Which LED fixtures should I get
 

So my new in wall tank is up and rdy just missing lights. I'm debating between these 2 fixtures and I would need 2 lights for my 5ft mixed reef. Mainly I'm going to have just sps and LPS n a few zoas. Both lights are full spectrum. One is 120 deg optics and other is 90deg optics. Don't know of the optic range would matter or not

First is these from ebay

http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBa...113#&panel1-11

And then there's these from reef radiance

http://reefradiance.com/dm-165m.html

They are double the price of the ebay ones and using same LEDs

They look similar to the Evergrow fixtures Reef Supply carries. I had the 2080 version. Very nice light.

Evergrow are the best cheap leds money can buy most others are not used enough for people to give a good review

I've read that the evergrows r pretty much same as the ebay ones and it's just double the price because it's from a retailer and eBay is from the supplier

Not really the same, E-bay ones "dimmable" Evergrow ones "programmable" there is a difference.

Isn't being programmable to ramp up and down just for aesthetics n not so much for growth/color?

Lights
 

The ebay lights can be programable too, and they are almost exactly the same. If you aren't worried about sunrise sunset 80% here 20% there there's nothing wrong with the ebay lights. One thing make sure the leds are rebel or bridgelux

From what I understand with the units that have dimmer knobs is you have one intensity all day and night don't you? And then they go off. I enjoy tinkering with the programming feature on the Evergrow from time to time, it's digital so you know exactly what percent you're at for each channel. at 1130 pm the lights are programmed so just the blues and UVs are on so everything fluorescent glows and my house isn't flooded with intense tank lighting anymore. At midnight the moonlights come on and it's just subtle. Same thing in the morning, slow ramp up

The sun changes intenesity on corals throughout the day, so why not have lights that do the same.... If price is a factor then that looks like a pretty big difference! So guess just depends on how much you'd like to spend.

Hmm I guess I'll just fork over the few extra bills n get the programmable then if it does promote better coral color n growth. Was thinking y pay more if not needed. Might as well now since I already spent so much on my new in wall system. For the ever grow only the IT series can be programmed right? Do I need anything else to program them like apex or is there wifi app n such?

You will get a lot of color separation with those fixtures. Personally, I wouldn't run "cheap" LEDs. I would prefer to run T5s. Even AI Sols compared to AI Hydra are just no comparison (in long-term coral color). I have seen the eBay ones over a tank and was not impressed.

Ping pong balls :wink:

http://i.imgur.com/9oicTFB.jpg

Lol what kind of lights r those?

Evergrow It2060. The lenses (optics) were removed and I cut ping pong balls in half and siliconed them over each LED. They used to be too bright to keep chalices but now there's nothing I can't grow
http://i.imgur.com/tVyptI9.jpg

ipad pictures so they look very blue.... this is just moonlights

Give u points for creativity lol. 90deg optics r better for sps right? Or should I go with 120s

I picked up one of these Chinese "Bridgelux" dimmable LED fixtures 2 years ago. I would say the colour is poor at best. Does not compare to the MH I ran on my other tank or the T5 fixtures I've seen. Also read on other forms that Bridgelux does not produce a 3w led, these are just rebadged. FWIW
Can't say if the quality has improved over this time.

The plus side is that it's pretty much silent and has been trouble free since day one.(knock on wood)

I run 2 everegrow lights and a kessil A350w over my 6 foot tank.kessil is not doing to we'll for sps,it's super for lps,for sps I have the evergrow light's running at 50% oj both channels and the color is really nice and they grow fast under this lights.

i have the it2080 over a 3' x 2' tank and its AMAZING! especially for the price

Ok so I decided on the reef radiance DM-165P+. It's fully programmable via iPhone and has tons of great reviews on many forums. It's 120 deg lens so I will only need 2 fixtures to lit my 5ft tank with sps dominate. Currently has promo for 2fixtures for about $500 which isn't too bad.
http://reefradiance.com/dm-165p1.html

Nice find! So it looks like it has manual control knobs and no screen, so you need to use the app for programming? 48 time intensity changes which are in par with Evergrow, but having an additional 24 slots for the moonlights is a nice feature.

