Vertex Illumina LED Arrives

[TheDogFather]

Yesterday evening I picked up my new Vertex Illumina SR 1200 48" LED fixture and I'd like to share my initial impressions and a few photos.

I'll take PAR readings and shoot some video over the weekend so stay tuned.

Can you say early adopter? My fixture is serial number 000016!

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/Vertex-000016.jpg

The fixture is very well made. Solid and compact. Only 12 inches deep (front to back) the fixture has three absolutely silent fans on top and comes with the usual grip-lock hanging kit (no legs are offered by Vertex).

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/Vertex-Illumina-LED-up.jpg

The 48" fixture is equipped with 8 LED pods running Phillips 3W Luxeon Rebel LEDs, 8 x 7500k White 105 lm/W, 4 x 470nm Blue and 4x 450nm Royal Blue. The LED's are driven at only 2.5W for a total of 40W per pod and 320W for the entire fixture. Each of the LED pods has its own on board ZigBee radio that communicates with the controller wirelessly. Vertex will be offering a USB dongle to program the fixture wirelessly from your PC down the road.

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/Vertex-LEDs.jpg

Below are the supplied Mean Well power supplies:
http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/Vertex-Ballast.jpg

I have been playing with the menu options for a bit and found that the built-in demo program really shows off some the amazing natural simulations this light is capable of. But it appears that these advanced features (sunrise from left to right and lightning etc.) can only be programmed with the PC option that is not yet available. Maybe it's just me overlooking those feature options in the menu so I can't confirm this yet.

I've had a PFO Solaris, a Giesemann Infiniti 2x250W MH/T5 fixture and a 8 bulb ATI PowerModule and the Vertex Illumina is the coolest looking light over my tank so far. And after 2.5 hours the fixture is barley warm to the touch!

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/Vertex-Display.jpg

Tomorrow after work I plan on spending some more time exploring the menu options and tweaking the LED intensity ratios to get the perfect colour I'm looking for.

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/P1010278.jpg

Cheers!

-TDF

[Palytoxinhallucinations]

That is a slick looking fixture, looking forward to seeing how it works for you. I've had my aqua illuminations fixture for a couple weeks now and will finally have the new tank set up for it this weekend. Hopefully our LEDs are all they're cracked up to be.

[Ryanst]

I am excited to see the par readings I am thinking of getting a 6 foot fixture but didnt want to spend that much and have it not put out enough light.

[parkinsn]

Tagging along. I would like to see the PAR readings as well as the long term effects on your coral. The tank looks like its getting really good coverage.

1)What are the dimentions of your tank?

2)What kind of lighting did you have on the tank before?

3)Is it possible to get a pic of the side of your tank so we can see the coverage/any dark spots?

4)How high is it off your tank?

Thanks.

[Ron99]

I'm very curious to see the PAR readings, especially front to back with all those LEDs down the center. Can you do PAR readings at several points in the tank from front to back as well? Thanks.

[TheDogFather]

Tagging along. I would like to see the PAR readings as well as the long term effects on your coral. The tank looks like its getting really good coverage.

1)What are the dimentions of your tank?

2)What kind of lighting did you have on the tank before?

3)Is it possible to get a pic of the side of your tank so we can see the coverage/any dark spots?

4)How high is it off your tank?

Thanks.

1 The tank is 48" wide, 18 tall and 30" deep

2 The previous fixture was a 8 bulb ATI powermodule

3 Side shot coming this weekend, no dark spots

4 The fixture is 6" from the water surface

Cheers!

-TDF

[TheDogFather]

I'm very curious to see the PAR readings, especially front to back with all those LEDs down the center. Can you do PAR readings at several points in the tank from front to back as well? Thanks.

The LED's in this fixture have a 120 degree spread (60 front + 60 back) so it covers the entire tank easily.

LED fixtures with optics have typically only a 40 degree spread.

[Ron99]

The LED's in this fixture have a 120 degree spread (60 front + 60 back) so it covers the entire tank easily.

LED fixtures with optics have typically only a 40 degree spread.

Yes, but even with the 120 degree primary optic there is drop off in output off center so I am curious to see how these perform off center and if there is a hot strip down the middle of the tank.

[TheDogFather]

Yes, but even with the 120 degree primary optic there is drop off in output off center so I am curious to see how these perform off center and if there is a hot strip down the middle of the tank.

Please see the additional photos I posted below.

[4lti7ude]

Videos of the light modes please!!
Im imagining the sunrise one, and in my head it looks crazy :lol:
Oh and the clam in your tank is HUGE!

[Ron99]

Here is the technical review paper: http://files.me.com/braedel/xiipka

I have looked at this paper but have not sat down to read it in detail (to much math for late night reading). Two things strike me though. They don't actually show the results of a full PAR measurement across their 40" x 20" x20" test tank unless the charts they have are mislabeled as they show distances in mm in the charts. Also, this is an internally produced document that seems to be designed more to justify not using optics rather then as an independent test of their fixture so I take it with a grain of salt.

So that's why I am looking forward to seeing real world PAR readings over a real aquarium :biggrin:

[TheDogFather]

I have looked at this paper but have not sat down to read it in detail (to much math for late night reading). Two things strike me though. They don't actually show the results of a full PAR measurement across their 40" x 20" x20" test tank unless the charts they have are mislabeled as they show distances in mm in the charts. Also, this is an internally produced document that seems to be designed more to justify not using optics rather then as an independent test of their fixture so I take it with a grain of salt.

So that's why I am looking forward to seeing real world PAR readings over a real aquarium :biggrin:

Yeah, it's a heavy read but it's more detail than I have seen from any other LED fixture maker so far.

I'll take PAR readings on Sunday and post them here.

Cheers!

-TDF

[sphelps]

I'm not sure how one thinks measurements done by some dude in a basement over his aquarium with a hobby PAR meter classifies as more "real world" and therefore more accurate than laboratory tests done by a manufacturer which developed the product but whatever.... I think the document gave a good idea of what to expect. The PAR test was at 19" of water depth so the need to see PAR beyond what was presented wouldn't really be needed. Follow the pattern and you get the idea.

I have to say I like this fixture, it has almost everything I've been waiting to see in a LED fixture. Sleek look, easily upgradeable\replaceable parts, good warranty, and the controllability looks awesome!

Great fixture man, looking forward to seeing how it works out for you.

[lorenz0]

joining the group to hear feedback about the fixture

[Ron99]

I'm not sure how one thinks measurements done by some dude in a basement over his aquarium with a hobby PAR meter classifies as more "real world" and therefore more accurate than laboratory tests done by a manufacturer which developed the product but whatever.... I think the document gave a good idea of what to expect. The PAR test was at 19" of water depth so the need to see PAR beyond what was presented wouldn't really be needed. Follow the pattern and you get the idea.

I have to say I like this fixture, it has almost everything I've been waiting to see in a LED fixture. Sleek look, easily upgradeable\replaceable parts, good warranty, and the controllability looks awesome!

Great fixture man, looking forward to seeing how it works out for you.

Well the dude in the basement is most likely using the same Apogee quantum meter that Vertex is using, can test in various positions just like Vertex and is not trying to sell the product to anyone so I would take his results as being just as valid as Vertex's if not more. All Vertex did was set out a grid in a tank full of water and make measurements. Hardly something requiring specialized facilities or equipment or rigid scientific control.

Also, I would be happy if you can point me to the results of Vertex's test in the paper? I see two plots of areas measuring roughly 4 inches by 4 inches (100mm x 100mm). In those plots the PAR drops 30% from the center to the front and back when moving a mere 2 inches. So what would the PAR be 6 inches front and back or a full 9 inches at the front and back of an 18" wide tank? How about in a 24" wide tank? I still question vertex's design choice and that's why I am wanting to see some real world numbers over an end user's setup.

IMO Vertex's paper is a bit disingenuous. They are trying to make a case against optics and saying that the light is concentrated in a small area so that's not good. They fail to take into account (or just don't bother pointing out) that all these narrow cones overlap to give an even spread of reasonable PAR over the whole tank. I strongly suspect that the Vertex fixture will produce decent PAR in a narrow strip down the center of the tank and then will have rapid fall off as you move front or back. That's why I would like to see some independent end user tests. I'm sure most others would to.

