Reef Brite halide system users.

[A. grandis]

My last post today is from our friend Mr. Marc Levenson (Melev).
He is one of the old timers I know from RC.
This video has special participation of Mr. Tulio Dell Aquila:

The video talks about the XHOs and I thought would be great to add that here for the LED fans.

Reef Brite:
Please let us know if the XHOs in the movie are exactly the same as the ones on the halide fixtures.

XHO LED Strip (For Halide Hybrid)
Actual Length: 14.25 inches (36.1 cm)
Available in: White, Actinic, and 50/50

What are the ones over Melev's reef?
Must be the actinic ones, right?
Look like they had blue and purple LEDs in that fixture...
He probably had to change the halide ballasts because he is using the Twin-Arc bulbs.

I need to get some sleep now. ;Meh ZZZzZzzz...
Grandis.

 

[reefwiser]

Yes there is a cord for the XHO LED's and a one for the ballast.
ztrain fluconazole is your friend get some and get rid of the hair algae.
I use a 20K bulb it's my favorite bulb love the blue light. I have used 65k 10k14k and 20k love the 20 k bulb.
The amp draw was lower than the Ecotech. I run the XHO Led's for 10 hours and the MH for 6 hours.

 

[Reefbrite]

Thanks!
Please tell us more about the different ballasts available and their differences.
I'm not sure about the other people, but I wonder why this system isn't one of the most available and talked about!
It's very tempting! I think the wire compatibility is what drives people away from it?
Grandis.

The wiring (Connectors) used for the pendant and ballast is actually designed to be very user friendly. We use standard IEC connectors so that if for any reason a user wants to extend the cord length they can simply buy IEC extension cables available on Amazon or elsewhere. We also offer replacement cord's so users can wire their existing pendants without modifying them or cutting the ends (Which we never recommend and highly advise against) to work with our ballasts. IEC connectors are used on desktop PC's and other popular electronic equipment around the globe. There are certainly other quality ballasts on the market but we designed the entire system from the ground up to run cooler, save energy, and have a compact footprint. The XHO LED's on the Halide Hybrid also make a big difference. People are often amazed when they see the difference between the LED's on and off when we demonstrate the 250 watt and even 400 watt system at trade shows and events. As for popularity with the popularity of LED's being what they are Halides were thought to be a thing of the past. But we were able to overcome the draw backs like energy and heat and now can factually say that watt for watt our Halide systems use the same amount of energy as LED, and T5HO. The performance of Halides is undeniable and has proven for decades to work well so we are very proud to see they are making a come back of sorts and that hobbyist and professionals are again enjoying their performance.

 

[DSC reef]

This really has me second guessing on ordering a Hamilton fixture. I've heard nothing but good things about tullio and the quality of the reef brite system.

 

[Reefbrite]

My last post today is from our friend Mr. Marc Levenson (Melev).
He is one of the old timers I know from RC.
This video has special participation of Mr. Tulio Dell Aquila:

The video talks about the XHOs and I thought would be great to add that here for the LED fans.

Reef Brite:
Please let us know if the XHOs in the movie are exactly the same as the ones on the halide fixtures.

XHO LED Strip (For Halide Hybrid)
Actual Length: 14.25 inches (36.1 cm)
Available in: White, Actinic, and 50/50

What are the ones over Melev's reef?
Must be the actinic ones, right?
Look like they had blue and purple LEDs in that fixture...
He probably had to change the halide ballasts because he is using the Twin-Arc bulbs.

I need to get some sleep now. ;Meh ZZZzZzzz...
Grandis.

Yes, the LED units on Marc's tank are the Actinic versions. Marc Leveson does use our ballast's with his system. We discussed our pendants but he had already built a specialized light rack to mount the pendants he is using and used our replacement cord's to rewire his fixture's. The Twin Arc lamps will work with other ballast's with no additional/special wiring required. As for the LED's on the Halide Hybrid's, the Halide Hybrid comes with the Actinic versions and uses the same LED's featured on Marc's tank.

