Big Tank Owners! Who Has Had Problems With Sfiligoi Lights Or Who Has Not?
- Thread starter Kaiden
- Start date
Nuuze
New member
Hi Kaidenjohn,
I don't have a big tank (79G) but have a Infinity XR4 2-250w and 4-54wT5 with ACLS and moonlights. I don't have any problems at this time, the fixture is 2 months old.
Likes:
-Very nice fixture
-Reflectors are a BIG plus lumenarc like
-T5 combo with MH is the best of both worlds
-Fanless quite operation
-Light spread/coverage is 90x70cm = 35.43x27.56 inches
Dislikes:
-None on the fixture
-ACLS softaware upgrades have to ship to Italy
-If noise is a problem ACLS gives off a slight hum sue to the power inverters for dimming feature
I don't have a big tank (79G) but have a Infinity XR4 2-250w and 4-54wT5 with ACLS and moonlights. I don't have any problems at this time, the fixture is 2 months old.
Likes:
-Very nice fixture
-Reflectors are a BIG plus lumenarc like
-T5 combo with MH is the best of both worlds
-Fanless quite operation
-Light spread/coverage is 90x70cm = 35.43x27.56 inches
Dislikes:
-None on the fixture
-ACLS softaware upgrades have to ship to Italy
-If noise is a problem ACLS gives off a slight hum sue to the power inverters for dimming feature
hawaiianwargod
Active member
Kaidenjohn,
I have the same light as Nuuze but minus the ACLS ( dimming capability). I got it last month but never fired it until this week.
Testing it for a few days now and it works flawlessly.
Love the look and quality of this light....bulbs and T5 combo that came with it is not my cup of tea..color is off a bit so I will get new MH and T5 bulbs soon...after my plumbing.
GL!
I have the same light as Nuuze but minus the ACLS ( dimming capability). I got it last month but never fired it until this week.
Testing it for a few days now and it works flawlessly.
Love the look and quality of this light....bulbs and T5 combo that came with it is not my cup of tea..color is off a bit so I will get new MH and T5 bulbs soon...after my plumbing.
GL!
I had the 3x250w fixture with ACLS. IMO they are overrated. The sunrise/sunset feature is recommended to be set for 5 minutes of dimming at most or you'll damage the bulbs. The "new" bulb feature works haphazardly at best... it would stay at 75% for about 3 days, then jump to 80% for another 4 days, then 90% then down to 80% etc. I finally gave up on that and just set it at 100%. The 3 units don't operate together the way you'd think they would. For instance, if you want the bulbs to start coming on at 7:00am and have the sunrise last for X minutes and each bulb to start 5 minutes after the previous bulb you have to change the time of day on each bulb so it's 5 minutes earlier then the previous bulb. The time also has to be changed because the bulbs are programmed to start at a set time of day. What that means is that the clock function is useless as far as a clock goes since the time is adjusted to start the bulbs. So assuming the fixture is programmed to start at 6:42am and you want the first bulb to go on at 7:00am you have trick it by setting its clock 18 minutes earlier then the actual time. The next ballast has to have its clock set 23 minutes earlier, and the last one 28 minutes earlier. It's cludgy at best. The heat generated by the fixture is hot enough to get my 225g into the mid 80's so I think the claims of cool running are overrated. The loudest piece of equipment on my tank was the ACLS units, they're really quite loud. I could go on but I'll stop there. These units cost 2-3x what a comparable light setup would cost.
I went through all of the settings with the vendor & with the manufacturer on the phone from Italy. The net result was that you have to change the time of day on the units to get it to do what you want. Here's a thread detailing the situation at the time.
Later there was a thread asking about the new units & I asked if anything had changed regarding how to control these units. Here's that link . The relevant text from that link...
Will the new version allow you to specify the start time for each unit on the lamp? i.e. start MH1 at 7:00am, MH2 at 7:10am, MH3 at 7:20am or will it still be necessary to fool the unit by changing the time of day on each unit to make this happen?
In this moment no. But we can consider.
Later there was a thread asking about the new units & I asked if anything had changed regarding how to control these units. Here's that link . The relevant text from that link...