[albert_dao]

That paper was NOT supposed to be leaked.

[TheDogFather]

That paper was NOT supposed to be leaked.

Albert, that paper was posted by Nicolas, Vertex Germany on a German forum back in April.

I removed it.

[TheDogFather]

Some additional photos:

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/P1010278.jpg

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/P1010279.jpg

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/P1010280.jpg

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/P1010286.jpg

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/P1010284.jpg

[albert_dao]

Albert, that paper was posted by Nicolas, Vertex Germany on a German forum back in April.

I removed it.

That paper was NOT supposed to be leaked :)

It is an unfinished product.

See comment by 'Jason' here:

http://glassbox-design.com/2010/vertex-lumina-led-review-optics/

A full review will be released at a later date with data.

[TheDogFather]

Here is a brief video of the built-in demo program:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHo7LTgkbZ4

[Palytoxinhallucinations]

Wow, pretty impressive display. When you get full control of it you'll be able to create some pretty cool effects. Definately the coolest looking light I've ever seen, eager to see if it's numbers are up to par.

[TheDogFather]

The V-Stick USB wireless controller is supposed to be released in a few weeks to unlock the fixture's full potential.

Some of the features that will be become available:

- add/download modules and schematics such as regional lunar cycles, seasonal variations and weather effects lightening.

Additionally, you will be able to pair the lighting unit with other devices such as the Vertex Stratus DC pump to create tidal/seasonal stream manipulations.

[Buzz]

I was wondering where you purchased the light from? It looks great and the lighting features are pretty cool.

[TheDogFather]

I was wondering where you purchased the light from? It looks great and the lighting features are pretty cool.

I purchased it from www.seaumarine.com.

[TheDogFather]

Vertex Illumina SR 1200 vs. ATI PowerModule (8x54W) Visual Comparison

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/P1010278.jpg

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/ATI%20PowerModule/4654405782_ea1555c69f_b.jpg

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Very much looking forward to future updates. Looks great. Cost? I couldn't get some of the site's features to work so couldn't look up the price on these units myself.

[parkinsn]

Very much looking forward to future updates. Looks great. Cost? I couldn't get some of the site's features to work so couldn't look up the price on these units myself.

Not cheap

http://www.jlaquatics.com/info/410/Vertex+Lumina+LED+Lighting+Fixtures.html

[Treebeard]

That's an understatement. Good luck selling the need to buy one of these to the finance department!

Not cheap

http://www.jlaquatics.com/info/410/Vertex+Lumina+LED+Lighting+Fixtures.html

[staceyd72]

Hi,
Congrats on the new light. I too had/have (in the closet) the Solaris (72”), the Vertex looks much more promising.
Was there a particular reason for switching from the PowerModule to the Vertex LED? From your photo, in my opinion, your tank looks better with the PowerModule; but, I’m a bias PowerModule owner :biggrin:

Looking forward to seeing how your coals respond to the new light source.

Very nice video by the way.

[TheDogFather]

Hi,
Congrats on the new light. I too had/have (in the closet) the Solaris (72”), the Vertex looks much more promising.
Was there a particular reason for switching from the PowerModule to the Vertex LED? From your photo, in my opinion, your tank looks better with the PowerModule; but, I’m a bias PowerModule owner :biggrin:

Looking forward to seeing how your coals respond to the new light source.

Very nice video by the way.

Thanks!

IMO the PowerModule is hands down the best T5 fixture but for me T5's just don't look natural at all and I've tried many bulb combinations...

The Vertex gives the tank a more natural look, there is no light spillage as opposed to the PM and the shimmer is back!

Also, the Vertex controller ramps up and ramps down the intensity (rather than just on or off for T5's) and the fish and coral appear to enjoy it much more.

The PowerModule is ideal for a frag tank to aggressively and efficiently grow coral but in my main display tank I want to come as close to nature as possible.

-TDF

[Sunee]

Love the way the fixture looks!! Can't wait for the readings. You have given me much to think about, I am in the process of upgrading my aquarium and was planning on getting the AI LED. Now after seeing this one I am having second thoughts. The readings and the cost will probably be the deciding factory.

[TheDogFather]

Below is the non scientific Vertex Illumina SR 1200-200 PAR measurement taken with a Apogee Quantum Meter. My tank is 18" tall and the fixture is 6" above the surface.


White 100% - Blue 100% - Royal Blue 100%

759 about 5mm below the surface

484 On left frag rack

392 At top right coral colony

242 Center of Red Monti

227 Center of Clam

185 Front Elegance Coral

214 Bottom right middel of tank

148 Bottom rear of tank


http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/Vertex_Illumina_SR_1200-200_PAR.jpg

[Skimmerking]

that just blows me away that those little LED give off that much PAR.

How high is that light from light to bottom of the tank.

what was the par on the T-5's

I hope that this light has promise not like the other one wit the problems it had with
warranty
circuits boards
LED's
and unit blowing up

[shrimpchips]

Hey Mike, can you show that from the end of the tank to give an idea of the front-to-back spread?

[wayner]

Here ya go Shrimpchips

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1873481&highlight=vertex

[trilinearmipmap]

OK I don't want to seem down on these lights but it seems (in addition to previously voiced concerns about irregular refraction at the non-planar air-water interface, light attenuation due to longer path through the water for reflected light compared to light focused by optics, and incomplete reflection from non-pristine interior tank walls) eggcrate would be out of the question considering the wide dispersion angle with no optics. When light is more or less vertically entering the tank eggcrate doesn't seem to have much effect but with the wide spread of light coming from this fixture a large amount of the light would be blocked by the eggcrate.

[lastlight]

Wow the shimmer is indeed back! Pretty cool demo.

Great point about the eggcrate but In my opinion the clear netting looks far better anyways and would accomplish the same thing with little to no effect on light transmission for ANY lighting system.

[Canadian]

Who cares what effect egg crate has on light spread? First and foremost it's ugly as sin. And if you have a trimless tank obviously aesthetics was one of your concerns. And if you don't have a trimless tank then put a canopy over that puppy and your jumping fish concerns are pretty much moot. The interaction with egg crate is hardly a reason to slag a fixture.

[trilinearmipmap]

I am not slagging the fixture in fact I am hoping to buy either one of these or the AI unit but I am not brave enough to be the first to put my money down. Just pointing out the apparent pros and cons that are apparent.

What is the clear netting, does anyone have a link.

[burrows14]

Any updates??? Im starting to lean towards led's these days. I keep mainly SPS in a 24"deep tank. Thanks in advance:smile:

[TheDogFather]

Any updates??? Im starting to lean towards led's these days. I keep mainly SPS in a 24"deep tank. Thanks in advance:smile:

The fixture is awesome and my SPS is growing amazingly well at only 50% power!

I'll post more updates as soon as I receive the V-Stick and LightStudio

Cheers!

-TDF

[gucci17]

Yes please post more updates TDF. I'm new to SW but not fish keeping in general. I am still collecting information and a buddy of mine who helps out at SUM has reccomended Vertex to me. I'm planning on a cube tank...size will depend on what I can get away with :lol:

[Ron99]

Any updates or more then and now photos? Personally, I'm not super impressed with the PAR readings you showed so far. For optimal growth of SPS you want between 400 and 500 PAR. My DIY LED array achieves that in the middle level of the tank (10 inches down my 20 inch deep 75 gallon) at less then full power with the array 6 inches above the water. If I turn it all the way up and lower to 3 to 4 inches above the water I get way more. I get well over 250 PAr at the sand bed 18 or 19 inches below the water surface.

Your clam may do alright but as I understand it clams need 250 to 300 PAR (I may be wrong on that but it's the number I recall).


Below is the non scientific Vertex Illumina SR 1200-200 PAR measurement taken with a Apogee Quantum Meter. My tank is 18" tall and the fixture is 6" above the surface.


