labas39
Active member
Some time over a year ago, I bought one of those $200 120 watt Chinese non-dimmable LED fixtures. This one has 56 blue one watt Bridgelux diodes and 63 white one watt Bridgelux diodes without any optics. The blue and white diodes have separate cords.
I had this over a frag tank less than 12 inches from the frags. Things grew but lost all their color.
I put a cheap dimmer from a hardware store on the white LEDs and I'd get pop-on, the dimmer control must be moved some distance before the lights turn on, and drop-out, the light turns off before the dimmer control reaches the off position.
I read that the Lutron CFL LED dimmers reduce those two problems. I bought one and switched the old dimmer. I don't have a PAR meter but now, when the dimmer control is in the off position, the white LEDs seem to be at about 60% to 75% and when fully in the on position, they seem to be 100% but could be slightly less. I no longer have the pop-on or drop-out.
Now, with the blue LEDs on and when the dimmer control is fully on, the lights seems to be about 12 to 14 K and when the control is in the off position, they seem to be about 20K.
Now I like the color of the LED better than my 20K Ushio and my 20K Hamilton 250 watt HQI's. I'm now debating on replacing the Hamilton with the LED fixture to test the growth and colors in my main tank.
I wish I had a PAR meter!
I had this over a frag tank less than 12 inches from the frags. Things grew but lost all their color.
I put a cheap dimmer from a hardware store on the white LEDs and I'd get pop-on, the dimmer control must be moved some distance before the lights turn on, and drop-out, the light turns off before the dimmer control reaches the off position.
I read that the Lutron CFL LED dimmers reduce those two problems. I bought one and switched the old dimmer. I don't have a PAR meter but now, when the dimmer control is in the off position, the white LEDs seem to be at about 60% to 75% and when fully in the on position, they seem to be 100% but could be slightly less. I no longer have the pop-on or drop-out.
Now, with the blue LEDs on and when the dimmer control is fully on, the lights seems to be about 12 to 14 K and when the control is in the off position, they seem to be about 20K.
Now I like the color of the LED better than my 20K Ushio and my 20K Hamilton 250 watt HQI's. I'm now debating on replacing the Hamilton with the LED fixture to test the growth and colors in my main tank.
I wish I had a PAR meter!
