# Under Cabinet LED Lighting?



## JoelRHale (Apr 22, 2011)

Anyone used these for tank lighting? I found a kit online that comes with 10, 9" strips, each with 21 LEDs for $150.

Marine land DBs have 24 total lights I believe and are around $120.

Just wondering if people think it would work. The plan would be to rig up 5 per side of my 75.

I'm having a hard time finding comparisons of LED to other lights on the same tank so I can see the difference, are they even all that better?


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## Paulbearer (Aug 29, 2005)

I'm just curius why you would spend that much on an under cabinet light....or are you talking about in the hood?


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## JoelRHale (Apr 22, 2011)

I guess I wasn't clear, the $150 dollar under cabinet kit would have a total of 210 LEDs, 10" strips with 21 LEDs each. Where the DB's for a 48" light only has 24 LEDs. I would rig these up into some form of fixture in the hood.

It comes with two drivers and dimmers so if it's too bright I can only run 5 of the strips and could put the other 5 on another tank.

I don't know much about LEDs so I was wondering if there was a huge difference, or if an led is an led is an led.


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## JimA (Nov 7, 2009)

I always wondered if the rope light stuff for under kitchen cabinets would work, probably not bright enough, just guessing?


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## JoelRHale (Apr 22, 2011)

*JimA*, that's what I'm trying to find out from the great pioneers of the diy section. Someone out there has to have tried it and either had a good or bad experience. I might have to go on a limb and go for it, but I can't really throw $150 away if it turns out to be useless. Maybe I will be very careful taking it out of the package and find a place with a great return policy!


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Bright LED's are expensive. You're not going to find cheap LED's that do the same job. Even with twice as many LED's, you're going to have better coverage with no spotlighting, but I don't think they'll be much brighter.


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

GTZ said:


> Bright LED's are expensive. You're not going to find cheap LED's that do the same job. Even with twice as many LED's, you're going to have better coverage with no spotlighting, but I don't think they'll be much brighter.


+1
The cabinet lighting LEDS have low viewing angles that GTZ is referring too. Some have a warmer white output, but again, your going to have a spotlight effect.

*JimA*, I have rope accent lighting in my boat and the light output is minimal. The lighting is enough to illuminate the stairs into the cabin but I doubt it would penetrate 18" of water to provide a fully lit aquarium.


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## jturkey69 (Jun 6, 2011)

we have rope lighting set-up in an entertainment center which houses three small tanks...a 20 tall, 10, and 2 gallon cylinder tank. we used one each string of white and blue, and have found it lights it up very well, and could be re-routed to light it up more. Its more of an experiment currently, as my wife really wanted to try it, so I have been put to the test :lol:

lil off topic...when I first read your title, I thought you were wanting lighting from underneath the tank shining up. We did that in our 35 hex tank by using clear and blue glass beads, and setting a light under the tank...works and looks very cool, and easy to clean substrate, but I wouldnt use it for tanks that need rock work stacked up, but works great for a typical tetra,platy, etc...
sorry for the slight de-rail

quick edit...automotive LED's can also work provided you have an old cell phone charger to hack up....my next honey-do project...after I make pvc stuff..lol


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## jturkey69 (Jun 6, 2011)

anern said:


> More and more Professional led lights tech information on the topledsupplier website .


How come you guys dont have prices on your website?


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## 69183 (Apr 25, 2011)

I have 4 strips in my 75 gallon. I believe they were 12 or 13 inch strips. Anyway those 4 are plenty bright in my aquarium. Mine alternate 2 white LEDs, 1 blue LED. You don't see the blue in the light, but you can definitely notice the difference in the color of the fish, the blue LEDs really make em "pop".


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## JoelRHale (Apr 22, 2011)

4 strips of undercabinet? Could you please post a picture so I can see? I would really appreciate it.


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## 69183 (Apr 25, 2011)

JoelRHale said:


> 4 strips of undercabinet? Could you please post a picture so I can see? I would really appreciate it.


Assuming by under cabinet you mean above the aquarium and under the canopy/hood (i.e. attached to the ceiling of the canopy), and not shining up from the bottom of the aquarium. Then yes. I can post some pics when I get home. I'll have to take a few of the LEDs themselves.


