User reviews from the German JUWEL tank fan club are quite favourable. Apparently it's the better of the retro-fit LED units that fit the JUWEL tank light bars. Of course they include numerous other mounting options for different tank application.
I have the one for planted tanks in my 2ft tanks and it works like a bomb, just make a note about the hight of the tank as I've noticed on a 4ft for example one unit is not enough, you will need 2 maybe 3 light units.
Thanx alot i have the small 37cm one over my small 46cm 25 liter tank its very bright my tank have only two java ferns and the n only moss on all the spider wood hope it grows moss well.
If im not mistaken the java fern and moss require low light so you should be fine either way, i have java fern and moss in my 2ft also and they seem to thrive. good luck and send us some pictures
@R.C. - do you have a link to the reviews (or the name of the German club)? My search skills do not seem to be up to scratch... The Zetlight unit seems to be about double the price of two Juwel replacement tubes, so may be worthwhile to consider? Juwel has also just released their own LED unit that can replace the T5 units - Helialux LED (only on the German version of the site) - but German prices seem to work out about double the price of the Zetlight locally, and that is before the markup of the importer.
Which of the Juwel tanks do you have. I've got the LIDO 120 and while I have LED units on some of my other tanks and have tested and played with many over the years, including my own DIY's, I honestly have no intention of going the LED route on my Juwel Lido. I currently use the High Lite Day and High Lite Nature combo. The Juwel light bar and T5's are high output (T5HO) lamps which with reflectors put me well into and above the high light mark. The lamps last over two years (with minimal decrease in intensity) and range between R150-R200 per lamp, which is not overly pricey. Looking at power consumption, the HeliaLux consumes only half the wattage less than two T5HO lamps. Then there's also to consider the fact that we already seeing HCRI RGB-W LED's entering the (our) market\hobby, so even thought these current units may last 5 or more years, they will be old news in a year or two.
Thanks R.C. Very useful information. I also run a combination of Day and Nature with reflectors. My thinking was that the Juwel T5s (for a Rio 400) are now R500+ here in Joburg, and rather than buying two of those, I should perhaps replace the two with one Zetlight for just less than R2000, which should last much longer. But I also thought that I would have to replace the T5s every year rather than every two years (I was worried about the decrease in intensity). And after one or more (two-year) cycles with T5s better (and cheaper) LED options should be available.
I have the Juwel Rio 400 and repalced it with the zetlight and am massivley impressed. My juwel light unit dies so I like the fact that it fits directly into the bulb housing. Bulbs are now R550 each.. You are welcome to come and look at the tank
Thanks @Mikeslab - I only saw your reply now. At the moment my plan is to use the T5 bulbs while they last, but I will probably take you up on your offer in future. It is good to get feedback from someone who used the Zetlight as a replacement on a Juwel tank. Did you replace two bulbs with one of the Zetlight units (i.e. only one Zetlight per Juwel light fixture, even though it takes two bulbs), and does that provide enough light? And did you also get the controller? Thanks!
