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opinions please
- Thread starter jrjackson
- Start date
My opinion is that there are a bajillion of these on ebay and they are all the same. You get what you pay for, and that is a cheap poorly built led fixture. The only thing this has over t5 or halides is not having to change the bulbs, but then again I've seen these blow completely in a few months so yeah....
Check out reef radiance or reef breeders for cheap but a lot better made fixtures or look for used.
Check out reef radiance or reef breeders for cheap but a lot better made fixtures or look for used.
+1, I am very happy with the reefbreeders
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Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk
Sorry if I came off rude, didn't intend to. I'm just saying if you are trying to keep the costs down I would go with a more reputable "value" fixture with a company that stands behind their product rather than a faceless ebay seller, and gave two examples which would work for you, much much better than the ones you linked.
I would get them if I needed three. I've very recentlyseen them a few dollars cheaper even, the dimmables shipped in the US for $95 each. I just bought 2 non-dimmables of those same type 120w housed units for $60 each. I have them over a 90 gallon. Of course you can pay more. But light is light, and I don't see how the actual "light" a more expensive unit will emit would be better than the "light" from these.
In terms of the "lighting" - the components that make the light producing system are only (1) wiring, (2) the led chips which are pretty much bridgelux in the Asian generics, (3) transformer or a couple of them to step down the voltage, and (4) heat sink. It's pretty simple, and the same configuration whether it's a $100 unit or a $500 unit. Opened the housings up and they're pretty much the same.
The only significant differences I see or in the "non-lighting" components, like controller, keypads, and the style of the housing - which are the same things that separate a $10 home depot lamp from a $1,000 Murano lamp. Yet the light they put out looks the same.
I agree with going with Reef Radiance or Reef Breeders units. My main reason for this is that they both are US companies that distribute the fixtures and will honor warranties. IMO, they are reasonably priced.
It's not permitted to talk this way on the forums. If you disagree with a post and want to respond, do so in a respectful way. Otherwise, don't post.
Here is a brief thread from another forum going over some, certainly not all, of the led component options available when the post was made, I believe it to be a year or so behind, not taking into account a lot of new tech that has come out recently for our hobby.
http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/186982-ultimate-led-guide/
If you even glance through you will see many many many different combinations and options for making an led light. Some of them better than others, some working best with each other, and many doing different things with different focuses in mind. The point is that no, not all leds are the same, not by a longshot. Telling someone that a $75 ebay fixture is the exact same minus the controller as an AI Hydra or Ecotech Radion is utter ignorance and misleading, which, since you bring up the "way of the forum" is completely against the goal of the club.
Will the fixture grow some corals? Yes. Will it be cheap initial cost wise? Yes. Will you have the most long term success with it? No. Will you probably replace it when yiu learn more and your desires for your tank expand? Yes. In which case you will be spending more to replace cheap purchases than you would to get the right stuff to begin with.
Sorry for the brevity, I am in a phone. If you honestly would like information on what lights would be better or a feasible option for what budget you may have, feel free to pm me any time. I have built countless light fixtures and have done more research on the subject than I had put into some of my senior courses lol.
To the original poster, I in no way was referring to you, you are doing the absolute best thing by asking for help.
OP, Xavier613 wasn't trying to be harsh at all. This is actually perfect advice. I have also seen the CKO's catch fire/get blown, and it's not a pretty sight. Ocean revives do seem to be the favorite here. Definitely check out reef central to see if you can find some used LEDs or just hold out for something that has a better quality. I have opened up the CKO's, radions, kessils, and AI's. The heat sink is much better on the higher end brands, as are the LEDs and the lens/optics. I'm not trying to fuel a debate, but definitely look into it further. What size tank do you have and what corals are you planning to keep? Are certain features important to you? Such as being able to control individual channels, different colored LEDs, thunderstorm mode, sun rise/set, power settings, controlling through your iPad/mobile device..
Lostinthedark
NJRC Member
I had very similar lights to these. I used them for a few years and was very pleased with them. They grew all types of coral at a good clip. As far as durability, they did start to degrade after a couple of years but I blame myself for that as I had them under a hood and they were running a little warm. A no-no for leds. They were also a little noisy. I did recently upgrade to the Ocean Revive S026 full spectrum, dim-able and have seen a difference in growth and color. Some corals went from drab to exceptional.I have them hanging now so heat is no longer an issue. If you can, I would recommend skipping the entry level step and go to a full spectrum led. The tank looks very vibrant with them and some corals have better growth. They do go on sale for $150 so its not a tremendous amount more but I feel it would be worth it.
I disagree. The emitted light is the same. When advising a reefer that starts out saying he has limited $ but wants to go into LEDs, these are a great option.
I had two of this type of light as my first attempt with LED's. I replaced them after about a year of use, since I needed a third fixture and couldn't find one that had the same power cord/power switch configuration(mounting issue). After about 6 month's, the person I sold them to had to return one of them for repair. It went back and forth to the repair shop, and it was never fully operational again. I noticed that when I disassembled them for cleaning, that the heat sync was something I could only describe as tin foil, which I'm sure was why the fans had to run 24/7. The case was beginning to show signs of rust, and before the second owner replaced them, they were in pretty bad shape. So, if buying these is a short term goal, you could get away with it for a while. But, if you don't want to have to replace them in a year or two, I'd invest a little more in a better fixture.
Here is a FTS on my 6" 180:
As you can see, although the light was good below the fixture, there is a decided shadow in the center of the tank, not suitable for most SPS.
I tried to supplement the color with a few Ecoxotic stunner strips for added color.
Here is a FTS on my 6" 180:
As you can see, although the light was good below the fixture, there is a decided shadow in the center of the tank, not suitable for most SPS.
I tried to supplement the color with a few Ecoxotic stunner strips for added color.