White 100% - Blue 100% - Royal Blue 100%

759 about 5mm below the surface

484 On left frag rack

392 At top right coral colony

242 Center of Red Monti

227 Center of Clam

185 Front Elegance Coral

214 Bottom right middel of tank

148 Bottom rear of tank


http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/Vertex_Illumina_SR_1200-200_PAR.jpg

[TheDogFather]

Any updates or more then and now photos? Personally, I'm not super impressed with the PAR readings you showed so far. For optimal growth of SPS you want between 400 and 500 PAR. My DIY LED array achieves that in the middle level of the tank (10 inches down my 20 inch deep 75 gallon) at less then full power with the array 6 inches above the water. If I turn it all the way up and lower to 3 to 4 inches above the water I get way more. I get well over 250 PAr at the sand bed 18 or 19 inches below the water surface.

Your clam may do alright but as I understand it clams need 250 to 300 PAR (I may be wrong on that but it's the number I recall).

That's nice Ron99 but this is not a contest and what makes you think you need between 400-500 PAR to grow stony corals well? My SPS and clams say otherwise.

I'm not going to get into a PAR contest with your DIY fixture, I get excellent growth (at 50% power I might add) and my clams are growing very well. The 48" Vertex Illumina LED comes very close in PAR output to my previous fixture, ATI PowerModule with 8x54W T5's and that fixture is no slouch.

I'm guessing your DIY uses optics to achieve higher PAR values but at the cost of spread so you'll have to hang it high to get decent coverage thereby negating all that extra PAR...

-TDF

"Stoney corals appear to photosaturate between 400 and 500 PAR so having 700 or 1000 PAR is probably pointless other than for bragging rights. I doubt it will do the corals much good." -Ron99

[ReefOcean]

Well this is a review and discussion forum, LED comparisons are relevant.

I have to agree with Ron. For that much money, I would expect outrageous par.

Judging by those readings, it is only about 20-25 percent better than my light which is a tenth the cost, a fifth the size and made by communists.

The readings are probably not accurate though. I wager that the vertex must have better output than that.

[Ron99]

That's nice Ron99 but this is not a contest and what makes you think you need between 400-500 PAR to grow stony corals well? My SPS and clams say otherwise.

I'm not going to get into a PAR contest with your DIY fixture, I get excellent growth (at 50% power I might add) and my clams are growing very well. The 48" Vertex Illumina LED comes very close in PAR output to my previous fixture, ATI PowerModule with 8x54W T5's and that fixture is no slouch.

I'm guessing your DIY uses optics to achieve higher PAR values but at the cost of spread so you'll have to hang it high to get decent coverage thereby negating all that extra PAR...

-TDF

"Stoney corals appear to photosaturate between 400 and 500 PAR so having 700 or 1000 PAR is probably pointless other than for bragging rights. I doubt it will do the corals much good." -Ron99

Not trying to make a competition out of it, just trying to give some perspective on relative performance of different configurations. As for light requirements for stony corals, that varies widely. LPS generally are lower light, montis would probably be described as moderate to high light and most acros would need high light for best growth and colour. I didn't say you had to have 400 to 500 PAR to grow them but for "optimal" growth and colour my reading has indicated that 400+ PAR is best and as you noted by quoting me from my build thread there is evidence that they photosaturate by 500 PAR so more than that is not really needed. Hence my conclusion that 400 to 500 PAR is optimal. I have a great example in my own tank with a superman monti. My own colony is in the top third of the tank and the base is a nice deep blue colour. I have some frags down on my sand bed and they are growing just fine but the base is a much more pale blue colour. You have only been running this fixture for a month or so. I will be curious to see how everything is doing in 6 to 12 months.

As for my fixture, yes I used 60 degree optics but spaced my LEDs out evenly over the tank so I do not sacrifice spread. I have 4 rows of LEDs, with 3 inches between the rows and the LEDs in the individual rows are 2.25 inches apart. I actually use fewer emitters then the Vertex unit does. I have 80 Cree XR-Es. Vertex uses 128 Luxeon Rebel emitters (pretty good LEDs for the record, equal to or maybe even very slightly better then the XR-Es I used) for their 4 foot fixture. That is 60% more LED emitters but yet it apparently produces less PAR in the tank. I also do not have to hang my fixture higher because of the overlap in the emitters. I can lower it to about 3.5 inches above my water without any major spotlighting or loss of overlap. I currently have it about 5.5 to 6 inches above the water and it is producing the PAR numbers I mentioned at that height.

Basically it is all down to how you configure the LEDs and optics and I guess I do not really understand Vertex's design choice as they could have achieved higher effective output with fewer emitters. Space them out evenly over the tank to get coverage and then choose the number of emitters and spacing between them appropriate for the optics you want to use to produce X PAR at Y depth. Want more PAR for a deeper tank then use more emitters spaced more closely together with tighter optics. Have a shallower tank or don't need really intense light and you can space the LEDs farther apart and use wider optics or even no optics at all for only low light corals or a fairly shallow tank.


Well this is a review and discussion forum, LED comparisons are relevant.

I have to agree with Ron. For that much money, I would expect outrageous par.

Judging by those readings, it is only about 20-25 percent better than my light which is a tenth the cost, a fifth the size and made by communists.

The readings are probably not accurate though. I wager that the vertex must have better output than that.

I guess that is my point of contention. I question whether the performance justifies the price. Out here in BC that fixture will be $3248 after tax. That's a good chunk of change and 2.5 times what I spent on my DIY fixture.

As for output, his PAR numbers look to be about what I might expect having all the emitters clustered down the center with no optics. High PAR up top and down the center of the tank with a rapid drop off as you go deeper into the water and also as you move to the front or the back of the tank.

As I mentioned before in other threads, I think LEDs are the future of reef lighting but what I see happening is that people will $h1t on LEDs because they spend huge amounts of money on a fixture then eventually complain that the performance relative to their 250W or 400W MH is poor and that LEDs are no good for reef lighting. It taints LEDs in general when it was really down to the design of the particular fixture.

[gucci17]

Not trying to make a competition out of it, just trying to give some perspective on relative performance of different configurations. As for light requirements for stony corals, that varies widely. LPS generally are lower light, montis would probably be described as moderate to high light and most acros would need high light for best growth and colour. I didn't say you had to have 400 to 500 PAR to grow them but for "optimal" growth and colour my reading has indicated that 400+ PAR is best and as you noted by quoting me from my build thread there is evidence that they photosaturate by 500 PAR so more than that is not really needed. Hence my conclusion that 400 to 500 PAR is optimal. I have a great example in my own tank with a superman monti. My own colony is in the top third of the tank and the base is a nice deep blue colour. I have some frags down on my sand bed and they are growing just fine but the base is a much more pale blue colour. You have only been running this fixture for a month or so. I will be curious to see how everything is doing in 6 to 12 months.

As for my fixture, yes I used 60 degree optics but spaced my LEDs out evenly over the tank so I do not sacrifice spread. I have 4 rows of LEDs, with 3 inches between the rows and the LEDs in the individual rows are 2.25 inches apart. I actually use fewer emitters then the Vertex unit does. I have 80 Cree XR-Es. Vertex uses 128 Luxeon Rebel emitters (pretty good LEDs for the record, equal to or maybe even very slightly better then the XR-Es I used) for their 4 foot fixture. That is 60% more LED emitters but yet it apparently produces less PAR in the tank. I also do not have to hang my fixture higher because of the overlap in the emitters. I can lower it to about 3.5 inches above my water without any major spotlighting or loss of overlap. I currently have it about 5.5 to 6 inches above the water and it is producing the PAR numbers I mentioned at that height.

Basically it is all down to how you configure the LEDs and optics and I guess I do not really understand Vertex's design choice as they could have achieved higher effective output with fewer emitters. Space them out evenly over the tank to get coverage and then choose the number of emitters and spacing between them appropriate for the optics you want to use to produce X PAR at Y depth. Want more PAR for a deeper tank then use more emitters spaced more closely together with tighter optics. Have a shallower tank or don't need really intense light and you can space the LEDs farther apart and use wider optics or even no optics at all for only low light corals or a fairly shallow tank.




