Aquarium LED Lighting Shopping List

For aquarium lighting you can find at LedRise: high power LEDs in emitter form, placed on a PCB, LED strips with up to 6720 lumen per meter,  lens,  drivers and cooling accessories. (see below)

To obtain color temperatures of 10000K to 20000K read our LED color mixing guide.

If you are a DIY enthusiast or manufacturer and need assistance with your project, do not hesitate to contact us.

	High Power LEDs from Cree, Nichia, Osram, Lumileds Main colors used:  White and Royal Blue Lens from: Ledil , Carclo
	Power LED Strip with Cree, Nichia or Osram LEDs (12 LEDs in a divible LED strip, White 4000K and Royal Blue available. Can use LENS)
	Maxline Power LED Strip with Nichia LEDs (up to 6720 lumens per meter of pure white 4000K LED light)
	LED Drivers: 350mA, 700mA, 1050mA, 1400mA, 1750mA and more
	Adjustable LED Drivers with PC programming
	4 Channel LED dimmer
	LED Heatsink

White - Royal Blue LED light ratio for color temperatures of 10000K, 12000K, 14000K, 16000K and 20000K

A number of lighting applications pose a challenge for white LEDs because of the color temperature required.  While most white LEDs on the market have a color temperature in the 2700K-6500K range, applications such as aquarium lighting, ask for color temperatures of at least 10000K and sometimes as high as 20000K.

Aquarium LED lighting with light of strong blue tint (color temperature over 10000K)

 To obtain with LEDs white color of temperature higher than 10000K we need to use a combination of white and royal blue LEDs. The table below will show the ratio between royal blue LED spectral power (in mW) and white 4000K LED luminous flux (in lumen) needed to obtain color temperatures of 10000K, 12000K, 14000K, 16000K and 20000K.

Desired color temperature	Royal Blue 450nm LED (mW)	White 4000K LED (lumens)	Royal Blue 455nm LED (mW)	White 4000K LED (lumens)
10000K	1	0,89	0,92	0,92
12000K	1	0,8	0,83	0,83
14000K	1	0,75	0,77	0,77
16000K	1	0,72	0,74	0,74
20000K	1	0,675	0,69	0,69

Explanation:

For a color temperature of 12000K for each mW of spectral power from a Royal Blue 450nm LED we need 0.8 lumen. If the Royal Blue LED has 455m we need 0.83 lumen.


Sample calculation with Cree XT-E 450nm Royal Blue LED and Cree XP-G 2 LED, which you can find at LedRise.

Desired color temperature	Royal Blue LED 450nm	White 4000K LED
10000K	One Cree XT-E 500mW at 350mA	Two Cree XP-G2 4000K at 600mA
12000K	One Cree XT-E 500mW at 350mA	Two Cree XP-G2 4000K at 525mA
14000K	One Cree XT-E 500mW at 350mA	Two Cree XP-G2 4000K at 500mA
16000K	One Cree XT-E 500mW at 350mA	Two Cree XP-G2 4000K at 475mA
20000K	One Cree XT-E 500mW at 350mA	Two Cree XP-G2 4000K at 425mA

You will need a programmable LED Driver for the white LEDs as the one you can find in our shop:

Programmable constant current source 350-2000 mA, 10-20W output CLSD-020

Programming box for constant current source KSQ CLSD-020

Disclaimer:

The values in this post are theoretical and where obtained using a Color Calculator Software from a major LED manufacturer.  Due to the limitations of LED binning and labeling the actual result in real applications might vary. 

If you want a calculation for other LED types please contact us.

The new LED Arrays for easy integration in light fixtures

We have expanded our offer of LED arrays in two different product lines: linear LED Arrays (L) and square LED Arrays (Q).

Smart Array are a high density row or cluster of high performance Nichia 757 LEDs placed on a PCB for easy installation. Luminous flux is up to 4000 lumens and the warranty is 3 years.

You can purchase them here:

Square LED Arrays
Linear LED Arrays

The sizes are the following:

Cheap LED lamps (spot lights or bulbs): what is under the hood

 Dangerous GU10 LED Spot Light is Cheap and Bright but could Kill You - Seriously

A very interesting video about a low cost GU10 LED bulb, a very common occurance on website like e-bay or alibaba.

