BLACK BOX LED VS HIGH END REEF LED (One Year - Side by Side Comparison)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ค. 2024
- Black Box LED Vs High End Reef LED, One Year - Side by Side Comparison
Hello again fellow reef keepers, welcome back to Craft Aquatic, I’m Matt G
Now there’s something going on with the 120 gallon mixed reef that I have intentionally not mentioned and I think you may be very interested in hearing about it. Close to a year back, I decided to begin the process of upgrading my main LED lighting, to a setup that I’d run for the next 5 years or so. Instead of simply replacing both of the Viparspectra Black boxes at once, I thought it might be a bit more interesting to run a high end LED along side a budget LED, to observe the differences in their performance. Well it’s now been an entire year that I’ve been running a high end $630 dollar LED fixture, right next to one of the most popular $130 dollar black box LEDs. Want to see how they compared? Stay tuned and I’ll show you.
Thank you for checking out the video
Black Box LED vs High End Reef LED (One Year - Side by Side Comparison)
Here are some Amazon Affiliate links to the products mentioned in this video. We appreciate you using the links to purchase your products, to support the channel.
Viparspectra 165 Watt Reef Aquarium LED Fixture
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AI HYDRA 64 HD
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AI HYDRA 32 HD
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Sublaster t5 Strip Light 2-4 foot option - these are an amazing deal, for a LED / T5 hybrid option
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Here is a link to the absolute best PAR meter for LED lights, Apogee MQ510. It is the same one that I use in this video. This is a good price, including the wand. Using a quality PAR meter, is one way to justify using lower end LED lights, especially if you plan on placing two or more, over a reef.
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Here is a link to a Reef2Reef thread about the LED strips that I am running. They can be found on Ebay for around $80 for a 48" LED Bar light. They do get mixed reviews, but I have had excellent luck running one over the rack and rubble frag tank for 3 years now. IMO, you can't beat these price and quality wise, for supplemental lighting.
www.reef2reef.com/threads/qui...
I've hear great reviews on these Reefbrite LED strips, though I haven't used them myself. If I add two more strip lights to my aquarium, it will be something like these.
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![แล้วแต่เวรแต่กรรม - ครูศรีหนุ่ม [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Xide0fkAS8g/mqdefault.jpg)
Great information thanks for sharing your experience with us
Very happy to share my experience and glad to see this video is still helping Reefers become educated about their options when it comes to aquarium lighting
Thank you for the excellent comparison and par readings. Your Fox Flame looks great!
Your very welcome! The Fox flame was a slow start, but when it was ready to go it exploded in growth. Thanks again for checking out the video.
Wonderful video! As a reefer, it is hard to find a balance between quality and economy. Thanks for sharing your experience with black box lightning and how you played around it! Those SPS look so healthy and vibrant, that surely shows your attention to them. Please keep making this amazing content!
Alfredo, thank you for the thoughtful comment. It is hard to find that balance, but my coral usually tell me, when I have. Plenty of videos to come. Thank you for checking them out!
New sub for sure!
Thank you for taking the time of doing a side by side video if the two styles of lighting.
Amazing looking tank and can't wait to binge watch your videos 😂
My pleasure and thank you for subscribing. Enjoy catching up on all of the other videos!
Excellent experimentation and analysis. Thank you for this!
You are very welcome. It was quite the process, but a fun video to make
Another great video Matt. The video clearly shows what’s possible for hobbyists on a budget and how they can upgrade in the future. Tank looks great and the new lighting is awesome.
Thanks Mark!
Also, great suggestion to wait on releasing this video at the 1 year mark rather than 8 months. Felt just right
Excellent change! The tank looks fantastic!!!!
Thank you. Liking the new setup so far
Great video
Still blown away by your colors Matt. I need to stay on top of my reef game!
Thanks again. You’ll get there too, just a matter of time and patience. Keep it up!
Great vid. You have one of the best channels out there. I think you could blow up with slightly better video resolution. Keep 'em coming!
