# LED flood lights, wattage and how many?



## discusdan

Hey all, I'm currently in the process of building a 130L rimless aquarium, as such i'll need some new lights and I've been looking at the LED flood lights.

Trouble is I'm not sure on what wattage I'd need or how many

Tank dimensions are 700x450x400mm (L,D,H)

I was thinking that two 30w lights should be about right?

I'm planning on fitting the lights to adjustable mounts so I can increase or decrease the intensity by moving the lights up or down.

Anyone using LED flood lights and could give me some advice?

cheers.


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## Tim Harrison

Try this for starters http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/led-on-the-cheap.28096/ TBH though you might be better off buying a ready made unit, they are so much cheaper and better than they used to be.


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## discusdan

cheers. it was these threads that initially got me interested in the led floodlights.

Ideally I'd like to hang the lights fairly high above the aquarium so I'm guessing 30w would give better penetration?
I'm just a bit worried they will be a bit large.
You use the 30 w versions? could you give me there rough size?

Just seen the last page of that thread where people have experienced the light breaking, How long have yours been running, you had any issues?

cheers.


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## Tim Harrison

Mine are actually 20w and have been working without a problem for sometime now. As you state you can adjust the light intensity hitting the tank by adjusting height. However, they are flood lights and have a very wide angle of dispersal so the higher they go the greater the light overspill. Two 30w floods would...well...flood your room with light. If you check out the PAR tables in the link, it should give you some idea of what you require. Also check out the original reference on plantedtank.net. eBay will be the best place to find the size of the 30w units. And FYI you can also get dimmable ones.


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## foxfish

I would of thought you would be miles better off using a GU10 spot light arrangement, you will have a much better choice of bulbs colours & light spread.


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## Tim Harrison

As much as I like my DIY LED unit I have to agree with foxfish...things have definitely moved on a pace, and for a fraction of the price In fact it won't be long before the LED floods end up in my garage replacing the developers tungsten fittings


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## Julian

If you could figure out how to incorporate a dimmer, you wouldn't need to worry so much about brightness.


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## discusdan

Not heard of the GU10 spot lights, what are they?


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## foxfish

Standard household fittings used every where & readily for sale in lots of wattage, beam angles  & colours.
Direct replacement fitting for halogen house bulbs, most stores like B&Q will have a display.
Lots of multi bulb spot light options for sale in many stores or flush fitting bulb holders for DIY installation.
Bulb prices vary from a few £s to £30 + depending on quality & dimming options...[DOUBLEPOST=1398072999][/DOUBLEPOST]


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## discusdan

cheers for that.

Just had a quick look and 8w is the highest I could find for these bulbs?
I'll have to figure out what wattage I'd need and how many to cover the tank.

Think a trip to B&Q might be in order.


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## foxfish

Well I can tell that a good quolity 9w is a seriously bright light but 11w are availible if you want to fry something?
You would probably need 4-6 dimable 9 w over your tank, but you could use more on independent timers to get great effects.


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## discusdan

ok cool.

What sort of fittings would I need?

Could I use something like this and retro fit it into a lamp shade hanging over the tank?
I'd need it to wire into a plug so I can use the lights on a socket timer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GU10-GZ10...1982?pt=UK_Light_Fittings&hash=item2ed0ffaaee


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## cookiegood

You can see those 30 w (I think) flood lights in this dude 's setup. Best DIY Planted Aquarium LED lighting: 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


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## cookiegood

or a clip light holder like this is very versatile but may need 2 of them and some sort of railing to hold them. 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


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## foxfish

discusdan said:


> ok cool.
> 
> What sort of fittings would I need?
> 
> Could I use something like this and retro fit it into a lamp shade hanging over the tank?
> I'd need it to wire into a plug so I can use the lights on a socket timer.
> 
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GU10-GZ10...1982?pt=UK_Light_Fittings&hash=item2ed0ffaaee


Yes those are flush fitting holders but there are bathroom versions which will stand better over time however you will find other options. Sometimes B&Q sell 4 bulb spotlight units already fitted with LED bulbs at very good prices...
I use Bell 6w dimmable bulbs, they are very bright & very cool running.


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## discusdan

excellent, cheers for the info foxfish i'll check them out.


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## ian_m

Be careful with "cheap" LED flood lights. Below is a picture, through filter of an "Ebay cheapy" LED light we had at work that after a couple of months was looking slightly dimmer. Some of the LED's in the array have clearly failed and others are "current hogging" and are extra bright and on their way to failing.


 
This has been replaced with a proper one, like link below. Cost £80 but is still going and light level hasn't changed in year or two we have had it.
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/LTFL30PIRCW.html


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## terry82517

I really want to give this a go, maybe build something similar to troi's . I think his looks fantastic. 

There's just so many different floodlights on the market tho, with it seems like varying colour quality. So I'm finding it hard to make a decision. 

They all come with a long warranty so I personally wouldn't worry about the cheap ones. 

Can't decide on 3x10w or 2x20w for my 90x45x45...

Hmmmm maybe just order the cheapest I can find and if the colour looks awful just send them back.


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## ian_m

Warranty is worth nothing if Ebay seller no longer exists as we found with our cheap LED Ebay 2 year warranty.


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## discusdan

a successful trip to b&q today, got 6 gu10 light fittings for £8 and a bag of aquatic soil.
just got to figure out how to wire them up


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