Anyone have these lights? I stumbled across them on Amazon looking at NICREW lights. One of the 300w may be big enough for my 40B, but I know nothing about them.
VIPARSPECTRA
- Thread starter jason7274
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I've got 2 of the 165W on a 120. They are decent lights. I wish they had UV but for the price they are one of the better black boxes.
I had a PM conversation with a guy in reef2reef that has had great success with them over the course of a few years growing an SPS tank from frags. The take away from that conversation was treat them almost like you would t5. Just cover the top with them. 4 on a 4 foot tank, 6 on a 6 foot. That particular guy was running them with a light diffuser and I think lenses removed as well.
Alot of that info seems to be in line with the BRS findings. The power/par is there. Spread and blending is the issue, and that seems to be true across nearly any LED light system.
Keep in mind I have zero experience with LED still doing halides and t5, but the above is the result of way more time researching than I'd care to talk about.
Alot of that info seems to be in line with the BRS findings. The power/par is there. Spread and blending is the issue, and that seems to be true across nearly any LED light system.
Keep in mind I have zero experience with LED still doing halides and t5, but the above is the result of way more time researching than I'd care to talk about.
On a 125..2 300's. Great bang for the buck. They can be modified by changing led..great diy video on it. Not there yet personally..just starting this tank..#4. They give par like par is 72 under in golf..lol. but lense change and led change is doable. You can hack the lights to make them controllable...but beyond my knowledge. Every puck is changeable though..cheap. if no diy..grab some cheap radions/orpheks....Can't beat em.
I run some MarsAqua black boxes over my leathers and various easy corals and have had great success with growth 
it was a toss up for me between them and the vipars, but they should do the trick just as well!
it was a toss up for me between them and the vipars, but they should do the trick just as well!
Are your T5s dimmable or on/off?
Mine, lol, oh boy mine are retrofitted and I ran out of space on my power bar for more timers so they run occasionally at the moment. I think the ballast is dimmable but no I'm not dimming them.
Aquatic Life makes a real nice hybrid setup, not sure if it's dimmable but individual reflectors which is key to T5.
Yeah, I’ve looked at the aquatic life hybrids too. What I really need to do is just make a decision and be done with it. lol! I’ve been researching T5s lately and just curious about run times if they are not dimmable.
Here is a list of some of the best, many running t5 and most detail photoperiod:
Previous Tank of the Month Awards
Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for the marine aquarist.
reefkeeping.com
Post people wouldn't think twice about going with a 8-10 hour 100% photoperiod running all t5.
Here is a t5 setup with LEDs for dusk dawn, old but killer results. Good starting point if you are considering the t5 route.
Reefkeeping Magazine - December 2014 Tank of the Month
Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for the marine aquarist.
reefkeeping.com
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Another monster running t5, 12hr with two bulbs 9 hours with the other 8
Hope that helps some
Reefkeeping Magazine - February 2015 Tank of the Month
Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for the marine aquarist.
reefkeeping.com
Hope that helps some
