• Folks, if you've recently upgraded or renewed your annual club membership but it's still not active, please reach out to the BOD or a moderator. The PayPal system has a slight bug which it doesn't allow it to activate the account on it's own.

Thoughts on this light

amado

Dal
Staff member
Board of Directors
NJRC Member
I would stick to what we know works as far as black boxes.
1)ocean revive it’s been proven this light can compete and grow corals with the best of them.

Ocean Revive Arctic T247-B Full Spectrum Dimmable LED Aquarium Reef Light Amazon.com: Ocean Revive Arctic T247-B Full Spectrum Dimmable LED Aquarium Reef Light: Home Improvement

If you don’t want to spend $200
You can get the vipar spectra light again this light has also been proven to grow corals.


2)VIPARSPECTRA Timer Control Dimmable 165W 300W LED Aquarium Light Full Spectrum for Grow Coral Reef Marine Fish Tank LPS/SPS https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SHR6HW1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Zl-ZEbR4GNZP2

The last is the Marsaqua
This light can also grow corals


3)MarsAqua Dimmable 165W 300W LED Aquarium Light Coral Reef Light Full Spectrum for Fish Freshwater and Saltwater Coral Tank Blue and White LPS/SPS https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017GWDF7E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_sn-ZEbX9QD734
 

MadReefer

Vice President
Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
Reviews were mediocre. Two things people complained about:

1) Bluetooth app is hard to set up.
2) Lose of power you have to setup again, no memory.

Quite a few people received lights that didn't work or had issues after a few days.

Will be skipping on this light.
 
I bought the Relassy version (same thing) 6 weeks ago to as an experiment on a new 40 Breeder. Overall I like the light but it has flaws. I have a hodgepodge of stuff in there including GSP, Kenya Tree, 2 Favia, a condy anemone, hammer coral, some palys and a hollywood stunner chalice. All looking and doing fine under the light with growth (specifically the GSP and Chalice and Condy). Just some thoughts.

1) The app is easy once you figure it out. How to's on reviews. It's easy (although not intuitive, but once you know, no problems.
2) I love the sleekness of it. Super thin (no fans) Doesn't run hot in any way.
3) Def not powerful. I use ViperSpectra's on my 90 gallon. But it does appear to get the job done depending on your needs.
4) If it looses power, you DO LOSE your settings which is annoying, but again, easy to set up (6 time settings so you can ramp up a little)
5) Worse, if it looses power when power is restored it come back on at full power (full blues and full whites). Not a huge problem because it is not that powerful so shouldn't burn any corals. If you were away for a few days, might be a problem.

All in all it is a fun experiment light and I like it on my "experiment tank" but wouldn't put it on anything of major, just a few too many quirks and lack of power.

 

MadReefer

Vice President
Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
Dastrader, thanks for the input. Was considering two for my 115g but with these issues I can not be bothered.
 

Mark_C

Staff member
Officer Emeritus
NJRC Member
Moderator
In working as a Photoshop professional for 15 years, I tend to think the advertising image may just be mildly manipulated.
Now, I know that those not proficient in the fine computer arts may not be aware, but the size and angle of the lighting unit over the tank is very slightly, but still noticeably, irregular. Yes, it is hard to see, and it takes a true professional eye to note it, but the angle is slightly off.
In my personal and professional opinion, I believe with 72% conviction that this may be a mis-representation.

Secondly, does the tank sticker of the Star Trek Type I phaser come with the light, or is that just a tease?
 

radiata

NJRC Member
Any Chinese-made LED product is twisting the meaning of "wattage". While we believe their stated 300 Watts is 300 Watts of output power, it really isn't. For the Chinese manufacturer, it means the total amount of their LED wattage is capable of producing is 300 Watts. BUT, to keep their failure rate low, they don't run their LEDs at full power ~ their 3 Watt LED usually run at just 2 Watts. So a light that they rate as "300 Watts" only has an output "200 Watts" in our world. You need to check the power consumption rate that they should be posting in their specs.
 

radiata

NJRC Member
I came across this thread and after a bunch of reading I decided to give this a try; Amazon.com : Coralife Seascape LED 48-54, Black : Pet Supplies . I got it at my local Petco, purchased online for $177 -10% for curbside pickup so it came to $159. The thing that sold me was the 30min ramp on and off feature. I'd read several times that that's a desirable feature.

