Anyone using Viparspectra lights?

[Robmax]

Hi guys not sure if I am posting in the right place or not. sorry if im not.

I am in the process of upgrading my 50 gallon reef tank to a 120 gallon and am looking into using 2 viparspectra 165w lights.

Is anyone using these and would you recommend them?

How do you find coral growth with them?

Thanks in advance.

 

[mcgyvr]

Yes quite a few use them and they can grow corals just fine..

 

[Robmax]

Thanks. I think ill go for them so

 

[ReefsandGeeks]

I use them and they work well. what are the dimensions of your 120? 2 lights would work, but 3 may give better coverage. I have a 300, and a 165 W over my 6ft 150 gallon, and wish I had 2 of the long 300W ones simply for even light coverage. Mine grow coral just fine, even at 29" depth.

 

[Uncle99]

Me too

 

[justletmein]

I have two over a 90 and really like them. These are my first LED lights though so can't really speak from experience. Corals are growing and I seem to have an issue with too much light when I get new stuff, can't seem to wrap my head around not running LED's on the upper range of the output so turning them down is weird to me.

 

[Uncle99]

The only complaint I do have is the internal clock
Is crap.
Gains about 2-3 minutes per month.

 

[Robmax]

Thanks for the replies. The dimensions are 4x2x2 so im hoping 2 should be okay?

 

[mcgyvr]

Thanks for the replies. The dimensions are 4x2x2 so im hoping 2 should be okay?

2 is just fine..
I ran 2 on my 72" long tank and could grow anything I wanted..

 

[Robmax]

Sounds good. Hoping to try more light demanding coral once i get everything set up. Thanks guys

 

[thearnley]

Me too

I just happened to be looking at these online myself. To clarify, you can't adjust any of the color - just blue light & white light? All you can adjust is the intensity? How does the color look? Do the corals' colors look good? I was thinking of putting in T5 2-bulb fixture with it for supplemental light & color. For the price, seems almost too good to be true. Picture looks pretty good!

 

[cvrle1]

I just happened to be looking at these online myself. To clarify, you can't adjust any of the color - just blue light & white light? All you can adjust is the intensity? How does the color look? Do the corals' colors look good? I was thinking of putting in T5 2-bulb fixture with it for supplemental light & color. For the price, seems almost too good to be true. Picture looks pretty good!

You can adjust the intensity of 2 channels, and there are more colors than just blue and white.

Channel one: Violet(420nm), Royal Blue(450nm), Blue(470nm)
Channel two: Green(520nm), Red(660nm), Neutral White(6500K), Cool White(12000K)

While you cannot fine tune it like more expensive units with 6+ channels of control, you can still get great color out of these units. And as mentioned they will grow any coral without issues.

In terms of adding T5s, some folks do it, but I would suggest you start with just these unit, and then decide if you need T5s.

 

[PurpleCarpet]

Going from T5's, what settings would you start the 300w Viparspectra unit at? I like a more blue look that's for sure. Is mainly a softie tank with a few RBTA's.

 

[Kevin Guthrie]

How do you dim them? Website says they are dimmable but I don't see any knobs in the pics on the website. I'd like to set the intensity and turn them on and off with an external timer.

 

[Kevin Guthrie]

I bought a Mars Aqua 165w 13 months ago for my 29g anemone exile tank. It replaced a 150w MH. With very little clearance above the tank I had to mount it low, and accordingly removed half the lenses to get better spread. I like the light a lot.

What I like about the MA:
1) Some fancier electronic competitors do not come back on after a power failure until you reconfigure the channels and the timer. This is a non-starter because I take vacations. The MA just has two intensity knobs.
2) The two channels, UV and white, have separate power cords. This enables timers to start and stop the lighting cycle with UV only, giving the fish a twilight clue that darkness is about to fall.
3) They are not maxed out. I have the intensity set at 65%, which gives me room to compensate for the inevitable dimming that occurs when LEDs age.
Does Viparspectra have 1 and 2?

My 90g reef has a 400w MH on a light rail and its getting time to replace the bulb, so I'm considering switching to cheap Chinese LEDs before the import duties get hiked. Thinking of getting 3 Mars Aqua 165s.