Will the new version allow you to specify the start time for each unit on the lamp? i.e. start MH1 at 7:00am, MH2 at 7:10am, MH3 at 7:20am or will it still be necessary to fool the unit by changing the time of day on each unit to make this happen?
In this moment no. But we can consider.
Nuuze
New member
Here's is more info that's been going from another thread I thought to pass along...
From all the product questions, I've mentioned to him some of the problems some of you are having and was wondering if he's aware of them. He knows of some but he was requesting your phone numbers from me. But I told him I did not have your numbers but are fellow RC'ers. I've asked him if he has a call back number for you all or for you to email him at sfiligoi@sfiligoi.it
The message from Alessandro states that 15 amp fuses should resolve the issue. For some reason he is having trouble location them in the US. He says to contact directly and he'll air mail them to those that need them...HTH.
After buying my unit I discovered there's a new software out for the ACLS that allows you to manually override the T5's and be able shorten the dim time to a min 5 minutes instead of 15 minutes with the old software. But with a catch, the units have to go back to Itay for the software upgrade. No customer self installs here, it must be in Italian because using my 10+ years of IT netwoking skills couldn't convince them that I am capable of doing it. I even offered for them to train me in doing it so in return I could offer the service to my fellow RC'ers but nope. I guess if I ever wanted a manual override I can run an additional wire to the T5's ballasts to bypass the ACLS but I'm satisfied at the moment...
He also mentions a Infinity XR6 with ACLS coming in a few months with MH and T5 dimming capabilities! It's in the beta stages as of now.
From all the product questions, I've mentioned to him some of the problems some of you are having and was wondering if he's aware of them. He knows of some but he was requesting your phone numbers from me. But I told him I did not have your numbers but are fellow RC'ers. I've asked him if he has a call back number for you all or for you to email him at sfiligoi@sfiligoi.it
The message from Alessandro states that 15 amp fuses should resolve the issue. For some reason he is having trouble location them in the US. He says to contact directly and he'll air mail them to those that need them...HTH.
After buying my unit I discovered there's a new software out for the ACLS that allows you to manually override the T5's and be able shorten the dim time to a min 5 minutes instead of 15 minutes with the old software. But with a catch, the units have to go back to Itay for the software upgrade. No customer self installs here, it must be in Italian because using my 10+ years of IT netwoking skills couldn't convince them that I am capable of doing it. I even offered for them to train me in doing it so in return I could offer the service to my fellow RC'ers but nope. I guess if I ever wanted a manual override I can run an additional wire to the T5's ballasts to bypass the ACLS but I'm satisfied at the moment...
He also mentions a Infinity XR6 with ACLS coming in a few months with MH and T5 dimming capabilities! It's in the beta stages as of now.
Thank you to all who replied to this thread!
I think that the biggest factor with everyone is that they are a little overrated for the money.
Naka - I was surprised to find out that you think the features are overrated and that you are going to try another system! Is the ACLS more or less just for the non-shock of the Animals. Can it be true that we think it's overrated but they on the other hand they do not. Do you think it helps them from the shock of the bulbs coming on quickly?
On to the kicker! I have already bought a truck load of this stuff so there is no turning back now. I have talked to Will over at AO and he stated that they are the newer version so I should have no problems. Even then I am sure that he will take care of any that might come up. I guess I will just cross my fingers and hope I am one of the lucky ones!
Thanks again to everyone for your input!
I think that the biggest factor with everyone is that they are a little overrated for the money.
Naka - I was surprised to find out that you think the features are overrated and that you are going to try another system! Is the ACLS more or less just for the non-shock of the Animals. Can it be true that we think it's overrated but they on the other hand they do not. Do you think it helps them from the shock of the bulbs coming on quickly?
On to the kicker! I have already bought a truck load of this stuff so there is no turning back now. I have talked to Will over at AO and he stated that they are the newer version so I should have no problems. Even then I am sure that he will take care of any that might come up. I guess I will just cross my fingers and hope I am one of the lucky ones!
Thanks again to everyone for your input!
