork to Satellite + LED's.

With the other tank (72g bow) I had to be a bit more frugal because it is upstairs in an office that nobody but me really looks at. As time has progressed she has appreciated my hobby more and Ive heard her talking with friends (of course when Im not in the room) about the fish, the types, their names, etc. LOL, so she has been paying attention when I talk about the fish!

I like buildmyled.com fully customizable.

How in the H3LL did you get a 972 gallon tank UPSTAIRS?!

fishNAbowl wrote:How in the H3LL did you get a 972 gallon tank UPSTAIRS?!

LOL - funny what a Shift key and ( can accomplish...

It was a 72g  

So a little observation on LED's in general and this new Zoo Med fixture.

Why have these manufacturers not have it figured out to put the night lighting and day lighting on different power and switches so that each channel can be independently timed?

The Zoo Med has part of the idea and has put different switches on each channel but then they drop the ball by still powering it by a single power supply. This will be fine for my needs but just one of those things....

A few companies have figured it out, but not many.

I have experience with fixtures from buildmyled.com (aquariumplants.com sells them more cheaply, by about 15%), and Finnex. The buildmyled stuff is very nicely made, the options to mount them are better, and they are dimmable if need be. If you want them to work with a ramping timer, you can. They are also quite expensive, though compared to a couple of years of bulb replacements, it evens out. They have a LOT of LEDs, and may be overkill, depending on tank size and depth. But you can dim them, and dial it in to just right, so it works out.

The Finnex is in comparison much more cheaply made, the driver is much less well made, and while it has the option for moon lights, they're essentially useless if you use a timer. They're probably good enough for most people, and won't break the bank - the buildmyled stuff is about twice the price. If you have a thick tank edge, the mounting doesn't work, and can't be made to very well. I'll have to fabricate and glue a mounting strip to the top of the aquarium - not a huge deal.

DMD123 wrote:Why have these manufacturers not have it figured out to put the night lighting and day lighting on different power and switches so that each channel can be independently timed?

The Zoo Med has part of the idea and has put different switches on each channel but then they drop the ball by still powering it by a single power supply. This will be fine for my needs but just one of those things....

I had the same thing with the Finnex - oh, neat, a moon light. Oh, its useless... I'm sure the answer is that the power supply is a substantial part of the price. I think if I decide I want a moon light, I'll get one of those inexpensive submersible ones.

What these manufacturers need to do is make it capable to run independently with an optional kit. Have two switches installed with the ability to pull a jumper wire off the moonlight and then add the additional power kit to make it work separate.

The company could put a proprietary plug on it so the consumer had to buy their product to make it work. Barrel connectors are great but too easy to make other brands of stuff fit. This way the company would make money and the consumer would be happy.

These guys I had posted earlier on do it with two power supplies: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

DMD123 wrote:As time has progressed she has appreciated my hobby more and Ive heard her talking with friends (of course when Im not in the room) about the fish, the types, their names, etc. LOL, so she has been paying attention when I talk about the fish!

Haha!! I catch my wife doing the same, unfortunately whenever she names a fish it dies.

I dont let my wife name my fish anymore, my last big cichlid, a midas, ended up being named Mr. Fintastic, we called him Fin for short.

This time I have taken to naming the fish so thats why I have Porkchop the Pearsei. Who knows what strange name my wife would have given her.