I have used these for my reef system for about 6 months. Similar to mseepman, I swapped out the tube for something more directed for reefs. I used a single tube over my 10 gallon and found that it was more than enough. I have moved onto Par38s for my reef now since then.
However, I have been using these for the past year for my planted fresh water tanks. Although I cannot vouch that these do not last past 3 years, I can say I love them very much. At $30 a pop, these are insanely cheap compared to other fixtures on the market for aquariums. They have been growing my plants very well and are very bright with the reflector. Been over a year of using these and have ZERO complaints or dislikes.
Hope that helps.
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