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Current USA Freshwater Satellite LEDs

  • Thread starter Odysseus
  • Start date
It has been SO LONG since I have grown CPs that I have a CFL bulb needing replaced and actually thought I could get some at Lowes/Home Depot still! XD Boy was I surprised to see the complete takeover of LEDs! Moving on to strip light LEDs is the perfect time right now as I am just coming back into CPs after a job change, move and big life change.

Sorry to add another LED lighting question, but I have been doing all my thorough research and felt good about my decision until the units arrived in the post today.

Long story short: I bought Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Light and don't like them. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C7OTHTC/ref=twister_B00EAZ469W?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

light_zpsne85opmf.jpg



@Elgecko, where you at, my friend!? :D I saw your messages twice in my research of older threads and saw you liked them and they appeared to give me what @Naoki was trying to teach me to build here at: http://orchidborealis.blogspot.com/search/label/LED without having to build them. I felt that the extra money was worth the ease of an Amazon purchase and wait 2-days over getting together tools I don't have and take the time to build the DIY Samsung Linear LED.

But now I am confused whether I have a good enough product in Current USA or if my best bet is building some DIY LED Strip lights or some T8 LED Fixtures. Especially confused because the info out there on LEDs gets outdated so fast and there might be something way smarter out there.

Anyone have experience with these lights?

Elgecko or Naoki, you guys around to see this by chance?

I am curious about the following:
  • Replacing my old CFL bulbs is QUITE a drop in visible light. But these are LEDs compared to CFLs so quite a difference in Lumens. Are two 18-24 inch Current USA LED Strip Lights equivalent to say 4 CFL Bulbs as far as the plants are concerned? Even though it looks dim to me?
  • Are the LEDs in these Current USA setups comparable to the strips Naoki recommends in their 2-year old blogpost referring to Samsung H-Series Linear LEDs? I try to use numbers to compare but they just don't come with comparable numbers to a layman to LEDs. For instance, Naoki refers to Luminous Flux and efficacy that is lumen/w. The number on the box states 300 Total Lumens. (That number was not written anywhere online by the way...) So the Total lumens of 300 is way low to my old use of CFLs of course, but seems way too low for Naoki's numbers that are in the 1000s for luminous flux and way too high for Naoki's efficacy numbers. My best guess is that Naoki has more LEDs than I have on this 18-24 Inch Current USA strip and if I add up the 300 lumens of all four that I bought it would be comparable but I am at a loss for feeling confidant there...

I don't want to have to keep FOUR $35 lights per 10-gallon tank of growing space when I can just get T5s or T8 fixtures from Lowes and be done.

LASTLY, MY GROWING SPACE
A discussion on lighting is pretty useless without explaining my growing space.

Current Look of my space with old CFL box and using the Spectralux HO fixture
CPs_zpsvqis17xj.jpg

IMG_6786_zps0qluh5oo.jpg

IMG_6788_zpsukac0uzi.jpg

IMG_6790_zpsnambgfpe.jpg


PLANS
  • I would love to move from my really hot CFLs and Spectralux HO fixture to something that runs cool
  • Move all drosera over to the Tray Method like the Pings and run the lights as close as I can to the plants.
  • Keep the Highland Neps in that tank
  • Use the other 10-gallon tank for lowland neps and plants that are okay without a drop below 70f
  • That shelf can be modified and another level added. So I will be resizing the gaps based on the lights. I can lay the LED tracks above the plants on a rack if I make the gaps closer.

Any feedback on the Lights is greatly appreciated and if you read on to the plans of my growspace, any thoughts are welcome too. :D Glad to be growing CPs again in this new apartment and hope I can get the right lights for an easy on the eyes LED setup.

Thanks!
 
I'm not sure what that cost you but you can get a 300w mars hydro fairly affordable off Amazon.
 
I'm not sure what that cost you but you can get a 300w mars hydro fairly affordable off Amazon.

The link at the top of my post is an Amazon link and shows that I got it for $34.95. So yeah, the MarsAqua Dimmable 300w looks neat but man not for $189.99. Ouch.

What are you growing with yours? How many do you have? How big is your grow space that this is covering?
 
Aquarium lights generally aren't recommended for plant use because they don't tend to be very bright and also tend to produce far more blue light than needed which isn't as useful for plants. If you want something simple, you can buy LED replacement bulbs for fluorescent fixtures, or even ready-made fixtures meant to replace fluorescent ones. You'll want to shop around a bit though since a lot of these aren't as bright as the fluorescents they're meant to replace. You can also buy LED screw-in bulbs.

The commonly used Mars Hydro fixture can be found here: https://smile.amazon.com/MarsHydro-Spectrum-Hydroponic-Indoor-Growing/dp/B00XC3LBI2/ though be warned, it's very strong blurple light that will sear the ugly color into your retinas. It's also designed for a much larger grow space.
 
I myself had always used t5 florescents and currently am using and indagrow 420 i got for very cheap( which is way too expensive to buy just for a hobby).

I recently purchased some LED spotlights at home depot for outdoor use. they have different light temps just like CFLs and are quite energy efficient while directing nearly all the light where you want it. Just an idea before you go into the DIY realm. good luck!

https://www.1000bulbs.com/category/led-par38-90w-100w-equal-fl
 
I myself had always used t5 florescents and currently am using and indagrow 420 i got for very cheap( which is way too expensive to buy just for a hobby).