Coralife was OK in my book back when they made metal-halide light bulbs. They were a spin-off of a company that sold halide bulbs & fixtures in High Times magazine. But that was 25-odd years ago. What do you hope to accomplish with the fixture you bought?
 

Salted

NJRC Member
Coralife was OK in my book back when they made metal-halide light bulbs. They were a spin-off of a company that sold halide bulbs & fixtures in High Times magazine. But that was 25-odd years ago. What do you hope to accomplish with the fixture you bought?
Background. This started as my 16 y/o sons' project. The light is going on a 55g mixed reef tank that I will be taking over. My son will be starting a 75g FO predator tank. The original light he purchased is/was a Beamworks iirc. He will keep it for his 75. There are currently 3 corals in the tank - a kenyan tree, a duncan and a gsp. Each were purchased from a lfs after a discussion about what we had, our tanks' age, and our beginner status. They are all doing very well and have grown noticeably.

So, from the simplest standpoint, it just having a timer makes makes my life a lot easier. While the timer doesn't seem to be a hard feature to come by, the ramp on/off swayed my decision. That and, after looking at the viparspectra, I wrestled with either having to buy two 165w units or the 300w which is 32" wide and I wondered if that would be ok over a 48" 55g tank. I'm not expecting the coralife to perform like a high end light. I would like more corals but am overwhelmed by how much there is to learn. As I purchase more it will by tempered by only buying ones that this light will support. That being said, if the viparspectra mentioned in an earlier post is really that superior, will give me the ability to have a much broader choice of corals to pick from and the ramp feature is not as important as I was reading I could do a swap still. I am on a budget, having decided to take over this tank and it's cost while continuing to help my son with the cost of running his. Tia for any advise you can offer.
 
Last edited:

MadReefer

Vice President
Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
I had two 165w over a 72g tank 4ft long and they grew everything, not Vipaespectra. I also had a 300w Viprasprctra over my 92g corner with many different corals.
It really depends on what you want to keep. If looking to keep SPS and certain LPS you may want to get a better light.
The ramping up and down is nice but I don't feel its required. You can add a small blue or moon light led using a timer or keep it on 24/7.
 

Salted

NJRC Member
I had two 165w over a 72g tank 4ft long and they grew everything, not Vipaespectra. I also had a 300w Viprasprctra over my 92g corner with many different corals.
It really depends on what you want to keep. If looking to keep SPS and certain LPS you may want to get a better light.
The ramping up and down is nice but I don't feel its required. You can add a small blue or moon light led using a timer or keep it on 24/7.
I haven't even learned what sps and lps corals are yet. I can't identify anything :) . I think I know what zoas are now, and would like some. Would they be happy under this light? What types are the three that I mentioned?
 

Salted

NJRC Member
Checkout this review
.

Seems low light corals only so no to Zoas. Would be be good for soft coral.
I did see that review. That is not the light I have, I have this https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/coralife-seascape-led-aquarium-light . Not sure if it's much different. And apparently I've misunderstood what they mean by it being suitable for low light coral. I was thinking our other light was too bright, and the dimming feature was what allowed it to work for low light corals. If there's a good variety of low light corals I'm happy with that. Not being able to have zoas is not a deal breaker. Otoh, if the viparspectra would be a better choice and open options for corals that require more light I'll make the swap. My question would then be would the 300w 32" wide version be okay over my 48" wide tank? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SMY9KWF/ref=twister_B07WTQ66LC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 . Cost wise that works better for me at $209 rather then buying two 165w 16" wide fixtures at $300.
 
Last edited:

MadReefer

Vice President
Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
I would go with the Vipraspectra over the tank centered and about 12" high from tank. Low light corals can on bottom and sides.
You can increase / decrease the intensity of the light and find a happy medium for all coral.

EDIT:

Be aware that this light is heavy. I had one and in Feb this year it fell out of the wall on one side and into my tank. The light was no good but everything survived.
You may want two 165w spaced nicely over the tank, what I originally had on my 4ft tank.
Amado can chime here but he uses the TV wall mount kit for 165w lights.
 
Last edited:
Top