New Chinese LED fixture

[ReefOcean]

Originally Posted by Ron99

I don't have one but did have a look at them when i first got interested in LEDs. EvilC66 over on nano-reef (a major LED guru) has had a look at them and their build and commented about the poor thermal management and the driver circuitry. Can't remember exactly when he posted, maybe 5 or 6 months ago.

There may be nothing wrong with this fixture for a fish only tank or one with low light softies and LPS but I suspect SPS will need to be very near the top of the tank leaving little room for a nice looking colony to grow out. They will likely grow fairly slowly and the colours may lean towards the browner end. Generic Chinese 1 Watt LEDs without optics simply cannot throw out the PAR that a good 3W SemiLed, Edison Opto, Cree or LuxeonRrebel can. My own experiments comparing generic emitters to Cree XR-Es using the exact same driver etc. show the Cree has something like 3x greater PAR output. Once you throw optics into the mix it makes even more of a difference. Without optics you will have a very rapid drop off in PAR at depth. May not be an issue in a very shallow tank but once you get past 12 inches or so in depth it can become important.

I wouldn't spend the money on a Vertex or many other commercial fixtures right now. They are generally overpriced for what you get. You can DIY a fixture as good or better for half the cost. The AI is about the only one I think is not grossly overpriced for what it is. The Maxspect looks to be decent for it's price range too and they have made many improvements to their lights recently (individually replaceable LEDs, optics options).

Also, I wouldn't worry about fires but mainly about relatively low output from the 1W LEDs and rapid degradation in output due to overheating of the emitters. You may find your PAR has decreased significantly in just a year or two with these.

Fair enough. I am going to take your guys advice and move the coral higher in the tank. As it stands, it is about 9 inches from the light. I will try to get it within 6.

I would LOVE a Cree based light but as it stands it isn't in the cards. About 4 months ago I bought so initial supplies from LEDsupply (10 royal blue XREs and 10 cool white XPGS, a few dimmable buck pucks (350ma but i probably shouldhave got 750ma) , 2 power supplies, some optics in varying degrees, wiring, etc)..about 350 dollars worth but after considing the light I would truely want to make, it would cost me about 600 just for the LEDS. Not to mention, it would be uber ghetto, with wires hanging all over the place etc. I still needed a canopy, an extruded heatsink, more buckpucks, a soldering gun, solder, more lenses, the list goes on. I since abandoned the project but am holding onto my supplies. Perhaps, when my light fails I can use the housing as a canopy for a DIY. The height of it would be perfect for the standard height heatsink found at heatsinkusa

But thanks for your thoughts, I appreciate them.

[gobytron]

I'd love for you to just keep doing what you're doing an keep us up on this lights performance based on your experiences with it and not others opinions based on others opinions...

[Ron99]

Originally Posted by gobytron

I'd love for you to just keep doing what you're doing an keep us up on this lights performance based on your experiences with it and not others opinions based on others opinions...

I'm all for hands on reviews and first hand experience. Just trying to moderate expectations. Just because a fixture has LEDs or a certain total wattage does not make all LEDs equal. It's like saying all 250W MH bulbs and fixtures are the same. Obviously there is huge variation in MH and it is no different in LEDs.

What I don't want to see is people generally getting down on LEDs and perpetuating the idea that LEDs are no good and won't grow corals etc. because of negative experiences with lower end fixtures.

ReefOcean, are you in the Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows area? If so I may be able to come out and do some PAR readings for you. Would be curious to see the unit in the flesh.

[ReefOcean]

Originally Posted by gobytron

I'd love for you to just keep doing what you're doing an keep us up on this lights performance based on your experiences with it and not others opinions based on others opinions...

No prob.

The frags I just got (a few types of milli and a green plating monti are going as well as can be expected due to me attaching them to the rocks awkwardly. The monti is bright green with growth tips and the milli is starting to get much of their colour back and the polyps on most parts are fully extended during peak times.

It is important to note that I have to get a few things non-light related issues completed before I can fully gauge the lights affect. I have to get my convict tang out to get nitrates under control, I have to raise my rock work about 4 inches (in a 30gal tall bare bottom this is hard) and I have to wait for my DKH to rebalance with my calcium (it is sitting at 13 but has gone down from 21 in 3 days.

On the bright side, I think I almost have my cal, mag, dKH fully balanced in the first time in 8 years. Mind you, I never had SPS and never really cared. I will be going to JL this weekend to dump my tang, pick up some landscaping putty and a few other things.

As soon as i see some real results, I will get ahold of a digi camera and take some snaps

Cheers

[ReefOcean]

Originally Posted by Ron99

I'm all for hands on reviews and first hand experience. Just trying to moderate expectations. Just because a fixture has LEDs or a certain total wattage does not make all LEDs equal. It's like saying all 250W MH bulbs and fixtures are the same. Obviously there is huge variation in MH and it is no different in LEDs.

What I don't want to see is people generally getting down on LEDs and perpetuating the idea that LEDs are no good and won't grow corals etc. because of negative experiences with lower end fixtures.

I agree, ever since I read about the Solaris I knew LEDs were the future.
People are starting to come around. I remeber all the nay saying a few years ago but that comes with any new inovation. I find with a hobby like reefing, people tend to just parrot and believe what others say and use that as the ONLY way to do things.

ReefOcean, are you in the Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows area? If so I may be able to come out and do some PAR readings for you. Would be curious to see the unit in the flesh.

Yeah, of course. In a few weeks after I get everything under control with the other thigns I need to do we can work it out.

[ReefOcean]

Update


ALright, I have been running the light since September and I figured I would post an update.

No electical or mechanical issues. No rust and no signs of wear - of course I meaintain the light rather well.



The SpS frags I bought are still alive. The plating monti has grown anought an inch around the sides, the mille has grown about a CM, the random great branching thing as not grown much, maybe a half centimeter. Overall, the growth is nothing to right home about but the important thing to note is it is growing.

As for colour, the monti was put in the tank dark green, it didn;t take long to turn light green in which it as been for 4 months. The mille, is a redish, orangish brown. I am not sure which colour it was but it was either orange or brown since that is what millipora maniac had at the time. So when it comes to sustaining deep and vibrant colours, the light is not so great.

All the softies love it, the toadstools have pretty much doubled in size, the most growth has happened in the last 4 months than has happened in 4 years. So the light is definately better on softies than my 180 watt PC.

Conclusion, definately not comparible to any MH. The light will sustain and grow SPS. (the SPS is now 12 inches from the light). Better than any PC fixture though. If you lived in China, the light would be a killer deal (190usd) but when you add in shipping, brokerage, taxes, and wire transfer fee not so much. I still am satisfied with my purchase.

[mseepman]

Thanks for posting your update. Maybe what you might want to do is get some U-channel and try mounting a few of those LED's you previously got to it and running those bolted onto the current light fixture in some way. It's very easy to do and you can run the wiring alongside the current wires. It would really boost what your light is putting out now. My advice would be to order a Meanwell LPC-35-700 from Rapidled or somewhere, forgo the buckpucks and the wiring headache they represent and it would look even cleaner.

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by Ron99

ReefOcean, are you in the Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows area? If so I may be able to come out and do some PAR readings for you. Would be curious to see the unit in the flesh.

Originally Posted by ReefOcean

Yeah, of course. In a few weeks after I get everything under control with the other thigns I need to do we can work it out.

Did you ever let Ron come by and test the PAR? I am interested to know the results.