[Noahma]

I am looking into a light for my upcoming 75g tank. Well I was planning on a Buildmyled fixture to reuse my solunar controller etc. but since they no longer produce aquarium lights I need to figure somethin else out.


I just saw a few reviews on this fixture and it seems to do everything my current fixture does but with a few more bells and whistles.


Now... will this light put out enough par for a low-high light at 21"?
How easy is it to program, can I set say 3 hours at full intensity and then have it drop down to something lower over its schedule?


Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[BruceF]

I thought this whole line was being closed out but I am not sure. I just bought a e 90 at 75% off but I think that sale is over.

 

[Noahma]

I thought this whole line was being closed out but I am not sure. I just bought a e 90 at 75% off but I think that sale is over.

I'm not sure lol Amazon.com has 5 in stock, with more on the way. The par tables are looking promising with around 50ish at the 21" deep.

I might pull the trigger on it if I get a few more responses regarding its light level.

 

[mot]

I run two of these over my 120p to get even coverage. I really like the color of the light and my measurements show about 50 par at 21" beneath the light.

Hope that helps.

 

[ichy]

I just got the 36" one and have been playing with it. I don't think you can have a change in intensity at a certain time with the stock controller.
It ramps up to your daylight setting then ramps down to your moonlight setting on a 24hr basis.

But with aftermarket controllers like a lot of the
DIY Arduino controllers, you can do it.

*****************************reread your OP********************

In a way you can do that with the stock controller,,,,you can set the Daylight setting to be your brightest for 3 hrs, and then your moonlight to be your dimmer setting, but the problem will be it will be on moonlight until its ON time again for the daylight.

I think I read somewhere where somebody has it plugged into a timer and shuts it off at a certain time, and when it comes on again it picks up where it left off??? But not sure exactly how that works.

 

[Noahma]

I just got the 36" one and have been playing with it. I don't think you can have a change in intensity at a certain time with the stock controller.
It ramps up to your daylight setting then ramps down to your moonlight setting on a 24hr basis.

But with aftermarket controllers like a lot of the
DIY Arduino controllers, you can do it.

*****************************reread your OP********************

In a way you can do that with the stock controller,,,,you can set the Daylight setting to be your brightest for 3 hrs, and then your moonlight to be your dimmer setting, but the problem will be it will be on moonlight until its ON time again for the daylight.

I think I read somewhere where somebody has it plugged into a timer and shuts it off at a certain time, and when it comes on again it picks up where it left off??? But not sure exactly how that works.

I really don't mind if it is a 24 hour cycle. As long as I can get enough light to the tank. I love my BML light for this exact reason. I have to run it at 75% full power at its peak though. Does it have a smooth transition from one light cycle to the next? Does it ramp up and then ramp down for sunrise and sunset?

I run two of these over my 120p to get even coverage. I really like the color of the light and my measurements show about 50 par at 21" beneath the light.

Hope that helps.

Is the 50 par with both fixtures? or are your fixtures far enough apart that the 50par is with only one?


Keep the comments coming its really helping

 

[ichy]

yes its a smooth 15 minute ramp up and down.

 

[Noahma]

yes its a smooth 15 minute ramp up and down.

Great! Right now the BML over my 40b has a 30 min. ramp up and down, this would work pretty well. I just need to get an idea of PAR. I had another thought too, I could use the BML light over the 40b to provide a mid day burst, maybe an hour at 100% into the tank. Its only a 36" fixture, so the left and right 6" of tank would not see much benefit if any at all. Sooo... I could make this work. I think lol

 

[ichy]

one other thing, it has a reflector in it, that makes it brighter but it narrows the light at the top of the tank. People raise it some if they need more spread at the top of the tank.

 

[Noahma]

one other thing, it has a reflector in it, that makes it brighter but it narrows the light at the top of the tank. People raise it some if they need more spread at the top of the tank.

Would you say the spread is greater than 90*?

