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11/02/2016, 09:05 AM | #3426 | ||
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Quote:
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We'll see how they handle it. Funny, I did the same thing, turned the LEDs up, for the time being. We'll see . . . I was considering posting the phone number as it irks me that they do not offer a phone contact on their website, but I will refrain from doing so, but should anyone require the number in the future please do not hesitate to PM or email me at s u n v o x at a o l.
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Joe Peck TOTM Apr. 2013 Advanced Aquarist Featured Tank March 2011 Reef Hobbyist Magazine journalist, and all around SPS nut! Current Tank Info: 240 with 750 gal total system, ATI LED Powermodule, MTC-HSA 1000. MTC Pro-Cal.. |
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11/02/2016, 11:50 PM | #3427 |
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Does anyone know what the spread of the LEDs is like? 7" above the water doesn't look like it will light up more than a thin strip down the middle?
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11/03/2016, 04:51 AM | #3428 | |
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Quote:
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Joe Peck TOTM Apr. 2013 Advanced Aquarist Featured Tank March 2011 Reef Hobbyist Magazine journalist, and all around SPS nut! Current Tank Info: 240 with 750 gal total system, ATI LED Powermodule, MTC-HSA 1000. MTC Pro-Cal.. |
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11/03/2016, 03:32 PM | #3429 |
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JP I think you said in your build thread that the repair for your fixture will probably run like $2k ?!? How's it hat expensive when the ballasts are only like $65? Is that to ship it back and the labor to have them do it too?
Is it really that hard to do? I'm starting to get worried now since I bought mine used and have no idea how old it is. I'm thinking of jumping ship and getting and Geismann and some reefbrites to make my own hybrid now. $2k is way more than I even paid for the light. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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PlanetAquariums 171g (60x30x22) - RoyalExclusiv Dreambox - Bubble King Double Cone 200 **Total system volume - 225g** |
11/04/2016, 04:27 AM | #3430 | |
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Thanks Joe! I think I've finally resolved my PAR concerns by lowering my lights to 7" above the water. Most corals are now at 200 to 450 PAR and starting to colour up. LEDs are now at 25% and I'll increase by 5% per month till 35 to 45% maximum (B 255 RB 255 W 120 R 20) |
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11/04/2016, 05:25 AM | #3431 | ||
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BUT Good news from ATI yesterday. They said since my fixtures were only 1 month out of warranty, they would offer me a free ballast. I don't mind doing the repairs myself as I am an E.E. by training and am knowledgeable and handy when it comes to wiring, soldering, etc. Also, I am opting to but a second ballast just to have a spare on hand under the assumption that there is a high probability this will happen again. Finally I asked if there is anything to be done to mitigate the risk of ballast failure in a Powermodule. I'm considering removing the acrylic cover to help with the cooling. I think cleaning the reflectors twice a year is probably easier and cheaper than replacing a ballast every year or so. Quote:
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Joe Peck TOTM Apr. 2013 Advanced Aquarist Featured Tank March 2011 Reef Hobbyist Magazine journalist, and all around SPS nut! Current Tank Info: 240 with 750 gal total system, ATI LED Powermodule, MTC-HSA 1000. MTC Pro-Cal.. |
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11/04/2016, 07:12 AM | #3432 |
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Joe, if you don't mind, is your fixture 6 or 8, T-5 bulbs?
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11/04/2016, 08:21 AM | #3433 |
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Hi Joe, you are so lucky you get your ballast for free.
Just to be clear, ATI told you that the heat built up due to the shield might cause the failure of the ballast. Interesting. If that is true, I might think about removing the shield too.
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator |
11/04/2016, 10:14 AM | #3434 |
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I thought the PAR might suffer if the bulbs are kept at certain temp. too cool or too hot is no no.
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11/04/2016, 05:11 PM | #3435 | ||
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My 2 fixtures are both 8 bulb
Quote:
Quote:
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Joe Peck TOTM Apr. 2013 Advanced Aquarist Featured Tank March 2011 Reef Hobbyist Magazine journalist, and all around SPS nut! Current Tank Info: 240 with 750 gal total system, ATI LED Powermodule, MTC-HSA 1000. MTC Pro-Cal.. Last edited by JPMagyar; 11/04/2016 at 05:25 PM. |
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11/04/2016, 05:48 PM | #3436 | |
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Ryan Click on my user name and check out my homepage! Current Tank Info: 50g Cadlights/Giesemann Spectra (250w Radium, 2 ATI Blue Plus, 2 ATI Actinic)/2 x Vortech MP10wQD/Skimz SN123/Eheim Compact 3000+ |
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11/06/2016, 04:56 AM | #3437 |
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Small opinion with a tank not like the 'sps gods'. I went from a ATI 8x80 sun power to a hybrid about a year ago. My tank initially worked amazing and then I started to have problems with LED units and fans stopping to work. The unit became so hot, I could literally burn my hand on it.