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## 69183 (Apr 25, 2011)

I'll get 'em posted, but it probably won't be till later this evening. I have to go pick up a friend that lives about an hour and a half away.


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## JoelRHale (Apr 22, 2011)

Yeah that's what I mean, sorry it's confusing since that's their technical name! :lol:

I would greatly appreciate the pictures, I went to lowes today and had them up against florescent tubes- the tubes look much brighter but the LEDs seem to illuminate better so I'm all confused now haha.


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## 69183 (Apr 25, 2011)

Was able to make it home before having to run out.... Heres some pictures of my lights.

The four white light strips:








The two blue light stunner strips:








Aquarium with white lights:








Aquarium with blue lights:









Cell phone pictures and the camera don't do the blue lights justice.


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## 69183 (Apr 25, 2011)

I also think it depends on the position of the lights and how your aquarium is set up. Typically lights go along the length of the aquarium, but with mine because of the rocks, it looked much better spaceing them along the along the width so that the light comes down on the front and back of the rocks.


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## paradigmsk8er (Apr 13, 2009)

those look like ecoxotic panorama and stunner strips...which are pretty good, reasonably high end fixtures, and the price reflects that. Not quite up to some of them but better than the Marineland fixtures

Good LEDs cost money, but provide copious output reliability efficiency and life...IMO, after running a nice setup, any DIY i would do would only feature high end pieces....spend once, cry once


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## jturkey69 (Jun 6, 2011)

looks awesome!!! :thumb:


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## 69183 (Apr 25, 2011)

paradigmsk8er said:


> those look like ecoxotic panorama and stunner strips...which are pretty good, reasonably high end fixtures, and the price reflects that. Not quite up to some of them but better than the Marineland fixtures
> 
> Good LEDs cost money, but provide copious output reliability efficiency and life...IMO, after running a nice setup, any DIY i would do would only feature high end pieces....spend once, cry once


Yes they are panorama (I don't know about the exotic part) and stunner strips.

Really wasn't that expensive after you take into the account I don't have to change bulbs every 6-12 months. The added expense of the LEDs actually will pay for themselves in the first year... The light hood that I was going to get had 4 bulbs and LED moon lights and was going to run me about $275. The LED set up in the pictures cost about $400. Once you figure in the cost of changing out the bulbs at $25 each x 4, plus the energy savings on the electrical bill, they pay for themselves within the first year. But yeah, I kinda had some sticker shock at first, but I belong to my LFS fish club so I got an automatic 10% discount, plus I had a coupon for another 20%. So I got a pretty good deal.

Before I finished the canopy, I only had two of the panorama lights sitting on top of the glass and those were plenty enough light and I almost returned the other two. But I decided to just keep them and installed them in the canopy. Gave a more even spread of light with all four.

The stunner strips are nice because because they only have one power supply and you can chain them together (I think it was up to 8 ). The Panorama's were a bit of pain as they each have their own power supply and they put it right on the plug so I had to use two power strips to provide electricity to them as you couldn't fit all four on one.


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## 69183 (Apr 25, 2011)

jturkey69 said:


> looks awesome!!! :thumb:


Thank you.


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## paradigmsk8er (Apr 13, 2009)

Ecoxotic is the company that makes the panorama and stunner strips, as well as a few other fixtures. The panorama/stunner setups are good for freshwater tanks that aren't planted as they provide good coverage but with low-moderate output..so if you don't need to grow anything they offer the ability to be selective of colors and have all the benefits of good LEDs without stepping up to some of the pricier cree/phillips/bridgelux fixtures


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## 69183 (Apr 25, 2011)

paradigmsk8er said:


> Ecoxotic is the company that makes the panorama and stunner strips, as well as a few other fixtures. The panorama/stunner setups are good for freshwater tanks that aren't planted as they provide good coverage but with low-moderate output..so if you don't need to grow anything they offer the ability to be selective of colors and have all the benefits of good LEDs without stepping up to some of the pricier cree/phillips/bridgelux fixtures


Gotcha. Lol I didn't pay attention the manufacturer, they just came in a plain brown box. They had a display set up at the LFS so I knew it was what I wanted.


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