about to order LEDs

[e46er]

so Im about to pull the trigger on some evergrow LED people seem to be happy with them and they fit my budget.

question I have is my tank is 4x2x2 with center brace.

should i go with 1 48" fixture with controller for sunrise sunset ect. for $615 with a total of 102 3W LED which is 2-6weeks backorder
http://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-store/Evergrow-IT2012-Controllable-Full-Spectrum-LED-48-Light.html

or 2 smaller units for $199 that are not controllable just manual dimmers. but available right now http://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-store/Evergro-D2120-V2-Dimmable-120-Watt-Full-Spectrum-LED-Light-16-Light.html

the 2 smaller controllable lights are $355 each which for 2 is more than i want to spend.

Im leaning towards the single 48" fixture for astethics, cords, not sure if the ability to control is worth the extra 200 bucks or not but it seems most people go for multiple smaller units which i cant afford 2 controllable smaller units.

thoughts ?

[lpsreefer]

I think your better off trying out the AI primes. Better for controlling. Works with any smart phone. Retail being 229.95 is per light. They do a 24 by 24 by 24. Great looking light.

[e46er]

they have pretty weak par numbers coming out of them. seems it gets par reading of 260 at 12 inches the evergrow seems to get 350 at 24 " also I dont think 2 units would cut it. they look cool tho. phone app doesnt interest me at all

[maron6977]

If that is the only choices , I would wait & get the it2012 (I think) . You'll want the controllability in the long run .

[e46er]

they are the only options Ive found that seem to have good reviews and results for my budget. unfortunetly my tank isn't as high up on my financial priority list as I would like.:sad:

[maron6977]

Keep in mind , with center brace you can seperate the 2 units to minimize shade spot .
I have the same tank & use 2x 16" led lights .

[Doug]

I have a pair of 2060s over my 3ft. 50g and soon over my 4ft. 90g. My sps grow fine & have good colours.

Why would you use the 120s instead of the 2060s which have the same features as the 2080 or the one you mentioned. My are fully programmable

[maron6977]

My opinion , on your budget - wait for the it2012

[intarsiabox]

Why would you use the 120s instead of the 2060s which have the same features as the 2080 or the one you mentioned. My are fully programmable

Well two D2120's come out to $446.32 vs two 2060's that come out to 849.52. I guess it depends if the OP thinks a gradual sunrise/set is worth the extra $400. The programmable Evergrow's still only have 2 main channels just like the non-programmable version with a third being for moonlights which the D2120's don't have. I would get two D2120's or the 2080 which would probably be fine if you don't keep any high light demanding corals toward the outer most edges of the tank. I like to keep enough space from the glass for easy maintenance anyway. The 2012 would give you full illumination right across the entire tank, keeping in mind it basically has the same number of LED's that the 2080 has just more spread out. I guess the real question is are you going to regret not buying a programmable version and selling it at a loss and end up buying the programmable ones anyway?

[Doug]

Agreed. If price is a problem then a pair of 120,s would work well. On my smaller tank I ran a single and that was before they added more colours.

This was grown from a tiny frag under one.

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii86/Flatlander_photos/DSC01785.jpg (http://s262.photobucket.com/user/Flatlander_photos/media/DSC01785.jpg.html)

[e46er]

My opinion , on your budget - wait for the it2012

that was my initial thought as well.

I have a pair of 2060s over my 3ft. 50g and soon over my 4ft. 90g. My sps grow fine & have good colours.

Why would you use the 120s instead of the 2060s which have the same features as the 2080 or the one you mentioned. My are fully programmable

because they are just about double the price

Well two D2120's come out to $446.32 vs two 2060's that come out to 849.52. I guess it depends if the OP thinks a gradual sunrise/set is worth the extra $400. The programmable Evergrow's still only have 2 main channels just like the non-programmable version with a third being for moonlights which the D2120's don't have. I would get two D2120's or the 2080 which would probably be fine if you don't keep any high light demanding corals toward the outer most edges of the tank. I like to keep enough space from the glass for easy maintenance anyway. The 2012 would give you full illumination right across the entire tank, keeping in mind it basically has the same number of LED's that the 2080 has just more spread out. I guess the real question is are you going to regret not buying a programmable version and selling it at a loss and end up buying the programmable ones anyway?