Personally, I feel that is detrimental to the colour of T5's, based this on what i see with my eyes, not equipment. emails went back and forth to the UK distributor and I was told I will get part to replace it myself. DIY wise I am terrible and didn't want to risk it. I then started to email ATI directly in Germany. Fast response and the unit were collected. Impressed. It came back a few weeks later with LED fixed, but the fan not working. No luck since then. My corals have suffered a great deal and many nems did not like the constantly changing light parameters. IMO the hybrid was a waste of money and I only keep it as I spend the money on it. I owned every single ATI light product over the years apart from a 54 Watt power module and this was such a huge disappointment to me, I am unlikely to ever buy another ATI light after this. I love this hobby so much.. oh well, the addiction should I say, but it's sad that this event has put a huge damper on my views. |
11/06/2016, 05:56 AM | #3438 | |
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But . . . I think anyone who has ever turned on a fluorescent light in a freezing cold garage or workshop has witnessed first hand the affect cold has on fluorescent lighting, but I was speaking only about the Powermodule and the removal of the shield. At the moment I have one unit with the shield removed and one unit with the shield still in place. I can say the remaining lamps on the unit with the shield removed produce ever so slightly higher PAR. Could be from cooler temps but could also be from losses through the shield or a little of both. Most importantly though, the removal of the shield is absolutely not causing the light output to be diminished so I do not think there is a problem with "over cooling" in regards to the Powermodule shield removal. Just a little clarification Also I want to agree with and emphasize that water and fixtures do not go together so folks should be wary of trying this. I'm thinking about building a stand off that would hold the shield an inch or two off the light. This might be enough to lower the heat and still provide protection. Still waiting to hear from ATI though. Perhaps the issue of ballast failure is a production issue and not a heat issue. That certainly would be nice!
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Joe Peck TOTM Apr. 2013 Advanced Aquarist Featured Tank March 2011 Reef Hobbyist Magazine journalist, and all around SPS nut! Current Tank Info: 240 with 750 gal total system, ATI LED Powermodule, MTC-HSA 1000. MTC Pro-Cal.. |
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11/06/2016, 08:53 AM | #3439 |
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Is it possibly to use a ballast of another brand on these fixtures to see if the longevity is improved?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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11/07/2016, 04:19 PM | #3440 |
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I am almost ready to join this club. On my new build i was debating between going all led with the new radion G4 but have decided against that will stick with what I have been successful with in the past, T5. My new build is going to be basically a 40 breeder 36x18x18. The tank will consist of all SPS. My past build I ran a 6 bulb ATI fixture. This Powemodule comes only in 4 and 8. What is the width of the 4 bulb and the 8 bulb fixture. I am thinking the 4 bulb fixture will cover the tank fine and is equivalent to a 6 bulb t5 fixture with the LED clusters going down the middle and that the 8 bulb is probably to wide.
I was going to read through the thread and try to find it but after not finding it through the first 30 pages and I thought it would be easier to just ask. THe info is not on the ATI website. |
11/07/2016, 05:16 PM | #3441 | |
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I'd personally run a 6 bulb Sunpower but it's not my money and tank
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Ryan Click on my user name and check out my homepage! Current Tank Info: 50g Cadlights/Giesemann Spectra (250w Radium, 2 ATI Blue Plus, 2 ATI Actinic)/2 x Vortech MP10wQD/Skimz SN123/Eheim Compact 3000+ |
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11/08/2016, 04:33 AM | #3442 | |
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Better bang for your buck
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Water quality, Flow, Lighting, Patience ;) "January 2016 Tank of the Month" Current Tank Info: 140 BB DT ,ATI w/35 settling tank,75 gal DIY sump & 50Gal corner,20 gal sump,15gal settling tank |
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11/08/2016, 09:17 PM | #3443 |
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SQ-520 Apogee PAR meter and ATI PowerModule hybrid 36" 4T5 with LED Spike
I've been trying to find the right settings for my light for quite awhile now. For some reason people have been VERY shy in sharing their light profiles . So, I decided to bite-the-bullet and get a PAR meter. I got the new Apogee SQ-520. This sensor is supposed to be pretty accurate with LEDs. So much so, it does not contain different settings for the different lighting types. I went with the 520 to save a few bucks since it's USB based without a controller.
