Giesemann systems, what's the hype?

[Gools]

Can someone please tell me why these
Giesemann bulbs, and lighting systems are so expensive? Say J&L has them on sale, I couldn't believe the prices of these things, and even the bulbs are outrageous.

[mr_alberta]

Dunno what the hype is, but their 13500K bulbs are pretty bright and white!

It just like why AquaSpace lights are so expensive and whatnot...mostly its the name. Though the built in timer/moon schedule thing is pretty cool.

[Willow]

they are not really all that expensive, actually a pfo hood costs more that a comparable Giesemann rig.

[Dabbler]

Its not just your average light...and for the people with cash and style and no DIY this could bve the best light out there right now.

It is just like buying a car ...you can drive a Fire Fly or a Corvett. They will both get you to work and back....its just how you get there :mrgreen:

Check them out
http://www.giesemann.de/en/home/index.php

[Gools]

so what makes them a corvette? They are so new out on the market, that how can they be rated so high?

[Willow]

they are not new. they have a very sleek design, hqi, t5's and if you get the computer controlled units they can simulate moon phases and cloud cover. its a tight package for a decent price.

[Gools]

2-250, and 2 T5's in a 4 foot canopy, for $1300 doesn't seem cheap to me.
You said they have been around for a while, is that in America, of have they been in Europe?

[sumpfinfishe]

Giesemann is the top selling lighting co in Germany, and most of Europe for that matter. They have been making lights for a long time, when I went over to Germany 5 years ago they were in every store I went to.
I took pictures of all the sleek hoods and remember saying to my cousin that it would be quite awhile before we see these units in Canada or the US. I also remember going to the Berlin Aquarium and was amazed by all there beautiful lighting setups, after talking with one of the staff I was told that all they run is Giesemann.

Like already mentioned, these units are the high end toys with every consideration put into them when being designed and built.

[Willow]

2-250, and 2 T5's in a 4 foot canopy, for $1300 doesn't seem cheap to me.
You said they have been around for a while, is that in America, of have they been in Europe?

dude are you serious? i just priced a pfo hood rig out on the j&l site and it came to $1422 bucks! this is a metal hood with a beautiful aircraft cable adjustable hangers. it's not some abs plastic crap assed hamilton tech or coralife hood. plus the cost of t5's is significantly cheaper to run and replace.

[Gools]

well now I know where they came from. Personally I haven't seen systems for that much money, but hey to each his own, just curious if there was something extremely special about them, like the bulbs can last for 2 years or something.

[Dabbler]

nope, just the options and the fit and finish. I like the style of these lights and the options

[reeferaddict]

Hey I'm building my own custom hood for a 135 - 2 - 250W MH and 4x 96W PC's, 2 - 6" ball bearing fans and 2 - 4" fans... Not including the wood and the rest of the little bits and pieces & I'm already at $1200... NO lighting is cheap... These Geismann's DO sound like quite the ticket if they'll work for you... Just my two cents.

[Uprok]

my opinion if its worth anything. If you had a choice to buy a car and the choice was any car in the world. Most people will buy something that comes from Germany. Germans just take so much pride in their craft. I will buy their lights just because it is German.

[StirCrazy]

so what makes them a corvette? They are so new out on the market, that how can they be rated so high?

there looks and there price.. thats it the lights are BLV bulbs (same catagory as AB, the top lights)

digital options, a clean look is what makes them more expensive but they arn't any better at lighting a tank that what anyone else has or makes that is comparable. just made for the high end market by options and looks.

Steve

[dirtyreefer]

my opinion if its worth anything. If you had a choice to buy a car and the choice was any car in the world. Most people will buy something that comes from Germany. Germans just take so much pride in their craft. I will buy their lights just because it is German.

That sounds a little narrow minded, however I can't argue about their high quality craftsmanship.

[Ruth]

What about the bulbs? Can you run them off of a standard ballast? Or do you need to run them only in their systems? Are they really worth the extra $$$$ (bulbs that is)

[rickjames]

You can run the bulbs on your own system as they have them for sale seperately. They are a really nice colour and seem to be pretty bright, but for 175$ for a 400W I'm not sure if they are worth it to me. Personally I am hoping to see some lighting tests done on the giesmanns by Sanjay Joshi or someone else.

[Ruth]

I am looking at replacing bulbs in a few months and thought the same thing. $175 a bulb X 3 gets a little pricey. I think I'll just stick with the XM for now.

[HimSelf]

I saw some lights at King Ed's and they are only around $800 and they look up to par with these German lights. Also German cars are not the best. Ever had a Benz? They are pice of crap. The Japs makes them better. The only German car that is good are the BMWs. Read the consumer report on some German cars and you'll know what I'm talking about.

What we need is a company that can make cool lighting hoods with creative desgin and we just add in the lights we want. Is like half of DIY lighting.

I should start making some metal work friends :biggrin:

Cheers

P.S: check out some other lights that look not that bad

http://www.aquauniverse.com/component/page,shop.browse/category_id,40/option,com_phpshop/Itemid,31/

[Willow]

wow that was an insightfull post :rolleyes:

[impreza]

I saw some lights at King Ed's and they are only around $800 and they look up to par with these German lights. Also German cars are not the best. Ever had a Benz? They are pice of crap. The Japs makes them better. The only German car that is good are the BMWs. Read the consumer report on some German cars and you'll know what I'm talking about.

