# Lighting Advice



## Adamtc68 (Mar 31, 2013)

Hi all,

I'm looming at getting a nice light for my tank but am woefully lacking in knowledge on the subject. My tank is 4ft in length and 75 gal. I currently have / will be keeping African cichlids with some synodontis in the tank. I've always liked the look of LED, and realize they are more expensive, but not sure of reliable brands, etc. Any thoughts?


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## Adamtc68 (Mar 31, 2013)

Sorry, forgot to mention. I have no desire for plants in this tank so that is not a concern at all.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Hard to beat the Beamswork 48" reef bright model. I have one on a 75g and a 36" on a 40g. Really like them.


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## fishing12 (Dec 15, 2012)

13razorbackfan said:


> Hard to beat the Beamswork 48" reef bright model. I have one on a 75g and a 36" on a 40g. Really like them.


I agree with 13razorbackfan, this is a nice light and just for the sake of options take a look at the Aqueon Modular Led, its priced right and for the money looks really nice.


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## kruizin (Jun 23, 2012)

Oh yeah.....if you're wanting LED the Beamswork Reef Bright model is very nice. Good illumination and color, but of course that's all personal preference. You might check out Razor's link in his tagline.


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## Adamtc68 (Mar 31, 2013)

I'm looking through some of the beamswork items now; is there a website that they have listings on or do they just operate through ebay / amazon?


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Naw, just Google beamworks . aquatraders is a big supplier of them.


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## Adamtc68 (Mar 31, 2013)

Ok, so I found two items that I need some opinions on. Two fixtures: both are 48" and both are beamswork. One has 164 .2w diodes at 3100 lumen and one has 54 1w diodes at 3300 lumen. The difference in price is $79 for the former and $115 for the latter. Is the 3300 lumen going to make a difference? If so mid rather go ahead and spend it now, just never seen both in comparison. Any ideas?


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Honestly i've never paid attention to lumens before, i'm always after kelvin ratings. I've never used beamworks before either so i couldnt say, and there's no relation of lumens to kelvin either for any kind of conversion table. However 2w are twice as bright as the 1w obviously, and i see a lot of guys build expensive setups using 3watt cree's, but a lot of it also not only comes down to the quality of the LED but the drivers that ignite them as well.

I've seen some friends finnex fuge ray/ray and the ML series lights, and they work amazing. I'm super anal about the right lights for my tanks, and a bit frugal about it for w/e reason. I'd really suggest looking everywhere, on youtube, the pics here in the gallery, plantedtank forum, and other forums at people setups using led lights for 75g and see what seems to work for the brightness/dimness/color your after. Might as well before you spend a decent chunk of cash on it


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## Adamtc68 (Mar 31, 2013)

Just an update. I finally got my new LED in. I ended up going with the EVO 48" 3W x 32 LED at he recommendation of 13razorbackfan. It has definitely impressed with its lighting power. I wish I had something along the lines of a 90 gal instead of a 75 for a little extra height for the light to disperse a little more, but still happy with the choice. Thanks for everyone's assistance. Here are some update pics.

Before (standard fluro light that came with the tank / hood:









After (EVO LED full spectrum):









After (EVO LED lunar mode):


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Pop the lenses off......that will distribute the light more evenly and eliminate much of the beaming effect. I used a butter knife to pop all mine off. Takes a minute to figure it out but once you do they snap right off. They pop back in as well so if you like it better with them in you can just pop them back in place.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

If you have a canopy, hang the fixture inside a few inches above the tank.


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## Adamtc68 (Mar 31, 2013)

I'll have to try that razor. That didn't even occur to me. And there isn't a canopy, it's just an open top tank. I'll post another set once I do some light surgery for a comparison. Next step: replace one of the HOB with a canister.


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## jsuthers (Apr 18, 2013)

I just got my Beamswork!  They look 1000x better than my t5's.










Glad I bought them and would recommend to anyone!


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## Adamtc68 (Mar 31, 2013)

Finally got a chance to grab some pictures with the lit casings popped out per suggestion.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

How do you like the look without the lenses? Personally I like it much better. Less beaming and more of a spread.


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## Adamtc68 (Mar 31, 2013)

I would definitely agree. I haven't seen them in person, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't have gone with the 1w diodes. I think 3w may be too much light density for this tank. Either way, I'm enjoying the light and making notes for other tanks in the future. Thanks for everyone's help.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

I would have went with the 3w had they had them at the time. I like my 1w but I still would like it brighter. Just think....I have a quad t5HO on a 75g and it didn't bother the fish at all. So you are ok.


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