I guess that is my point of contention. I question whether the performance justifies the price. Out here in BC that fixture will be $3248 after tax. That's a good chunk of change and 2.5 times what I spent on my DIY fixture.

As for output, his PAR numbers look to be about what I might expect having all the emitters clustered down the center with no optics. High PAR up top and down the center of the tank with a rapid drop off as you go deeper into the water and also as you move to the front or the back of the tank.

As I mentioned before in other threads, I think LEDs are the future of reef lighting but what I see happening is that people will $h1t on LEDs because they spend huge amounts of money on a fixture then eventually complain that the performance relative to their 250W or 400W MH is poor and that LEDs are no good for reef lighting. It taints LEDs in general when it was really down to the design of the particular fixture.

Thanks for your input Ron. I am interested in other peoples opinions and perspectives on LEDs as they are still a very new technology. I unfortunately do not have a big budget on my reef project. Therefore, equipment choice is crucial that it be money well spent. I am actually more leaning towards the Maxspect LEDs with the optics included. Although, I do like how Vertex has some cool features such as the clouds and lightning but I feel I would tire of that easily and doubt it would be used in the long run. The programmable computer option is very interesting as well and seems quite convenient. I think I will wait one more month and let the dust settle from MACNA before finalizing my decision.

[lastlight]

I'm not sure of actual PAR numbers but I saw a 6 foot version of this thing the other day over a reefer's tank and the whole tank looked very brightly lit. Really surprised me after seeing that narrow little band of leds down the middle. No bad light bleed either which is nice in a living room.

[gucci17]

Any updates?

[TheDogFather]

Any updates?

Sorry, for the lack of updates...

I'm still amazed at the R&D and engineering not to mention the quality of components that went into this fixture, it's simply second to none IMO.

Some people bemoan the high price tag of the Illumina but when you consider that these fixtures are hand made in small batches in Austria vs. most other LED fixtures that are pumped out by contract manufacturers in Asia it becomes clear why the Illumina is priced at a premium. I personally am convinced that this is the last aquarium fixture I will ever buy.

I am now running the fixture at 100% Royal Blue, 85% Blue and 35% White and coral growth appears to be as good if not better than my old ATI PM and the progressive sunrise and sunset is so much nicer for the fish vs. the drastic shock of lights on or off that non-dimming fixtures do.

I will be on vacation in southern Germany later this month and will be dropping in on the Vertex engineers in Austria for a visit. I'll post some photos when I get back in November.

Cheers!

-TDF

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/V-Link.png

[wayner]

What about SPS colour, any changes there?

[TheDogFather]

What about SPS colour, any changes there?

It's hard to say because around the time I changed to the Illumina I also switched from Vinegar / Zeolites to solid carbon dosing and my NO3 and PO4 went up substantially. The SCD also bleached out my toadstool leather so I opted to stop the SCD and just go with vinegar dosing instead. NO3 is now at 5 and dropping and the colours are starting to come back now.

[BlueTang<3]

I got my fixture last friday and its awesome. Cant play with light studio yet as it not available for the mac but the light is great. If any one wants to come over and take a look at the fixture shoot me a pm.

[TheDogFather]

I got my fixture last friday and its awesome. Cant play with light studio yet as it not available for the mac but the light is great. If any one wants to come over and take a look at the fixture shoot me a pm.

I am told the Mac version is held up due to a driver issue with the V-Stick. I'm using a Windows 7 Virtual Machine in Parallels on my Mac and it works fine. Bootcamp will also work for you.

Cheers!

[BlueTang<3]

Where can i get these programs. Download or purchase. Thanks

[TheDogFather]

Where can i get these programs. Download or purchase. Thanks

http://www.parallels.com/

[TheDogFather]

http://www.parallels.com/

I should have mentioned that in addition to the Parallels application you will need a Windows license...

[StirCrazy]

I was looking at the original pictures again and noticed it look like they have staggered the angle of the LEDs on the board. so one points towards the back and the next one points towards the front. is that how it realy is or does it just look that way?

Steve

[TheDogFather]

I was looking at the original pictures again and noticed it look like they have staggered the angle of the LEDs on the board. so one points towards the back and the next one points towards the front. is that how it realy is or does it just look that way?

Steve

It just looks that way. The individual LED's are all equally aligned.

[notclear]

I finally got my SR1800 fixture and the v-stick but have hard time to program it look like the demo setting using the light studio software. Can any one help? Thanks.

[OscarMeyer]

Just got my Vertex as well, and i have to say im extremely impressed, although im having some major issues, wanted to see if anyone else was having these issues?

1. The screen on the light itself, on first start up loads completely fine, after about 3-4 hours of run time it just goes blank, still lights up but you cannot do anything because you cant see what programs your entering, or exiting. Only fix i have found is to unplug the unit, wait 5 mins and then she works again, for only 3-4 hours and then she back to the blank lit screen.

2. Im also having major issues with connectivity of the unit, to get the unit to sync, with the v-stick, i had to change the radio channel from 0 to 1, anyone else have to do this?

3. Now because i changed the radio channel to 1, i can no longer update the unit, after finally getting it to connect to the v-stick i went to check if there was updated software for the light unit, but says because its not on radio channel 0, it will not update, but by putting it back into radio channel 0, it wont sync with the v-stick?

4. having the same issues that, TheDogFather stated, about saving the program to the unit, i upload to the unit, and then save the log and settings and go to close the program only to have it say that i did not save, even tho i did?

5. 2 morning back to back now i have come out and found the unit at random values and having random pods of LED's on. ie... this morning i awoke to only find 1 of the 4 pods lit, i figured it was going to run through the system and was still starting up, it stayed this way until i got it synced to the v-stick where i had to program it all over again. the unit seems to lose its memory?

The version of software for the computer im using is 1.522, and from there website its also 1.522, the light unit itself version 1447. my LFS said that they were upto version 1.56? is that true? I also wanted to see if the mac version had been released yet?

Besides all these downsides, the light it produces, and the power it has, im extremely impressed, I may have just gotten a friday made unit or something?

I just wanted to see if anyone else was having these problems with they're units?

Cheers OscarMeyer

[Skimmerking]

Besides all these downsides, the light it produces, and the power it has, im extremely impressed, I may have just gotten a friday made unit or something?

Cheers OscarMeyer


paying that much money for a fixture, shouldn't have a problem with guys making them on a Friday. they all should be perfect.

[michika]

Oscar,

What size is the tank that you're running your fixture over?

I'm really curious about this fixture's front to back coverage.

[OscarMeyer]

paying that much money for a fixture, shouldn't have a problem with guys making them on a Friday. they all should be perfect.

I agree and was definitely something i was alittle ticked about, although the customer support I've received from my LFS(JL), and from Vertex has made up for the problems so far! and to me having the company back they're product is more important than anything!

Oscar,

What size is the tank that you're running your fixture over?

I'm really curious about this fixture's front to back coverage.

I have the light hanging over my RSM 130D, although i bought the light for my new tank (whenever i can afford it) and that will be a 30x30x18 semi cube, so far the coverage is awesome, although this tank is only 15"W.

I'll try to find the thread i found, where the guy bought a 12" unit, and had it for his 24x24x12 nano tank, he even said the 24" would cover a 30" tank no problems.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1884674&page=2

Cheers.

[notclear]

Just got my Vertex as well, and i have to say im extremely impressed, although im having some major issues, wanted to see if anyone else was having these issues?

1. The screen on the light itself, on first start up loads completely fine, after about 3-4 hours of run time it just goes blank, still lights up but you cannot do anything because you cant see what programs your entering, or exiting. Only fix i have found is to unplug the unit, wait 5 mins and then she works again, for only 3-4 hours and then she back to the blank lit screen.

Is it because of the power saving?

2. Im also having major issues with connectivity of the unit, to get the unit to sync, with the v-stick, i had to change the radio channel from 0 to 1, anyone else have to do this?

Same here. Sometimes I have to move my laptop with the v-stick very close to the fixture, i.e. within one foot!

3. Now because i changed the radio channel to 1, i can no longer update the unit, after finally getting it to connect to the v-stick i went to check if there was updated software for the light unit, but says because its not on radio channel 0, it will not update, but by putting it back into radio channel 0, it wont sync with the v-stick?

