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Unread 04/08/2015, 11:35 AM   #51
Swope2bc
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Those look great! The more I discuss these fixtures with people the more appealing they are. I wish we had a 6mo 12mo update... I was reading an anti LED thread recently and it seems some people are going back to MHZ or T5... I, personally, like the idea of the LED's and since they will light my first reef tank I'll be none the wiser lol... Those of you who have these already please keep us posted on your results. I won't even be buying mine for 2 or 3 more months so I have time to watch.


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Unread 04/08/2015, 12:13 PM   #52
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Originally Posted by Swope2bc View Post
Those look great! The more I discuss these fixtures with people the more appealing they are. I wish we had a 6mo 12mo update... I was reading an anti LED thread recently and it seems some people are going back to MHZ or T5... I, personally, like the idea of the LED's and since they will light my first reef tank I'll be none the wiser lol... Those of you who have these already please keep us posted on your results. I won't even be buying mine for 2 or 3 more months so I have time to watch.
You've actually got a pretty good point. If this is your first go around, you'll experience enough new hobbyist/new tank stuff that lights won't be the most important factor early on. Most these people switching back to halides and t5 have old mature tanks they know well that are super stable where lights are the limiting factor then. It's just impossible to pinpoint one area of issues with new tanks. Growing pains and such


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Unread 04/08/2015, 01:12 PM   #53
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Looks awesome Paul! Can't wait until I can actually start my build, but that will be the fixture I end up with
Thanks! I worked hard to set everything up nicely and my wife was helping me at every step of the process

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Originally Posted by Swope2bc View Post
Those look great! The more I discuss these fixtures with people the more appealing they are. I wish we had a 6mo 12mo update... I was reading an anti LED thread recently and it seems some people are going back to MHZ or T5... I, personally, like the idea of the LED's and since they will light my first reef tank I'll be none the wiser lol... Those of you who have these already please keep us posted on your results. I won't even be buying mine for 2 or 3 more months so I have time to watch.
Hahaha, I read those posts too but I never went for others failures. There are so many factors... I've seen most of them are people with mature well established tanks and they are suddenly changing the spectrum. Taking or adding major chunks of the spectrum will impact your reef, so a better understanding of how light, water refraction and reflection works would be a nice addition to the knowledge arsenal.... Using light that is 20K alone on a shallow water was proven to slow or stop corals growth, although it has opposite effect in 24"+ tanks. On top of everything if you look carefully the majority of those failures are with expensive "high end LEDs" and the list can go on but what you will notice is that no one provides numbers or specific information on either color combinations, color temperature, PAR values and so on, which leads me to believe there is not enough scientific support in any of those affirmations.
I also believe those chinese companies are making their fixtures based on agricultural growth research data, MarsAqua is one of the biggest suppliers for medical growers... so I am sure they know their business, plus Epistar LED were used for the Olympics, another thing that made me think they are somehow reliable....
Now you have a wider picture to look at and the rest of us who already purchased the lights we have a long way to learn, understand and experiment more.


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Unread 04/08/2015, 01:44 PM   #54
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Yeah, valid points all. As for helpful wives I'm certain mine will be right there on the decorating too lol


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Unread 04/08/2015, 02:12 PM   #55
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Lol, my phone beeped and I saw your post on my screen. I didn't even know you can have a forum on the phone... that apparently shares private information freely between all apps.


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Unread 04/08/2015, 02:15 PM   #56
elietania
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Im using those light for 9 months now! 2 of them 165w each on a 75 gallon tank! Everything still working really good i was surprise for the price they are!!! My corals are happy and grow! Only thing i didnt like its there no option in those light! im changing my setup now... Im upgrading the tank to a 150 gallon im gonna buy a couple of aqua illumination prime.

The hydra 26 and ecotech radion are just to expensive and you need to buy the controller for the wifi to....

the prime have wifi built in and im getting them for only 200$ each gonna start to buy 3 and see how they go!!


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Unread 04/08/2015, 02:46 PM   #57
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Elietania, how far from the water are your lights and how did you set up the corals? Sps up and the rest in the middle and bottom? Also how are your dimmers set? Full blast on both channels?