Much appreciated. Don’t know if this channel will ever blow up. The good and bad thing is I’m not sponsored or trying to sell anything, just sharing some of the knowledge and ideas I’ve garnered throughout my 20 years of reefing. Also, don’t believe in being a slave to algorithms, but I’ll get off my soap box now. Lol! Far as resolution is concerned, I am uploading all new content in 4k, though I have noticed that if watching on a slow connection the videos look pixelated even when the resolution is sharp. Sometime full resolution will kick in half way through. With that said, there are definitely moments where I leave the DSLR on the shelf and just grab a phone, so I can quickly capture a moment that might work in a video. Still, I’d love to upgrade the camera and lights if this channel ever generates a profit. Unlikely, but I will continue to share regardless. Happy reefing!!
great video and great tank
Much appreciated!
great vid bro from MADREEFER liked and subscribed to help you grow its hard getting your name out there but your banging some cracking vids out keep it up bro
Thank you for the support!
Thanks for such a great video. I was watching it with my new and first 115g marine tank, empty and dry just behind me. Can’t wait to complete the setup and start. Which of these lights are better for my tank (32 inches height, x15x59 inches), for sps, lps and fishes? Cheers from Peru.
Congratulations on the new tank! You could go on a variety of directions, when it comes to choosing lights. Can’t go wrong with the VS or AI fixtures. Just start them out 35% or lower, at your 32” depth and that should get you going. If you are planning on adding more AI or Echotech products, maybe go AI or Radion, since they both utilize mobius. Lots of choices in the higher end category. Can’t go wrong with most. Black box fixtures are trickier as some of them are poorly built. The Reefbreeders Photon fixture is always an excellent balance between quality and price, if you are looking for a midpoint between the VS and AI. Enjoy!
it's like this video was made just for me hehe
my new 120g first reef tank is up and running for 7 weeks now(not my first saltwater tank but it does have my first 2 saltwater fish in it now)
so i've been thinking my tank is 5ft and it will be 80-90%sps and rest mixed for movement and initial coral testing
should i do 2 165w or 2 300w? i wish to have a tank like yours in a few years
I do not have experience with the 300w version. I’d say the smaller units are fine, to start. Especially if you hang them 12” above the water, as suggested in the video. When you out grow that arrangement you can either orient them vertically and hang a couple more, add additional fill lighting, or upgrade to higher end fixtures. I have a feeling there will be some amazing lights being released, now that the Sky is available. Take your time with it, have fun and glad to hear that the video had some useful info for you.
Thank you for the video. I think it will help me with my 165w led. I have.2 fixtures like you but 4 t5s. How many hours a day did you run your t5s? And do you think 4 is to much?
4 T5s over something like a 120 plus the two VS fixtures is a great combo. I run mine for 4.5 hours, but up to 8 is probably fine. I hope your setup has been running well for you. Sorry for the delayed response
I have 3 Red Sea lights. Two of them have some dead leds and the third has turned extremely dim. They are out of warranty. I could pay about $140 for a new led cluster or buy these black boxes.
Thanks for the video. I have more research to do.
You bring up an excellent point. When is it worth repairing a higher end out of warranty Reef LED or just purchase a black box LED or something like a Noopsyche instead. Opens up your options
If leaving the Viparspectra low you can remove the lenses.
Im going to try a Viparspectra, an AI Prime 16 and I think a Quanta on a 180g 6ft, in the process of figuring out which quanta to get.
I’ve heard of some people removing the lenses. You’d really need to rent a PAR meter to know where to dial them in for the type of coral you are growing. Without the lenses, the light will be less focused requiring higher relative settings per channel. Best of luck with whatever light you choose.
Hello. Love the channel. Iam a new reefer.please advise your tank and lights setup on the viparspectre light. How deep is the tank? How high up is it mounted to the water line? What are your light blue and what percentage at for each? What is the lighting schedule? Do you have lens on or took them off? Can you give just rough estimate on the par at diff dept in your tank ? At those setting if you know. Guessing is Acceptable. Thank you In Advance.
24” deep - 8” above WL, but ideal is 12-14” - Highest measurement is 450 PAR lowest is 65 in caves - VS BB does not have very even spread as discussed in video - standard lenses - about 10 hours blue / 5.5 hours white - 70% blue - 38% white (mounted at 8” above water) I will re emphasize that this light does the best at higher settings, mounted 12-20” above water line, due to its sub par blending. Best advice for any fixture is, pick a setting (whatever it is) and leave it alone. Thank you for checking out the video!
@@craftaquatic6472 wow .Thank you so much. That is the Best and most informative advice so far. Very useful. Thanks again
What is the best light for my 48x24x16 75 gallon shallow tank? It's a waterbox frag. I want to be able to grow softies and anemones. I have the kessil ap9x on my other tank and I'm disappointed in its par power. Any advice?
