We finally tested the Black Box LED... Compare notes? | BRStv Investigates
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Esquire805
Well-Known Member
Lol I need more then that
Esquire805
Well-Known Member
Being alive man
Tristren
Well-Known Member
You can see the insides in this video:
And on his website he talks about upgraded fans and heatsinks. Also a two year warranty on parts.
https://sbreeflights.com/content/7-faq
budget buster
Community Member
This is my first time posting on ree2reef.
I started in the fish keeping hobby mid 60's, I remember doing a water change on my stainless steel framed tank that would shock you when touched while watching the first moon walk on TV. I finally took the plunge into salt water with a 125 gallon that came with power compacts about 13 years ago. What a learning experience that was and the learning experience still goes on.
I just watched Ryan's video about Black Box lights and read this thread. Wow this thread has gone Black Boxes to T5's to how much money Ryan makes on YouTube.
I want to thank Ryan for making the video. I have learned a lot about reef keeping and the "products he sells" from watching his videos over the years.
Ok now back to Black boxes, I think the proof is in the coral growth and color. The Par and Pur measurements are kinda irrelevant to me but apparently important to a lot of people. When I switched the power compacts on my 125 (which grew coral ok I was just tire of buy new bulb all the time) for leds I went with 3 full spectrum ocean revives. Unfortunately I couldn't afford the lights BRS was selling. I don't remember the model # they look just like the 24/7 without the timer. They worked great for me. Good coral growth and color. I had to let that tank go when the economy took a dump.
I then started a 29 gallon to get back into reefing and bought a cheap Chinese full spectrum black box for 90 bucks on eBay about 7 years ago. This light is now over a 40 gallon breeder. This light is still going strong, good growth with sps lps and softies and great color.
I started in the fish keeping hobby mid 60's, I remember doing a water change on my stainless steel framed tank that would shock you when touched while watching the first moon walk on TV. I finally took the plunge into salt water with a 125 gallon that came with power compacts about 13 years ago. What a learning experience that was and the learning experience still goes on.
I just watched Ryan's video about Black Box lights and read this thread. Wow this thread has gone Black Boxes to T5's to how much money Ryan makes on YouTube.
I want to thank Ryan for making the video. I have learned a lot about reef keeping and the "products he sells" from watching his videos over the years.
Ok now back to Black boxes, I think the proof is in the coral growth and color. The Par and Pur measurements are kinda irrelevant to me but apparently important to a lot of people. When I switched the power compacts on my 125 (which grew coral ok I was just tire of buy new bulb all the time) for leds I went with 3 full spectrum ocean revives. Unfortunately I couldn't afford the lights BRS was selling. I don't remember the model # they look just like the 24/7 without the timer. They worked great for me. Good coral growth and color. I had to let that tank go when the economy took a dump.
I then started a 29 gallon to get back into reefing and bought a cheap Chinese full spectrum black box for 90 bucks on eBay about 7 years ago. This light is now over a 40 gallon breeder. This light is still going strong, good growth with sps lps and softies and great color.
budget buster
Community Member
I also wanted to add that my local fish switched from metal halides to black boxes with blue and white leds over his frag tanks one was 12 foot long then eventually the whole store. He told me the overhead savings in electricity and bulb emplacement was much more the he thought it would be. Unfortunately he didn't pass the saving on to his customers.
He had them hung on a trolley that slowly moved them back and forth about 3 feet above the tank. That way he could light the tanks with half of the lights needed versus stationary .
He had good growth and polyp extention.
I bought 3 1" cap frags from him when he was closing down his store to put in the 40 gallon breeder a orange, neon green and and a brown one that I didn't want but it was only 5 bucks. Now a year later under the 7 year old full spectrum leds they are now plating and are 6 inches across even after fragging a couple of times. And the brown one under the full spectrum turned into a beautiful blue rim with blue polyps.
He had them hung on a trolley that slowly moved them back and forth about 3 feet above the tank. That way he could light the tanks with half of the lights needed versus stationary .
He had good growth and polyp extention.
I bought 3 1" cap frags from him when he was closing down his store to put in the 40 gallon breeder a orange, neon green and and a brown one that I didn't want but it was only 5 bucks. Now a year later under the 7 year old full spectrum leds they are now plating and are 6 inches across even after fragging a couple of times. And the brown one under the full spectrum turned into a beautiful blue rim with blue polyps.
BoomCorals
2500 Club Member
Welcome to Reef2Reef
budget buster
Community Member
The only high dollar light I can compare my black box to is my sons light. He wanted to change out his rapid led build that he wasn't happy with that he had over his 120 gallon to something else. I was trying to talk him into Ocean revives 24/7's but he is a you get what you pay for kinda guy, so he bought Kessil 360's. I must say that the shimmer is unreal and the light spread he gets out of that tiny point of light is incredible. His corals have great polyp extension and growth. But I gave him a large frag of the blue rim and some other frags as well. And they are all doing good except the blue rim it turned back to the brown color it was when I first bought it. I can only guess that it is the spectrum of the 360's compared to the black box.
Pros;
They are cheap.
They grow coral all corals.
The color of the corals is great.