I recently purchased some LED spotlights at home depot for outdoor use. they have different light temps just like CFLs and are quite energy efficient while directing nearly all the light where you want it. Just an idea before you go into the DIY realm. good luck!

https://www.1000bulbs.com/category/led-par38-90w-100w-equal-fl

Heya, nepentesl0ve! I just checked out your growing space! Really cool basement tent! That is going to be FULL of amazing plants when those neps keep growing! :D

Appreciate the response! I too was a T5 grower and after all the confusion on what LEDs will be enough light and where I needed to start since I am not in a position to build my own DIY Strip lights, I am happy to have some T8 Fixtures that fit four bulbs and I have outfit them with 6500K and 3000K to get a decent spectrum.

I am happy with the setup. Loads of light! A seed germination level at the top where I keep a mirror to really keep the light in and the heat. Plus, as you can see there is lots of room to grow! I am excited! :D woohoo!

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Glad you got it sorted and the plants are getting what they need :rookwoot:

and thanks, I envy how beautifully your plants are displayed! Every time I try to grow on a shelve or rack I buy too many plants (its a disease not my fault) and it gets overrun :p my tent needs to get opened up to enjoy my babies but at least they are happy in there

What do you have going on in the bottom left of the setup next to the moss?

Its nice to meet ya, I look forward to watching your setup in the future esp the seeds :water: Happy Holidays!
 
Glad you got it sorted and the plants are getting what they need :rookwoot:

and thanks, I envy how beautifully your plants are displayed! Every time I try to grow on a shelve or rack I buy too many plants (its a disease not my fault) and it gets overrun :p my tent needs to get opened up to enjoy my babies but at least they are happy in there

What do you have going on in the bottom left of the setup next to the moss?

Its nice to meet ya, I look forward to watching your setup in the future esp the seeds :water: Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to you too! Hope your Christmas Day is going very well so far! :D

I have ALWAYS wanted to try growing outside of tanks on shelves like this and with drosera and pings I can make that happen! I am so excited to see that the plants are dewing up just fine thanks to the great light and despite the 30+ percent of humidity. So stoked it is working as others have claimed it would even for me here in Utah and during winter heating! :D Loving it! It really does look nice and even the neps in the two ten gallon tanks are looking really nice too! At least for now. Soon they will outgrow the space.

Down there on the bottom shelf on the left are my 7-8 inch Soda bottle pots with Gemmae! I have six varieties right now and a couple more on the way. It will be a blast when they start to sprout! I have only had them in there for a little over a week and I feel like it has been a month. I am getting way too impatient. I am so stoked to see them start to grow! I will have to start an Odysseus' plants thread and update things in there over time. :)

Great to meet you too and the way the forums are so quiet these days I figure I will get a lot of opportunities to talk with you again, Nepenthesl0ve! :D

My Gemmae:

IMG_6861_zpsq7l4xgg4.jpg

IMG_6863_zpsl5afppmr.jpg

IMG_6862_zpsv9hu0kje.jpg
 
I also found most Drosera I grew in the past to do well in low humidity like yours as long as they are well watered and there isn't excessive airflow blowing right across them all day.

When your neps outgrow the tanks I wonder if you could put a reflective film across the back, sides and floor of a shelf with a piece of plexi or other clear material for viewing while keeping humidity in. Plenty of time to come up with a plan but just thinking out loud.

Too funny I thought those bottles were live fruit fly cultures for the plants :jester: In my years of growing CPs still have yet to try Gemmae. How odd and fascinating those little things are haha. Please do start an ongoing thread whenever you feel ready! It can really help to keep your progress in one place to look back on like a proud father :boogie:

hah yep hard to hide here :p I plan to be very active, its sad seeing forums so quiet these days but I used this place for countless tips and inspiration over the years.
 
  • #10
I also found most Drosera I grew in the past to do well in low humidity like yours as long as they are well watered and there isn't excessive airflow blowing right across them all day.

When your neps outgrow the tanks I wonder if you could put a reflective film across the back, sides and floor of a shelf with a piece of plexi or other clear material for viewing while keeping humidity in. Plenty of time to come up with a plan but just thinking out loud.
Yeah they are doing rather well. But in my eagerness I am declaring that barely a month in for some of these plants. So we will see how it goes a month or two from now. :D

Too funny I thought those bottles were live fruit fly cultures for the plants :jester: In my years of growing CPs still have yet to try Gemmae. How odd and fascinating those little things are haha. Please do start an ongoing thread whenever you feel ready! It can really help to keep your progress in one place to look back on like a proud father :boogie:

Gemmae are awesome! In the past I have started them in a terrarium or some kind of container with higher humidity so I worry that I am slowing them down with the lower humidity of this setup. Considering covering them up with some Saran wrap to keep up the humidity. But misting for now to assist with it without going too far.

But like I said earlier in this thread or another thread, they have only been in there a little over a week. I am just way impatient cuz I am too excited to see them fill those pots with awesome rosettes! :D

I will start a thread tomorrow using the images I have so far or considering getting a nice image of each plant. If nothing else it will serve as a reminder to me as to which plants are which :D The D. natelensis, D. sp pretty rosette and some other get mixed up in my head when I first look at them. :D
 
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