When I get some time I'll put together some PAR maps for T5s, LEDs, T5+LEDs. etc. For now, here is a video of my results. the quality isn't the best as I'm using a webCam and screen recording software. The light is 9" above the water and in this test it has the following settings: T5 at 100%: 2 x ATI C+, 2 X ATI B+ LEDs: RB 100%, B 100%, White 50%, Red 0% For reference here is a picture of my tank. |
11/09/2016, 02:15 AM | #3444 |
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I think you need to add 30% to those underwater readings. I have the mq500 and this is the case due to immersion factor.
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11/09/2016, 07:35 AM | #3445 | |
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Here's the information directly from Apogee:
Quote:
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Joe Peck TOTM Apr. 2013 Advanced Aquarist Featured Tank March 2011 Reef Hobbyist Magazine journalist, and all around SPS nut! Current Tank Info: 240 with 750 gal total system, ATI LED Powermodule, MTC-HSA 1000. MTC Pro-Cal.. |
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11/09/2016, 08:53 AM | #3446 | |
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Edit: ReefCentral doesn't like links to another form.. for those interested you can google: underwater-par-measurement-is-strongly-impacted-by-immersion-effect Apogee's Info on Immersion Effect Last edited by illjoshlli; 11/09/2016 at 09:00 AM. |
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11/09/2016, 09:38 PM | #3447 |
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I think this may be the answer to the issue of low PAR readings I was getting previously - I was using the MQ500 to measure PAR.
After lowering my lights to achieve an "acceptable" PAR range, I'm experiencing a shift to the other end of things and while previously brown corals are starting to show obvious colouring up, other corals are starting to show obvious paling and almost bleaching. I think I need to raise my lights and take this 30% factor into account. The sweet spot may be 9 to 10 inches above the water line instead of the current 7 (previously 12 inches was obviously delivering too low PAR numbers). |
11/12/2016, 09:46 AM | #3448 |
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Joe sorry to hear about the ballast failure. Hopefully that gets resolved quickly. My fixture gets pretty toasty even with all the fans running and the LEDs turned down to practically nothing.
I lost a few nice colonies that seemed to respond poorly to a spike in the LED intensity. They got zapped and never recovered, slow death. At least that's what I think happened. Could be a parameter issue but my corals thrived better under my old T5 and ReefBrite setup. My old Aquaactinics fixture never got this hot. Has anyone remove the reflector from the LED modules? I'm thinking about doing this in order to get better spread and less intensity because in the module configuration the PAR hotspot seems massive. |
11/12/2016, 12:55 PM | #3449 |
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ATI Powermodule Hybrid Club
OK guys here it is. I went ahead and removed one of the metal LED reflectors. Remember each of these clusters are 75w which is the same power as the old AI Sol Blues. You could argue that you can almost light the entire tank just with the LEDs. Having said that it's a lot of LED power in a very compact module. What you get is a beam of concentrated light right under the LEDs that is much higher than the rest of the tank.
Check out how the hot spot goes away after removing the reflector. Crazy. There is a piece of cardboard over the top of my tank so I can demonstrate the difference (and not lose the hex screws). Posted from my phone...sorry for the gigantic photos... Last edited by Logzor; 11/12/2016 at 01:14 PM. |
11/15/2016, 11:00 AM | #3450 | |
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Powermodule
Quote:
I just got my repaired Powermodule back from ATI. They replaced two ballasts. The thing is that while my Hybrid fixture was being repaired I bought a 6 bulb t5 Sunpower (no leds) and the tank is doing really well with it. Maybe better than with the Hybrid. I do miss the dawn and dusk blue shimmer of the led. So my debate is, do I buy two Reef Brite led strips and mount them on my Sunpower OR go back to the Powermodule. The Powermodule will be a cleaner look than the modded Sunpower. Financially, I think its a wash when I sell the light I'm not using. I feel like my rockwork is highest down the center of the tank, and this is where the Powermodule LEDs are. My sense is that the Sunpower & Reef Brite ( or similar) combo will be better for coral growth and coloration, where the LEDs will be front and back of the fixture and a little further from the acros. I'd really appreciate any opinions people have. Also, I don't know how people control the reef brites? Are they just on a timer, or is there some controller they are compatible with? Howard
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