New 3w LED for $156 shipped - Bridgelux & dimable

[GreenSaltyOne]

I just wanted to start a thread to show the power of my new LED system in action. So this is a beginning shot of the LEDS at work since I just got them yesterday. I'm pretty stoked cause my corals were growing under 1W crap LEDS (marineland doublebright lol) and 1 T5 actinic, so these 55x3W LEDS should make em shine. This pic is them turned all the way down on my 26 gallon bowfront. I know I could bleach them all if it was turned all the way up. The fixture also hangs 8" of the water surface, and goes through glass. I will update pics of coral growth and other info as time goes on. Thanks for looking!! Heres the link to the website where I purchased them - and no I am in no way a rep or dealer lol. Just giving my .02 and showing that LEDs are the way to go ( I hope!).

http://www.cfsco.net/aqledli12bld.html

Heres my tank with the LEDs rocking at the LOWEST power allowable....I wonder if I can hook up a dimmer with them this low....I bet I can and I'll find out down the road!

[black acura]

good deal, might give these a try

[Ron Reefman]

For $20-$30 more you could have more than just 1 wavelength of blue & white. These are what was being sold a year ago as new, the market has moved on from here. Like 3 blues, 3 whites, UV, violet, red and green which does a better job of growing corals. Also, saying it's the same as TaoTronics scares me away. I have one and the fans are much louder than the EverGrow or Reef Breeder versions that look just like yours.

Good luck.

[TY31088]

Green,
Thanks for sharing.
Ty

[GreenSaltyOne]

Good to know that I should look at other spectrums as well. What fixture is only 20-30 more that has all that good stuff? Also - fans are dead silent. The light is quiet as a mouse - i can only here water running

[Ron Reefman]

EverGrow D120, Reef Breeders Value Fixture and OceanRevives Arctic S026 are all in the $175-$200 range. They all offer full spectrum and free delivery.

[asid61]

Reefbreeders value is way better.
Also, why is this thread even here?

[GreenSaltyOne]

Reefbreeders value is way better.
Also, why is this thread even here?

-1

Started the thread cause its a light i bought and am using and I'm a noob so people like me might find useful opinions worthwhile.

[pmcarbrey]

-1

Started the thread cause its a light i bought and am using and I'm a noob so people like me might find useful opinions worthwhile.

I am grateful you posted this, I was considering one of these exact fixtures, and both your comments and those of others have made me look into the Reef Breeders Value Fixture and others, thanks!

[asid61]

-1

Started the thread cause its a light i bought and am using and I'm a noob so people like me might find useful opinions worthwhile.

Sorry, I thought this was a for sale thread. My bad.

[mt4sure]

+1 for reefbreeder led fixtures. good led lighting/spectrum and value. i had one on my tank for over 6 months on my 75g and corals had good color and growth. definitely something to consider as a choice for those of us planning to switch to leds but want something reliable and priced at a good value.

[Ron Reefman]

-1

Started the thread cause its a light i bought and am using and I'm a noob so people like me might find useful opinions worthwhile.

Glad you ask questions, it's the best way to learn. And given your tank is a bowfront, seriously look at the OceanRevive fixture. It's only 2" bigger than the RB Value fixture, but the leds are spread out much more and you get a bigger footprint of light. The D120 or value fixture has a 10" x 4" led spread. The OR Arctic S026 has a 14" x 7" spread. That may not sound like much, but it's more than double the square area! The D120 and 'vf' have 40 sq in of leds and the OR S026 has 98 sq in of leds. That means better coverage, less shading at the edges, less bright center and dimmer edges. And if it isn't going in a canopy, the OR light is much better looking as it is about half a thick as the EG or RB lights. Much more modern looking rather than just looking like a big brick.

I have 5 EG fixtures in 3 different models (they make RB lights) and I love them. But I recently switched out a D120 (RB VF) for an OR Arctic S026 as a test. It's over my frag tank and I love it even better. I just got 2 more for my 55g local tank/QT. If/when they make a fixture with a controller I'd consider switching my IT2080's and IT2040 for them.

[GreenSaltyOne]

No worries asid. Thanks for the great info Ron. I will look into upgrading again as time and money allow. Should have asked questions first and bought later lol. I like the OR arctic spread - would be prefect for this tank. I'm planning on making this my frag/seed tank for my future larger reef tank. So I have time to learn and practice before I go big. I'm glad others have found this thread beneficial, and hope they get the full spectrum lighting. Wish I did now but oh well.

So big question to me is, can i buy DIY LEDs and wire them in place of some of the current LEDs i already have in this fixture to get a full spectrum? Seems like my cheapest option now that I already have a decent fixture already wired up, just needs different LEDs? I'll have to do some HW now....

[pjb9166]

For $20-$30 more you could have more than just 1 wavelength of blue & white. These are what was being sold a year ago as new, the market has moved on from here. Like 3 blues, 3 whites, UV, violet, red and green which does a better job of growing corals. Also, saying it's the same as TaoTronics scares me away. I have one and the fans are much louder than the EverGrow or Reef Breeder versions that look just like yours.

Good luck.

TaoTronics scare you? ?? Why??
I've had mine for seven months without problems of any kind.
All the stories that had been floating around. In my experience with them so far find them false.

Paul

[Ron Reefman]

TaoTronics scare you? ?? Why??
I've had mine for seven months without problems of any kind.
All the stories that had been floating around. In my experience with them so far find them false.

