About to buy 2 Black Box - down to 3 choices:

M

meegwell

New member
90g 4ft mixed tank mostly fish, some corals mostly soft.

I have been scratching my head and reading a lot here. I know I want 2 "165w" (120) fixtures. I want them to come on and off - seperate timers for each channel is a plus, and I like the one with only one plug per unit (the 247).

Anything else I should consider? prices vary on these three from ~$200 to ~$400 for two units.
 
Drop mars aqua.. Its 2 plugs and requires 2 "lamp" timers or similar for on/off control..
Channel intensity must be manually controlled via the dials on top..
But if you are ok with that and want the lowest cost option then its fine..

If you want to mount the light on top of the tank and the dimensions of the bracket work with your tank then the T247 has that..
If you want to "hang" the lights then both will do that..

They are "basically" the same after that..

Choice is yours.. Either will work well..
 
mcgyvr said:
Drop mars aqua.. Its 2 plugs and requires 2 "lamp" timers or similar for on/off control..
Channel intensity must be manually controlled via the dials on top..
But if you are ok with that and want the lowest cost option then its fine..

If you want to mount the light on top of the tank and the dimensions of the bracket work with your tank then the T247 has that..
If you want to "hang" the lights then both will do that..

They are "basically" the same after that..

Choice is yours.. Either will work well..
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
I AGREE The mars aqua does not meet your criteria..

Now the other two. They actually have the same timers, Same brand of leds and so on.
The ocean revive is a more slim look.. but for me the timer is on the end. if you have a canopy you will not be able to see to program it.. Even thou it has a remote you still have to see the panel.. This is why i went with the VIPARSPECTRA.

The timers are facing the front of the tank..... They also have a 3 year warranty ..


Both will be fine
 
The Ocean Revive will work fine. I set them up in a wooden canopy, put some stainless hooks from the top and unhook one end when needing to program the timer. Easy enough.
 
Just kiddn. They work alright, especially with softies. If you're on a budget do what you gotta do.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
Very different spectrums it looks like. VIPAR has much more whites it in and less RB, but does have some NW. Oceanrevive much more normal ratio but all cool whites. It would probably be more pleasing to the eye. I haven't seen the VIPAR in person though.

Either of them you could swap out LEDs for pretty cheap though if you have a soldering iron, I've done it with no experience before.
 
timnem70 said:
Just kiddn. They work alright, especially with softies. If you're on a budget do what you gotta do.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I've seen sps reefs do just fine with them for years. . It's all in how you use the lights more so than who made them. :)
 
U can get those 2 cords=>1cord and plug both blues to one outlet, and whites to the other like I did for my marsaqua
 
All depends on how good you feel your DIY skills are.

I have 2 of the mars aqua lights on my 80 cube, which means 4 plugs, but I only have 2 plugs going into the wall. Also if you have an apex they are pretty easy to get working with ramping, and timers.

Still the cheapest option, and with a little DIY they work just like lights that are easily 5 times the price.
 
timnem70 said:
Just kiddn. They work alright, especially with softies. If you're on a budget do what you gotta do.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Not necessarily on a budget. Just don't throw away stupid money. These boxes have been proven to do quite well growing anything. Truth.
 
The 3 year warranty was the final straw. Thanks to almost everyone here for the constructive informed input!

Btw I am replacing a maristarII 2x250 hiqi MH + 4T5 unit and I can't wait to trash that big heavy inefficient $1,000+ heater!
 
Just throwing my two cents in here. I am not a lighting expert.

If you only want to use one outlet per light, you can by a 2 outlet extension cord/Y splitter, and still use a light that has 2 cords on a single outlet.

I just bought 2 that have two cords. I am going to plug both of the blue channels into one socket on my APEX EB using one of these splitter, and both of the white channels into another socket on my EB, and use the Apex to turn them one and off.

You could do the same thing with a timer.

Again, just my two cents.
 
homer1475 said:
All depends on how good you feel your DIY skills are.

I have 2 of the mars aqua lights on my 80 cube, which means 4 plugs, but I only have 2 plugs going into the wall. Also if you have an apex they are pretty easy to get working with ramping, and timers.

Still the cheapest option, and with a little DIY they work just like lights that are easily 5 times the price.
Click to expand...

I was considering getting an apex myself. When you say ramping, do you mean you are able to have the lights come in lower and move to higher power through the apex controller?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Bloomspect Chinese black box
Replies
5
Views
886
alton
alton
W
Cheap Black Box help
2
Replies
29
Views
3K
Ron Reefman
Ron Reefman
K
Lighting for 20g (my head is spinning)
Replies
1
Views
349
kaiimac
K
A
Sunrise and sunset on OceanRevive® Arctic-T247
Replies
2
Views
1K
Amiaki
A
A
Green Star Polyps closing at the day time.
Replies
14
Views
3K
hotelbravo
hotelbravo
Back
Top