It's 2015....what's the story on eBay "black boxes" (leds) these days?

DavidinGA · 04/21/2015, 08:52 AM

Potentially shopping for a few "165w full spectrum" leds off eBay and was wondering what the consensus was on these now a days?

Which brand leds are they using in most of these now? Bridgelux?

"Best" brand on eBay? AquaStar? MarsAqua?

What does "full spectrum" mean now? Any real UV leds?

What's the story on the longevity of these boxes? Anyone have any longterm experience?

Fwiw I was thinking of going with 3 of the 165w boxes plus a 4 bulb ati retro T5 kit on a 6ft 210gal tank.

BrandonFlorida · 04/21/2015, 08:55 AM

I bought a mr120 led for like 90 bucks a box.. unfortunately, I have yet to set up my reef but the colors look good to the eye. Im not an sps kinda guy so for what I want them to do they should do fine..

cleverbs · 04/21/2015, 09:00 AM

many people like them right now. If you are going to use them for an SPS tank I would add some retrofit T5s to the lighting set up and get at least 75% more then you think you need. If you think you need 2 get 4

PIPSTER · 04/21/2015, 09:18 AM

Get one and you can add by soldering some 420nm leds from amazon or ebay. They only dim down to about 30-40%, which is actually normal, I think.
Very bright...I still run mine at lowest dimmable setting for now.
I have two cheap mechanical timers on mine, has two plugs, so the channels can be independently put on timers for blues-only settings.

Dmorty217 · 04/21/2015, 10:29 AM

Some of the Chinese made LEDs on eBay actually have higher par readings than Radions and I would assume others do. The craftsmanship and quality is a far cry from others but none the less you can buy 7 of them before you equal what you pay for 1 of the others

CStrickland · 04/21/2015, 10:44 AM

I have the marsaquas. They are Epistar led's, but there's a company doing black boxes with Bridgelux's too. I couldn't find Cree in my price range. I got two 165's for like $160 I think. The light looks dope, lots better than just blue & white. The range in the blues (there's some violet-ish bulbs mixed in) is nice too. I'm kind of a snob about that stuff, like CFL bulbs give me a headache after a while. These are pleasant to look at the tank with, idk if the corals like them or not though, I'm a noob.

It's cool how the blues / whites have separate plugs cause you can put them on oldschool lamp timers. But they don't dim on/off, it's a knob you turn. Once you get past ~40% the fans come on and they are sorta loud if you don't have a canopy. they look slick though just hanging over the tank from an invisible cord.

for spread, I have 2 @ 10" over the water on a 55 and the corners are just a little dim. So like 2' square?

cleverbs · 04/21/2015, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CStrickland

I have the marsaquas. They are Epistar led's, but there's a company doing black boxes with Bridgelux's too. I couldn't find Cree in my price range. I got two 165's for like $160 I think. The light looks dope, lots better than just blue & white. The range in the blues (there's some violet-ish bulbs mixed in) is nice too. I'm kind of a snob about that stuff, like CFL bulbs give me a headache after a while. These are pleasant to look at the tank with, idk if the corals like them or not though, I'm a noob.

It's cool how the blues / whites have separate plugs cause you can put them on oldschool lamp timers. But they don't dim on/off, it's a knob you turn. Once you get past ~40% the fans come on and they are sorta loud if you don't have a canopy. they look slick though just hanging over the tank from an invisible cord.

for spread, I have 2 @ 10" over the water on a 55 and the corners are just a little dim. So like 2' square?

IMO the more of them you can fit over the tank the better.

DavidinGA · 04/21/2015, 11:37 AM

Which eBay sellers have bridgelux leds???

BrandonFlorida · 04/21/2015, 12:02 PM

Yeah the mr120s have uv, green, red in them as well.. I seen someone on ebay with the bridgelux but they were just blue and white only..

etepperman · 04/21/2015, 12:56 PM

I run 2, they are insanely bright. When I started this hobby 20 years ago it was all about the max brightness you could get.

Now I have to dial back my fixtures to about 30% for my corals to open up.
Once I figured that out, my tank has done well. (even the sps are doing better under 30%)

sjeff35 · 04/21/2015, 01:00 PM

Go to Facebook and search for Chinese Blackbox group buy. You can get in on that, they have a custom LED mix for reef.

DavidinGA · 04/21/2015, 01:17 PM

Ok. Thanks.

DavidinGA · 04/21/2015, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjeff35

Go to Facebook and search for Chinese Blackbox group buy. You can get in on that, they have a custom LED mix for reef.

