best led light for the money

[MasterBlaster66T]

US Iowa, check the video

Cool video. Are the actual nodes unique to them or are there other fixtures that use the same ones?

 

[s2nhle]

Great. tagging along.

 

[Harold Green]

I put one of the black boxes over a 29g I'm using as a frag tank. Ended up turning the intensity down some but I have good growth on lps and monti caps that are in the tank. The fixture is about two years old now and still working well. I think for low end set ups they are adequate to grow most corals as long as you have a sufficient number of fixtures for the tank. It's really difficult to compare fixtures since reef tanks can vary so much along with mounting heights of fixtures. More expensive fixtures may have better components and better light spectrum's and may be more efficient in energy used for usable light produced. Black boxes are cheaper for those on a budget and adequate for coral growth and can be replaced as a throwaway in the future. I realize the question was which fixture is the best buy for the money but I think that's a question that each of us has to answer for ourselves depending on what we expect to get for the money spent.

 

[Ryan15236]

I have the reefbreeders photon w. They are very bright with a decent LED layout and use bridgelux 3 watt LEDs. They are not driven to the full 3 watts which in return lets the light run cooler which means cheaper heatsinks. This how they can get a pretty decent price for a full spectrum controllable LED light. I like it so far but I haven't put any corals under it yet.

 

[aslmx]

The only good led lights I've seen are diy.

 

[TankRazr]

I have a hybrid system over a 48" deep tank comprised of ecoxotic 50/50 pro led modules for fill and actinic stunner strips for dusk dawn pop. A 24" T5 over the very peak of the upper reef for supplementing the SPS which will eventually be placed there. Finally two Rapid led dimmable Onyx fixtures centrally located either side of the tank angled in are controlled via the Apex and handle the bulk of the heavy lifting. I went with 60° optics for good penetration. I may experiment at some point with other lenses. So far I am very pleased with the results.

I would also note there is a Sola tube directly over the center of the tank; however, a par meter didn't really indicate it was contributing anything significant.

Results so far....
Nice compact zoa colonies up top (only one of which is in frame) and only minimal zoa/paly stretching for zoa/palys placed at the bottom. Montipora digitata grows like a weed in the top third of the tank. Although the purple seems to be outpacing the orange. I've adjusted more flow onto the orange to see if growth improves. Pink pocilliphora seems to be doing just fine about halfway down @ 24". Monti caps all seem to be doing well just below that. Note placement is temporary until I can determine best placement based on growth form. Acans (not in frame) about 8" off the bottom have a slightly compact growth form, meaning not fully puckered up but not the trumpet formation either. I would also note that these Acans have both distinct red and orange coloration. Neither color has faded to rust under the leds! In the center of the tank I have recently placed frags of Green Titan Acro, Red Planet and Upscales Microlades. The TGA and UM came in pretty horrible and but seem to be coloring up nicely. Red planet seems to be doing fine. Too early to tell on these pieces but I'm optimistic these pieces are on a good trajectory. Neon green and pink sarcophyton toadstool (not in frame) does just fine 4" off the bottom and war coral (not in frame) about 12" off the bottom under a ledge seems to be working out well. color washed out when located higher in the tank.


I will try to get better photos but this is a photo off the Galaxy S6 which gives an idea of what I'm talking about. This photo is approximately the top 24" of the aquarium.

 

[Moonlightreef]

Ocean Revive T247
i have 2 over my 55 for over 6 months and that was the best thing i ever did .

 

[Hawain_Rob]

I got a mars aqua a few weeks ago. I've been messing with the intensity of the white and blue. What intensity do you think it should be at?..it's mounted 14 inches above a 20 gallon long tank with a few monti's at the top with a few sps frags.

 

[Tony Richards]

Hello new to big tanks and R2R.

Any thoughts on this light? Galaxyhydro™ Led 55x3w Dimmable 165w Full Spectrum LED Aquarium Light Panel for Reef, Coral & Fish

I have a 36 inch deep, will this provide enough light for corals?

 

[Reefing Madness]

I tend to keep people with the units that at least have BridgeLux LEDs, of which your unit does not.

 

[Russ265]

Hello new to big tanks and R2R.

Any thoughts on this light? Galaxyhydro™ Led 55x3w Dimmable 165w Full Spectrum LED Aquarium Light Panel for Reef, Coral & Fish

I have a 36 inch deep, will this provide enough light for corals?

im getting the wifi versions. yes they are epsilons but i think unless you go radion or kessel you will always get some bugginess.

they will grow sps just fine and have a ton of par.

just make sure they are easily replaceable. eg: if you have a canopy install them on self-made racks

 

[tonyftlaud]

Hello new to big tanks and R2R.

Any thoughts on this light? Galaxyhydro™ Led 55x3w Dimmable 165w Full Spectrum LED Aquarium Light Panel for Reef, Coral & Fish

I have a 36 inch deep, will this provide enough light for corals?

check the Mars Aqua 165 watt on ebay use the $20 dollar savings and buy some 60 degree optics. 36 inch is pretty deep but the 60 degree optics on the mars aqua will give you enough light for low light coral on the bottom of your tank. I have a 30 in deep and am up to my armpit if placing something on the substrate. Either light is good for 24x24x30 .

 

[Lemec]

I run two Mitras 6200's over my Elos 70 with very nice coverage. Lights are made by GHL, German company. Anyone else use/used these? Better color than just the older 6100 they came out with initially