Leds

[williamc]

I saw these led light strips off ebay and I was wondering are led lights worth 17.00 and shippng or are they not nessacary!

 

[tenohfive]

No need for them. Nothing wrong with normal tank lighting - in fact I've yet to meet a fishkeeper with LED lights on a tank.

 

[drobbyb]

No need for them. Nothing wrong with normal tank lighting - in fact I've yet to meet a fishkeeper with LED lights on a tank.

The LFS close by has a planted tank setup with LED lights. The plants seem to be doing fine.

 

[raptorrex]

No need for them. Nothing wrong with normal tank lighting - in fact I've yet to meet a fishkeeper with LED lights on a tank.

with the cost of electricity accelerating like a Ferrari, there is a great deal of need for them. the use less power, produce way less heat, last far longer than tubes or bulbs, take up far less space. it will be a few years before they take over, but they will.

 

[Helen G]

I used leds on my tank for ages... still do for moonlight.

You can make your own though, really easy, really cheap (If I can do it!)
I'll dig out the link for you.
Linky

 

[tenohfive]

Then I take it back. I've never met anyone before who used them, but you live and learn I guess.

 

[huckFIN]

LEDs last practically forever. I put a flashing red LED in my car in 1991 (as an alarm indicator). Every time I've changed my car I've taken the LED out of the old car and put it into the new car. Seventeen years later and it's still working.

 

[Rooster]

This is an old debate, I doubt LEDs are good enough for growing plants - but fine for viewing.

They are very power efficient when compared to lamps - but produce far less light, and a limited band of colours... plus theres a loss in any power supply you use to feed them - if you are looking at economy !

 

[raptorrex]

This is an old debate, I doubt LEDs are good enough for growing plants - but fine for viewing.

They are very power efficient when compared to lamps - but produce far less light, and a limited band of colours... plus theres a loss in any power supply you use to feed them - if you are looking at economy !

indeed an old debate. its a bit like UGF's, it took a while, but eventually, people worked out there were better ways to filter tanks. led's will eventually replace the lights we use now. plant growing is a good point. considering their limited light bands, it MAY be possible to make lights, light units, specifically taylord to this task. emitting only the light wavelengths that plants need to grow. making them vastly mor ecconomic than incandesent and flurescent, as 99% of the light from plant growth lights, in no good for growth. things move on. but is is not always popular when they do.

 

[OldMan47]

No need for them. Nothing wrong with normal tank lighting - in fact I've yet to meet a fishkeeper with LED lights on a tank.

Like Helen said, I also have some LEDs on 2 tanks. They were never intended to take the place of regular lighting and they don't in my tanks. I use them much the same way the picture shows on Helen's link. They just set a quiet setting after the tank lights go out in the evening. Unless you get your nose up to the glass, they don't even do much for watching fish. They give the tank a second purpose. After the tank lights are out, the tank becomes a decoration in the room with a little light in it for an accent.