Looking for a US LED source

[saulosirds]

Anyone have any experience or are using LEDs in their cages or flights?
If so, what are you using?

Looking for something similar to this:

http://www.avianlightinguk.com/

Thanks
Rob

[Sally]

I have been thinking about LED lighting. The one thing that holds me back is that I can't seem to find information on comparison of kelvin and cri ratings. All the articles I have read in the past say that birds need a kelvin rating of between 5000 and 5500 and a cri of at least 93 (the higher the cri, the better the birds see colors, and that is supposed to be how birds attract mates).

[saulosirds]

Did you check out the website, Sally? I didn't see much technical information on it but the LEDs themselves look like they are producing a very nice bright quality of light.

I hope I can find something like this here in the states as it would make lighting my box breeder cages much easier then trying to get florescents to fit in the right way.

I am thinking of asking around some of the tropical fish forums as they seem to be adopting this technology pretty fast.

Rob

[Sally]

I contacted 1000bulbs.com, which is where I bought my fluorescent tubes that are 5000k and 98cri, asking them if they had anything in that range in LEDs. They must have misunderstood me, as they replied that the highest cri they had in a retrofit was 82. I'm not necessarily looking to retrofit my fluorescent fixtures, I'm just trying to find out if there are LEDs out there in the 5000-5700k and cri 93+ range. I did look at that website, and yes, the cages looked to be nice and bright. I'm wondering if something like that could be used on individual cages to light them, and then have a 5000-5700k light with cri 93+ in the ceiling, so it would reach each cage to a certain extent.

[saulosirds]

Sally

Interesting idea but I wonder if that might be a bit over kill. I seem to be always trying to find ways to reduce my # of plugs as well as reduce total energy consumption.

There must be a source somewhere that can provide the info that we are looking for. Seems like LED technology has come SO far in the last several years that some one must know!

I know that they are being used in the reptile hobby also so maybe that is on option that could be explored. What exactly is the cri stand for again? I know of some frog guys I am gonna try and ask but not sure if I can explain exactly what I am looking for.

Rob

[debbie276]

Usually the reptile bulbs are way too high for birds

[saulosirds]

Usually the reptile bulbs are way too high for birds

Way too high in what? and are you referring to florescents or LEDs? If you have info on LED technology, can you please post a link?

Thanks
Rob

[Smurf]

I've looked into LED lighting and am contemplating it as a possibility, it's getting close natural light now but not sure how readily available/affordable they are with a high CRI

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_CRI_LED_lighting

http://www.yujiintl.com/high-cri-led-lighting

[Sally]

saulosirds I think when debbie276 says the reptile lights are too high, she means the kelvin rating, which is often 6500k. That is like high noon with no shade. I tried this range once, after reading about it somewhere. At first, my Strawberry males molted into deeper red color than they had in the past, so I was very excited. It took me a long time to realize that they were not going out of the molt, but staying in that red color. After some time, their feather condition started to deteriorate. I decided that the 6500k was too strong, and then I also read some articles that said that birds should not be kept in higher than 5700k.

CRI stands for color rendering index, and the closer to 100 you get, the more natural the color is supposed to be. Since one of the biggest factors in attracting a mate is the color of the male, many people believe that a high cri will help our birds with breeding.

[saulosirds]

I've looked into LED lighting and am contemplating it as a possibility, it's getting close natural light now but not sure how readily available/affordable they are with a high CRI

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_CRI_LED_lighting

http://www.yujiintl.com/high-cri-led-lighting

@Smurf Sally

This looks pretty interesting:

http://store.yujiintl.com/collections/h ... 1193230913

I think it fits what Sally is looking for with your 5000k(or other temps if you want more or less) as well as a cri rating of 95+. Its a bit pricey but it's for a total of 5 meters so the price comes down to about $40 per meter or about $12 per foot. Plus, you can determine how much light you want and where as opposed to fluorescents where you just kinda have to put them where they fit and where they cast light.

Might have to look into these and give some feed back to the forum on then

Thanks for the link to the site, Padraic!
Rob

[debbie276]

Usually the reptile bulbs are way too high for birds

Way too high in what? and are you referring to florescents or LEDs? If you have info on LED technology, can you please post a link?

Thanks
Rob

The reptile Kelvin rating is too high.
Here's an interesting article on bird lighting which may explain what your looking for better
https://mickaboo.org/confluence/downloa ... ummary.pdf

[Sally]

saulosirds A friend actually has used strip LEDs, but I was not interested in them, since they don't offer the kelvin and cri I'm looking for. I would rather stay with my fluorescent tubes than go with LEDs that don't offer the same benefits.

Those yuji lights look very interesting. If I would change to LEDs, I think the ribbons are the best option, since they do allow you all the versatility you want. I think they would be excellent for box cages! My friend mounted hers on the wall behind her cages, but I still prefer lighting that comes from above.

Yes, these are expensive, but when you consider how long they last, that offsets some of the cost, because fluorescents don't last nearly as long. I'll be interested to see what you find. Of course, I just bought a case of 4' long fluorescent tubes!

[saulosirds]

Sally

Take a look at this and let me know what you think. I am torn between the 5800k and the 4200k option.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... ifications

Rob

[Sally]

I like the fact that these are available in 92/93 cri, but the kelvin ratings aren't ideal. I checked with the lighting article that debbie276 has referenced before, and this is what it says about kelvin:

"APPROPRIATE COLOR TEMPERATURE
5000 K (Kelvin) is perfect, up to 5700 K is acceptable. Avoid bulbs that are 5900 K! The temperature will
be too actinic and could lead to molting problems and feather destructive behavior. Avoid temperature
below 5000 K, which is too red and can lead to egg laying and aggression"

https://mickaboo.org/confluence/downloa ... ummary.pdf