What we need is a company that can make cool lighting hoods with creative desgin and we just add in the lights we want. Is like half of DIY lighting.

I should start making some metal work friends :biggrin:

Cheers

P.S: check out some other lights that look not that bad

http://www.aquauniverse.com/component/page,shop.browse/category_id,40/option,com_phpshop/Itemid,31/

Whether or not German cars are the "best" is pretty subjective. Japanese carmakers make some great automobiles, but so do the German automakers. Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, etc. As for your comment regarding MB, are you referring to the quality of the vehicle? MB makes some top notch cars! Their quality has suffered a little over the years, but they're still a fine vehicle. IMO, they are up to par with BMW. All German makes have their share of issues, they just need some extra tender love and care to maintain them. I wouldn't go as far as to say that a MB is a "piece of crap".

[HimSelf]

You know what we need guys? Some Chinese company that will make cool knock off looking hoods like these German one's (or better :biggrin: ) and we can buy the lights we want and put them in as to our liking.

As we all know as soon as a Chinese company start making anything the price will drop 50% and now days the qulity is good if not better. Look around your own home and see how much things are made in China. My computer is made in China and they are just as good as the other IBM's made in the US and at 50% the price.

[Willow]

You know what we need guys? Some Chinese company that will make cool knock off looking hoods like these German one's (or better :biggrin: ) and we can buy the lights we want and put them in as to our liking.

As we all know as soon as a Chinese company start making anything the price will drop 50% and now days the qulity is good if not better. Look around your own home and see how much things are made in China. My computer is made in China and they are just as good as the other IBM's made in the US and at 50% the price.

your computer might have been manufactured in china but i can say with some assurance it was designed in the us.

[dirtyreefer]

You know what we need? A German company that makes Giesmann quality stuff and gives it away. Or a company that custom makes hoods and retrofit high quality lighting for free!

:rolleyes:

[megatron_55]

You know what we need? A German company that makes Giesmann quality stuff and gives it away. Or a company that custom makes hoods and retrofit high quality lighting for free!

:rolleyes:

. . . NiCe :mrgreen:

[Marcus K]

I bought a Aqua-light Pro two weeks ago. I was not happy with the colour when I saw this fixture running on a tank at a store. But I loved the colour on the tank next to it that was running a Giesemann fixture with 14.5K bulbs. So I bought the fixture and ordered two new Giesemann bulbs, I went with the 13K as the aqua-light has 2X96 PC actinic. I love the colour now with the Giesemann bulbs. It was nice that a store would have some many different lights set up, I have never saw that before.

[dirtyreefer]

I just bought the Giesemann 250W Nova II Pendant on Thursday and it is PIMP. Not only the estetics of the exterior of the pendant are awesome, but the color of the light it outputs is beautiful as well.

If you're looking for a high quality setup, Giesemann is the way to go without a doubt. I love my pendant and wouldn't trade if for anything right now.

[Invigor]

I'm happy with my DIY hood with 10000k sun aquatics. I guess when the time comes that I'm too lazy to build my own stuff, gueissman might get some of my money.

glad you like your fixture, they're pretty smooth looking!

[BT05]

Those fixtures are nice for people who have their lighting systems exposed rather than enclosed in a canopy but the cost to import these from Germany makes up for a large part of the price tag. Why would you hide these beauties in a canopy anyways?

As for the "color" the light gives off, it is mostly a matter of taste. See: http://www.cnidarianreef.com/lamps.cfm for a comparison of different K bulbs. Note that as the temp (K) increases, colors tend to look more bluish. Most PC actinics sold for aquarium use lie in the ~7100K range, while lamps sold for hydroponic use are ~25000K to simulate the color of the sky (VERY blue). Mix and match until you're happy I guess.

[dirtyreefer]

BT05, I'm not really sure what you were trying to say in your post? :confused:

[BT05]

My post was my opinion in general about these fixtures, not a response to your earlier post. I'm just saying that Giesmann looks great suspended over a tank rather than most DIY efforts. This is an extreme DIY example but:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Garden/5533/mhpendant.html I would be embarassed to have that hanging over my tank in the living room.

When I say taste I mean personal preference when it comes to the light. Some people mix actinics with MH, some are happy with MH only. Some people want more blue so they get actinics to supplement their lower kelvin bulbs. Want even more blue? Then 25000K PC or MH bulbs are what people are using.[/url]

[dirtyreefer]

Gotcha!

I would be pretty embarassed having those ghetto lights setup in my living room too. Actually the wife wouldn't allow that! :D

[Invigor]

that link doesn't say anything about being over a tank in the living room..maybe they're for a frag tank in the garage or something.. :)

It's all just a phase for people looking to spend more money!

In my case, I'd rather save a few bucks on the tank and buy a case of beer and watch the tank drinking away the money I saved by doing work on my tank myself :mrgreen: