Old school thinking about Mars aqua 30" LED's

Let me know what you go with. I have Fluval LED light and over the past week it looks like it got darker... I am unsure if that is just me being crazy or if it actually got dimmer.... Either way I was just shopping around with the same budget (no more than 400). I have a 72 bowfront so I am looking at buying 2 lights... or perhaps supplementing with a 48" reefbrite 50/50 or other 48" bar to go side by side.

I am personally looking for something programmable and controllable .. but with my budget and length of a tank I am having troubles finding things.
 
I don't think so, the efficiency of t-5 is just a little better than halide like 10 to 15%.
You have 800w of halide which needs about 12 t-5 to replace,

I only have 1 x 400 watt halide, sitting in a luminex Reflector. I have a 30" ReefBrite with 30 x 3 watt LED's 26 are 456nms the other 4 are true uv. I also have extra actinics on the sides back and front. My Tank is only 30"x18x24" tall. If i put 6 t5's on it i really have no room for anything else! I show you how i have it set up now.

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I only have 1 x 400 watt halide, sitting in a luminex Reflector. I have a 30" ReefBrite with 30 x 3 watt LED's 26 are 456nms the other 4 are true uv. I also have extra actinics on the sides back and front. My Tank is only 30"x18x24" tall. If i put 6 t5's on it i really have no room for anything else! I show you how i have it set up now.

I thought the tank was much larger.
In this case, replace the 400w halide with a 250w Radium halide, then add two ATI Blue plus t-5 will do, keep the Reef brite LED as it is.
 
Going from my 400 watt Blue Radium to a 250, thats the easy part. I dont have room for any additional t5s. I really dont want to lose the luminex reflector, If i stay with the Halide.
 
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I've got a pair of the smaller marsaquas over my 120. Some colors just don't look right, especially yellow is very washed out compared to MH. I doubt you'd be happy without some supplementation. That said, I popped off the optics on my reds and greens - no more disco except in one cave. And I replaced the fans with $10 laptop ones that are totally silent. My unit doesn't get warm ever. I have zero skills for soldering or anything, the mods I did only needed a screwdriver.

The corals seem to like it ok, I guess. I'm really new to reefing so I don't have many colonies and nothing to compare these lights to. Just don't let the spotlights or the fan quality sway you much. It's crazy how cheap these lights are


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I am tossing back and forth between a bit of a disco effect and two strong LEDs for around 400 bucks... Or waiting around and piece mealing a used set of Vegas, sol, or radion... Even though I will end up spending upwards of 600 on used and not getting them together at one time. Anyone know a good place to shop for used reef LEDs?


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i have made my choice. 30" Wifi 3 channel, from SB Reef Lighting. Will give it a try, if its good it will stay. If not the Halide will go back on.
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Before you buy, please check with them to see:
1. If the ramping of the LED is smooth or step wise. (10 set point each channel sounds like you are going to get stepping instead of smooth sunrise and sunset)
2. Does it have a heat sink? No heat sink, no deal for me. Just my personal opinion, I want my led to be as efficinet as possible and last as long as possible.
3. What brand are the LED diodes?
4. Are the 121 LED driven at 3w or lower?

BTW, here is what photosynthesis action curve looks like for CORAL, not medical therapeutic plants.
 

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this is a good read as well . its a sell pitch but has some good info . FWIW If I switch to Led someday one of these is on the list
 
no this one
https://sbreeflights.com/sbox-reef-lights/5-sbox-elite-32-ramping-.html
I spoke with the owner

SB Reef Lights proprietary layout and spectrum
Remote control
Built in 3 channel Ramping timer with LCD screen - Interval can be set from 60 down to 10 minutes
Moon light channel
327w (109x3w diodes)
Upgraded thicker heat sink
Upgraded, quieter fans - higher CFM flow
Mike explained that each channel can be set at 10,20,30,40,50,60 minute intervals on Ramping through the day. Said that he uses 10 mins, which gives a smooth change when building up the lumens through the day.
1ramp.jpg
Spectrum Nodes - Logo_1.jpg
The cross point of Chlorophyll A and C is 447nm, that is where Zooxanthallae are most efficient. We hit it very hard. Also note 420nm is where Chlorophyll A peaks and we hit that hard as well. We have more 420nm than any other black box. Also note 420nm is a trigger wavelength that tricks corals into thinking they are in shallower water, resulting in development of more protective pigment "Color". Note we don't hit the 470nm peak of Chlorophyll C as hard, there is a valid reason for this. Chlorophyll C saturates at a lower photon energy, and has a much lower density in most typical corals than Chlorophyll A. This means adding more energy there adds no value after a point. Instead we do something no other black box lights do, we hit the secondary absorption point of the cartenoids present in the Chloroplast hard. The cartenoids absorb the 490nm wavelength and convert the energy into a source the chloroplast can better use. The Cartenoid Peridinin is present in higher concentration than Chlorophyll C as well. We also hit the 660nm peaks of Chlorophyll A&C. Finally we have 395nm True UV, which not only adds to coral flourescence, but development of protective color pigments by again tricking the coral into thinking it's in shallower water. The issue with true UVs though is that the UV actually destroys the lens over time. We have solved this problem by finding a better quality diode with a silica lens instead of plastic. Makes for a little more expensive diode, but it will last more than the 1 year max you get out of a typical plastic lens. For our white channel, we have just enough green and yellow for aesthetics, with the bulk of diodes in the 14K range. We also have 20K diodes, something no other black box has. This provides for a crisp white with hints of blue.
That means our light provides more PUR than any other black box, while helping to provide coral coloration only possible with T5s before.
lighting setup.jpg



plus i think his tank, also shows a decent product. 12x 16" Basic SB Reef Lights. They are controlled by my Reef Keeper for timing, ramping and spectrum. Tank is 96x42x32. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAMtLjfZuBA
 
Please let us know how you like it, looks like a good product based on the layout.
 
Please let us know how you like it, looks like a good product based on the layout.
I will be watching very closely, on my tank dont worry. Will be taking it slow, and easy. Hopefully may get it before next weekend.
 
Nice turn around time. Let me know keep us updated and give a review. In a month or so I am looking to upgrade.


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