Cons;
They grow hair algae really good, but some of that might be my fault.
Because of the nature of led's there is a lot of shading.
I only have one 16 inch long black box mounted about 16 inches high over the 40 gallon breeder so the edges of the tank are lacking in light. I think if I added one more light and angled them towards each other it might help with the shading problem.
I am also after reading this thread considering 32 inches SB reef light I had not heard of them until now.
Pros;
They are cheap.
They grow coral all corals.
The color of the corals is great.
Cons;
They grow hair algae really good, but some of that might be my fault.
Because of the nature of led's there is a lot of shading.
I only have one 16 inch long black box mounted about 16 inches high over the 40 gallon breeder so the edges of the tank are lacking in light. I think if I added one more light and angled them towards each other it might help with the shading problem.
I am also after reading this thread considering 32 inches SB reef light I had not heard of them until now.
budget buster
Community Member
Thank youWelcome to Reef2Reef
Looks like a great site
I don't think I have been on reef central since I found it, something else to thanks Ryan's video's for
budget buster
Community Member
Hey boom corals just looked at your site. Great prices, where are you located, East coast West coast. I am West coast.
BoomCorals
2500 Club Member
Wisconsin!
budget buster
Community Member
I now see were it says your location
thanks
thanks
BoomCorals
2500 Club Member
I am setting up my A360WE today and will let you know!
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I don't mind sharing the actual data. We have ~650,000 views a month so you were pretty spot on. We do make some Ad revenue off the videos but it's like $1,000 a month and not even a drop in the bucket compared to what it costs to produce them : )
I feel incredibly fortunate that the community supports the creation of videos because it would be almost impossible to put this kind of effort in without that. We now have two full-time presenters, two full-time editors, and a full-time tester. This is a month by month snapshot of the video program expenditures of this year. You can see the spike in August which was all that lighting we opened and gave away. I used to take samples from vendors for this purpose but I felt beholden to say nicer things when they did that so in a vast majority of cases the vendors don't even know we are covering their product until they see the video. Sometimes if they are nice they will give us a credit after the fact : )
Jan $30,965
Feb $31,708
Mar $40,233
Apr $39,555
May $38,237
Jun $37,527
Jul $34,519
Aug $42,339
YTD $295,083
We are certainly a business and just like everyone else I want to bring home a paycheck
Andrew and I just look at the videos as part of the way we want to run the business. It's just not good enough to sell something, I think it'sour responsibility to try and help reefers be successful using it as well. I personally feel profoundly lucky that enough reefers value this type of thing that we can justify doing it and I get to keep my dream job. Thank you : )
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BoomCorals
2500 Club Member
Thank you for sharing! I see my assertion that the youtube revenue wasn't even a drop in the pan compared to the video costs was definitely spot on.
I think this illustrates quite well how you guys are giving back to the community.
Crabs McJones
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Thanks for sharing that! Shows that you guys are really passionate about reefing and the reefers. I love and appreciate the videos you guys put out. and hope to one day have a dream job like yoursI don't mind sharing the actual data. We have ~650,000 views a month so you were pretty spot on. We do make some Ad revenue off the videos but it's like $1,000 a month and not even a drop in the bucket compared to what it costs to produce them : )
I feel incredibly fortunate that the community supports the creation of videos because it would be almost impossible to put this kind of effort in without that. We now have two full-time presenters, two full-time editors, and a full-time tester. This is a month by month snapshot of the video program expenditures of this year. You can see the spike August which was all that lighting we opened and gave away. I used to take samples from vendors for this purpose but I felt beholden to say nicer things when they did that so in a vast majority of cases the vendors don't even know we are covering their product until they see the video. Sometimes if they are nice they will give us a credit after the fact : )
Jan $30,965
Feb $31,708
Mar $40,233
Apr $39,555
May $38,237
Jun $37,527
Jul $34,519
Aug $42,339
YTD $295,083
We are certainly a business and just like everyone else I want to bring home a paycheck
Bouncingsoul39
Valuable Member
I guess I can't help myself but I think people here really need to understand that BRS is not creating these videos solely as a service to the community. They are marketing their site and their products plain and simple. I don't at all doubt Ryan's or his staff passion or commitment to the hobby but at the end of the day that is also their livelihood and he is an excellent business person at well so that needs to be considered.
Some videos are better than others but many of these videos are highly biased and the information presented can be debated as to the "truth" of them. This BB LED video is highly biased and leaves out a lot of important information.
For another example, the one on live rock just made me really sad. The positives of true live rock were glossed over quickly and generally not explored in detail while the negatives were hammered home with dead rock and artificial rock presented as better options. The LFS and the hobby are worse off without real live rock either boat or air rock. But that's a whole 'nother topic. Isn't it?
Some videos are better than others but many of these videos are highly biased and the information presented can be debated as to the "truth" of them. This BB LED video is highly biased and leaves out a lot of important information.
For another example, the one on live rock just made me really sad. The positives of true live rock were glossed over quickly and generally not explored in detail while the negatives were hammered home with dead rock and artificial rock presented as better options. The LFS and the hobby are worse off without real live rock either boat or air rock. But that's a whole 'nother topic. Isn't it?
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