Initial Impressions on the Neptune Sky (Completely non-scientific!!)

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

So i switched to a ATI t5 only fixture and saw how nice that was for about 3 months. Then i found a nice Giesemann MH/T5 unit. Im running one 250w MH for about 4 hours a day and then another 5 hours of T5 only. My tank is really starting to adjust nicely to it.

Just an observation, but I will say that there is something about LEDs (in general) that some corals just do not seem to like.

I think it has less (or nothing) to do with par.

How are your corals reacting to the Sky?

I tried all LED on a nano (kessils and strips) for almost a year and just moved those corals and fish into a 50 gallon and added T5's to the mix. Corals are coloring up and, generally speaking and rather quickly, more of them seem happier, plumper, better polyp extension, more of the time. I don't see that closed up coral or three and wonder why that is going on... Water parameters are about the same, rocks the same, sand the same, and the major change was really the lighting. I set the T5 light up so bulb changes are super easy and i think i'll stay with t5's (in combo with other LEDs) for as long as i can. In a few years, i might go 100% LED. I have 200 gallon that is just about to have water in it, and the kessil 500's mounted in the ceiling with narrow reflectors could be 100% of the light sooner than later I suppose, but T5's make me less anxious.

 

[Reefing102]

Might as well be running MH with at look like that

I was thinking the same thing

 

[areefer01]

I was thinking the same thing

That is one setting but there are 5 on the phone app, 7 if you include photo and custom. The Apex has 14 pre-sets.

I think the one thing the BRS video did a good job of explaining is that this is a single light trying to accommodate everyone. Pre-set or custom you can pick and choose yet still maintain a linear scale PAR number. For example if you take the Philips Coral Care Gen 2 (great light) which is a more natural daylight, noon look, and try to adjust it to a more blue look (which BRS prefers) you will dial down a number of LED's and lose par by doing so. You don't see this as much with the SKY light as they said in their video. I also didn't notice this when I ran my PAR checks and DLI calculations using my crummy gear.

I think it is going to come down to confidence with the product, company, and lighting requirements. If someone gets hung up on it having or not having UV or matching AB Plus then their field or product choice is already narrowed.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

I was thinking the same thing

That's pretty sound point. I was looking at the ATI Straton. Thought that was pretty sleek, even more so than the Sky, but if you need spill covers, kinda does not matter as to sleekness.

 

[Reefing102]

That is one setting but there are 5 on the phone app, 7 if you include photo and custom. The Apex has 14 pre-sets.

I think the one thing the BRS video did a good job of explaining is that this is a single light trying to accommodate everyone. Pre-set or custom you can pick and choose yet still maintain a linear scale PAR number. For example if you take the Philips Coral Care Gen 2 (great light) which is a more natural daylight, noon look, and try to adjust it to a more blue look (which BRS prefers) you will dial down a number of LED's and lose par by doing so. You don't see this as much with the SKY light as they said in their video. I also didn't notice this when I ran my PAR checks and DLI calculations using my crummy gear.

I think it is going to come down to confidence with the product, company, and lighting requirements. If someone gets hung up on it having or not having UV or matching AB Plus then their field or product choice is already narrowed.

I wasn’t trying to say metal halide is better. I was agreeing that if you add the spill covers it eliminates the sleek/modern aspect of many LED fixtures. Adding the spill covers looks similar to running a metal halide reflector. Which could be a detractor to some.

I honestly don’t know enough about LEDs to say if one is better than the other as both obviously work to grow coral. Sorry for any confusion.

 

[areefer01]

I wasn’t trying to say metal halide is better. I was agreeing that if you add the spill covers it eliminates the sleek/modern aspect of many LED fixtures. Adding the spill covers looks similar to running a metal halide reflector. Which could be a detractor to some.

I honestly don’t know enough about LEDs to say if one is better than the other as both obviously work to grow coral. Sorry for any confusion.

All good - apologies if I presented it that way. Was not my intent. There is going to be a lot of comparison for a long while because it is Neptune not to mention their first lighting entry. I was trying to paint a different picture that while it may not be an exact spectrum match for something perceived as a standard (there really isn't one to be honest) you can use the pre-sets they provide or customize it a hobbyist visual appeal while not losing as much par.

I don't know if this is going to be appealing to hobbyist or not but in my display and world it does.

 

[Waboss]

Just an observation, but I will say that there is something about LEDs (in general) that some corals just do not seem to like.

I think it has less (or nothing) to do with par.