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Unread 04/08/2015, 02:55 PM   #58
elietania
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Elietania, how far from the water are your lights and how did you set up the corals? Sps up and the rest in the middle and bottom? Also how are your dimmers set? Full blast on both channels?
the light are about 14 inch from the water my hard coral are in the middle of the tank but i dont really have luck with them i lost a couple of them and now my brain hes not doing so great!! but all my soft corals are happy they grow like crazy! i have some of them in the middle other in the bottom and everything grow! The light was always at half power both channel 10 hours a day.. now since 2 days its at full power i wanna see if my brain will look better like that....

i would love to control each color but you cant... thats why im going with the prime fixture so i can have full control on those light...

i would love to go to t5/mh combo but the price/changing bulb/and maybe i will need to buy a chiller for the tank because of that its not worth it...

i know people on internet love mh and t5 but i saw a LOT of people with good led even lfs with the main tank and they get good corals grow and they keep hard coral to so thats why im gonna stick with led!


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Unread 04/08/2015, 05:44 PM   #59
paullondon
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Originally Posted by elietania View Post
the light are about 14 inch from the water my hard coral are in the middle of the tank but i dont really have luck with them i lost a couple of them and now my brain hes not doing so great!! but all my soft corals are happy they grow like crazy! i have some of them in the middle other in the bottom and everything grow! The light was always at half power both channel 10 hours a day.. now since 2 days its at full power i wanna see if my brain will look better like that....

i would love to control each color but you cant... thats why im going with the prime fixture so i can have full control on those light...

i would love to go to t5/mh combo but the price/changing bulb/and maybe i will need to buy a chiller for the tank because of that its not worth it...

i know people on internet love mh and t5 but i saw a LOT of people with good led even lfs with the main tank and they get good corals grow and they keep hard coral to so thats why im gonna stick with led!
I wouldn't go full power on both channels, just so you don't fry those corals, try 75% blue and 50% white first for a month or so.


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Unread 04/08/2015, 06:56 PM   #60
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I wouldn't go full power on both channels, just so you don't fry those corals, try 75% blue and 50% white first for a month or so.
I hooked up two 32" Euphoticas (Chinese LEDs) this weekend. Each are 216W.

I currently only have them at 20%, but the few corals I have are loving it.

One of my 13 year old crappy T-12 units went out about a month ago..took me awhile to build the canopy to put these in.. some of the corals were starting to really suffer.

Even at 20%, the corals are coming back....



.


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Unread 04/08/2015, 07:45 PM   #61
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Sounds great from everyone! My sps coral has grown a bunch of new buds under these lights so they do work.

Another great thing about these fixtures is the heat is way low compared to metal halide and the enegy costs are way lower as well. My t5 compared to led is my led are costing me 10-15 dollars less a month to run and I wasn't seeing this much growth or recovery on them before this.


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Unread 04/08/2015, 11:19 PM   #62
Swope2bc
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Originally Posted by smedlin View Post
I hooked up two 32" Euphoticas (Chinese LEDs) this weekend. Each are 216W.

I currently only have them at 20%, but the few corals I have are loving it.

One of my 13 year old crappy T-12 units went out about a month ago..took me awhile to build the canopy to put these in.. some of the corals were starting to really suffer.

Even at 20%, the corals are coming back....



.

Can you share some info on those lights? Looks like a lit display panel on it for settings? Perhaps those lights have more control than the Mars?


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Unread 04/09/2015, 06:06 AM   #63
smedlin
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Can you share some info on those lights? Looks like a lit display panel on it for settings? Perhaps those lights have more control than the Mars?
I think they were about the same programming as the Mars. It really has been over a month since I did the research.

Standard 2 channels, blue and everything else.

Unlimited amount of "timers", so you can make them come on, dimmer, brighter, whatever you desire.

They sell 2 version of each light, one programmable, one not. I got the ones that are.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/32-LED-Aquar.../191550483083?

I don't remember why i went with them instead of Mars. I think these where cheaper. I did a google, and TONS of people had been asking about them, with favorable response.

Nice customer service as well. The right hand light is actually defective. The back 2 rows of blue's stopped working right after I turned it on. I emailed the company, got a response right away, they asked for a picture of it, which I supplied.. they apologized immensely, and I had a tracking order the next morning for a new one.. at zero cost to myself.

Anyways, do a google on them...

.


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Unread 04/09/2015, 07:44 AM   #64
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I think they were about the same programming as the Mars. It really has been over a month since I did the research.

