Anyone see or using this CBB LED?

[DesertReefT4r]

Im planning a new tank build and currently researching everything since I have been out of reefing for almost 4 years. The China Black Box LED lights like the Mars 165w have always had me interested and I have been researching them since they came out. While looking on E bay I found this unit https://www.ebay.com/itm/PopularGro...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 and it has me very interested due to the multi LED COBs on the ends as opposed to the Mars style useing several individual LEDS. Does anyone have any experiece with this fixture? I would think the PAR/PUR spread/coverage would be better than the Mars style which looses PAR fast on the outer edges of light spread. I know the draw backs of the China fixtures but i just cant afford a $400-1000 LED light system so lets not make this a CBB lights suck thread please.

 

[Ron Reefman]

IMHO it's a 50:50 issue. And it depends a some on what kind of lens is on the big chip led.

You are probably more right than wrong about the PAR at the outer edges, but I don't think it will be a huge improvement. Hardly worth the risk of buying fixtures that nobody else is using.

On the other hand, this is VERY much a single point (really a 2 point) light source vs other BB fixtures that use a spread of leds. That means the shadows due to single light source will be even more dramatic and cause the shadow sides of coral to struggle even more than with an led fixture that uses a spread of leds. That's part of why I don't care for Radions or AI fixtures (that plus the silly high costs).

If you use enough of them over your tank (say 3 hung front to back over a 4' long tank), it may be OK, but I'd much rather use the same number of regular BB fixtures with a full spread of leds and get far more even light and far less shadows.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Thank for your thoughts. I will being need 1-2 LED light depending on what tank size I go with 24" or 36" wide tank. I will also be running some T5s along with the LED to help with shading.