i just got a 72" unit and set it up last night.
hard to find reviews and user opinions on this as it is a pricey unit for what you get.
only one word can describe it: AMAZING!!!
this unit replaced an old giesemann eco 230. what i liked about the giesemann is that the light fixture is very aesthetic and puts out decent light. my 180g sps main display is in my living room and both my wife and i wanted a light to be non-equipment looking.
things i dint like about the eco 230 was the lack of actinic supplementation and that the reflectors were 'old' technology where the light wasnt being maximally reflected.
the moonlight solved these shortfalls of the old 230.
aside from the price, which again, is expensive for what you get. the overall build quality is exceptional just like the quality of the old 230. from a reef geek point of view, i think it is a very attractive looking light.
the infinity reflectors are very shiny and polished. the old 230 had a 'hammer tone' finish which looks like the skin texture of an orange and didnt have a high polish. it was more on the matte side.
the inifinity moonlight definitely puts more light into the tank than the old 230 but i will have to verify it with my friends lux meter.
to try and be balanced as possible, here are the things i do not like about the moonlight:
- he glass panels that cover the mh's are annoying to remove as the light unit body grips them rather tightly and i am worried about breaking or chipping them as i slide them in and out.
- what makes the fixture pretty is also what makes them tough to maintenance. the entire light fixture needs to be taken down to just change the bulbs. the fixture is very heavy (100 pounds at least) and WILL take two people (two guys...and not trying to be sexist) to very carefully take it down without crashing it into my glass tank. the same care is required to put the thing up. like i said...very annoying.
thus, the only two downsides of the light are both light bulb change issues.
my unit didnt come with any instructions. this is definitely not a plug and play unit. i called phil at xenia/giesemann and he immediately emailed me the instructions. the side lcd to program the unit absolutely requires one to read the directions. esp since it comes programmed in four languages and it starts up with german. you need the directions just to get out of the german menu and into the english menu (for me anyway!
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programming is sort of intuitive as it gives you a lot of options of when to turn the t5's on, when to dim them, when to re dim them and when to turn them off. mh programming is pretty simple as it just asks when to turn it off and on.
moonlight programming? i havent had time to get to that yet!
it is a whole different ball of wax along with the cloudy day program!
the ferrari of lights? imo, yes! am i happy with it? OOH YEAH!