Beyond the well known low lifetime or lumen loss, cheap LED lamps can be very dangerous for people or property:




This is why at LedRise.com you find only LED lamps from well known manufacturers like Osram, Philips, Toshiba, Samsung and so on.

LED Strip Buying Guide

This is a brief LED Strip Buying Guide.  For assistance in choosing the best LED strip please contact us.


LED strips are most commonly used to create lines of light, a very modern approach to lighting.  From the living room, to shops, office spaces, entire building facades or bridges, all can be lit with lines of light.

Having such a wide application range, LED strips are available in hundreds of configurations, with large differences in basic attributes as light produced, wattage, color temperature, lifetime, light quality, IP rating, flexibility of the LED line and much more. This confuses confuses most buyers.

A brief buying guide for LED Strips:

When you want to purchase a LED strip you first should think about the type of lighting you desire.  The most common types are:

• ambient light (self light, cove light, tv back light on the wall and so on)
• intense ambient light ( as above but with increased intensity for some common tasks as navigating a space, eating, conversation)
• general light (the light we need for most task in our home, shop or office)
• intense general light (also called task light, for reading, writing, office work, cooking or to draw attention to a certain area, object or architectural characteristic) 

After you decide on the type of lighting you need, when you search for LED strips you should look at the following three characteristics:

•  brightness per meter (luminous flux, measured in lumens)
•  actual LED lifetime (as opposed to claimed manufacturer lifetime. In brief, if the LED is not a known brand, actual lifetime is in the 1000-5000 hours range)  
• light quality, also called color rendering index, CRI or Ra in short

 Based on the type of lighting (ambient light, intense ambient light, general light, task light) the minimum values for the above three characteristics are:

LED Strips for ambient light 

Minimum Values of LED Strip for ambient light
Brightness per meter	100 lm/m
CRI (light quality)	60
Lifetime for infrequent use	1000 hours
Lifetime for daily use in the home	10.000 hours
Lifetime for daily use, commercial or business	30.000 hours

LED Strips for intense ambient light 

Minimum Values of LED Strip for intense ambient light
Brightness per meter	600 lm/m
CRI (light quality)	70
Lifetime for infrequent use	1000 hours
Lifetime for daily use in the home	10.000 hours
Lifetime for daily use, commercial or business	30.000 hours

LED Strips for general light

 

Minimum Values of LED Strip used for general light
Brightness per meter	1000 lm/m
CRI (light quality)	80
Lifetime for infrequent use	10.000 hours
Lifetime for daily use in the home	15.000 hours
Lifetime for daily use, commercial or business	30.000 hours

LED Strips for intense general light (task light)

Minimum Values of LED Strip used for intense general light
Brightness per meter	1500 lm/m
CRI (light quality)	80
Lifetime for infrequent use	10.000 hours
Lifetime for daily use in the home	15.000 hours
Lifetime for daily use, commercial or business	40.000 hours

You can find in our online shop strips for all of the above types of lighting.

The LED branding game, LED chip vs LED light source

The LED branding game,  LED chip vs LED light source

The brands in the LED market are:

1. Nichia
2. Cree
3. Lumileds
4. Samsung
5. Osram
6. Citizen
7. Bridgelux
8. Seoul Semiconductor

And if a product uses LEDs from one of these brands it has a certain quality guarantee. Therefore, one of the most common questions buyers of LED light ask is:

"What LEDs are used in your product?"

If the answer is for example "We use Cree" then the buyer assumes the product is of very good quality from the point of view of the LED used.  Wrong.

Such an answer is vague and it does not ensure the buyer of anything because a producer of LED lamps or fixtures might be using Cree Chips or actual Cree LEDs.

If we uses Cree Chips (see below where the Chip is inside the LED) it means he buys these chips from Cree and builds an LED with them at a 3-rd party.  In such case, from our experience the quality of the LED light source is most likely substandard.

 

 Only if the producer uses actual Cree LEDs, which we can find on the manufacturer website we can be sure about the high quality of the LED light source. Below, a picture of Cree XP-G 2.

New LedRise VIP Club, up to 30% discount for members

NEW!
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• 5% discount on all products in your order, including items on sale
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• 15% discount on all products in your order for any purchase of at least 2000€

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1. Have at least one delivered order from LedRise

2. Reach 200€* with all the orders. If this is reached with a new order, promotions apply for this order too!

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