Looks like they can't really save me any money over the eBay priced ones

Dmorty217 · 04/21/2015, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidinGA

Looks like they can't really save me any money over the eBay priced ones

They rarely can especially when they come from Honk Kong

Bpb · 04/21/2015, 08:25 PM

Not a single one of them contains UV diodes. A handful are now offering 4-6 violet 420 nm diodes on the white channel. The common color arrangement seems to be neutral, cool, warm white, with a little dedicated green, red, and violet on one channel, and some mixture of blue and royal blue on another. Lots of people use them and are happy with them. Were it me, I would remove the red and green diodes entirely and replace with blues. The fact that they use warm whites completely negates the need for further red and green supplementation. Individual bridgelux diodes can be purchased directly through reef breeders for only a couple bucks each.

Sense of nature · 04/21/2015, 11:09 PM

I have 1 I retrofitted to my 29 cube. It's been running over a yr now w/ great results
I have green slimers, & some purple oregon Tort growing great, along w/ zoas,shrooms & some fire Digi's

CuzzA · 04/22/2015, 05:23 AM

I just bought these Bridgelux LEDs for a 125 gallon glass cylinder. It's 36" deep. Haven't filled the tank yet, but I expect I could grow easy corals, like mushrooms at the bottom.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-New-Dim...item27e3ba55b2

smedlin · 04/22/2015, 05:39 AM

I've only had them installed a few weeks, so I can't attest to their long term usage.. but..

I went with some of the more expensive Chinese boxes. But the controls are fully digital and programmable, with the blues on one setting and "everything else" on another.

So, in the mornings, at 6AM, I have the blues come on at 9%. At 7AM, the "other" ones come on and I slowly increase the power during the day.. then in the afternoon I start to slowly ramp it back down until it's just the blues on low power again.

The same company sells them with and without the programmable interface.

The ones WITH the interface are almost twice as much as the ones without.. but.. they were still like 1/3 of the cost of the "other" LED boxes that are also programmable.

If I remember right, the picture below is with everything at 25% power.

.

BrandonFlorida · 04/22/2015, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bpb

Not a single one of them contains UV diodes. A handful are now offering 4-6 violet 420 nm diodes on the white channel. The common color arrangement seems to be neutral, cool, warm white, with a little dedicated green, red, and violet on one channel, and some mixture of blue and royal blue on another. Lots of people use them and are happy with them. Were it me, I would remove the red and green diodes entirely and replace with blues. The fact that they use warm whites completely negates the need for further red and green supplementation. Individual bridgelux diodes can be purchased directly through reef breeders for only a couple bucks each.

Yes my mistake, they are not uv but violet...

sfoister · 04/22/2015, 06:56 AM

I have two Mars Aqua units over my 90 gallon. All is good.

WmTasker · 04/23/2015, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sense of nature

I have 1 I retrofitted to my 29 cube. It's been running over a yr now w/ great results
I have green slimers, & some purple oregon Tort growing great, along w/ zoas,shrooms & some fire Digi's

I'm looking to retro something into a Nanocube 28. Do you have any pics of your build and what fixture you used?

3dees · 04/24/2015, 10:46 AM

I have been using two of the older blue and white dimmable's with Bridgelux on my 120 gal. softie/lps tank going on two years. so far everything seems happy.

04/21/2015, 08:52 AM	#1
DavidinGA Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 2,393	It's 2015....what's the story on eBay "black boxes" (leds) these days? Potentially shopping for a few "165w full spectrum" leds off eBay and was wondering what the consensus was on these now a days? Which brand leds are they using in most of these now? Bridgelux? "Best" brand on eBay? AquaStar? MarsAqua? What does "full spectrum" mean now? Any real UV leds? What's the story on the longevity of these boxes? Anyone have any longterm experience? Fwiw I was thinking of going with 3 of the 165w boxes plus a 4 bulb ati retro T5 kit on a 6ft 210gal tank.

04/21/2015, 10:29 AM	#5
Dmorty217 Saltwater Addict Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Vandalia OHIO Posts: 11,624	Some of the Chinese made LEDs on eBay actually have higher par readings than Radions and I would assume others do. The craftsmanship and quality is a far cry from others but none the less you can buy 7 of them before you equal what you pay for 1 of the others __________________ Fish are not disposable commodities, but a worthwhile investment that can be maintained and enjoyed for many years, providing one is willing to take the time to understand their requirements and needs Current Tank Info: 625g, 220g sump, RD3 230w, Vectra L1 on a closed loop, 3 MP60s, MP40. Several QTs

04/21/2015, 11:09 PM	#16
Sense of nature Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: N.W IL Posts: 78	I have 1 I retrofitted to my 29 cube. It's been running over a yr now w/ great results I have green slimers, & some purple oregon Tort growing great, along w/ zoas,shrooms & some fire Digi's __________________ 220,4 Hydra 52's,rest is simple..... Current Tank Info: 220 reef

