PowerModule or LED: Can't Decide on Lighting Upgrade Changing 120 to Full SPS Reef
 

My 120 mixed reef has done fine for the past 5 or 6 years with an 8 x 54 Watt T5 Tek-Light however over the past few months I have removed most of the BTA's LPS and all the soft corals in order to go full blowN SPS. The Tek-light seems fine for SPS in the top half of the tank (and Montiporas on the bottom of the tank) but I think it is time for more light.

The fixtures I am considering are:

AquaIllumination LED light
Vertex LED fixture 48"
PowerModule 8 x 54 Watt T5
PoweRModule 10 x 54 Watt T5 (used one available)
PowerModule 8 x 54 Watt T5 with dimmable ballasts

The two LED fixtures run around $3000.00 after taxes and shipping. I can afford $3000.00 but I can't afford to spend $3000.00 and then find that the light is not what I thought it would be and have to buy new lights again.

The PowerModules seem tried and true however they are pricy, with bulbs you are looking at close to 1500.00 after taxes and shipping, and the new dimmable PowerModules may be more expensive (waiting to hear back from a vendor on this).

There is a used 10 x 54 Watt PowerModule that will be available soon however it seems like it might be too much light for my tank and I don't want to bleach everything out.

On the one hand the pricey LED fixtures seem like a gamble that may not pay off. On the other hand it seems foolish to buy an expensive PowerModule when I might just end up upgrading to LED a year or two later.

Any input or advice on this would be appreciated.

I replaced my ATI 8 x 54W Powermodule with the 48" Vertex Illumina just about a month ago and I am very happy with the results. The Illumina is a real PAR monster, I had to dial it way down (50%W 60%B, 60% RB) to avoid bleaching my corals.

I observe excellent growth on my SPS frags a colonies and the ability to dial in the colours makes this light a perfect replacement for the ATI PM IMO. Also, the fixture is only 12" deep vs. the 26" depth of the ATI so it's much more stealthy over the tank.

A nice bonus is the shimmer that you just won't get with T5's.

Here's my thread on the Vertex Illumina http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=66180

I'm sure you'll be really happy with it over your tank.

Cheers!

-TDF

A couple of questions about the Illumina:

How wide apart are they hanging wires where they insert into the top of the light fixture? On the photos I have seen they look pretty close together. My current fixture is hanging from studs in the ceiling which are 48" apart.

Also when salt spray builds up on the underside of the fixture can you just wipe it directly off or is there a light guard that you remove and clean?

The griplock's on the top slide up to 4" from the edge of the fixture (40" apart on the 48" fixture), the fans are on either end so they can't be moved any closer to the edges. The LED pods are behind a clear acrylic shield that can be removed but just wiping off the slat spray is a piece of cake without dismantling the shield.

Cheers!

i Replaced my tek light with the dogfather's powermodule. It is at least twice as bright as my 8 bulb tek light every was. I moved sps down to keep them from bleaching. This light gets my vote all the way, currently looking for one for the other tank!!!!

I've been humming and hawing as well. I don't like the flat light of T5's, but don't want to drop the big bucks on a full blown LED system when it's still so new. I've also read more than a few threads on Reef Central where people who like the look of 12-14K tanks really dislike the effect LED has on their coral colours. Those that like 20k don't seem to mind as they just crank up the blue.

What I'm considering doing is retrofitting a couple of reefbrite strips into my tek light. This would give me a mix of T5's and LED's, the LED's would give me the actinic pop and shimmer (I'd go with a reefbrite 50/50 and an all white) but let me use the T5's to adjust the colour as needed. This would be a little pricey but not as bad as dropping the $$$ on a full LED fixture

I wish I had your problem, LOL! I would go for the Vertex hands down. If I was in a position to be able to get a quality fixture like the Vertex, T5's (or Halides) wouldn't even be an consideration.

I've seen the Vertex over the J&L sps tank and I was really impressed with the colour and intensity.Their tank isn't that deep but I'm not sure what the light was adjusted to. If I had the funds to buy one I would seriously consider getting one.Maybe if you were down their way they could do a demo for you and maybe they could even adjust the height of it to what it would be over your tank. Also you could find out what other Lfs o reefers have and see them in action as well.

I've also been to J&L and I know they had to dial the LED fixture down to 60% as the light was to intense on the corals.

Personally, I would go with the AI. I'm not convinced the Vertex will provide even lighting. You can turn it up and bleach your corals down the middle to get decent PAr front to back or turn it down and have lower PAR in the front and at the back. I really want to see some more controlled PAR testing of this unit to see how even the lighting is and what you can achieve front to back and down into deeper tanks in order to justify the price.

I have been thinking about it and I expect the main factors to differentiate between the AquaIllumination and Vertex fixtures would be reliability, ease of repair and support. I am sure each fixture makes a monster amount of light.The light spread mentioned above may be an issue for the Vertex or may not. But more than anything, if you are dropping a few thousand dollars on a light fixture, you want to make sure you are covered if something goes wrong.

I don't know much about the Vertex company. I have seen some of their products advertised over the past year or so. I had thought they were a lower-cost company but now seeing their LED fixture prices maybe I got that wrong. Anyway is this the same Vertex that makes calcium reactors, media reactors etc? If it is the same company then I wonder what reputation they have for product reliability and support?

Another factor in comparing the two fixtures is expandability. For the AI fixture, if you go from a 4 foot to a 6 foot tank, you just buy two more modules and a longer mounting rail system. So AI would seem to have the edge here.

Vertex is not a low-cost company, they are German company that offer some of the industries most innovative products, in Canada and the U.S. Proline Aquatics wholesalers support the product so no worries, they do a great job supporting their customers.

The Vertex Illumina is manufactured for Vertex in Austria and I suspect that Gemini Lighting; http://www.gemini-licht.com/ are the actual manufacturers but don't quote me on that.

I looked at the new AI's and one thing that really turned me off was the white plastic skirt around the bottom half of the fixture, it glows when the fixture is on and and I find that very distracting. The Illumina by contrast is like a Stealth Bomber over your tank also the programming options and upgradeability on the Illumina leave the AI in the dust.

Cheers!

-TDF

Thanks for everyone's input on this. After considering the pros and cons I have decided on a PowerModule for these reasons.

1. Lots of "Tank of The Month" type tanks, particularly from Europe, run PowerModules.

2. The PowerModules have been around long enough to have a track record for reliability.

3. If I buy a PowerModule now, then in one or two years if I sell the PowerModule to buy a high-end LED fixture, I will lose $500.00 depreciation on my PowerModule, but the LED fixture will have gone down in price likely by more than $500.00, so I will at least break even.

4. It is just too risky to be one of the first buyers of one of these pricey LED systems. By getting the PowerModule I have a 100% chance of getting an 8/10 quality fixture, compared to gambling on a 75% chance of getting a 10/10 quality LED fixture.

YUP Dogfather put your vid on of your tank.. i would go that lighting that he has its the bomb..

but too much $$$$$$ for my blood .. wellllllllllllllllllllllll may be :biggrin: