# LED light question



## Shiyuu (Apr 9, 2011)

Just some quick question on LED lights:

1. Does LED light diminishes over the years like regular CFL/Fluorescent light?
2. Normally speaking, how much wattage is needed for: low/med/high light setting /per LED Watt for a 50G planted tank?
3. Should I be looking at per LED watt, or total LED watt output?

Thanks for reading!


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## monocus (Sep 27, 2010)

leds do not diminish over time.the amount of leds depend on the area of your footprint of the tank and the depth,and you would need a dimable driver to adjust the intensity.for salt water you would need a min of 3 watt leds and for fresh water 1 watt leds for a planted tank i would also use red leds to help growth


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## saltwaterfish (Mar 7, 2011)

i would agree with monucus, LED do not LED light diminish over the years, i think you could look at the total LED watt output...lol...just my opinions


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## Shiyuu (Apr 9, 2011)

So if just want to setup a med-light basic planted tank, nothing too fancy, is little less than 1W/LED ok?
and by total LED watt output for 50G tank, does that mean I need to get like 100W LED total for a med-light tank?


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

36 x 3W LED is likely the most economical to build than 100 x 1W LED. Check out Rapid LED site

Check out Canadian Aquatic's Reef Bright if you are not particular handy with electrical work and only wanting medium-light.


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## Fansons (May 20, 2010)

LED does diminished over time, it depends on the quality of LED. Good one might be 5-10% within 1000 hours bad quality one might be greater than 50%. It is said that it is likely caused by heat.

I would look for something greater than 1 but less than 3 w per led bulb. Main reason is to reduce heat and so extend the life and output of LED.

How much to use an a 50g tank, I am seeking the same answer too as I have similar tank like yours. I think I might go between 100-120w. If its too much I could raise it higher.

I am not an expert, I Google the knowledge and buy LED bulb to test them out. Recently bought a faulty item (9w bulb) which only stay bright around 12 hours then decreased to only 5% left.


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