Will is great and he will help you as much as he can. Unfortunately with these lights & the fact that they come from Italy you might have to resort to bandaids to get them to do what you want them to do. I have mentioned the clock issue with getting them to fire on when you want them to & that works. It just seems insane to have to do that with something this expensive. And with issues like that there's nothing Will could do. The same goes for the noise, heat & "new" bulb feature not working. You just have to accept those things.
The problem I have is that if you limit the sunrise/sunset to 5 minutes, accept that the "new" bulb feature works haphazardly, accept the heat is similar to other lights & that the noise of the ACLS is pretty loud... what have you got left? What are the benefits that merit this kind of coin? If I had these lights on order right now, knowing what I know from using them, I'd try & return them unopened. Imagine the fixture you can get for $5k... or for $3k and spend the other $2k on livestock. Will is great to deal with, I can't believe he wouldn't accept the lights back. You can always turn back.
The problem I have is that if you limit the sunrise/sunset to 5 minutes, accept that the "new" bulb feature works haphazardly, accept the heat is similar to other lights & that the noise of the ACLS is pretty loud... what have you got left? What are the benefits that merit this kind of coin? If I had these lights on order right now, knowing what I know from using them, I'd try & return them unopened. Imagine the fixture you can get for $5k... or for $3k and spend the other $2k on livestock. Will is great to deal with, I can't believe he wouldn't accept the lights back. You can always turn back.
DaveWC - This is the time that we disagree! There is no way I can go back on my deal. I paid for them and he ordered them. I tried already to turn the ACLS back and that did not fly. So with that said, I have bought 10K+ worth of lights and I am stuck with them. All I can do is hope they work and I hope the ACLS is not as overrated and loud as everyone says they are. If the system sucks then I guess I am going to take large loss and PUNT them on ebay. The End...
Thanks guys...
Thanks guys...
Cantonesefish
with active cooling
Hmmm... something to think about... are there systems that will run cooler than the Sfiligois?
Fliger
New member
I'm sure you'll be happy with your system, it sounds like a great setup! Make sure you come back and post pix!
I'm hoping for T5 dimmable sometime soon. That seems to be the real value - dimming the first lights that come on. My fish & corals are awake and had their morning coffee by the time my MH come on.
But I've been told by people in & out of the hobby (my contractors also) that dimmable is very difficult and damages halide bulbs (edit - should say dim below 50%). If it were easy - the bigger industries would have already done it - in commercial - private and civic applications (city streets, etc). As for T5, hopefully that comes soon. I also hear some companies are going to install a bank of LED's for supplimental - that of course are already dimmable. That will be cool!
I'm hoping for T5 dimmable sometime soon. That seems to be the real value - dimming the first lights that come on. My fish & corals are awake and had their morning coffee by the time my MH come on.
But I've been told by people in & out of the hobby (my contractors also) that dimmable is very difficult and damages halide bulbs (edit - should say dim below 50%). If it were easy - the bigger industries would have already done it - in commercial - private and civic applications (city streets, etc). As for T5, hopefully that comes soon. I also hear some companies are going to install a bank of LED's for supplimental - that of course are already dimmable. That will be cool!
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Nuuze
New member
That's one thing I miss is the traditional actinics on first then halides then reverse order. With the ACLS the halides come on first then actinics then revers order. So if I want my tank lit for 10 hours then I have to set my halides for 10 hours. Lately I only been using the halides alone without the T5's...
hawaiianwargod
Active member
Nuuze,
Which one is the magnetic ballast? I have one that looks like a transformer which has a fuse on it and two set of plugs for MH and T5. I did not get the dimming part though. No external ballast...just the "tranformer" looking box.
Fliger
New member
It sounds like you got the old style. I hope you break the trend. Dag, I just saw your tank - sweet!!!!
Look at the bottom left of this pix. Does it look like that box underneath the sideboard?
When did you get it and from what vendor? I thought all the new ones were e-ballast. Hopefully you didn't pay the e-ballast price and get the magnetics.
Look at the bottom left of this pix. Does it look like that box underneath the sideboard?
When did you get it and from what vendor? I thought all the new ones were e-ballast. Hopefully you didn't pay the e-ballast price and get the magnetics.
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