Is this a good light system?

[reret10]

reef radiance looks pretty good. 170$ isn't to bad for a full system. I might treat myself to an early christmas present. I will have to save up till then though since i'm probably going to blow all my money on coral this weekend at reefapalooza. My bulbs are about 7 months old so I still have a little bit of time before i gotta replace them.

 

[reret10]

http://reefradiance.com/dm-132e.html how would this work on my 30 gall???? i might actually order it now since its 50$ off before monday

 

[phillrodrigo]

IMO, when you pay for namebrand like Kessil, Orphex, MaxSpect, AI, EcoTech....you are, out of the shoot, paying about $200-$300 premium just for the brandname. (i'm sure that statement is gonna honk off some people bc they are sold on what these Mfgrs tell them).

Its much like you can overpay to buy an Audi but get about the same in a high-end VW, same thing with a Lexus versus a high-end Toyota.

Research off-brands and what was a $700 light now becomes a $400 with 95% of everything you need.

If people have the money go for it. I just hate when I see people act like if you don't my the highest end product you can't have a successful reef. My tank is pretty much all mid level items and I do fine. My brother has a bmw his tranny went under a 100k and it wasn't cause he didn't take care of it either he works at a dealership so his cars are taking care of my mitsubishi lasted way longer and I don't take care of it so it isn't always about how much you spend

 

[phillrodrigo]

http://reefradiance.com/dm-132e.html how would this work on my 30 gall???? i might actually order it now since its 50$ off before monday

Check the reef breeders fixtures. Very good customer service probably the best I have ever had by far.

 

[Cmoua]

I have a pair of cheap eBay lights over my 120gal reef. Plenty of corals growing even on the sand bed. Mostly lps, softies, though. I am just getting into sps now with my experience. The sps are higher in the tank, but how many times have you heard that even from expensive lights?

These lights have been here for 2 yrs now.

I don't mean to stir any pots but the opinions from those who have direct experience or knowledge weigh more in my decision making. Not those that speculate.

 

[Owensue]

The Ledzeal brand has many positive reviews. I purchased them myself and am pleased so far. Very busy thread of reviews here.... http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2338097

 

[sublime9182]

Hey everybody
Its that time of the year again when I have to replace my T5 bulbs and I'm getting sick of having to buy bulbs all the time. Ive been looking at options for LED systems because of all the advantages including not having to replace bulbs so overall a better deal over time. Ive been looking around at LED systems and I came across this one, http://www.ebay.com/itm/USED-MR-120...883?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item462a9da7bb it seems like way to cheap for a legit system. I have a 30 gallon tank with corals ranging from Mushrooms to Stylophora. Would this lighting system support them? Does anyone know if this is a reputable source for reef tank lighting?
Thanks

I use them had them for about a year with no issue my coral thrives and grows very nicely including montipora echinopora frogspawn acans palys and my rbta is happy mid tank with whites on 50% and blues on 100%. Mine also came with free 3 year warranty and free parts for life I think I paid 100.

Like said before it all comes down to what you are looking for if you want fancy bells and whistles then you will pay more. This light will grow coral that's it.

 

[sublime9182]

i have a pair of cheap ebay lights over my 120gal reef. Plenty of corals growing even on the sand bed. Mostly lps, softies, though. I am just getting into sps now with my experience. The sps are higher in the tank, but how many times have you heard that even from expensive lights?

These lights have been here for 2 yrs now.

I don't mean to stir any pots but the opinions from those who have direct experience or knowledge weigh more in my decision making. Not those that speculate.

+1

 

[reret10]

Yeah I think I might go with the reef radiance lights I Think it should be worth the extra money. Its also big enough that if I switch to a 40 which I might, I should still be able to keep corals.

 

[CHizer]

I'm always very nervous about buying things like this. You could have great results or you could waste your money. For me the piece of mind is worth the few extra dollars for Reef Breeders or something similar.

 

[Owensue]

http://reefradiance.com/dm-132e.html how would this work on my 30 gall???? i might actually order it now since its 50$ off before monday

Look at the price to choose optics and customize layout, ledzeal has all this for free. The Malibu S120 is about identical and comes with a hanging kit &rf remote. The new model (releases any time now) has phone app.

Just suggest you get a quote, for comparison, they are well built.
http://www.ledzeal.com/p43.html
Have a look

Maybe step up to the S150 for the meanwell power supply (really a standard these days)

 

[reret10]

How do I request a quote at ledszeal? use contact?

 

[Owensue]

Email kevin or Alex from the link on their page, it shows they are available now (china it's noon) however I found they replied most frequently in the early morning.

They have a Facebook page also.

I was impressed, hope I'm not sounding to pushy. For the money I am pleased.

 

[reret10]

Awesome! Its definitely between reef radiance and Ledzeal. It all depends on the price of the Ledzeal what mounting options did yours come with?

 

[reret10]

oh and how much did they cost?

 

[Owensue]

Free with any model is a hanging kit, which is fine for me as I'm open top, in wall.

They have leg stand option and a mounting rail for hoods, like 10$ or so.

The s120 is a matrix similar to radiance, the s150 is two "pucks" which centers nicely over any center brace.

 

[reret10]

Awesome. I just contacted the sellers and asked for an estimate on the S120s. I hope they reply soon!

 

[Owensue]

I got the s300, a 4' model customized with the wired controller (controller is required for custom modes) for 380+shipping. In the reef central thread I linked to above, some others indicate their costs for the different models.

But I got a few extras too, 30 extra leds and 40 optics so I can 'play' and a power 'extension cord'. All that was less than 50$.

 

[reret10]

So Ive come down to if the s120s are under 200$ i'll get them but if their over 200$ not including shipping then i'll go for the Reef radiance DM 132e

 

[Owensue]

Search through the thread I linked above for 120 and you should find many examples of customized led layouts, people have tried a few different ones. Maybe ask in the thread for the opinion of the owners. Like I said, I do have a different model.