The Jungle - ExoTerra Large

[DTB]

Originally Posted by MarinaDC

I burn 600w led fixture over that footprint. Cattleyas are ecstatic. They love it. Probably too much for your plants, though.

Wow! Ok, that puts things into perspective a little better. Thanks for the response

[Ray]

WHOA! Wattage is not the only factor to consider.

I don't know the details of either light, but design can play a huge role here: For example, a 300W panel of surface-mounted LED chips are going to give you a much broader spread than will 50 watts coming from a floodlight design, so from the same height, the lower wattage lamp might provide just as much, if not more light.

[MarinaDC]

600w is a lot, but my eyes are well trained to notice any changes in the plants. I have been growing sps corals under leds for years, so I pretty much know how to position the fixture to produce optimum results. I do not even need light meter lol.
Dimension:12.8*7.4*1.9 inch
Core Coverage (at 24" Height): 3ft x 3ft
Max Coverage (at 24" Height): 4ft x 4ft

[borneotransplant]

Whoa!

That setup is so sick and what I wanted to emulate.

[DTB]

Originally Posted by Ray

WHOA! Wattage is not the only factor to consider.

I don't know the details of either light, but design can play a huge role here: For example, a 300W panel of surface-mounted LED chips are going to give you a much broader spread than will 50 watts coming from a floodlight design, so from the same height, the lower wattage lamp might provide just as much, if not more light.

Agreed Ray, that is why i was hoping for some other light readimgs from fellow members, Lux, lumen, etc. especially actually reading from within the tanks or from where the actual plants are positioned.
Watts, lumen, etc can be so confusing when looking at manufacturers specs.
For example my jungle dawns reach much further into my tank than my aquarium LED which falls off by 50% in the first 8 inchs!
My problem is i have no baseline of correct light at the plant itself to start with, its all educated (pinch of salt) guess work.

[Ray]

Unless you can borrow-, or want to invest in a light meter, all you're going to be able to do is guess, observe, and adjust.

I'll give you two more pieces to use in the puzzle:

Before moving, I had my plants on shelves that were 48" wide x 20" deep. The phalaenopsis and other, lower-light plants were illuminated by 5 of my custom-made, 13W LED lamps. They were basically Jungle Dawns made with cool white, warm white, and red leds to tweak the spectrum. There were about 18" above the plants.

I asked the manufacturer if he could build the same lamp (wattage and chips) in a vertical, rather than horizontal design, and he sent me one sample. I am using it now to illuminate a round "terrarium" containing two vanda x neo's (in the middle) and a half dozen sarcochilus (at the perimeter) from a distance of 12", illuminating a circle about 14" diameter from that height.

[DTB]

Originally Posted by Ray

I asked the manufacturer if he could build the same lamp (wattage and chips) in a vertical, rather than horizontal design, and he sent me one sample. I am using it now to illuminate a round "terrarium" containing two vanda x neo's (in the middle) and a half dozen sarcochilus (at the perimeter) from a distance of 12", illuminating a circle about 14" diameter from that height.

😳😳😳😳 any chance of seeing a picture of that?? It sounds amazing!!!

[Ray]

For the winter, this is stuck in a utility room that is "First Rays' Stockroom" where I package stuff for shipment.

The lamp has a Fresnel diffuser to mix the light better from the individual chips and an internal cooling fan.

[Ray]

I don't know why that overall photo won't load vertically...

[orchidsarefun]

I think a couple of....rare species....poison dart frogs would be very happy in that paradise. Big thing in USA.