Have you placed an order yet? Is it in US dollars? (something To really keep an eye on these days). I'd like to know after shipping price to your door for 2 fixtures in CAD when you figure it out :)

Just pulled the plug $478 American is just shy of $600 canadian. Holy crap exchange rate!!! I used my American visa so I'm gonna wait till exchange rate gets a lil better before I pay my visa. I believe they are offering free shipping at he moment till tomorrow and free 120 deg optics upgrade.

Well I hope those lights work out for you.
Switching to LED is quite a learning curve. A lot of people get frustrated or pist off and end up switching back. You can pick up a pair of used Radions or AIs which both have good names and are used a lot by people for that price. Having others with the same lights is better as you can get help with settings and what not. I'm not trying to rain on your parade but if your looking for awesome color out of your SPS going to LED is the wrong direction to take. Just an opinion from someone who's been running LEDs for a few years now.

Too late already pulled the plug. Reviews on these lights r very promising. Many ppl who used AI Sol switched over to them n had improvements. I've been using leds from day 1 n love them for their low maintenance( no bulb change) n virtually no heat gained in my tank.

BTW, the proper term is "pulled the trigger", if you mean have already purchased it.

"Pulled the plug" means you stopped the transaction before it went through.

I think this is why there is some confusion over whether you bought it already or not.

Anthony

HAHa omg I didn't even realize I was typing plug. Must b the fob in me

Ok this is just stupid. Been almost 3 weeks and they still havnt ev n shipped out my lights yet and stopped replying my emails. Checked other forums n there are TONS of other angry customers complaining about how long it took for them to ship n how rude they r to customers. Website even says dont contact them until it's been 15 business days since order. What kind of company says don't bother contacting them till that long? Some guy didn't even get his lights till 50 days after. Reef radiance is a small family owned company in usa n not China so I expected much more. Srsly thinking of just gettong PayPal to refund me the money n get something elsewhere.

It might be time to pull the plug!

:lol:

I don't think this is too uncommon for this kind of vendor.

They have your money...best to just be patient.

What the heck ever happened to "GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE" this is why I won't deal with these vendors ever. :doh:

Were you getting this shipped to a U.S. address? I was just checking the website and it says 1-2 weeks within the U.S.. Could be delayed in Canada customs, not uncommon. Especially with Chinese New year coming

Ok just got my money refunded!! What a waste of time!!! Now back to the search of finding some great lights. N yes I was predicting the future when I said I'm pulling the plug =P. Yes I was using U.S address. It's the fact they don't reply to ur emails that really ****es me off. Tons of super angry ppl on reef central. Mostly ppl who called then on the phone even got hanged up on when they ask why it's not shipped out yet.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with the company, I almost ordered from them too before I went another route.

What lights are you planning to get for your tank now?

I rest my case! "They hang up on you when you ask why the lights are not shipped". :wink:

Picking up two gen 1 radions. Should be much better lights aways =)

Nice choice!

Nice, so it was you who snatched the deal this morning, eh? :wink: Well done, sir, that's a smashing good deal.

Haha yup it was me. Don't no much about radions do I need to buy anything else to make it programmable via iPhone? And what's this TIR lens ppl taking about I think I need to get those right? Also read you can upgrade from gen1 to gen3 if u send it back to the Manufacturer for $$ of course?

I don't know much about G1 Radions but they do have less output than G2/G3. Not sure if it's worth the money to upgrade the pucks.

Check out a Reeflink: http://ecotechmarine.com/products/reeflink
Especially good if you use any Vortech pumps to go along with your Radions.

Cheers.

Man I can't emphasis more on how rude reef radiance is. Didn't read their remark when they refunded my money on PayPal. Said they refunded my money to take my business elsewhere and will be responding to my my forums post shorty and to feel free to continue with posting my incorrect claims... What kind of customer service is this? I waited very patiently for them to return emails which is always 1 week after and never gives me update. How are these ppl still in business? Doesn't matter how good UR product is if u fail customer service so will UR small company.

That's quite lame. Well, just think of it as water under the bridge.

Silver lining is, you got yourselves a couple of awesome lights at an awesome price which will outperform/outlast/out-value those LEDs, so your tank will thank you for it in the long run, not to mention your wallet :wink:

Haha that's a good way of thinking it