How are your corals reacting to the Sky?

I tried all LED on a nano (kessils and strips) for almost a year and just moved those corals and fish into a 50 gallon and added T5's to the mix. Corals are coloring up and, generally speaking and rather quickly, more of them seem happier, plumper, better polyp extension, more of the time. I don't see that closed up coral or three and wonder why that is going on... Water parameters are about the same, rocks the same, sand the same, and the major change was really the lighting. I set the T5 light up so bulb changes are super easy and i think i'll stay with t5's (in combo with other LEDs) for as long as i can. In a few years, i might go 100% LED. I have 200 gallon that is just about to have water in it, and the kessil 500's mounted in the ceiling with narrow reflectors could be 100% of the light sooner than later I suppose, but T5's make me less anxious.

Ok, so I'll answer, if you didn't mean to ask me, then I apologize.

My corals all opened up nicely and looked "happy" (good polyp extension on LPS and SPS anyway). I mean it's too soon to know about growth though, but I feel certain you can grow coral under these and might even have less shading.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Ok, so I'll answer, if you didn't mean to ask me, then I apologize.

My corals all opened up nicely and looked "happy" (good polyp extension on LPS and SPS anyway). I mean it's too soon to know about growth though, but I feel certain you can grow coral under these and might even have less shading.

The sky looks like a sweet light. Everything in this hobby worth a dang is overpriced--so par for the course there.

The software is real easy to use like others said?

That's one point that could steer me towards a sky versus a straton in the future if true...

 

[Waboss]

The sky looks like a sweet light. Everything in this hobby worth a dang is overpriced--so par for the course there.

The software is real easy to use like others said?

That's one point that could steer me towards a sky versus a straton in the future if true...

Yeah, it's pretty cool. And you're right, most of the "cooler" things in this hobby are expensive...haha!

The software is REALLY easy to use. Setup was super quick, I wasn't exaggerating when I said 5 minutes in my OP. And once you have the version of the app with the SKY controls in it, it's even easier!

If I had a "gripe" about the software, it would be that if you follow the instructions in the box, AND you're using an Android phone, you won't get the cool features in the mobile app (like the widget to control the light that's supposed to be added to the app). I had to email support, and they provided a link and instructions on how to join the beta for the app, as the new features are still in beta (at least on Android). Now, to their credit, Paul @ Neptune reached out to me within 30 minutes of me opening my ticket, so it was nice to get a quick response. ****quick disclaimer on this, I should go back and look at the instruction card in the box to make sure it doesn't reference the beta app, but I don't recall seeing anything about it.

The more I mess around with it, the more I like/liked it. I have it listed now, as I switched back to the RB light, but the more I think about it, the more I think "well, I have it now, so why not just use it" (mostly due to the controllability/features/software). Which would require me to build/design a shade for it and rearrange some corals/rock in the tank. So the longer it doesn't sell, the more likely I am to make it work........I already have the software open on my computer with the basics of the shade laid out.........hahaha! Ya know, I do have some thin sheets of ABS laying around somewhere, I could just fabricate a prototype to see how well/poorly it does.

 

[Dj A-Ron]

Big difference with the light shades! Thanks for posting!

What light did you have before the Sky?

I had the Kessil AP9X before. I liked the shimmer of the Kessil but the Sky is noticeably better at covering the tank with more light / less shadows. Plus the wife likes the look of the tank with the Sky light better so that’s a plus. Her exact words were “It makes the tank look more real like you are snorkeling in the ocean”. The Kessil is now over my coral & invert QT tank.

 

[Dj A-Ron]

Nice planted tank. I started off with those and worked my way into salt.

Thanks. Yeah, I got all crazy into the high tech planted stuff and then just kinda came to the end of the challenge… I said “well, I guess it’s time to jump into salt water”. Now I’m addicted to the reef tank. The planted tank gets neglected a bit.

 

[Saltydog69]

One guy in the NSI testing team built a “lamp shade” that shielded the light from spilling into the room. I’m considering doing that for mine.

I’ll ask him for permission to repost his photo here.

One guy in the NSI testing team built a “lamp shade” that shielded the light from spilling into the room. I’m considering doing that for mine.

I’ll ask him for permission to repost his photo here.

hey suncrest, would you mind sharing a picture of your sky setting with me, Im running the basic ab+ now and I feel like im leaving some growth on the table by not having small ramp up and down intervals in my settings. I just haven't figure out a good way to do it yet and I bet you have?