Try to move the v-stick closer to the fixture when syncing.

4. having the same issues that, TheDogFather stated, about saving the program to the unit, i upload to the unit, and then save the log and settings and go to close the program only to have it say that i did not save, even tho i did?

Same here, but it doesn't matter as it is already saved.

5. 2 morning back to back now i have come out and found the unit at random values and having random pods of LED's on. ie... this morning i awoke to only find 1 of the 4 pods lit, i figured it was going to run through the system and was still starting up, it stayed this way until i got it synced to the v-stick where i had to program it all over again. the unit seems to lose its memory?

It is because of the sync issue you might had encountered.

The version of software for the computer im using is 1.522, and from there website its also 1.522, the light unit itself version 1447. my LFS said that they were upto version 1.56? is that true? I also wanted to see if the mac version had been released yet?

Mac version has been released. Check thier web site.

Besides all these downsides, the light it produces, and the power it has, im extremely impressed, I may have just gotten a friday made unit or something?

I just wanted to see if anyone else was having these problems with they're units?

Cheers OscarMeyer

See answers above.

[OscarMeyer]

ooops just saw your writing

[gucci17]

should've changed the colour or bolded it to make it easier to distinguish between the question and answer.

[OscarMeyer]

Just got my Vertex as well, and i have to say im extremely impressed, although im having some major issues, wanted to see if anyone else was having these issues?

1. The screen on the light itself, on first start up loads completely fine, after about 3-4 hours of run time it just goes blank, still lights up but you cannot do anything because you cant see what programs your entering, or exiting. Only fix i have found is to unplug the unit, wait 5 mins and then she works again, for only 3-4 hours and then she back to the blank lit screen.

Q1: Is it because of the power saving?

2. Im also having major issues with connectivity of the unit, to get the unit to sync, with the v-stick, i had to change the radio channel from 0 to 1, anyone else have to do this?

Q2: Same here. Sometimes I have to move my laptop with the v-stick very close to the fixture, i.e. within one foot!

3. Now because i changed the radio channel to 1, i can no longer update the unit, after finally getting it to connect to the v-stick i went to check if there was updated software for the light unit, but says because its not on radio channel 0, it will not update, but by putting it back into radio channel 0, it wont sync with the v-stick?

Q3:Try to move the v-stick closer to the fixture when syncing.

4. having the same issues that, TheDogFather stated, about saving the program to the unit, i upload to the unit, and then save the log and settings and go to close the program only to have it say that i did not save, even tho i did?

Q4:Same here, but it doesn't matter as it is already saved.

5. 2 morning back to back now i have come out and found the unit at random values and having random pods of LED's on. ie... this morning i awoke to only find 1 of the 4 pods lit, i figured it was going to run through the system and was still starting up, it stayed this way until i got it synced to the v-stick where i had to program it all over again. the unit seems to lose its memory?

Q5:It is because of the sync issue you might had encountered.

The version of software for the computer im using is 1.522, and from there website its also 1.522, the light unit itself version 1447. my LFS said that they were upto version 1.56? is that true? I also wanted to see if the mac version had been released yet?

Q6:Mac version has been released. Check thier web site.

Besides all these downsides, the light it produces, and the power it has, im extremely impressed, I may have just gotten a friday made unit or something?

I just wanted to see if anyone else was having these problems with they're units?

Cheers OscarMeyer

See answers above.

Q1: Power Saving?

Q2: Unfortunately my laptop is my mac, so trying to move my desktop closer to the tank might cause some problems

Q3: See Q2

Q4: I agree with you, but i think this might be the cause of some of the problems, not all of it, but some of them!

Q5: Yup i completely agree.

Q6: I checked the Site saw the Mac and downloaded it, in the process of install now.

[OscarMeyer]

Bingo!!!


downloaded the mac version, and all problems so far have been fixed so far!

Syncing is 100% faster, i actually am able to set values in the special settings, overall 100 x times better!

I'm going to let the unit run for the night, and ill check it again in the morning to see if it still does the blank screen on the unit again!

[BlueTang<3]

What did i do wrong? Went to the site downloaded the mac software installed it. Got the vertex desktop , plugged in my v stick and nothing ??? Am i missing something.... Nothing happened when i plugged in the v stick should it of done something?

[OscarMeyer]

have you tried "update device" it seems to scan for the light, or what about reversing the order? say plug in the v-stick, then boot the program?

just checked the light, and screen lit up but blank again :(

[BlueTang<3]

So i am still having issues. Removed the program and re downloaded it, once downloaded ran the installer (dos based program) as soon as it opened it asked for a password added it and then instantly said complete. Launched the program and stick and i get nothing. I am terrible with computers :redface:. Free frags if someone comes and get this working ...

[Skimmerking]

WHAT FREE LIGHT TO HELP YOU OUT..... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

you dont need that light:lol:

[BlueTang<3]

no help ?? :sad:

[albert_dao]

no help ?? :sad:

Just sent an email to Vertex.

[OscarMeyer]

Did you try and do the update device? or changing the channel on the light?

[BlueTang<3]

Yeah nothing happens. My question is when you plugged in ur v stick did anything happen on your computer? Did it recognizes it some how?

[albert_dao]

Yeah nothing happens. My question is when you plugged in ur v stick did anything happen on your computer? Did it recognizes it some how?

Plug in the V-stick and look at your unit, does it ask you for a confirmation of connection? If it does, confirm the prompt and you should be in business.

[OscarMeyer]

Yeah nothing happens. My question is when you plugged in ur v stick did anything happen on your computer? Did it recognizes it some how?

No, i just put the stick in and nothing happened, loaded the program, selected my remote, then hit update device and it sync'ed right off the bat, maybe try re-installing the program?

[BlueTang<3]

thats my problem i have the v stick in and touching the light and nothing. I click up load or try to select channels and nothing changes.

[TheDogFather]

I personally am totally satisfied with the output of the Rebel LED's but Vertex just announced that the Illumina is to begin shipping with CREE LED's November 1st.

"Dear Aquarium enthusiast, business partner
We are happy to bring to you exciting news regarding our elegant, superior line of LED luminaries “Illumina SR series”.

As you are already aware, the LED technology is advancing forward rapidly.
This presents us with the opportunity to develop better and stronger
light sources that answer the needs of deeper aquariums and or aquarist
with extremely high demanding species.

Our original Illumina 200
fixtures have been equipped with “Luxeon Rebel” LEDs. While a great
product and proved to be more than sufficient for any type of light
demanding corals, new LEDs from Cree brand have been introduced that are
much higher in output while maintaining similar CRI index and core
temperature management curves.

On the other hand customer
feedback has us convinced that our current LEDs pack enough punch to
answer the needs of all, even the light hungriest Stony corals and or
other marine or fresh water flora and fauna. In most cases, users report
that the operational intensity of LEDs (especially for white channel)
had to be reduced to 40 – 60%.

Considering the above field data,
we have decided to keep the Illumina 200 luminaries in our program as
the cornerstone of our LED lighting that will be sufficient for any
aquaria.

However, to answer the needs of extremely deep aquariums
and or excessively light demanding species, we have decided to release
the Illumina 260 luminaries, equipped with Cree XPG 139lm/W LEDs.

Further to that Illumina 260 will be offered with much stronger Royal blue LEDs
the XPE-425mV and the stronger Blue LEDs the XPE-30.6lm/W.
This will make the Illumina 260 approximately upwards of 30% brighter and more
PAR capable of Illumina 200 which was already renowned for its light
output intensity.

Another exciting news; we are delighted to report that the Illumina 200 models have been updated to Cree LEDs as well.
This means all the new Illumina 200s shipped from the house of Vertex coming
this November 1st 2010 will be equipped with Cree White 100lm/W XPE,
Cree Royal Blue 350mV XPE and Cree Blue 23.6lm/W XPE.