 

[Reefbrite]

Oh, sorry!
They are giving ~30% off! ;Wideyed Tempting!! I would have to get 2 though!
You should cover your skimmer. The coralline algae will grow inside after a while!!

Reef Brite:
What would be the difference between the 250W and the 400W fixtures?
Most fixtures are made to be used with 150W, 175W, 250W or 400W bulbs.

Grandis.

The Mogul based units regardless of what system you purchase are all rated to accept up to 400 watt lamps. The advantage to this is if you ever want to upgrade the wattage you simply buy the appropriate ballast. For most tanks the 150 DE or 175 watt mogul is more than sufficient. On the DE versions, while all are rated for 400 watts, due to different lamp sizes and connectors (150 watt vs. 250 watt/400 watt) you have to order the specific pendant for the wattage lamp you wish to run. If you ever choose to upgrade or change wattage the fixtures can be sent back to us (Shipping and labor not included) to be reconfigured so you do not have to buy a new pendant. Also based on to the efficiency of the reflector and other performance factors especially when used with our ballast we recommend that the 400 watt versions DE or Mogul be used only on very large systems or tanks. We often discourage people from buying them since it is simply too much light for many system's.

 

[Reefbrite]

So do we have 2 cords for each fixture with LEDs?
One for the halide and other cord for the LEDs?
How long are the cords?
I would think one cord goes to the halide ballast and the other goes to the wall?

Oh how I wish they had T5s instead of the LEDs. That would be the best!!!

Thanks!
Grandis.

The LED's use a different power supply so you have a power cord for the Halide ballast, and a power cord for the LED power supply. The LED's are hard to take accurate pictures of to appreciate but if you ever witness the system in person you will understand why we matched the XHO's with the Halide system. That is why even though Marc Levenson was so skeptical and believe me he was about replacing his VHO's he has been very happy with the look and performance of the XHO's. It is also why Jason Fox and so many others use the XHO's on their systems to supplement their lighting.

 

[Ztrain]

ztrain fluconazole is your friend get some and get rid of the hair algae.
I use a 20K bulb it's my favorite bulb love the blue light. I have used 65k 10k14k and 20k love the 20 k bulb.
The amp draw was lower than the Ecotech. I run the XHO Led's for 10 hours and the MH for 6 hours.

Yeah I'm trying to decide that myself. I'm letting the 10k run for about an hour and a half before switching it to 20k for the rest of the day. Like I said before I'm going to be upgrading to a much bigger tank so this is my experiment to get going before starting the new system. 2 months ago I literally had no visible rock or substrate it was just one big flowing mass of hair that I was seriously considering throwing the whole thing out and starting over. But figured if I just did that I'd be back in the same situation. So I thought keep the fish in the current tank and fix it. Take several months to a year to do if need be. So started with Zeovit for nutrient export and that's been working well on killing off the algae but I may try that stuff that you mentioned. My LFS was telling me about it a week ago. But my parameters have been really good so maybe it's time to just use that to clean it out and then it won't come back as long as long as I maintain the ULN. Next step was adding Triton elements and corals. Get the dosing down. Now I'm piecing together all the support equipment for the new tank.

I very likely may end up going 20k straight we'll see.

 

[Breadman03]

The Mogul based units regardless of what system you purchase are all rated to accept up to 400 watt lamps. The advantage to this is if you ever want to upgrade the wattage you simply buy the appropriate ballast. For most tanks the 150 DE or 175 watt mogul is more than sufficient. On the DE versions, while all are rated for 400 watts, due to different lamp sizes and connectors (150 watt vs. 250 watt/400 watt) you have to order the specific pendant for the wattage lamp you wish to run. If you ever choose to upgrade or change wattage the fixtures can be sent back to us (Shipping and labor not included) to be reconfigured so you do not have to buy a new pendant. Also based on to the efficiency of the reflector and other performance factors especially when used with our ballast we recommend that the 400 watt versions DE or Mogul be used only on very large systems or tanks. We often discourage people from buying them since it is simply too much light for many system's.

