[Letigrama]

I decided is time to "man up" and get to understand the tech part of this hobbie, as I need LED's and a phosban reactor for this year.

I am totally overwhelmed with the LED's. I dont know what format is best, striped lights, boxes, the hanging lamps, there is so many options,
dont know how many lumens I need and the colors, yay,

My problem is my tank being super tall:

Currently have T5 X4 56w each

What I need:

48" for coral growth- dont want a very blue light- I like more warm hues. ( though im pretty sure there are alternatives)
Tank is 48x18x28 yes, 28", so i need the light to reach all the way down as my tank is full of anemones that feed on the light.

I dont pretend you guys do the homework for me, but based on your experience and knowledge of the market right now, what do you recommend?

Also, budget wise, I cant spend thousands of dollars....

Any advice is appreciated!

Lety

 

[badmedicine]

I am crazy in love with my new eco-tech lights. Yes they are probably one of the more expensive lights, but if you could afford them I would highly suggest them.

I bought 3 lights during boxing week sales, and programmed them to simulate a sunrise/sunset across the tank, 20% cloudy periods with a chance of lightning storms (to be synced with MP40). It also follows the lunar cycle for moonlighting.

AS far as colours go, you can program them by Kelvin rating or by what you like visually. I like Royal blue at 5% intensity that ramps up and changes colour up to 01000hrs where it is full spectrum for 4 hours and then ramps down again.

I could have gone with one of the preset programs, but I really enjoyed programming them minute by minute.

Eco-tech has an app that allows me to change lighting wirelessly so when I have guests come over I can show- off.

LED lights are bloody expensive. Later on this month (when the credit card statement comes in) I am going to be in so much trouble !!! But still, I really like my lights.

 

[Letigrama]

I was looking at the Current Orbit at BA's they look good and not expensive however you need more than one if you need to grow SPS and LPS...
So I need to get something intense enough to grow everything or just get 2 of the fixtures. the features sound much like your Echo-tech ones...

 

[Letigrama]

I am crazy in love with my new eco-tech lights. Yes they are probably one of the more expensive lights, but if you could afford them I would highly suggest them.

I bought 3 lights during boxing week sales, and programmed them to simulate a sunrise/sunset across the tank, 20% cloudy periods with a chance of lightning storms (to be synced with MP40). It also follows the lunar cycle for moonlighting.

AS far as colours go, you can program them by Kelvin rating or by what you like visually. I like Royal blue at 5% intensity that ramps up and changes colour up to 01000hrs where it is full spectrum for 4 hours and then ramps down again.

I could have gone with one of the preset programs, but I really enjoyed programming them minute by minute.

Eco-tech has an app that allows me to change lighting wirelessly so when I have guests come over I can show- off.

LED lights are bloody expensive. Later on this month (when the credit card statement comes in) I am going to be in so much trouble !!! But still, I really like my lights.

my apologies for comparing it to your Echo-tech.... later on I went and saw that the Eco-techs are a far more advance beast! To be honest, I am not that interested in all the different settings. A few pre-set modes will be good for me. I just need a grow light that will reach the bottom of the tank. My bugdet has increased slighty as I am doing more research, still want to try to keep it under $500

 

[Vinoy Thomas]

Chinese Fixtures

Hey,

I personally have these on my tank. IMO these lights are SUPER intense and compared to other tanks I've seen they are really bright.

There has been much discussion on these Chinese fixtures (cause they're from china obviously). There was a lengthy discussion here too if you find it. Research them and come to your own conclusions.

These are the updated versions of my light. Specs are great.

They're main selling point is that they're sooooo cheap. If you're budget is under $500 you can buy four and that will be MORE than enough light for a tank of your dimensions for sureeee.

Check them out.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Evergrow-Dim...LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d1758cf52&_uhb=1

Also,

Fairly newer Chinese fixtures for wider spread. I have no experience with these but I'm going to buy them eventually when I get the money. You can buy either just the manually dimmable lights or the advanced controller with all lunar cycles and various dimming settings. Pretty cool IMO.

You'll have to get some others opinions about the intensity of these lights since they're half the wattage as the previously mentioned lights. The thing with these is that they stretch to till the end of the tank (wider spread). Again, buy four for intensity and lay them in parallel.

These are cheaper than the other but your sacrificing intensity with these.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/PROGRAMMABLE...0&var=440235538345&hash=item20ddb8fe9b&_uhb=1

Vinoy

 

[Steel_Wind]

2 x Kessil A360WE (you want the newer "E" version - not everyone carries it) will light the tank across 48" wide and 30" deep.

They are controllable, produce a gorgeous shimmer, and are attractive. They are assembled in the USA and are a "brand name" LED light.

The owner of BRS installed them on his personal office tank, manufactured by Reef Savvy.

When a millionarie in the Internet Reef supply business who can choose any light he wants choose to install the Kessil on his custom acrylic tank, I think that speaks volumes.

Cost per light is $449.00 each. You will need two of them, plus the gooseneck mounts. With tax, you will be coming in close to $1,100.00 to light your 48".

Yes, I bought them for my 48" Tall 150 gallon.