i saw that on the website. which surprised me a bit but Its not going to be an issue I dont think. I def dont have a crazy high end high demand full SPS tank like some people on here do. i can only wish!
Im just up in the air over being able to slowly ramp up and down the intensity as opposed to just on/off for an extra 50% more money.
Im a little worried about a shadow from the center brace but my tank is in my living room with my TV and pool table so i dont want to hang the lights too high off the water either because i want my canopy to hide any spillage so I dont have glare all over the room the top of my canopy is 8" off the water(i dont care if i can see the fixture just as long as the bottom is at canopy height) so Im also not sure if a 16" light would cover 2x2 at 8" high.

A member who lives close has some evergrows and has offered to let me swing by and check them out in person so I will be doing that before I buy anything.

thanks for all the advice guys!

[e46er]

Agreed. If price is a problem then a pair of 120,s would work well. On my smaller tank I ran a single and that was before they added more colours.

This was grown from a tiny frag under one.

[URL=http://s262.photobucket.com/user/Flatlander_photos/media/DSC01785.jpg.html]

very nice! i seem to have a hard time with anything purple to really "POP"

[intarsiabox]

Agreed. If price is a problem then a pair of 120,s would work well. On my smaller tank I ran a single and that was before they added more colours.

This was grown from a tiny frag under one.

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii86/Flatlander_photos/DSC01785.jpg (http://s262.photobucket.com/user/Flatlander_photos/media/DSC01785.jpg.html)

No doubt these lights grow coral and are one of the best deals for LED lighting!

[Doug]

The purples & blues really look good under mine. And an orange encrusting type monti, thats a brilliant orange

And mine are 2040s. Sorry. Only 16in.

[e46er]

So reeferluke let me come over to his place to check out his d120s and I was totally impressed with them. With full intentions of ordering them when I got home but the rest of my running around for the day resulted in a couple of beers when I got home so I ended up going with the controllable 48" IT2012. My logic was 1 cord vs 4 on my controller. Sunrise sunset programming is a bonus which im still on the fence about. I'm keeping the MH fixture until I'm sure the led works for me.

[maron6977]

Good old beer - Ya gotta love it !
Trust me , you'll be so much happier that you spent the extra. Also worth more & desirable if you go to sell them .
Please update when you've tried them out for a bit !
Mark

[e46er]

Good old beer - Ya gotta love it !
Trust me , you'll be so much happier that you spent the extra. Also worth more & desirable if you go to sell them .
Please update when you've tried them out for a bit !
Mark
Yea I seem to make all my best decisions after drinking ha-ha. Resale was another factor if I decide I can't get the led to my liking and end result.
I will update for sure! Seems most people are happy with evergrow lights so hopefully I'll be another satisfied customer! Reef supplies after an email figures 2 weeks until the shipment lands so should have an update in a few months after so use

[lemon604]

I have the 48 inches evergrow. Bought it in May this year and really liked it until half of it didn't work. I'm waiting for the replacement driver right now.

[e46er]

So I got my lights a week ago, took me about 10 minutes to actually get into the package it was wrapped so well. I got them hung and played around with the settings a bit and made a custom schedule that peaks @35%for blues and whites. nothing bleached so ill be going up to 40% peak today or tomorrow whenever I get around to changing it. fans are quiet which on my old coralife MH fixture were not.
even after the fixture has been running all day its still cool to the touch which is nice.
once again I feel the cord is short. they are 7 " off the water tank is 2 feet deep and the cord cant reach the ground so unless an outlet is basically centered behind the tank you need an extension cord.

I have done a massive cleaning on my tank vacuuming out all the sand and detritus (which with my rock stacked against the back wall was a far amount that I just couldnt get to) but between the cleaner water and the LEDs my colors sure POP more. the lights were backordered 2-6 weeks when I ordered so I was hoping to get the tank fully cleaned and have the MH run for a week or 2 or more and then when the LED came I could see what the LED did for colors but they were at my door in 2 weeks and 3 days so basically I finished cleaning the tank tuesday and the lights were here wednesday after work.

will update in a few months of use but initial thoughts are Im happy with them.