I currently have Radion G4 Pros over my 150 deep dimension tank, which is 36x36x27 and will be going primarily SPS. I also have a Hamilton 400 watt DE pendant I'm curious, would your 250-watt halide hybrid provide adequate PAR for SPS throughout the system?

 

[kalare]

... Do you have T5s?
Thanks for sharing!!
Grandis.

I use the RB hybrid system with their blue LEDs. Love it. I have an ATI full T5 on another system and I much prefer the halides/LED. Though halide T5 would be great as well

 

[JoeKelley]

Can someone who owns a RB 250watt pendant put a wattmeter on the halide and LED ballast please? Curious.

Joe

 

[kalare]

Per my Apex, my two 30" XHO are using 80w combined @ 1.1 amps, and the 250w halides are using 253w @ 2.2 amps.

 

[JoeKelley]

Is that 2 250W halides at 2.2 amps and 2 XHO at 1.1? Total is 3.3 amps for your entire 36" RB fixture?

 

[A. grandis]

The wiring (Connectors) used for the pendant and ballast is actually designed to be very user friendly. We use standard IEC connectors so that if for any reason a user wants to extend the cord length they can simply buy IEC extension cables available on Amazon or elsewhere. We also offer replacement cord's so users can wire their existing pendants without modifying them or cutting the ends (Which we never recommend and highly advise against) to work with our ballasts. IEC connectors are used on desktop PC's and other popular electronic equipment around the globe. There are certainly other quality ballasts on the market but we designed the entire system from the ground up to run cooler, save energy, and have a compact footprint. The XHO LED's on the Halide Hybrid also make a big difference. People are often amazed when they see the difference between the LED's on and off when we demonstrate the 250 watt and even 400 watt system at trade shows and events. As for popularity with the popularity of LED's being what they are Halides were thought to be a thing of the past. But we were able to overcome the draw backs like energy and heat and now can factually say that watt for watt our Halide systems use the same amount of energy as LED, and T5HO. The performance of Halides is undeniable and has proven for decades to work well so we are very proud to see they are making a come back of sorts and that hobbyist and professionals are again enjoying their performance.

It's almost too good to be true. It's a total blessing in one package and I'm seriously considering it when I set up another system. Yup, halides is the best! Thanks for explanation on the wires. I can see now that is actually a plus!

Yes, the LED units on Marc's tank are the Actinic versions. Marc Leveson does use our ballast's with his system. We discussed our pendants but he had already built a specialized light rack to mount the pendants he is using and used our replacement cord's to rewire his fixture's. The Twin Arc lamps will work with other ballast's with no additional/special wiring required. As for the LED's on the Halide Hybrid's, the Halide Hybrid comes with the Actinic versions and uses the same LED's featured on Marc's tank.

So there is absolutely no problem like flickering or anything with other ballasts. Ok.
Does the XHOs' actinic version has blue and purple LEDs?

The Mogul based units regardless of what system you purchase are all rated to accept up to 400 watt lamps. The advantage to this is if you ever want to upgrade the wattage you simply buy the appropriate ballast. For most tanks the 150 DE or 175 watt mogul is more than sufficient. On the DE versions, while all are rated for 400 watts, due to different lamp sizes and connectors (150 watt vs. 250 watt/400 watt) you have to order the specific pendant for the wattage lamp you wish to run. If you ever choose to upgrade or change wattage the fixtures can be sent back to us (Shipping and labor not included) to be reconfigured so you do not have to buy a new pendant. Also based on to the efficiency of the reflector and other performance factors especially when used with our ballast we recommend that the 400 watt versions DE or Mogul be used only on very large systems or tanks. We often discourage people from buying them since it is simply too much light for many system's.

