Searching for a new led system

Discussion in 'LED Aquarium Lighting' started by Seancelebrity, Dec 9, 2013.

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  1. jborlace

    jborlace Purple Spiny Lobster

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2013
    Messages:
    457
    How long have you been using the led. I've been thinking about getting one of the ever grow LEDs.
     
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  3. =Jwin=

    =Jwin= Tassled File Fish

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2008
    Messages:
    1,968
    Location:
    Chattanooga, Tennessee
    I can't quite vouch for reefbreeders yet, because we have only had our fixture running for a day, so we haven't finished acclimating the corals to it and have no way to judge the results yet.

    However, they make some very high quality stuff. We have the Photon 48 over a 90 gallon and it is ridiculous. Just holding it you know this is more than just a light. It's some legit equipment. Programming it is simple and amazing all at the same time. The cycles you can program in are fantastic, and this thing has some insane power behind it. The PAR it can put out is ridiculous. Most folks who have this fixture apparently never come close to hitting 100% power, they typically program it to max out somewhere between 60 and 80 depending on what corals are kept, and even then those max outputs peak for only an hour or two a day. It's a powerful, powerful light. Good price, set it and forget it, and great quality. Highly recommended.

    The only CONS I have are that it is an absolute PITA to mount in a canopy. It's very easy to hang with the included hanging kit, but our canopy is just not big enough to hang. I ended up having to DIY some wooden shelves for it to sit on in the canopy.

    Another con is that it does tend to lean towards the blue/purple side of things. I've been spoiled off of T5's that gave off a great white light, with a hint of blue thrown in. It was great for viewing the tank overall. This light however is blue/purple with a little bit of white thrown in. You can program the blue/purple tint out by playing with the settings and make it look more natural, but with both channels at even strength it is heavily blue/purple. It sure makes colors on corals pop, but add that in with the shimmer effect it gives off and it was honestly hard to look at at first.

    Reefbreeders does have an amazing fuge light as well. Again, no lasting results yet because of how new it is to us, but the build quality is off the charts, and I have heard nothing but great things on how much macros love it. Highly highly recommended.