.
Actually, now that I think about it, the Mars isn't programmable, is it?

This one is, tis why I got it instead of the Mars.


Each came with a remote, but 1 remote can control both.

Outside of "on/off and menu" the remote also has "preset" buttons; Sunny, Cloudy,Moon, Custom, and Manual.

So, if you want to switch it to "moonlight", just hit the "moon" button. Want the moonlight to be have MORE blue? Just increase it, and it will remember that value for next time.

Want "moon" to come on at 7 in the morning? Then increase moon some at 7:30.. then turn the other LED's on at 8, but at a low setting.. then increase it a bit through the day.. then slowly ramp back down?

Just set the timers for those values.

(note, like the Mars, you can control the blue lights, and the "others" are all clumped together. No control over reds and whites separately)

I think that was why I went with them instead of Mars.

No.. it doesn't have the "storm" settings.. or auto moon phase that the premium units do. But I paid a total of $800 (and change) for these two. On a six foot long tank, that type of coverage with the premium lights would have been well over 2k.

Are the premium's better? Sure they are.

But I personally could not justify the cost. Some can.. some can't. It wasn't a money issue.. it was a "bang for your buck" issue.

.


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Unread 04/09/2015, 07:53 AM   #65
Swope2bc
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That's awesome thanks for the added information I will definitely be looking into this one! Bang for your buck is definitely the way to go and I like the idea of being able to make the programming


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Unread 04/09/2015, 12:40 PM   #66
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Originally Posted by smedlin View Post
I think they were about the same programming as the Mars. It really has been over a month since I did the research.

Standard 2 channels, blue and everything else.

Unlimited amount of "timers", so you can make them come on, dimmer, brighter, whatever you desire.

They sell 2 version of each light, one programmable, one not. I got the ones that are.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/32-LED-Aquar.../191550483083?

I don't remember why i went with them instead of Mars. I think these where cheaper. I did a google, and TONS of people had been asking about them, with favorable response.

Nice customer service as well. The right hand light is actually defective. The back 2 rows of blue's stopped working right after I turned it on. I emailed the company, got a response right away, they asked for a picture of it, which I supplied.. they apologized immensely, and I had a tracking order the next morning for a new one.. at zero cost to myself.

Anyways, do a google on them...

.
Those are very nice lights! I love the controllers but that is $420 for one 216W lamp and Mars was $169 for one 300W and you still can control the blue and the whites separate... Am I missing something? I wish I can make the light to come up by themselves dimmed and progressively to reach the set intensity... without human input.


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Unread 04/09/2015, 01:58 PM   #67
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There are modification you can make with the Mars Aqua it just takes time and effort. those lights listed are over twice the price because they have a built in controller.

Our Mars Aqua are the same LEDs just without that controller to set things. My LEDs are set up on separate timers to come on at different times. Blues first and whites an hour later.

I was looking for most cost effective with the lights I got.

And our claimed 300w isn't actually 300w, I had emailed the company to find out if they (like all others) under drive the LEDs for better performance and they responded with yes. Our LEDs run about 216w as well at full power (which no one is even attempting to run at in the thread so far)

I'm happy with my Mars Aqua and can't complain about them being under driven.


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Unread 04/09/2015, 02:06 PM   #68
smedlin
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Those are very nice lights! I love the controllers but that is $420 for one 216W lamp and Mars was $169 for one 300W and you still can control the blue and the whites separate... Am I missing something? I wish I can make the light to come up by themselves dimmed and progressively to reach the set intensity... without human input.
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There are modification you can make with the Mars Aqua it just takes time and effort. those lights listed are over twice the price because they have a built in controller.

Yep, Bagabaga is exactly correct. The company sells the same unit, but without the controller. and it's MUCH less. Soo. the cost is with that.

But..I knew that. I wanted something I could set to "slowly" wake up in the morning, get a bit brighter as the day goes on, and then slowly ramp back down..without me manually having to do it.

To me, that was worth the value.


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Unread 04/09/2015, 02:11 PM   #69
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Would a single 165w be enough for a Biocube 29? I was going to retrofit the hood but some of those plug and play kits are $300+ thinking hanging this unit above may be a way better option.

Currently have softies, LPS, and would like some monty caps and maybe birdsnest SPS. Nothing crazy.


