I have 4 x AI Hydra 26s (none HD) on my 4'6” reef tank and when setting them up and after a number of hours trying different colour combinations I finally settled on a look but not quite the look what I wanted . When I did achieve the colour I wanted the tank looked too dull as in not as bright as I would have liked. BTW the new Hydra 26s have more blue LED's in them at the expense of some whites plus they are run with more power, I don't have the spare funds to sell my 26s and buy new or second-hand 26HDs so I looked for LED's to supliment my 26s and give me the colour I was chasing . Anyway I digress.
Corals grew well and were colourful on the settings I settled on but there was just that extra pop missing I would have liked and at the same time the brightness I wanted. I tried 2 second-hand Aquaray reef blues but they made little or no real impact so I sold them and bought 2 second-hand Aquaray Fiji blues and although they were a bit better they just didn't have the power to punch into the tank or give me the colour I was looking for so I also sold them on.
I guess I gave up looking for a while as it's not as if the tank look in some way lacking in colour I just thought I could do better if only I could find the right LED unit to use. I needed a light that would a/ Give me the colour I was looking for b/ was powerful enough to achieve it and c/ would cover the tank, something around 4' long and not too wide. And last but not least d/ something I could afford so less than £100 (about $130) . What I was looking for I guess was something like a long Aquaray with more power to punch the colour I wanted into the tank and add some extra pop to the tank and corals.
One day while I was cruising around Facebook I hit upon a UK company marine ighting group, they had a slightly damaged 47” Royal Blue Colour Enhancing bar containing 28 X 3W Bridgelux LED's with a colour spec of 460nm. The normal cost for this was £120 but with the slight damage it was reduced to £85 ( about $110) plus £6 shipping (about $8) With 28 3W LED's it certainly seemed to have the power I was looking for but what about the colour. I did the usual Googling and searches on various forums which in truth didn't really gave me much in the way of how they would look on my tank with my Hydras colour wise but I decided to take the plunge anyway.
The unit arrived and the first thing that struck me was it was heavier than expected even with a remote driver. Build quality is excellent and robust with each LED having a substantial dome like 120 degree lenses larger than many I had seen on Bridgelux LED's before. Although the hanging cables were missing, lost in the post from the previous sending out to the purchaser I had no problems hanging them from the brackets I made to take my Hydras. I had some spare wire cables and snap lock fitting from some previous LED units so used them. I have the unit suspended 5” above the waters surface which seems fine.
There is no controller for the lights so I currently have them on a simple plug in timer to come on at 5pm and off at 10pm for now at least. So what about the colour and does it give me the pop I am looking for that is the question. Well at first I though hmmm, is it too much, it certainly punches it's weight but I wasn't sure if it was perhaps giving me too much blue. Well after a few hours getting used to the new colour of the tank I can confirm I finally have the colour I want with the pop I was looking for. The look of the tank has changed considerably and I also have the brightness I wanted along with it. I am finally satisfied that I have achieved the look on my tank I have been searching for.
The only thing I am considering is a small blind so I can't see the LED's when sitting down as they are strong and you notice the effect on your eyes when you turn away from the tank after looking towards it. The other is the possibility of proving a dimmer of some sort but that's more a want than a need and not important.
Couple of pic;s
My tank with 4 X AI Hydra 26s only.
With the Royal Blue lighting bar on with the Hydra 26s.
Corals grew well and were colourful on the settings I settled on but there was just that extra pop missing I would have liked and at the same time the brightness I wanted. I tried 2 second-hand Aquaray reef blues but they made little or no real impact so I sold them and bought 2 second-hand Aquaray Fiji blues and although they were a bit better they just didn't have the power to punch into the tank or give me the colour I was looking for so I also sold them on.
I guess I gave up looking for a while as it's not as if the tank look in some way lacking in colour I just thought I could do better if only I could find the right LED unit to use. I needed a light that would a/ Give me the colour I was looking for b/ was powerful enough to achieve it and c/ would cover the tank, something around 4' long and not too wide. And last but not least d/ something I could afford so less than £100 (about $130) . What I was looking for I guess was something like a long Aquaray with more power to punch the colour I wanted into the tank and add some extra pop to the tank and corals.
One day while I was cruising around Facebook I hit upon a UK company marine ighting group, they had a slightly damaged 47” Royal Blue Colour Enhancing bar containing 28 X 3W Bridgelux LED's with a colour spec of 460nm. The normal cost for this was £120 but with the slight damage it was reduced to £85 ( about $110) plus £6 shipping (about $8) With 28 3W LED's it certainly seemed to have the power I was looking for but what about the colour. I did the usual Googling and searches on various forums which in truth didn't really gave me much in the way of how they would look on my tank with my Hydras colour wise but I decided to take the plunge anyway.
The unit arrived and the first thing that struck me was it was heavier than expected even with a remote driver. Build quality is excellent and robust with each LED having a substantial dome like 120 degree lenses larger than many I had seen on Bridgelux LED's before. Although the hanging cables were missing, lost in the post from the previous sending out to the purchaser I had no problems hanging them from the brackets I made to take my Hydras. I had some spare wire cables and snap lock fitting from some previous LED units so used them. I have the unit suspended 5” above the waters surface which seems fine.
There is no controller for the lights so I currently have them on a simple plug in timer to come on at 5pm and off at 10pm for now at least. So what about the colour and does it give me the pop I am looking for that is the question. Well at first I though hmmm, is it too much, it certainly punches it's weight but I wasn't sure if it was perhaps giving me too much blue. Well after a few hours getting used to the new colour of the tank I can confirm I finally have the colour I want with the pop I was looking for. The look of the tank has changed considerably and I also have the brightness I wanted along with it. I am finally satisfied that I have achieved the look on my tank I have been searching for.
The only thing I am considering is a small blind so I can't see the LED's when sitting down as they are strong and you notice the effect on your eyes when you turn away from the tank after looking towards it. The other is the possibility of proving a dimmer of some sort but that's more a want than a need and not important.
Couple of pic;s
My tank with 4 X AI Hydra 26s only.
With the Royal Blue lighting bar on with the Hydra 26s.
