# how good are these light? advice



## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

Hi. Are these lights http://www.bigalspets.ca/expandable-led-light-fixture-48-w-48.html

Good for a reef with corals of any type, fish etc? It is an expensive purchase and I don't want to buy it and then having people telling me that they are either inadequate or too bright! They will go on a 75gallon (48" long) tank. Thanks


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

Terrible. 
not enough characters so I'll say it again. 
Terrible.


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

fesso clown said:


> Terrible.
> not enough characters so I'll say it again.
> Terrible.


Wow. Why is that? I am searching for reviews now and I only find good things. Give details please. I would love to hear from many of you guys


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

You're probably gonna ask me why. The short answer is the industry standard is 3W LED's that fixture has 1 W LED's also it's not controllable also it's overpriced also it's from Big Al's.


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

fesso clown said:


> You're probably gonna ask me why. The short answer is the industry standard is 3W LED's that fixture has 1 W LED's also it's not controllable also it's overpriced also it's from Big Al's.


Oh come on and I was trusting you. What big al's has to do with it? Please be less prejudiced. I am getting it from an owner for much less. I am not concerned about the price but about if they will be enough for my tank. In the tank I want to be able to put ANY of the normal corals we see in a pet store priced 40-70 dollars.


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

Alright, leave out the Big Al's remark and consider the other stuff I said.

Aquatic Life make decent low-midrange T5HO fixtures. (if you switch out the bulbs) I have no experience with that LED fixture, will it be good enough? Are you getting it for $50? Then I would say go for it.

BTW no prejudice at all, I have been to Big Al's lots of times and feel pretty qualified to judge the products they sell in the "salt" section as overpriced and midrange.

Want something good? Like really good? Here's a steal of a deal for ya, this fixture will grow anything:
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47578


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

The light in the ad you showed me is ALOT more expensive than what I am getting the aquatic life for. OF course it is a good one as i can see but it is missing stuff which would higher the price. No offence for the seller.

Anyone who has experience with the LEDs i am talking about please help


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## sooley19 (Jan 7, 2009)

the add that jeff put up for you to have a look at is an amazing price and you don't need anything else for it just plug it in and away you go.. if you are talking about timers or anything like that just go to home depot or anything like that and buy one and you can adjust everything you want for it.. you'd be crazy to buy that led fixture from big als and not this one.. yeah its a little bit more money than you were expecting to pay but at the same time you won't have to worry if it will be "good enough for your tank" i have a basically the same light 6 bulb and everything is looking outstanding.. and i have a mixture between sps, lps, softies and hard corals and i see nothing but good things from it.. and for that price its a steal.. just my opinion though


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

monk21 said:


> Oh come on and I was trusting you. What big al's has to do with it? Please be less prejudiced. I am getting it from an owner for much less. I am not concerned about the price but about if they will be enough for my tank. In the tank I want to be able to put ANY of the normal corals we see in a pet store priced 40-70 dollars.


The list price is $550. If your seller is selling it to you for $100 or so I gotta wonder why...
I couldn't find any reviews on that light that were't on a distributers website. There was one review on nanoreef but it was posted by Big Al. The tank he reviewed it on looked good but was softie dominated. 
I am not trying to be an ass, just trying to save you money in the long run. Here's a rule of thumb: 
-If you have to ask if it will be "good enough" it's probably not.


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

LOL

If you are getting this fixture for $100 then sure, go for it.

But realize that it is not a high end light and you may find it insufficient for many corals. It's only 48 total watts which isn't much. I have close to triple that on my 90 gallon reef.

But I would never pay that list price, that's crazy. 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## Tristan (Aug 15, 2011)

Any LED light that is built with 1 watt LEDs no matter where it is from is meant as an accent lighting and nothing more (except for the multichip LEDs, which you can't readily get yet). You will get limited penetration on a 75 gallon with one or more of those fixtures. Your just going to be throwing good money after bad with that fixture. 

With that light you will be able to keep mushrooms and leathers and likely not a whole lot more. 

No one is telling you to spend $1000 on lighting but spend your money on something that works. 

A 6 bulb t5 unit would be perfect OR your LED light AND a 4 bulb t5 light. 

One more thing, do your wallet a favour and stop buying dry goods at Big Als. You can purchase them from a dozen online shops for much less and have it shipped to your door within two days. Mail order pet supplies is generally 25-50% less than Big Als and will ship next day for like 10 bucks.


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## Dax (Sep 29, 2010)

I have 2 1-Watt LED fixtures on my 120 gallon and they work great. However, I have 120 LEDs on each one (Total 240 Watts). I bought mine used and paid $350 for both, which I think was a steal. If this one only has 48 LEDs, I would think it is insufficient and depending on the price you pay, I'd agree that it is overpriced.
The guys giving you feedback are experienced and even though they may not be giving you the exact answer you want, the fact of the matter is they are trying to steer you away from this purchase which should mean something. I know there was a link to another used fixture, but might I suggest you post a budget, what you want from a light fixture and then let the guys point you in the right direction.


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## damsel_den (Oct 31, 2011)

Monk , ppl here are only trying to help, if you ask an opinion don't get upset if you don't like the answer, its you asking for the advice.

and heres my opinion:If you buy a good fixture now it will be a lot cheaper in the future.
That fixture isn't a good fixture unless you want to keep fish and maybe soft corals .
so if you buy it and you decide to try and keep other corals you are going to be throwing your money away on corals. and if you are planning on keeping other corals then your going to have to buy a new fixture. 
its a lot easier to just put the money in up front because eventually you are going to end up spending it.. trust me I tried to cheap out Originally and it cost me more money in the end and not to mention the frustraition and headaches .


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

IF you're willing to pay the price.

Get it from Al

http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47635

I agree with everyone else on here, you can get that fixture if you want but I'm sure you won't be able to grow sps with them.

It ain't gonna be cheap to have a nice saltwater setup but its worth it now to start spending the $$$ rather than swapping it out later on because its not good enough.


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## disman_ca (Nov 12, 2011)

Monk21: I looked at one of those fixtures and yes they are tempting but not for the price they want retail. Of course if you are getting it for cheaper maybe it is worth buying but I'm willing to bet you'll want to upgrade sometime in the future to a more powerful LED fixture. In the end we all spend tons of money on equipment, some of us spend more up front and buy it once while others play the upgrade game and spend way more in the end. Get the fixture if you feel it is a great deal but don't expect it to perform like the one Alex is selling in the previous post http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47635


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