Any one use Cree XP-G

[bowfinger]

Anyone using these http://www.eliteled.com/products/diy/xpg-r5-emitter.html on their reef yet?

Also, whats the opinion on these?

[saltwater760]

what to know too

[BigAir]

I thinks LarryM did a LED build with some of those.

[mextli]

Nah Larry used some semi led's. From what I read on the xpg's is that you will need twice the amount of blue LEDs to compansate for the brightness. Most led users never put the intensity past 50% anyways. It seems like a waste to buy higher par LEDs. If you want the xpg so you can use fewer LEDs, the negative is you don't get much coverage.

[bowfinger]

so what if you are placing in a 3 foot deep tank would this be good for depth, while adding stronger blues? Also, would these then be good fuge or turf scrubber lights or do we have to consider overdoing it?

[mextli]

my advice would be to go to nano-reef.com and ask evilc66 in the lighting forum. I'm not sure if the xpg's would be better for your deep tank. Cree doesn't make any stronger blue led's other then the XRE's. The best lighting for an ATS is a color temp between 2700k - 3000k. There isn't a lot of ATS builds with LED's so there isn't much info on how beneficial they are yet. I have a feeling that the XPG's would be too powerful for an ATS and end up buring holes in the algae. Some Warm color XRE's are around the right color temp so i supose they would work well.

[pazhope]

Evil66 is not logging into NR anymore, something happened.

But you still can ask the guys usually DOCA or other members answer pretty quick.

[surfer85]

I used the XP-Gs for my build. I wanted to have the option to put more power to the whites if I wanted too. I've had the lights on my tank for over two months and have had some really nice growth. I just adjust my blues and whites to where I like them. When I was doing my build I considered getting one of those stunner strips from Ecoxotics.com if the whites were to powerful. I haven't had any of my corals bleach or burn.

[laffingcrow]

... Also, would these then be good fuge or turf scrubber lights or do we have to consider overdoing it?


...The best lighting for an ATS is a color temp between 2700k - 3000k. There isn't a lot of ATS builds with LED's so there isn't much info on how beneficial they are yet. I have a feeling that the XPG's would be too powerful for an ATS and end up buring holes in the algae. Some Warm color XRE's are around the right color temp so i supose they would work well.

Those might be a little much depending on how you use them...
The light would have to be spread out for good overall coverage of an ATS screen.
While 2700k-3000k warm white works best for a scrubber you can also use RED and BLUE for NO WASTED light energy.

Check out the LED ATS build user "Kcress" did on the algaescrubber site where he used RED and BLUE LEDs only.
(Sorry I don't have the link...)
I tried one of those cheap $25 14 watt RED/BLUE panels you can find on ebay but found you probably need about 35-45 watts to do the job.
NASA tested RED/BLUE (google it) and I confirmed it with my algae friend at Scripps; it works great but there's that co$t thing as compared to CFLs.
The BLUE LEDs match the peak wavelength for Chlorophyll B and the RED LEDs match the peak wavelenght for Chlorphyll A... and it's the same for leafy plants or algae.
http://www.sdreefs.com/forums/imagehosting/61974c1db043e561a.jpg
:2cents:

[SoCalBoo]

Check out the LED ATS build user "Kcress" did on the algaescrubber site where he used RED and BLUE LEDs only.
(Sorry I don't have the link...)
I tried one of those cheap $25 14 watt RED/BLUE panels you can find on ebay but found you probably need about 35-45 watts to do the job.
NASA tested RED/BLUE (google it) and I confirmed it with my algae friend at Scripps; it works great but there's that co$t thing as compared to CFLs.
The BLUE LEDs match the peak wavelength for Chlorophyll B and the RED LEDs match the peak wavelenght for Chlorphyll A... and it's the same for leafy plants or algae.

:2cents:

Thanks and +2 for the info. I was looking at the same 14 watt panels on ebay after buying a red/blue bulb and experimenting with it. Great color (red and blue), and according to some literature I found from Japan, would be great for growing algae. Unfortunately, the bulb was not strong enough. Now I know the panel isn't either (saved me $25...thanks).

Was thinking of the XR/XRE (whatever I could find in red) with no lens, so wide angle...start them up pretty high and bring them down until I see adverse results on the screen.

I am also looking to put whites and blues on a new 65g I am building right now.

I just need someone to tell me what to buy, where to buy it and how much of each to buy. I know - I am being lazy!

[pazhope]

those leds panels at ebay dont give a lot of intensity, you definitely need Hight intensity leds for this application.

I am going to try it in my ATS, just need to get some money to buy everything.

[bowfinger]

I am starting to understand, thanks everyone for your input. I am going to do more research looking at the DIY threads before making my plans...then save up lol.

[bowfinger]

Check these out, these ones are at 8,000k http://www.hero-ledstore.com/cree-xlamp-xpg-r5-group-cold-white-8000k-led-with-star-p-937.html

[CCLansman]

Boy what a rip! $9.95 per led? Got em $6 each @ ETGtech.com, or a member on here as some leds for $3.75 each, just put 2x the leds for better coverage vs more lumens in one spot. You can always add optics to get good penetration. Save yourself some $$,

[bowfinger]

I checked those out CCLansman and the ETGtech's looked very China quality on lighting output and peak wavelength. I would get some LED's at Dixieline lumber if that's the case, and screw a bunch into A-base mounts above my aquarium.
As for those SemiLED's by Willp2, they look decent, I am still looking to go big and tone down as needed. Not sure why less LED's with higher power is so bad considering MH's are many times 1 or 2 bulbs with great outcome (minus the heat), especially for deeper tanks. Those SemiLeds get up to 160 Luminous while the cree's go up to 350+, making that price not really a rip off if you factor it equals out to about the same, and you get Cree's.

I use LED's in home remodeling, and Cree really makes a deference in this field at least, surpassing most in color, luminous and longevity,.. this is why such an interest in them as my manufacture of choice.

[willp2]

FYI - The new batch of SemiLED's run at 200lm and have a 90 degree viewing angle for whatever that's worth.

I think the idea with more LED's is just about coverage. Many people have fewer brighter LED's but the light source is so focused that it’s hard to get good coverage and you end up with lots of shadows. All the light from an LED comes from a single point just a few mm across. MH’s by comparison are a single bulb, however the bulb is larger and isn’t directional. Light is bounced off a reflector and other surrounding surfaces so the actual light source is far larger by many times than any LED.

That said I think there certainly is room to try different things and different things will work better for different tanks. Look at the new Maxspect lights for instance; they use a combination of regular 3W LED’s and a couple 30W LED’s and people seem to really be digging those, although a lot of people end up not running the 30 LED's much.

[bigdog6286]

i have 24 Cree's on my 55 gallon tank working well so far...