Reef Flare Pro M light review

[Billyreef-ita]

Thanks I’ll look at it!

 

[JustMarks]

So my lighting finally came in, 2x Reef Factory Reef Flare pro M'S.

The packaging appears nicely done. and is exactly what I ordered. So Far all good.

The lenses are clear and appear like they will give great dispersion of light. The form factor and build feels quality. The housing is as advertised at just over and inch in height. The built in fan is a nice touch and seems a better solution that the slide on fan that my previous maxspect Mazzara's had. This should reduce vibration noise.

As for mounting options, predominatly it appears these are arm mounted in most setups. There are only two spots for a mounting bolt and both are clearly setup for arm mounting. The mounting locations are not movable either.

Since I am building a custom hood, and that the tank is built into the wall, the arm mount won't work. No biggy or so I thought, they make a cable hanging system. which looks like this (from their website).

When you buy the cable hanger kit, this is what arrives. The nuts don't fit in the grooves (missed opportunity IMO). So the cable kit itself will not see you find a mounting solution.

Those brackets are not included... which is good since they wouldn't work anyways. If you look at the pictures above, you notice there are no side mounting holes and the sides are angled. So the brackets must be for a legacy reef flare product?

Next plan, the cooling fins that hold the mounting nuts appear to be standard aluminum extrusion sized... well they are not. they are the slightest bit too small (Another missed opportunity). So don't be fooled into thinking that. The only other mounting possibility I see that they pitch is an aluminum bar with plexiglass holders. So if you get these lights keep all the above in mind. Also, be aware there

It should also be noted that the downloadable manual for the lights does not cover mounting. Actually, nowhere on the website does it specify what is needed to mount these and what is mounting is compatible with what. It just assumes you are going to use the arm. Under the support tab of the website it lists mounting FAQ pages but they are placeholders and have no content.

As soon as I get a mounting solution worked out I'll get to turning these on and update this further.

Nice

 

[Armt350]

Thanks for the interesting thread. I’m considering buying them for my 75g new tank. I’m curious about the noise of the fan. I will install them in the living room and I’m pretty sensible to noise. What’s your option on this? Are they silent?

That is a very good question... My tank is built into a wall between two rooms, my living room and my mudroom. The lighting is on the mudroom side built into a shroud and I don't hear the fan noise at all on the living room side. On the mudroom side with a canopy closed, it is audible, but not what I would consider notable when compared to the Gyre pump running full blast.

It is half as loud as what was on my old Maxspect Mazzara P series.

 

[Armt350]

Also an update on lighting levels. I am running these pendants at 35% intensity now. At 50% they were producing enough light to bleach the corals.
If you are looking to buy these, you may not need as many pendants as you think.