Illumina 200’s new LED configuration will maintain the same intensity of
light-output both for White and blue channels, while intensifying the
Royal blue output by approximately 20% compared to the original Illumina
200. This in return enables the aquarist to further tweak their
Illumina 200s to their desired blue shade of light both for visual
effect and increased fluorescent pigment agitating illumination.
Table below will represent different versions of Illumina available up-to-date:

Other exciting news about Illumina SR series is the release of our beta test
MAC V-LINK software as well as introduction of auxiliary pads in other
colors such as Red and UV chips in different combinations.

All these new color modules will be controlled on separate channels. The
increased aptitude of color composition will further enhance both visual
effects, and the ability to better mimic a natural environment for
captive animals exactly as nature intended.

We look forward to hearing your feedback and review on our products and are looking forward to serving you in the near future.

Best Regards,
Vertex Aquaristik GmbH"

[gucci17]

They should allow you owners to pay for an upgrade and ship out your old fixtures for the new cree illuminas. :lol:

[TheDogFather]

They should allow you owners to pay for an upgrade and ship out your old fixtures for the new cree illuminas. :lol:

That may be an option but I personally don't think it's a worth while upgrade for existing Illumina owners... My guess is that the choice to move to CREE was for marketing reasons. The CRI on the Rebel's is near perfect and they put out plenty of light.

-TDF

[notclear]

Too bad I just got mine about a month ago. But to be honest, it has more light power than I need. I have to scale down to 45% white, 70% blue, and 90% royal blue.

But I do wish they have more blue and royal blue LEDs than the white ones. Right now each module has 8 white, 4 blue and 4 royal blue.

[purelife]

Ok i am setting mine all up right now..
I need some help with the Vlink i can connect and talk to you unit fine but not really sure what settings to put in place and how to send it to the unit properly so that it starts running the new settings

[TheDogFather]

Ok i am setting mine all up right now..
I need some help with the Vlink i can connect and talk to you unit fine but not really sure what settings to put in place and how to send it to the unit properly so that it starts running the new settings

On the light controls did you set it to Expert Mode? Once you do that you can program the advanced functions...

What size Illumina did you get? I can send you my config file that you can use as a starting point to set your fixture up with the advanced features and settings.

Cheers!

-TDF

[purelife]

I have the SR900, i will pm you my email address.
To send it to the unit you just upload correct?

[purelife]

When in expert mode do should you just be able to click and add new points?
Weird i'm having a hard time doing that. I loaded your config but i dont have any points for white or the blues

[TheDogFather]

When in expert mode do should you just be able to click and add new points?
Weird i'm having a hard time doing that. I loaded your config but i dont have any points for white or the blues

Can you post a screen shot?

[purelife]

I think its got your moon cycle in there..
Whats the difference from day& moon and startup-settings

7075

[purelife]

Think i got it figured out now!
my biggest issue was i had the time set to 8 Am.. I was trying to figure out why the hell the unit was doing a sunrise at 7pm at night..
:redface:

[purelife]

Can anyone help me with setting a lunar cycle.
I got it all setup but when i go to set the number of days till full moon it does something weird and disconnects from the unit when i put the number of days in and click ok.

So i found an error in the actual light!
They put the wrong color leds in my 2 pads close to the side where the power cord comes out.

I was showing the gf all the cool things the light can do when she asked me why 2 pads had different leds, at first we thought it was our eyes playing tricks on us but it is actually is wrong.
Where it should be blue i have royal blue leds in its place, so essentially that pad has all Royal blue.

[TheDogFather]

Can anyone help me with setting a lunar cycle.
I got it all setup but when i go to set the number of days till full moon it does something weird and disconnects from the unit when i put the number of days in and click ok.

So i found an error in the actual light!
They put the wrong color leds in my 2 pads close to the side where the power cord comes out.

I was showing the gf all the cool things the light can do when she asked me why 2 pads had different leds, at first we thought it was our eyes playing tricks on us but it is actually is wrong.
Where it should be blue i have royal blue leds in its place, so essentially that pad has all Royal blue.

There is nothing strange going on, when you enter a value for the number of days until the next full moon and click Ok it sends the new value to the fixture immediately and the fixture then restarts using the new value.

About the color problem, did you isolate the pod by selecting it in the Special Setting option using the enable buttons and then adjusting the colors using the compose color feature in the Day menu under actions? This will allow you to tun off all the other pods and just tweak the colors of the pod in question to confirm your suspicion that one of your pods only has RB LED's and not both RB and B...

Cheers!

-TDF

[Twinn]

Anyone remember the days when lights just had an on and off switch.

[purelife]

About the color problem, did you isolate the pod by selecting it in the Special Setting option using the enable buttons and then adjusting the colors using the compose color feature in the Day menu under actions? This will allow you to tun off all the other pods and just tweak the colors of the pod in question to confirm your suspicion that one of your pods only has RB LED's and not both RB and B...

Cheers!

-TDF

Yup i did that i also could just see it when i only select blue across all pods you can clearly see the difference between the remaining pods then turn on royal blue you can see that the leds in question match that color., I sent an email to Vertex and they asked for pictures which i responded with just waiting for them to reply back with what they think. Oh well i still love the unit just a small hiccup

[purelife]

Can someone else test this to make sure I'm not crazy?
First if your unit is hung like mine what you will see standing in front of the unit the power cord is to your right hand and the display is to your left.

Select light composer(on the physical light) and turn down all 3 colors to 0%
Next turn Blue on to 1% take note of where the LEDS are
Next turn on Royal Blue to 1% take note of where the LEDS are

Now if you have VLink go to compose color and do the same
Turn blue on to 1% take note
Turn Royal on to 1% take note

What i found is that when i turn Royal on 1% on the software its actually turning on the Blue lights. The blue LEDS should be on the back of the pods if you are facing it and it is hung like mine.

I wonder if its a bug in the software or just my unit

[purelife]

So there was a software bug i updated the firmware and that solved the reverse sliders.

But i still have the wrong LEDs which Vertex said they would fix for me i am just waiting to hear back from them. They have been super helpful during the whole time going back and forth in emails.

[purelife]

Vertex and Proline sorted me out on the LEDs quick to resolve :-):biggrin:

[purelife]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP8u2Zbs-LM

Quick video i put together for my light still messing around with it all!

[notclear]

Finally I also have some time to prepare one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a2BIg5bdnA

For those who just got the fixture and are wondering how to program the fixture using the V-link software, be sure to check this out first, it will save you some time :)

[TheDogFather]

Finally I also have some time to prepare one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a2BIg5bdnA

For those who just got the fixture and are wondering how to program the fixture using the V-link software, be sure to check this out first, it will save you some time :)

Nice work and great looking tank!

-TDF

[notclear]

Thanks and thank you for your help along the way!

[notclear]

For those who own the fixture, Vertex has new software and firmware updates on their website!

[TheDogFather]

For those who own the fixture, Vertex has new software and firmware updates on their website!

I highly recommend everyone upgrade the VertexDesktop Windows application to version 1630 and flash all LED pads to firmware version 1631 to get the full benefit of this latest release!

Cheers!

-TDF

[purelife]

Of course i check it last night when i saw the post i said to myself i will update first thing before work. Now that i check the website is down just my luck.

[TheDogFather]

Of course i check it last night when i saw the post i said to myself i will update first thing before work. Now that i check the website is down just my luck.

You can grab the files from here (http://db.tt/xKxaj8X) until the web site comes back...

Cheers!

-TDF

[notclear]

Finally I also have some time to prepare one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a2BIg5bdnA

For those who just got the fixture and are wondering how to program the fixture using the V-link software, be sure to check this out first, it will save you some time :)

I have redone the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOACyN4AOS0

You can now select 720p to view it.

[TheDogFather]

Please take a moment and vote for my Vertex contest entry (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vertex-Aquaristik-GmbH/339077275866?v=app_138079047824) (ThePugFather)!

Thank you for your support!

-TDF

[notclear]

For the vote, I think it will be very hard to beat those kids in the high school!

[TheDogFather]

For the vote, I think it will be very hard to beat those kids in the high school!

Yeah, as soon as I saw that a school entered I knew it was pretty much game over...

Ah, well... Making the video was a heck of a lot of fun and I feel like I gave it a good shot.

