Advise about Giesemann Aurora V8 hybrid fixture

[fmuakkassa]

I am considering buying a Giesemann T5/LED hybrid light fixture for my aquarium (see below link)

https://www.giesemann.de/en/light/hybrid/aurora-v8

I have a well-established 180 G reef aquarium with live rock, fish, shrimp, snails, crabs, and soft corals only. It has been running for 20 years with two 175-watt Metal Halides and 2 compact fluorescent dual actinic bulbs. About 10 days ago, the magnetic ballast smoked and melted the power cables coming from the halides and I unplugged the unit. I was leaving out of the country for Christmas break 2 days after that happened, so I searched local aquarium stores, and none had a replacement dual metal halide or 2 single ones (magnetic or electronic) so I got Some Fluval Sea LED lights (25,000 K, 32 watts) and placed them over the aquarium for the week I was out.

I liked the LEDs as they were able to penetrate to the bottom of the tank (24 inches deep) and offered a lot of customization and programing. I was never able to keep hard corals and I think it was due to poor lighting (and probably other factors) as the retrofit metal halides hung about 2 feet above the surface of the aquarium.

So, after hours upon hours of reading and searching, I am taking this opportunity to upgrade my lighting to a hybrid T5/LED system as it seems to be the better option now (although metal halides are still considered the gold standards by some).

So I need a light fixture that I can hang with cables above the aquarium, and I can bring them down to about 8 - 10 inches above the water level for better lighting and can take them up for maintenance. I have been eyeing Giesemann products for years but never pulled the plug on one of their nice fixtures. I contacted multiple US retailers, and none carry them. I contacted Giesemann in Germany and they can sell me an Aurora V8 with customized power supply/ballast that run on 120v/60 Hz current and ship FedEX.

I know there are other hybrid light fixtures available in the US and cheaper than the Giesemann.

Any advice about the Aurora V8, reliability of Giesemann products, service etc.
Am I making the right decision? I want to move up in reef keeping with keeping some hard corals.

Thanks

 

[LQT]

My understanding of the Aurora fixture is that its par performance is less than stellar due to the fact that the LEDs have no lenses or reflectors to punch through on deeper tanks. The LED boards are just bare diodes without any optics.

Here is a review and discussion of the Aurora in a prior ReefCentral thread…

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2515803

 

[wishntoboutside]

I have used the older version of the light and had great success with corals growth and colors of my SPS. End of day that light was not a par killer. if anything, it was a little low. The led clusters were only 95 watts if I recall so I often wondered if it was the T5 that was growing everything. I am now using the Phillips Coral Care light and getting better growth but less shimmer in the lights.

 

[fmuakkassa]

My understanding of the Aurora fixture is that its par performance is less than stellar due to the fact that the LEDs have no lenses or reflectors to punch through on deeper tanks. The LED boards are just bare diodes without any optics.

Here is a review and discussion of the Aurora in a prior ReefCentral thread"¦

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2515803

Thanks for the link. Interesting thread. That is from 2015. The new model Aurora V8 has dimmable T5 (from 0-100%) and can be programmed via an iPhone (a plus).
You make a good point about the LED component.

Giesemann also makes the Stellar hybrid system where they provide the T5 lamps (2 on each side rather than 4 on each side for the Aurora V8), but you can put any LED lights you want in the middle. This could be an attractive option for me, come to think about it, as the T5 technology is mature yet the LED technology is still developing. This means that the Stellar can be upgraded as new LED technology emerges while the Aurora V8 is not. Also the Stellar is available in the USA and cheaper than the Aurora.

I'll look at the Stellar reviews