212w taotronics fixture review and diy light hanger for our 75g

So I wasn't able to find a lot of information about the 212w taotronics unit before I ordered, so I wanted to do a review, and hopefully help others out. I was looking at buying two of the well reviewed 120w fixtures, or one of the 212w units. I liked that this unit had 60 degree optics, and thefit and finish looked a little more refined. On to the picture and comments!

Here is how the box arrived. It was wrapped in paper backed with bubble wrap. The box seemed very heavy for its size, which is always a good sign in my book.



This is the box after unwrapping. It's plain cardboard with a little plastic handle, nothing special.



Here are the two power cables with connectors, and the hanging kit. The connectors have pretty cheap retainer rings. I'd recommend bueing careful when screwing/unscrewing them as to not damage the threads. Regardless, they seem adequate, and lets be honest, it's unfair to pay for a pinto and expect a ferrari.



Here is the top, and side views. Only thing to note is that there is a small (1/8"ish) circular chip of missing powder coat on the black vent shroud. I intend on emailing the seller and requesting a replacement shroud.






Here is the money shot. This is the 48 blue /24 white led ratio. The bottom is a brushed aluminum, which is anodized black. Very nice appearance, I'm sad that no one will ever see it. The modules are supposed to be easily removable and replaceable. Hopefully I don't have to worry with that for a good while.



That's it for now. I will continue on to the next post with my hanger stand build to hang these from. I live in an apartment, so I can't hang anything from the ceiling.

 

Looks cool!

Cant wait to see how they perform over your tank.

 

Very nice.

I built my hanger for my 120W's out of scrap 2x4's I had.
I built a large 'H' that stands on the floor, and goes behind my tank.
I put some shelf brackets on that that put the center of the lights over the center of
my DT. Works great.

Just giving you some ideas.

 

got an image of that set up? I was looking to do something similar with my 120w's that I just bought

 

I wish my 120W dimmables had the plugs in the side like yours do. The plug on top makes it look ugly and difficult to mount in a hood.

The quality looks top notch though.

 

I'll do my best to keep this updated, I got the first coat of paint on the rack, still have some more left to do.

 

Not to take away from your nice thread,
But to answer the question about my DIY light hanger, go to my build thread and
in Post #1 there is a brief paragraph describing it,
then in post #9, there is a pic of the top portion of it, showing the hangers, etc.
Quick, easy and cheap to build.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/led-aquarium-lighting/chinese-120w-leds-my-first-review-131959.html

I just realized from that thread, that I have had these less than 3 months! Wow, still love 'em.

 

Here is a picture of the hanger and the light coverage,it looks like ill need another fixture here soon :/ On the upside, colors are much more vivid on my corals, so thats a plus.

 

Light looks good man, but i think you should re think the way its hanging. Its not even parallel, im afraid its gonna lean over and fall in the tank.

That would be aweful. but lights look great man, another one would def be best