-TDF

[Judy Waytiuk]

just unpacked my new Vertex 200 60 inch unit.... no power cords. three adapters, one splitter, no power cords-- they are supposed to come with power cords, aren't they? :sad:

[AquaticFinatic]

yup they should be in one of the small brown boxes. sweet light hope you have fun with it!

[Judy Waytiuk]

nope, no cords... called the LFS I ordered it through, he called the supplier and they're couriering the cords from Vancouver... now I just have to pluck up enough courage to hang them...stud, stud, where's the frickin' stud...

[Judy Waytiuk]

Well, the power cords came-- after ten days because the warehouse apparently "forgot" to give them to the UPS delivery guy (had I known they were just standard computer cords, I could gone out and bought them here in Winnipeg in five minutes).
Plugged it all in, only to find one of the inputs on the splitter box does not work. and the slot on the box that takes the fixture's control cable must have something wrong with it, too, because the control cable is clearly designed to "click" into the splitter box, and it does not. Minor moving of the splitter box causes the control cable to slip out and it has to be gently put back in, whereupon the unit re-initializes. Fortunately, the unit has so far unfailingly saved the custom settings and returns to them when it goes back on. Having to reprogram every time would have driven me nuts by now.
The two banks of lights that do work right now -- white (thank heaven) and one of the blues (royal, I think but am not sure without the other blue bank to compare to) are lovely! I'm sure when the third bank is added to the mix, it will be really quite remarkable...
BUT-- for $3300, these problems should NOT have cropped up!!
I am torn between being a happy customer because these lights look great already, and I am sure will be really, really great once they are working properly-- and being a totally cheesed-off customer because I have had them now for almost a month and they still aren't working properly!!
I just hope the workmanship on the lamps does not turn out to be a shoddy as the quality control-- which should have shipped the required cables that DO comes with the unit-- or the lousy workmanship that went into this crappy splitter box!
It's one thing designing a wonderful lighting system. It's another having the service orientation to make sure the light gets to the customer in proper condition.

[AquaticFinatic]

sorry to read about your issues but once you get past them you will be soooooooooooo happy with your light! I cant say money well spent but sure wont be going back.

[Judy Waytiuk]

oh, i know-- i can tell from just the two banks of lights. It's wonderful!!!
(the light unit's control cable should "click" into the splitter box and hold, right???)

[AquaticFinatic]

Yup they should just push together and stay. Are they sending you a new part?

[Judy Waytiuk]

that's what I thought. I just hope it's the splitter box and not the plastic clip on the fixture's control cable-- because THAT piece is hard-wired into the UNIT!! I can't tell from visual inspection that there's anything wrong with the control cable. but with my luck....:redface:

haven't heard back yet-- it was late Friday afternoon by the time I picked up the cables, got home, and got the thing plugged in. I hope to hear back on Monday...

[Judy Waytiuk]

Just heard from Albert, bless his sunday afternoon working soul... he's shipping a fresh splitter box to my home, putting it out tomorrow for delivery. he has been quite patient with my brand of fishy infuriation.

[AquaticFinatic]

Albert is a good dude so I'm not surprised he's helping you on a Sunday.

[Judy Waytiuk]

it will be soooooooooo nice to see those lights in their proper glory. The corals are already loving the light-- bigger, puffier, and i have never seen such great colour.
wowowowowow
Monday morning: the splitter box is here! plugged it in and it is working perfectly on both sides-- plug ins and lighting unit connection.
aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. now that is pretty.
double wow.
boy, are the corals happy. and so am I! Thank you, ALBERT!!!

[TJSlayer]

What size would one reccomend for a 75 gallon setup?

the 3ft or 4ft model?

Thanks
TJ

[Skimmerking]

it will be soooooooooo nice to see those lights in their proper glory. The corals are already loving the light-- bigger, puffier, and i have never seen such great colour.
wowowowowow
Monday morning: the splitter box is here! plugged it in and it is working perfectly on both sides-- plug ins and lighting unit connection.
aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. now that is pretty.
double wow.
boy, are the corals happy. and so am I! Thank you, ALBERT!!!

Jud y I need to come to your place and see the lights :biggrin:

[Judy Waytiuk]

sure thing. let me know when you want to swing by...

re what size for 75 gallon-- what is the tank's depth and footprint?

[TJSlayer]

Tank is your standard 48 x 18 x 18 or 20 I think....

[AquaticFinatic]

A 3' will be more than fine for your tank. :wink:

[abcha0s]

Hey TheDogFather

The first post in this thread was 7/7/2010. You've had your light for over 8 months now. Are you seeing any coral growth? - Do you have any progression pictures for the last 8 months?

There are lots of Vertex Illuminia owners on this thread now. Has anyone had good growth?

For what it's worth, I am now also a 260 owner. I'll put pictures in my thread sometime in the next week. No doubt it's a nice light, but I sure hope the corals like it!

- Brad

[azulikit]

Anyone trying to use Vertex lighting on a Mac? I have been unable get the web based programming to work on Mac and sadly I had to pull out the old PC to run the software. It is supposed to be supported by Mac but it doesn't work. At least his is the case for me and a few others I have come across.

[abcha0s]

Hey TheDogFather

The first post in this thread was 7/7/2010. You've had your light for over 8 months now. Are you seeing any coral growth? - Do you have any progression pictures for the last 8 months?

There are lots of Vertex Illuminia owners on this thread now. Has anyone had good growth?

For what it's worth, I am now also a 260 owner. I'll put pictures in my thread sometime in the next week. No doubt it's a nice light, but I sure hope the corals like it!

- Brad

Is no news good or bad?

TheDogFather, I'm really hoping that you've been busy and haven't had the time to catch up on Canreef. There is a lot of positive feedback around how great the Vertex technology is. So much so that I personally made the investment in an 260 - SR1800. However, I can't find any credible sources that can show good coral growth. With the lights having been available for almost a year now, I am hopeful that we start getting some reports back about amazing growth. As one of the biggest proponents of the Vertex Illumina name, please share your experience with us.

This thread, and your posting on RC, has been some of the biggest sources of information for the Vertex Illumina technology. Let's try to get some feedback from those who have invested in this technology and let people know if the Vertex LED technology is suitable for reef tanks.

Your tank looked awesome 8 months ago! - Can you share a recent picture?

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Aquarium-Fans/Vertex%20Illumina%20LED/P1010278.jpg

- Brad

[AquaticFinatic]

Well I have no pictures to show but this light is awesome! I have had some good growth with my 5' 260. Friends have given me corals that were on the verge on death and now they are going strong. I have had my light since Jan and have had no problems with it.

[abcha0s]

Well I have no pictures to show but this light is awesome! I have had some good growth with my 5' 260. Friends have given me corals that were on the verge on death and now they are going strong. I have had my light since Jan and have had no problems with it.

For sure I agree this light is awesome. First class all the way, but that's not my concern. Your success is also encouraging, but I'm really hoping we can get some evidence of long term success?

There are many reports of tanks doing well over short periods of time and then taking a turn for the worse. There are very few people that claim long term success. As the OP has had this light for 8 months and claims excellent growth, I am still hopeful that he will share pictures to support this. There is no one better qualified to address this question than TheDogFather as he brought in one of the very first lights.

Another Canreef thread just took an interesting turn - Post 8: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=74046

- Brad

[OscarMeyer]

For sure I agree this light is awesome. First class all the way, but that's not my concern. Your success is also encouraging, but I'm really hoping we can get some evidence of long term success?

There are many reports of tanks doing well over short periods of time and then taking a turn for the worse. There are very few people that claim long term success. As the OP has had this light for 8 months and claims excellent growth, I am still hopeful that he will share pictures to support this. There is no one better qualified to address this question than TheDogFather as he brought in one of the very first lights.

Another Canreef thread just took an interesting turn - Post 8: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=74046

- Brad

I dont know what your looking for the light has only been out alittle over a year? sooo really and truly the long term haul for these lights have yet to be proven, LED technology on the other hand, has been proven over and over again, and has been in the Saltwater industry for quite a while, sure it hasn't been as main stream as it is now, but there are many tanks that have been using LED as full lighting and for supplemental, and all tanks have had great color and growth from the corals.