That is a question with a whole lot of answers. I’ll just stick with the lights discussed in this video. Two of the VIPARSPECTRA LEDs will cover a 75 gallon tank easy. So will two of the AI Hydras. With that said, if it were me, today, obviously I’d go with the AI Hydra 64 HDs. On a 75, I probably wouldn’t bother with the supplemental LED strips. If you want to save a buck, you can’t go wrong with the older Hydra 52s. Lots of options out there. Oh, actually, one more I might recommend are the Reefbreeders lights. The 48” Photon V2 fixture is almost ideal for a 75, and costs a bit less than two premium fixtures. Hope that helps.
@@craftaquatic6472 thank you for the reply, I will check out the reef breeders. Can't afford another kessil when the output is less than ideal. Thanks again
ViparSpectra lights are great.
When they aren't burning up or catching on fire.
Great video I am a newbie
Thank you for checking out the video and welcome to the hobby
Did you try to match the power to par? Did you max both?
Both lights were running at around 50%. The VS was left at the setting that the coral were accustomed to and I did my best to match the PAR of the AI as close as I could.
What percentage are you running the blue and white channel at on the viparspectra
When I had them over the 120, I ran 80% blue for 10 hours and 40% white for 4. They are now over the rack and rubble frag system in the basement at a higher setting of 60% white and 90% blue, since the drivers are getting older / dimmer and the one I have left is over the SPS wing of my coral farm. I’d recommend starting a new VS fixture out at no more than 40% for each channel
I have had those cables in the black box light rust and and and the light fall in the tank recently .The black box does need to be mounted 14" or higher and most of the negatives are eliminated that way
Yikes! I hope you were able to save the tank.
Yes it did not effect the tank inhabitants ironically.@@craftaquatic6472
I think if you just get the black box raise them up to 8 inches from the start you probably wouldn’t need to buy the premium lights. What’s your thoughts on this?
Personally, wouldn’t go that far. For example one of the many reasons.. premium lights are definitely better in many ways, the most important of which… they last 3-4x as long in my experience. Even if a typical black box appears to be working after 3 years, you will have lost much of the useable spectrum. This is especially important for sensitive, established coral like SPS. You throw a brand new light on an established system, after 3 years and in many ways it is like starting over. Id always recommend going with fixtures with quality LED drivers from the beginning and black box, if on a strict budget.
@@craftaquatic6472 My friend Runs his black boxes at 80 blue 25 white has had them for 4 years not to bad. But I get what you’re saying nothing last forever. And it’s always better to get a higher quality LED but on the other hand Fish hex youTuber on here just mentioned he had six or maybe it was four Radians that they would not fix or replace That he had in warranty. Don’t know the particulars but Who knows. They’re all made in China anyway. Even the radians
@@oneinthepink2inthestink320
True, nothing lasts forever. Again it really comes down to the quality of the LED chips / drivers and heat management. Get all of those things right in a cheap black box and it will last just as long. VIPARSPECTRA is the closest I’ve seen, but still use cheap chips. Different quality and build standards from different Chinese factories, just like anywhere. Also, I believe Ecotech products are at least assembled in the USA. I have also read sketchy things about warranties on various high end fixtures. One of the main reasons I made the REEFI video.
Nice tank ! Can you share your parameters with us ?
Thanks. Try to stick to the following SG 1.025, cal 350-400, Mag - 1325, alk 7.7-8.5, PO4 - .08, NO3 - 15, PH 8.2 temp - 79
cool thing about viparspectra, you can remove the lens and the blending is better
True, but you lose a ton of deep water penetration. Maybe for a shallow LPS or deeper leather tank
Very inspiring. Proof you don't necessarily need 800 dollar lights to be successful.
Very true. I personally prefer the AI Hydra, but I still use a 4 year old VIPARSPECTRA above my frag tank and it’s growing coral (SPS / LPS) perfectly fine.
@@craftaquatic6472 seriously that tank is breath taking. 16 year on and off vet for reefing. I hope to see more of your husbandry philosophy on your channel. How do you like your Reefi uno? I have one too. I added a couple Orphek Day+ bars for my 50 gallon cube to balance out spread and spectrum for the uno.
@@PatrickJewellTheGreat I appreciate it. I plan on posting an update soon and will no doubt share some of my reefing philosophy in that one. The Uno is over a leg of my frag system. I like it. Basically same opinion now as the video review I posted. No need to supplement over that tank, but I do like having the 48” LED bars installed on the 120. IMO, totally necessary to blanket the tank in light once the SPS begin to fill in.
