Before and after Sunbrite F Series videos.

[jtbadco]

I will be getting my Sunbrite LED's this thursday so I wanted to post one last video of my tank under the quad T5 HO lights.

On Thursday I will post another video once I get things set up. I anticipate quite a difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7JKtxaqmds&feature=youtu.be

[Cal_stir]

Very nice!

Can I ask what the clown is hosting?, is it a coral or a nem?

[jtbadco]

Thanx

its a toadstool

[Cal_stir]

Thanks, I've never seen one with such long tentacles, it's got some WOW there.

[Doug]

Very nice tank and video. Which t-5 fixture are you running?

[jtbadco]

Thanx

Its just an Odyssea

[jtbadco]

Well, here is the after video. Got my unit set up and running. Looks good.
Definitely like the shimmer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnkoA8W1F38&feature=youtu.be

Early critique....

I don't know if it was my expectations but I expected it to be brighter?!? I have the unit at 100% on all 6 channels and it is only slightly brighter than my T5 HO's were. The quality of the light may be much different however and the effects on coral growth are yet to be seen.

Definitely should have extended the casing down on the front of the light. If you sit at eye level with the tank, the glare is blinding. I covered the front of my lights with a 3" strip of reflective silver mylar.

Also, feet are somewhat adjustable in length but not in height.

You can hear the fan on the ballast turning on and off regularly,...it's noticeable but not too distracting. I think if they had it running continuously but at a lower speed it wouldn't be as noticeable.

Haven't started to play with the Android app yet

[syncro]

Thanks for the video. Great tank. What do you think of:

- color your corals under these lights vs the T5s?
- do some corals look better or worse under these lights?
- notice any color separation at the edge of shadows (disco ball)?
- shimmmer?
- can you dim the lights really low and use for moonlighting?
- how hard/easy is it to control?

[jtbadco]

- color your corals under these lights vs the T5s?
The color is better. It's only been one day but the colors are getting more intense.
- do some corals look better or worse under these lights?
all look better
- notice any color separation at the edge of shadows (disco ball)?
there are no optics with these. No noticeable separation.
- shimmmer?
there is a nice shimmer. Not crazy disco shimmer like with the Kessils, similar to MH.
- can you dim the lights really low and use for moonlighting?
you can program all 6 channels independetly so you can have a gradual sunrise/sunset, moonlights. If you use the App you can program anything you want like storms, etc.
- how hard/easy is it to control?
I've only used the manual controls to adjust the color brightness. I haven't tried manual programming yet or the Android App

[Treebeard]

Thanks for posting this information. I was concerned about the lack of reflectors to focus the light on the tank, but I guess it is not a deal breaker.
You say the Sunbrite does not appear much brighter than your old T5 fixture. How many bulbs are in the Odyssea?

[jtbadco]

After the initial set up and run ,...I took another more detailed look today.

They are quite a bit brighter than my T5's,...I did a side by side comparison and there is no doubt. I have actually turned them down to 70-75%.

I also noticed that all of my LPS are more full today, more fleshy, and better polyp extension on the sps. Not sure if this has to do with the light or not.

The colors are alot more vibrant and I love the shimmer.

There is a little color separation at the edge of shadows I noticed but only very small patches. Hardly noticeable.

Only real issue I've had is that the LED's shine almost directly where the optimum viewing angle is. I have made a makeshift canopy to block the glare so it doesn't bother me.
If the manufacturers extended the cover down on the front of the unit at a 45 degree angle it would solve this issue and wouldn't block any useable light.

All in all I am pretty happy with my investment already and I am looking forward to seeing the growth results.

[mess7777]

taggin along, interested to see how it goes as these lights have a great price point.

great looking tank by the way!

[jtbadco]

Thanx!!!

[blacknife]

Looks good, moving these a little higher up my want list for upgrades.

[mess7777]

you have a lot of euphyllias and all doing well. What is giving you the nice flow?

[jtbadco]

I am running two Koralia 1050's and two Aquaclear 70 HOB's.

The AC70's are of course front to back. the koralias on each side facing up and towards each other

It seems to provide a 'natural' looking opposing current

[Snaz]

Certainly the colour balance with the LEDs is better. The florescence bulbs were very blue and washed out whites.

[mess7777]

I am running two Koralia 1050's and two Aquaclear 70 HOB's.

The AC70's are of course front to back. the koralias on each side facing up and towards each other

It seems to provide a 'natural' looking opposing current

AC70s, are these running as a fuge or the actual filter?

[syncro]

Thanks for sharing! Keep us updated on what you think. Where did you buy this unit from and how much did it cost?

[jtbadco]

I got it from ReefSupplies.ca for $1221 including taxes and shipping

The AC70's have a sponge, filter floss and LR rubble in them

[badAZZlars]

I got my fixture yesterday. Aside from a few quality control issues which I can get past im happy so far.

The fixture is very slim and nice looking over my tank. I was happy to see the cable come out the back of the fixture instead one end like in the pre production designs.

[Foxface]

After the initial set up and run ,...I took another more detailed look today.

They are quite a bit brighter than my T5's,...I did a side by side comparison and there is no doubt. I have actually turned them down to 70-75%.

I also noticed that all of my LPS are more full today, more fleshy, and better polyp extension on the sps. Not sure if this has to do with the light or not.

The colors are alot more vibrant and I love the shimmer.

There is a little color separation at the edge of shadows I noticed but only very small patches. Hardly noticeable.

Only real issue I've had is that the LED's shine almost directly where the optimum viewing angle is. I have made a makeshift canopy to block the glare so it doesn't bother me.
If the manufacturers extended the cover down on the front of the unit at a 45 degree angle it would solve this issue and wouldn't block any useable light.

All in all I am pretty happy with my investment already and I am looking forward to seeing the growth results.

Any new updates with these lights? I'm thinking of getting the 48" F series. Any issues with these leds?
Any info would be helpful. (re: growth of your corals) Thank you.

[jtbadco]

I have been running these lights for almost a year. One of the red LEDs burnt out after only 6 months use.

They are ok, but I have seen a ton of DIY units since I bought mine and you can have better lights made for cheaper.

The programmability is nice but you are better off buying a Neptune or reef keeper elite and getting a DIY unit built.

They are much better than the T5s I had previously but the 3w blues, purples, greens and reds are not powerful enough to get a good color mix with the 5w whites.

If you are looking for a store bought unit I have heard tons of good stuff about the Mitras and it is around the same price.

[mess7777]

I believe coverage wise you would need 2 mitras to cover your tank, meaning it's about 2x the price?

How are your corals growing? The price on these is down to $899 because the F2 is coming out. It's a pretty attractive price point for the features.

[Simons]

who carries the V2 series in Calgary? I know Big Al's doesn't.