 

[Letigrama]

Thank you all for the suggestions. So far the winner are these ones:

http://www.reefsupplycanada.com/d120-v2-dimmable-120-watt-full-spectrum-led-light-16-light/

Tom G and other members have them. They are the chinese LED's. Of course I can go ahead and get very expensive LED's but I dont want to spend that money. Specially to spend over $1,000 when the LEDs will keep coming down in price. Buying the Chinese ones from the canada supplier gives me 3y guarantee. in 3 years i'll probably replace them with another set

 

[des]

Hi Letigrama,

I recently got in to salt and I too am hunting for LEDs. The more reviews and videos I watch, it gets more difficult to decide. It doesn't help that I'm indecisive person.

Two weeks ago, I was set on Ecotech Marine Radions. Being able to upgrade to new LED lens in the future is a huge advantage. You pay only a fraction to upgrade and you stay in the game with the latest. Mounting kit and cost for two fixtures add up quickly.

A week ago, I turned my attention to Kessil 360N/W. Kessil is a beast for their lens technology. The review and recommendation from BRS gave it a huge eye opener. Goose necks and two fixtures, cable link, and 90° adapter add up quickly.

This week, the Maxspect Razor 160W 10K/16K got my attention. I like that it comes with hardware option for tank mount or hanging kit. Comparing prices, it's more attractive than the others. Videos reviews on the internet do show that it's light weight, sleek design, quiet fans, and easy to program. Best part is I would only need one fixture for my tank and not two!

Sigh... what to do!?

 

[tom g]

leds

hey there .... I get it and understand how hard it is to fig this out there is so much info out there so many opinions little comments from die hard fans and die hard haters .

first of all price has to be number one ..........

I think the next step needs to be research and to go and actually see the lights in action in similar tanks .

as for the ecos I think reefboutique has them on the tank there
also I know for sure he has a razor .

then u can ask around and see the opinions on what people think of and how they grow or look .

I researched like crazy then finally decided on the d120 evergrows but mine was made on info about them and the money value .

u hope this helps a little

 

[des]

I appreciate the input Tom. Believe me, I'm doing every bit of research I can.

D120 has a count of 55 LEDs which is the most that's offered. Do you know what type?

Maxspect Razor 160W has count of 39 LEDs (mostly Cree, EpiLED)
Ecotech has a count of 44 LEDS (combination of Cree, Osram, SemiLED)

I'm glad Reef Supply Canada is offering a 3 year warranty. Although, D120 have the most LED offering, I'm not confident in the quality of the LEDs. Lower quality LEDs may lose their intensity over time... I'm not an expert but this is what's going through my mind.

 

[tom g]

leds

cant answer the question .. have a read on reef central and search there .. there is a huge thread on the Chinese lites good and bad ......
my opinion on what leds will last and what wont.im a mechanic and have seen thousands and thousands of cars sometimes u get that trouble free car and sometimes u get lemons .sometimes u go years with out troubles then are troubles with it .
so far im happy and have not heard of any issues on reef central about bulb failure .plus with a three year warranty for a 175.00 u get what u pay for in the end .
if u are concerned about cheap leds then your answer is done move away from the Chinese leds and focus your research on ecos /razors and kessils
but keep in mind your price range has also gone up .
cheers
tom

 

[Steel_Wind]

Another interesting option in LED land is the Coral Box M1. It is available from Fish-Street.com, an internet based reef supply shop in Hong Kong with extremely aggressive pricing due to no middle man with the mftr.

The light is clearly a knock off the Maxzpect Razr. There are a number of YouTube vids on the light. It is relatively new, only has been out since the fall, so reviews are relatively few.

 

[Kweli]

Check out:
http://www.reefsupplycanada.com/evergrow-led-lighting/

I got my lights from them and im very happy... they are considered "cheap chinese" lights online.. but you can find some pretty positive reviews (called reefbreeders in the US)

You saw it at my house too = )

 

[matti2uude]

What about these lights?
http://www.aq-led.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_127&product_id=180

 

[sig]

Check out:
http://www.reefsupplycanada.com/evergrow-led-lighting/

I got my lights from them and im very happy... they are considered "cheap chinese" lights online.. but you can find some pretty positive reviews (called reefbreeders in the US)

You saw it at my house too = )

which one please?

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[Kweli]

Which one what?
Its the same system but they have different lengths. They have two 16" versions, one with the mini computer in the front that lets you program the blue and white channels and one that is just on-off

All of the other ones come with the mini computer... which makes it cool to program intensities over time... ie, like a bright 'afternoon' that dimms until nighttime

 

[sig]

Which one what?
Its the same system but they have different lengths. They have two 16" versions, one with the mini computer in the front that lets you program the blue and white channels and one that is just on-off

All of the other ones come with the mini computer... which makes it cool to program intensities over time... ie, like a bright 'afternoon' that dimms until nighttime

there are two types: dimmable and controllable . Which did you get?

Thanks

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[tom g]

leds

dimmabe , the controllable ones are quite a bit difference in money ...
both blues and whites are controllable from 0-100% on each one

 

[Kweli]

Sorry. The dimmable one. 0 to 100%