I just removed my 90 degree optics on my black box and the spread is so much nicer
took me like 30 min
The wills 165 watt black box killed over 2000$ worth of coral in my tank, I had nothing but problem after problem and I could never figure out why I even put the black box as high as 30 inches above my tank and nothing helped, I didn’t think it was the light and literally tried everything you can imagine but. Nothing worked, I finally broke down and bought the kessil AP9X as a last ditch effort before quitting the hobby because of how much money I was loosing and it was just not fun, literally 4 days after setting up the new light everything started doing better and 1 month after everything is growing like crazy and has amazing color, the lesson I learned from this was to NEVER cheap out on your light, it cost me more money in the long run trying to save money on a light, there is plenty of equipment you can cheap out on but the light is not one of them.
Wow, I am sorry to hear that the road to reefkeeping success was so bumpy for you. As I outline in the video, this was not my experience using the VS black box fixtures, but that is not to say that all budget LED fixtures are created equal. I wonder what it was about the ones you were using, that was causing so many issues. Did you ever measure PAR at 30”, investigate to see if there were significant hot spots, or find any reason why they performed so poorly. I’d be curious. This hobby is not cheap and in some ways you are correct to point out that you get what you pay for. Best of luck moving forward.
Just mount the black box 20 to 24 inches above the water that will increase the spread. And you won’t get the spotlight effect.
24” will reduce some of the spotlight effect, but will lose a great deal of PAR penetration at that height. Running lights at full power costs more and burns our LED chips faster. It can be a temporary solution, if the strobing effect is unbearable
@@craftaquatic6472 it does better then just a reduce the hot spot man here is the proof!
th-cam.com/video/UVLNCispGrM/w-d-xo.html
There’s a video on this 18-24 inches gives excellent results
Amazing tank . But a terribly inaccurate comparison . A new led fixture vs an old one that’s been running for 3 years . When led lifespan is deteriorating over time …. You would need both fixtures to be brand new for a true comparison .
I hear you. This is obviously meant to be observational, rather than scientific. I agree that it would have been more ideal to compare fixtures of equal ages, but don’t believe it really plays into to most of the points discussed in this video, aside from PAR values, which have changed very little over the years. No matter how you approach making a video like this… it’s going to be a hot button topic. Thank you for watching!
@@craftaquatic6472 each to their own , either way love the tank ,
The viparspectra needs to be 14-18 inches. Even 24
Great, if that is what works for you. My personal experience was that they worked well at 8” on the 120 and just as well at 12” on the farm system. Really depends on the details.. kind of coral you keep, amount of flow, nutrients, clarity of the water, your output settings.. and many more
@@craftaquatic6472 there’s a couple of guys that sell higher end leds. They do a video with a meter. Measuring PAR. To get the most usable light with these cheap 100-200 lights based on the par readings, the key was the height. Basically 14-18 inches for most was satisfactory, but up to 24 there was still improvement in the PAR readings at all locations
I’m just basing it off PAR measurements
th-cam.com/users/liveUVLNCispGrM?si=1DnoIPuEj33VDQNH
Aqua illumination products suck horrible customer service
In my experience AI products offer excellent quality and value. I have yet to deal with their customer service, so I can’t comment on the quality there.
Time waste 🤷
Needless to say I respectfully disagree. Taking ones time, making slow methodical changes and thoughtful observations, is never a waste of time, when it comes to reefkeeping. Granted, using two different LED fixtures is an unconventional choice, but a lot was learned and I had the additional piece of mind of keeping half of my established colonies safe, while slowly transitioning over.
@@craftaquatic6472 Haters gonna hate. Clearly your video shows what's possible with a Black Box. Many of the big name companies would have you think they can't even grow softies right. Pshhh
Saint Nova The black box LEDs are a great way to start out, especially if on a budget. I know folks who are still running them on 10 year old reef tanks. Really, reefing comes down to patience and slow changes, rather than owning the newest, hottest, most impressive $$$ tech. Glad you found this topic interesting and thank you again for the support.
I had black box LEDs I think they suck they don't give the correct Spectrum in my opinion good video by the way
@@dobermanguy9437 Many manufacturers have different layouts so it's up to you to find what you want. I also had fun solderingy own custom spectrum in. Aah, the days of just starting out. Good times...good times.