 

[knm<><]

I have the e-120 on my 75 gallon at about 8" above the rim and don't have it anywhere close to full power. It is more than enough light for a low to medium light, slow growth tank and covers well depending on your scape of course. Obviously, individual results will vary, but just wanted to let you know it can and will work.

 

[hbosman]

I just set up the E-90 with the Daylight setting at 100 % for 8 hours and the moon light set for the remaining hours using the minimum setting on blue. I also have a BML setup as a noon burst of 2.5 hours (25% brightness) via mechanical timer. I am thinking of trying the E-90 by itself just to simplify my setup. The E-90 creates a dark shadow at the surface that's kind of annoying me a little. Others have raised it above the rim to avoid this. I personally don't want to hang it. If I would have known its such a nice light, I would have purchased two of them during Drs. Foster Smith closeout sale. I didn't because of the heat concern others have expressed. Anyway, I will see if the heat really is an issue by running it at 100 % to see if it fails within warranty period.

 

[ichy]

I have the e-120 on my 75 gallon at about 8" above the rim and don't have it anywhere close to full power. It is more than enough light for a low to medium light, slow growth tank and covers well depending on your scape of course. Obviously, individual results will vary, but just wanted to let you know it can and will work.

Yes, raising it will really help. The tight angle is really only in the first couple inches.
But overall, once I got my remote/controller issues handled it is a nice light and for the closeout price of $66 it was a steal.

 

[The Big Buddha]

Yes, raising it will really help. The tight angle is really only in the first couple inches.
But overall, once I got my remote/controller issues handled it is a nice light and for the closeout price of $66 it was a steal.

How hot are your lights running? I hit my E120's with my temp gun and they are 125 F at 100% power, they drop to about 94 F at 80% power.
My E90 gives the same temps, but I need possibly 2 new controllers.

.

 

[Noahma]

I have the e-120 on my 75 gallon at about 8" above the rim and don't have it anywhere close to full power. It is more than enough light for a low to medium light, slow growth tank and covers well depending on your scape of course. Obviously, individual results will vary, but just wanted to let you know it can and will work.

Thanks for the info. I did order the light last night lol. I figured what the heck

I just set up the E-90 with the Daylight setting at 100 % for 8 hours and the moon light set for the remaining hours using the minimum setting on blue. I also have a BML setup as a noon burst of 2.5 hours (25% brightness) via mechanical timer. I am thinking of trying the E-90 by itself just to simplify my setup. The E-90 creates a dark shadow at the surface that's kind of annoying me a little. Others have raised it above the rim to avoid this. I personally don't want to hang it. If I would have known its such a nice light, I would have purchased two of them during Drs. Foster Smith closeout sale. I didn't because of the heat concern others have expressed. Anyway, I will see if the heat really is an issue by running it at 100 % to see if it fails within warranty period.

Sounds like a similar plan. The shadow is not of concern to me, I get a greater one with the BML light as it is now. I found a quote stating that the heat issues was only with the smaller lights, not the larger ones so I think I will be ok.

Yes, raising it will really help. The tight angle is really only in the first couple inches.
But overall, once I got my remote/controller issues handled it is a nice light and for the closeout price of $66 it was a steal.

I wish I could have caught the sale lol. They are cheaper than BML, but a bit more expensive than some of the other ones out there. we will see how this goes. The first couple inches being darker is not going to be much of a problem with me.

How hot are your lights running? I hit my E120's with my temp gun and they are 125 F at 100% power, they drop to about 94 F at 80% power.
My E90 gives the same temps, but I need possibly 2 new controllers.

.

From what I saw from a quote with the manuf. the smaller lights were the ones with the heat issues, the larger ones have no such issues.






I bought one of the fixtures last night along with other items I am going to need for the 75g build. I am getting excited AND, thanks to Amazon prime, I should have it all by wed. lol


Thank you all for the help, lets see how this all goes.