04/22/2015, 05:39 AM	#18
smedlin Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: South of Houston, Texas Posts: 339	I've only had them installed a few weeks, so I can't attest to their long term usage.. but.. I went with some of the more expensive Chinese boxes. But the controls are fully digital and programmable, with the blues on one setting and "everything else" on another. So, in the mornings, at 6AM, I have the blues come on at 9%. At 7AM, the "other" ones come on and I slowly increase the power during the day.. then in the afternoon I start to slowly ramp it back down until it's just the blues on low power again. The same company sells them with and without the programmable interface. The ones WITH the interface are almost twice as much as the ones without.. but.. they were still like 1/3 of the cost of the "other" LED boxes that are also programmable. If I remember right, the picture below is with everything at 25% power. . __________________ 150G - 14 years old. In process of modernizing it. Read about my sad attempt here http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2490690

04/21/2015, 08:55 AM	#2
BrandonFlorida Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Port Orange, FL Posts: 637	I bought a mr120 led for like 90 bucks a box.. unfortunately, I have yet to set up my reef but the colors look good to the eye. Im not an sps kinda guy so for what I want them to do they should do fine..

04/21/2015, 09:00 AM	#3
cleverbs Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Nebraska Posts: 1,041	many people like them right now. If you are going to use them for an SPS tank I would add some retrofit T5s to the lighting set up and get at least 75% more then you think you need. If you think you need 2 get 4

04/21/2015, 09:18 AM	#4
PIPSTER Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 291	Get one and you can add by soldering some 420nm leds from amazon or ebay. They only dim down to about 30-40%, which is actually normal, I think. Very bright...I still run mine at lowest dimmable setting for now. I have two cheap mechanical timers on mine, has two plugs, so the channels can be independently put on timers for blues-only settings.

04/21/2015, 10:44 AM	#6
CStrickland Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: New England, U.S. Posts: 4,595	I have the marsaquas. They are Epistar led's, but there's a company doing black boxes with Bridgelux's too. I couldn't find Cree in my price range. I got two 165's for like $160 I think. The light looks dope, lots better than just blue & white. The range in the blues (there's some violet-ish bulbs mixed in) is nice too. I'm kind of a snob about that stuff, like CFL bulbs give me a headache after a while. These are pleasant to look at the tank with, idk if the corals like them or not though, I'm a noob. It's cool how the blues / whites have separate plugs cause you can put them on oldschool lamp timers. But they don't dim on/off, it's a knob you turn. Once you get past ~40% the fans come on and they are sorta loud if you don't have a canopy. they look slick though just hanging over the tank from an invisible cord. for spread, I have 2 @ 10" over the water on a 55 and the corners are just a little dim. So like 2' square?

04/21/2015, 11:37 AM	#8
DavidinGA Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 2,393	Which eBay sellers have bridgelux leds???

04/21/2015, 12:02 PM	#9
BrandonFlorida Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Port Orange, FL Posts: 637	Yeah the mr120s have uv, green, red in them as well.. I seen someone on ebay with the bridgelux but they were just blue and white only..

04/21/2015, 12:56 PM	#10
etepperman Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 257	I run 2, they are insanely bright. When I started this hobby 20 years ago it was all about the max brightness you could get. Now I have to dial back my fixtures to about 30% for my corals to open up. Once I figured that out, my tank has done well. (even the sps are doing better under 30%)

04/21/2015, 01:00 PM	#11
sjeff35 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Corrales, NM Posts: 28	Go to Facebook and search for Chinese Blackbox group buy. You can get in on that, they have a custom LED mix for reef.

04/21/2015, 01:17 PM	#12
DavidinGA Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 2,393	Ok. Thanks.

04/21/2015, 08:25 PM	#15
Bpb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 3,148	Not a single one of them contains UV diodes. A handful are now offering 4-6 violet 420 nm diodes on the white channel. The common color arrangement seems to be neutral, cool, warm white, with a little dedicated green, red, and violet on one channel, and some mixture of blue and royal blue on another. Lots of people use them and are happy with them. Were it me, I would remove the red and green diodes entirely and replace with blues. The fact that they use warm whites completely negates the need for further red and green supplementation. Individual bridgelux diodes can be purchased directly through reef breeders for only a couple bucks each.

04/22/2015, 05:23 AM	#17
CuzzA Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Palm Harbor, FL Posts: 2,997	I just bought these Bridgelux LEDs for a 125 gallon glass cylinder. It's 36" deep. Haven't filled the tank yet, but I expect I could grow easy corals, like mushrooms at the bottom. http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-New-Dim...item27e3ba55b2

04/22/2015, 06:56 AM	#20
sfoister Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 149	I have two Mars Aqua units over my 90 gallon. All is good.

04/24/2015, 10:46 AM	#22
3dees Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chicago burbs Posts: 793	I have been using two of the older blue and white dimmable's with Bridgelux on my 120 gal. softie/lps tank going on two years. so far everything seems happy.