Anyone still using par 38 bulbs?

[Fishy!]

I am still struggling to find a budget friendly led option for my 12x12 footprint tank. Par 38 bulbs seem to be a powerful, cheap choice, but I can't find a whole lot of threads here on can reef that are newer than a year old. Is there a reason they have fallen out of popularity? Or maybe they never were? Opinions?

[newbie2]

I don't know much about them but check out fragbox, on their site it says they use them for their frag tanks. I think they sell some ontheir site as well.

[chef]

Id b interested in some feedback as well. Thinking about putting a fragbox halo on my biocube14. I saw them in action at an Ontario fragfest. Looked awesome! If they are dimmable then I'm likely sold.

[freeze]

From what I have read and heard about all par38 bulbs, they can be dimmed with a standard house dimmer as they use a standard socket.

[FishyFishy!]

Not all models were dimmable, but all the newer ones should be. I bought 4 of the rapid led ones and they are great.

http://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-store/PAR38/

[Fishy!]

Well I picked up a halo par 38 from a local reefer today. Set it up on the tank and wow! Talk about shimmer! I will defineately have to keep the tank topped off to avoid havin a seisure lol. I find it quite blue but I'm sure it's just that I'm not used to it. I snapped a before and after.
http://imgur.com/a/xTVXW
It's actually not quite as blue as it shows on my iPhone but a drastic change none the less.
I have to say it doesn't seem as bright even as the single 8w t5 that came in the stock hood, but I'm guessing that's cause it's more concentrated? Less light spillage?
Will leave it on for a while and see how it goes. I will report back.

[Fishy!]

Also. The light I got is not dimmable with the Lurton dimmer I just bought from Home Depot. It just flashes when I move it from full power. The dimmer is supposed to be for cfl&led lights. Could be the wrong dimmer or could be an older model bulb. Either way on my 12.5x12.5x22" deep tank I don't think it needs to be dimmed.

[Galizio]

I had a par 38 on my biocube 14 and was awesome, for zoas and euphylia, apperantly they cover a12x12 area and 28" deep, I think mine are light box brand.... Have 2 only used one on biocube... Saw some biocube 29 with 2... Used to keep about 10-12" above water level with a goose neck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mike31154]

Also. The light I got is not dimmable with the Lurton dimmer I just bought from Home Depot. It just flashes when I move it from full power. The dimmer is supposed to be for cfl&led lights. Could be the wrong dimmer or could be an older model bulb. Either way on my 12.5x12.5x22" deep tank I don't think it needs to be dimmed.

Is the Lutron dimmer an in wall type that fits into a normal electrical box? If so, pull it back out & check it for a small adjustment screw, usually at the top. Some have them, some don't but worth a look see & if it's there, tweaking it may get the LED to dim properly, but only if it is a dimmable PAR38 LED. If you can't dim it, you can raise it a little higher if you see signs of coral getting burned.

[mike31154]

Here's a Lutron dimmer with dimming 'range' control. There's a separate dial behind the faceplate that is used to fine tune how the dimmer works with a given lamp. Slightly different than the one I alluded to with a small adjustment screw at the top.

http://www.lutron.com/TechnicalDocumentLibrary/032365.pdf

[Fishy!]

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/credenza-single-pole-dimmable-cfl-led-lamp-dimmer-white/935870
^ That's the one I got. It's not adjustable.

[mike31154]

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/credenza-single-pole-dimmable-cfl-led-lamp-dimmer-white/935870
^ That's the one I got. It's not adjustable.

Well then, the instructions for that one say the CFL or LED lamp used "must be marked as dimmable", so you need to confirm if your PAR38 LED is in fact dimmable or not. Chances are, it is not. Have a closer look at it, maybe get a part number & research it.

[gobytron]

They are definitely not all dimmable.

Some are made much, much cheaper than some others.

Ive used cheap ones (30-40 a bulb) and expensive ones (100 per bulb) and have been very happy with all of them.

You get better spectrum and build quality in the more expensive ones...usually they are made with the hobby in mind.

The cheap ones seem to be ones that work for the hobby, rather than having actually been designed for it.

On a nano tank, I cant imagine anyone not being happy with these for the money spent.

[chef]

Are the halos dimmable?