So they made a mistake on BRS web site with links for 250W or 400W choices on this page:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/15-se-led-mh-pendant-with-reef-brite.html
quote:
Available In:

• 250 Watt Single Ended
• 400 Watt Single Ended

The LED's use a different power supply so you have a power cord for the Halide ballast, and a power cord for the LED power supply. The LED's are hard to take accurate pictures of to appreciate but if you ever witness the system in person you will understand why we matched the XHO's with the Halide system. That is why even though Marc Levenson was so skeptical and believe me he was about replacing his VHO's he has been very happy with the look and performance of the XHO's. It is also why Jason Fox and so many others use the XHO's on their systems to supplement their lighting.

I wonder if a system with all VHOs could be completely substituied by the XHOs and have exactly the same results. Not cosmetic results, but essential results.

Ok, here are more questions, please:
1) Do you have spectrum chart for the Twin-Arc bulbs (150W, 175W, 250W, 400W) and the XHOs small (from hybrid halide fixture) to larger versions?
2) How much each of the halide bulbs above pulls from the wall? What about the XHOs from hybrid halide fixture?
3) Are there any substantial differences between the LEDs from the XHOs and others in the market besides reflectors to direct the light? Spectrum? How many watts per bulb?
4) What is the emission angle of the XHOs? Is that 90°?
5) What would be the actual life time of the twin-Arc bulbs and the XHOs on the 15" hybrid fixtures? We know LEDs don't last forever... Would we be able to change the LEDs once they burn?
6) What 15" hybrid halide wattage should we get for a 75gal. tank measuring ~48" X 18" X 20" high for SPS corals? Probably 2 hybrid fixtures.
7) What about for 2 non hybrid halide fixtures over the same 75 gal. tank for SPS (all my zoa systems are set as for SPS)? I would use some T5s on the side, if so.
7) How should we mount the pendants (perpendicular or parallel)? In my mind I see the halides should be mounted perpendicular and the XHOs should be mounted parallel. I'm confused.
8) Can we remove the XHOs from the hybrid fixture if we change mind and want to use some retro T5s on the canopy instead??

I really appreciate your time explaining all our questions.

Thanks,
Grandis.

 

[A. grandis]

I use the RB hybrid system with their blue LEDs. Love it. I have an ATI full T5 on another system and I much prefer the halides/LED. Though halide T5 would be great as well

I had such a bad experience with LEDs... They simply don't convince me at all when comparing to T5s.
I'm trying to get in tune with this Hybrid halide fixture to give it a shot, but I still think LEDs are what they are.
It's just the properties of both types of light that are so different...
At the same time I try to see the XHOs in this hybrid just as statically pleasant, if so. The halide will do the job anyway!!!
And the plus is the electricity saving. But that isn't my main goal choosing light.
I'm sorry, just to think of skipping all the T5 bulb's choices for a hybrid setup to acomodate LEDs doesn't sound right to me...
I mean, there is no way I would substitute my T5 set for XHO set per say. Meaning to remove my ATI Sunpower and place 6 XHOs instead.
I would like to get the Giesemann Spectra also because of those 4 T5s in the first place.
The temptation here is strong though.
I know Tullio will come sooner or later to answer some of my questions...
Grandis.

 

[A. grandis]

Finally found this video, for those who like the blue LEDs...
Looks very nice to me.
Probably the best LED strip in existence indeed.
It does a lot of the so called "pop".

Grandis.

 

[RedSox81]

I just picked up a set of the Reef Brite hybrids. Hope to have them soon.

 

[Ztrain]

I just picked up a set of the Reef Brite hybrids. Hope to have them soon.

Cool what did you get and for what size and type of tank?

 

[RedSox81]

Cool what did you get and for what size and type of tank?

I got 2 15’ for a 120 gallon

 

[tgbaby]

I got 2 15’ for a 120 gallon

Can I ask why you went with 2 x 15” fixtures opposed to 1 x 36” fixture?