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Unread 04/09/2015, 02:53 PM   #70
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Yes you could get away with 165w unit over a 29 cube. You may end up with some shadowing in the back but everything we want to see is in the front right?


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Unread 04/09/2015, 03:06 PM   #71
Swope2bc
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There are modification you can make with the Mars Aqua it just takes time and effort. those lights listed are over twice the price because they have a built in controller.

Our Mars Aqua are the same LEDs just without that controller to set things. My LEDs are set up on separate timers to come on at different times. Blues first and whites an hour later.

I was looking for most cost effective with the lights I got.

And our claimed 300w isn't actually 300w, I had emailed the company to find out if they (like all others) under drive the LEDs for better performance and they responded with yes. Our LEDs run about 216w as well at full power (which no one is even attempting to run at in the thread so far)

I'm happy with my Mars Aqua and can't complain about them being under driven.

Yeah the price hike is a little steep for me too, I would love to figure out how to do the mods on the 300w so I can run it from my apex though. I read earlier on in the thread that it tends to look messy, but I'm sure a guy could clean it up with some effort.. How many outlets would it take to get the fading affect though...


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Unread 04/09/2015, 07:13 PM   #72
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I was thinking about using the Mars Aqua light to mod my RSM hood. Maybe take it apart to put the lights, dimmer, heatsink and drivers into the existing hood using the hood's fans and timer. Any idea what's the length, width and height of the heat sink? Also, are the Leds on a 20mm star board? any info would be useful. Thanks.


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Unread 04/09/2015, 09:42 PM   #73
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Originally Posted by Bagabaga View Post
There are modification you can make with the Mars Aqua it just takes time and effort. those lights listed are over twice the price because they have a built in controller.

Our Mars Aqua are the same LEDs just without that controller to set things. My LEDs are set up on separate timers to come on at different times. Blues first and whites an hour later.

I was looking for most cost effective with the lights I got.

And our claimed 300w isn't actually 300w, I had emailed the company to find out if they (like all others) under drive the LEDs for better performance and they responded with yes. Our LEDs run about 216w as well at full power (which no one is even attempting to run at in the thread so far)

I'm happy with my Mars Aqua and can't complain about them being under driven.
Yes, pretty much all LEDs fixtures are under driven so a 3W LED will run at 2.2W, it makes sense and greatly extends the diode's life without having a noticeable impact on PAR values.
I have to admit that I would still love that controller that starts out slow and get brighter and ramps down at the end of the day... I heard some anemones die because of light shock, is that true or just one of those odd things that happens once in a blue moon?


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Unread 04/09/2015, 09:46 PM   #74
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I was thinking about using the Mars Aqua light to mod my RSM hood. Maybe take it apart to put the lights, dimmer, heatsink and drivers into the existing hood using the hood's fans and timer. Any idea what's the length, width and height of the heat sink? Also, are the Leds on a 20mm star board? any info would be useful. Thanks.
Which one? Which Mars, they have tons of models...? http://stores.ebay.com/marshydrousastore/


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Unread 04/09/2015, 10:18 PM   #75
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You are giving people wrong information.
1. Home electronics require CSA or equivalent to be sold, but there are no laws stating that you are not allowed to custom build your own electronics. You need to be licensed (or the homeowner) to wire your light fixtures in the ceiling, change a receptacle, change the wiring in the walls, etc. That is, anything permanent, and a permit is needed as well. Now if there is a fire, i highly doubt it will be from an aquarium light, but diy's can cover themselves from claims that would say otherwise... how? simply put. GROUND YOUR FIXTURES AND USE A GFCI. oh organize your power cables so only one enters the wall socket, and all others are not on the floor.
2. I was able to find the parts of MarsAqua in UL database listing
3. That company has no recalls/incidents listed since was founded in 2007
And in the end, no UL certification legally guarantees your safety... it's stipulated on their agreement... on the website. Also they are saying UV light causes no retinal damage therefore is not regulated. Really?!?
http://www.esasafe.com/assets/files/...ins/2-7-29.pdf

It's part of the electrical code it, if it's not in the exeption (low voltage, low VA), it must be approuved. Leds can get in the 160 watts and more which can get hot enought to melt plastics if it's not dissipated correctly. GFCI won't help for arcing fault or a fire unless it short put.


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