Im searching for a thread now on a another forum. Shes been using Par38's over her tank for quite a while and she has had some excellent growth.

Ummmmmm I'm interested in reading these threads your saying that they had amazing improvements with the light, and then took a turn for the worse? I would like to see some proof? I find blaming the light the easy way out, there are to many factors that come into play when your talking about growth and color.

I hope I'm not coming off as rude here, but you bought the light, get it on your tank and find out for yourself? I mean you have already made that investment, and if your starting to worry about your investment now, just return it and get a MH setup, but say hello to a high electricity bill, and have fun changing your bulbs every 6-8 months, and for that reason, along with many others, going to a full LED setup made perfect sense to me!

Another thing you have to think about, Vertex Aquaristik, is a pretty big company, and I'm almost 100% certain, a company of that size has put numerous hours into this light, to make sure it can support coral growth. I also don't see them putting a product on the market where it could be detrimental to your tank. This is just my personal opinion though.

Cheers Todd

Also My build thread doesn't have to many photos of growth, but in the 4-5 months of having my light, the PE, and the growth i have seen has been amazing! I do nothing besides a 25% water change weekly.

[abcha0s]

Let’s establish what we all agree on first:


I think the question as to whether LED lighting can create an environment in which corals thrive and exhibit good growth has been answered. It can.
LED lights are bright. There is no lack of visible light.
The Vertex Illumina lighting systems are awesome!

However, it’s really not that simple. A better question to ask might be “Is it more challenging to create an environment in which corals thrive and exhibit good growth when using LED vs. MH?”.

Consider T5 lighting. There are many examples of magnificent tanks where the primary lighting is T5. Just look at Lobsterboy’s tank. His main lighting has always been T5. However, most reef keepers who are serious about SPS have traditionally relied on MH even though T5 does have some advantages. It’s easy to assume this is simply a question of PAR, but there is always more than one variable.

Consider the SPS tank at J&L that has the Vertex LED lighting. I haven’t seen this tank and don’t know it’s history, but perhaps the details aren’t all that important. It’s been suggested that this tank hasn’t lived up to expectations under LED lighting, but that the reason might have nothing to do with the lighting. It could be water parameters, flow or perhaps even mishandling of the corals. However, saying that it might have nothing to do with the lighting does not rule out the possibility that it has everything to do with the lighting. J&L does have other tanks that are not having the same problem.

Coral and in particular what we call SPS coral are incredibly sensitive. There are many people who try unsuccessfully to keep SPS in their tanks. For others, it doesn’t seem that challenging, but perhaps we discount the hard work that we put into our tanks. Being successful doesn’t make it easy.

Also consider all of the stories where a coral won’t grow in one tank (where other corals are thriving) but when moved to another tank, the same coral takes off. Often it’s difficult to explain why the coral did poorly in one tank and thrived in another. It’s probably reasonable to speculate that the coral in question was outside of its optimum conditions in the first tank and within its optimum conditions in the second. Exactly where these lines are drawn on a per species basis is challenging to understand at the best of times, but we do understand that it is not the same for every species. All we can do is try to create an environment that is as close to optimum as possible and hope that we select corals that fit within the a safe variance.

Corals require a number of conditions to be in balance in order to thrive. The most commonly cited are Temp, Salinity, pH, Lighting, Flow, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium. There are countless others, some of which are known and being researched. Some of which we are likely unaware of at present but may be inadvertently providing through secondary sources.

Here’s my point. Coral’s are living things and can be stressed. Stress can be minor or major. Consider a scale where 0 is at complete peace and 10 is basically certain death. It’s probably reasonable that even in the ocean, corals are constantly living with a stress level of 1 or 2. Now let’s say that the nitrate spikes for a couple of days. Maybe these corals are now stressed to a 4 or 5. If there’s no plantonic food in the tank, stress elevates to a 7. If the temperature shifts, stress is now an 8. If the MH bulbs are replaced and the light intensity suddenly increases, the coral is stressed to the point of a 10 and dies. However, if the same coral had been fragged in the ocean and put into a shallow water holding area (more intense lighting but the same ocean water conditions), it would probably be fine. Of course you have to consider the degree to which the light intensity changed, but you get the idea.

Many factors contribute to coral stress. There is no question that lighting is one of these factors. Changing MH bulbs can stress or kill coral if not managed properly and is one of the reasons why I opted for LED lighting. However, MH lighting does have a long term and proven history of success on SPS tanks suggesting that it is not a significant factor contributing to coral stress. We simply don’t have this same data as it relates to LED lighting.

If LED lighting is a contributing factor to coral stress, it would still be possible to have an amazing SPS tank, it would just be significantly more difficult. If your starting point was a stressed coral, then you would need to keep your water parameters near perfect just too see any kind of real growth.

I can say from firsthand experience that SPS under MH lighting can tolerate a reasonably wide range of water parameters. The SPS in my 90G tank with MH lighting are thriving and I have posted pictures of this. This tank has not had perfect water parameters at all times, yet the SPS are just fine.

I don’t claim to be an expert on coral health. I am just learning like the rest of us. I’ve had some successes and failures; however, the whole reef hobby is watching with great anticipation to see how this new technology for lighting our tanks plays out.

There are many experienced reef keepers who have diligently researched the topic of LED lighting and are now testing these lights on their tanks. There are an equal number of experienced reef keepers who have done the same research and came to the conclusion that the technology was unproven and the concerns were unanswered. There are examples of success and failures, but it’s not always easy to say why. I personally am on the fence but perhaps the only way to know for sure is to see for oneself and thus I made the investment.

Short of marine biology at the PhD level, the only research that the average hobbyist can rely on is observational. TheDogFather has a unique opportunity to share his experience with the Vertex light because he has owned his longer than any other poster on Canreef or RC. We also have pictures of his tank from 8 months ago, so it should be easy to post some comparison shots. I am still hopeful that he will post an update.

Sorry for the long post.

- Brad

[StirCrazy]

Sorry for the long post.

- Brad

as you should be. :mrgreen:

LED lighting is not anything new. it has ben used fro growing plants for what, about 10 years now ( don't quote me on the 10 years.. its to damn early for me to look up when Nasa started conducting there experaments, and it was being used befor that even)

at any rate the only problem at this pont with LEDs is purley in the looks department for some people. I suspect the SPS at J&L look just fine, but rather the person looking at them doesn't like the look that they have the LED adjusted to. also they color of LEDs used in the fixture can make a huge difference.

for instances I wouldn't buy a fixture that uses cool white and royal blue, but I would buy one that uses nutral white and royal blue because I don't like the blue washout look of the CW combo and to me it makes some corals look not great.

Also.. everyone has there own "Look" they like. some people like the 20K look, some the 8K look, some 14K. I like the 12.5K look so to me nothing in a different light is going to look so good. hence the beauty of LEDs. a properly built system will give you all the requirments for healthy growth as well as the ability to custom tune your color. as for J&Ls system you can't factor a high volume store as a good tester of anything.

I havent seen these "one year then everything looks bad" but I have seen several 2 to 3 year tanks with LEDs that are stunning.

on the same tolken I have seen many MH tanks that look real bad, and I have seen MH tanks that look real good. same with VHO, PC, T5. lighting is such a small part of coral health, you have to concider water quality (probably the most important ) water temp, water flow, food, fish type, ect...

Steve

[nali2010]

I seem to be haven trouBle uploading my graphs it keeps saying error saving customs mode is anyone else than this problem? I tried re installing and it worked once. It also says is can't find loud settings. Any help would be appriated! And is there a way to con net the illumilux to this unit?

[wayner]

He's baaack!

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=18620582&posted=1#post18620582

[TheDogFather]

He's baaack!

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=18620582&posted=1#post18620582

I'm back.... Sorry, I've been really busy with work and distracted by new car etc...

Although I just purchased a new 24" Illumina 260 for the basement frag tank I have come to the conclusion that looking after two tanks is just too time consuming for me at this point and I have decided to sell the tank and fixture.

Cheers!

-TDF

UPDATE: The light is sold.