Paul

Based on 2 factors:

1) I bought a TaoTronics fixture and the fans, although not LOUD, are noisy enough that I moved it into the stand over the sump so I don't have to listen to it. That was bought 10-12 months ago. Maybe they have improved, but they aren't willing to help me out with new fans.
2) After I had problems with the fixture and with the company, I found the buyers review on Amazon. It wasn't pretty. About 2/3rds of the reviews talked about noisy fans, power failures and no company support for fixing problems.

So they get a big 'don't buy' from me. I'm glad your experience with them has been good. Maybe they have improved over the last year. Or maybe you got a good fixture and haven't needed help from the company to fix problems? Obviously not every fixture that rolls out their factory doors can be bad, some of them have to work!

[Lostinthedark]

I'm in the process of switching from the Tao Tronics to the Ocean Revive S056 now. The OR is full spectrum that gives a much nicer look to the tank. Its wider to give a better spread over my 225 and its much quieter. The main reason I started the switch is that the Tao Tronics run hot and lasted less than 2 years before the leds, then the drivers burnt out. The OR runs cool to the touch so I am expecting a longer life span out of them. I started with one unit and the side by side comparison is quite telling in how the corals look. Time will tel on any growth difference. I must admit I've had no problem growing corals under the Tao Tronics.

[Ron Reefman]

I didn't have any issues with the light from the TaoTronics either, just noise. My still runs over the refugium/DSB in the stand. I have had an OR S026 over my frag tank for a couple of months now and the corals are doing just fine. The room the frag tank is in has a concrete block west wall (in SW Florida) and is as far from the house A/C as it can get, so the room gets warm in the afternoon. That's part of why I like this light, it runs even cooler than the EG D120 or the Reef Breeder value fixture.

[pjb9166]

As for customer service TaoTronics evidently has changed drastically. My unit you can touch all day "cool to the touch".
I'm still not understanding what y'all are expecting from the fans. There is aLFS in a couple of towns over that has more expensive fixtures and i'm not seeing the difference. What ever, I like mine. :) Customer service was great for me. I had a fan and driver sent to me no charge. Chalk it up to user error. They arived in two days. They had been sent from California not China. After going through everything with the rep. I wound up not needing them. So now I have extra parts.
I've had a good experience with them so far.

Good luck with your new lights and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Paul

[Lostinthedark]

I'm not knocking Tao Tronics at all. I've always posted that i had no problem growing anything under them and no one could touch the bang for the buck you get from them. When I first bought them a couple of years ago they were the only Leds I could afford and I still won't pay crazy prices for "Name Brand" lights. Why yours run cool and mine are hot, I don't know, but I'm sure it had something to do with why mine burned out. I think the point is if you are just starting out why not go with a full spectrum light with a USA warranty for the same price point. If mine didn't burn out I never would have upgraded, but I do see a big difference in how the corals look.

[pjb9166]

Sorry I have a bad habit of coming across a little hard sometimes. I think the key point us maybe the model we may have.
Yours is a few years old as my fixture is about seven months.
Who knows Tao might be on a better path. I do have to admit I have only been back in the hobby for a year after a 15 year sabbatical. So this is my first LED system. I used MH and old T12s. I'll use this for a while. Who knows I may want to modify the LED colors later in time when we all can show its science and not just personal preference.
As for "USA" manufacturers. I work for one and it claims USA built. Although we build from scratch most all of the electronics and other parts are all from China.

[moondoggy4]

Thanks green for the review,not sure why we are talking about what you should have bought, you bought a light that you like, it does not matter what you coulda woulda shoulda. Typical high jack of a thread.

[pjb9166]

Thanks green for the review,not sure why we are talking about what you should have bought, you bought a light that you like, it does not matter what you coulda woulda shoulda. Typical high jack of a thread.

Well said.

[GreenSaltyOne]

Thanks green for the review,not sure why we are talking about what you should have bought, you bought a light that you like, it does not matter what you coulda woulda shoulda. Typical high jack of a thread.

As I'm new, I didn't know any better. Since I do know better now, and want the best, I decided to get the artic SO26. So even though I just got the light, here I am getting another one.

Ron - Do you think my old light would be fine over a future refugium/sump? If not I'll be selling it cheap craigslist style. Thanks again for the great info. That arctic is going to rock every corner of my bowfront. Its just the right size.

To everyone else, I'm glad we all learned something and saved other people $156 lol

[Ron Reefman]

As I'm new, I didn't know any better. Since I do know better now, and want the best, I decided to get the artic SO26. So even though I just got the light, here I am getting another one.

Ron - Do you think my old light would be fine over a future refugium/sump? If not I'll be selling it cheap craigslist style. Thanks again for the great info. That arctic is going to rock every corner of my bowfront. Its just the right size.

To everyone else, I'm glad we all learned something and saved other people $156 lol

I did almost the same thing. I had my EverGrow D120 (Reef Breeders 'value fixture') for about 4 months over my frag tank and local/QT and was happy with them. But then saw the OR Arctic S026 and wanted to give it a try over the frag tank because I liked the bigger spread of lights. Now I have 2 more over my Local/QT as well.:thumbsup:

Your blue & white led would do just fine over a refugium. I have a 2'sq refugium and next to it a 2'sq DSB and the light hangs in the middle. The macro algae grows OK and I can keep new corals on the sand in the DSB with lower intensity lighting that I can slowly increase until they are ready for the big lights in the big tank.

Glad you found it helpful.