I've been away from RC for a long time (like 9 months) but you guys are dealing with leds like they are something new. EverGrow, ReefBreeders, ReefRadiance and OceanRevive have been selling fixtures like these for almost 3 years now. Yes, they are a bit more expensive in some cases, but there are reasons (see below). The MarsAqua fixtures look pretty good and are priced to sell. Nothing wrong with that. Just be aware they won't last 10 years like so many led users say they will. Well, the leds will, but the drivers, dimmers, screws and such probably won't. I've seen cheap led fixtures that look just like these rust away in 3 to 4 years years if they aren't cared for and maintained.
There is a huge "Chinese LEDs" thread here on RC and you can learn everything you could want to know. I've had 2 of the 32" 99 leds, with built in controller for over 30 months now. I've had zero issues and they still are running at 90% blue and 50% white for just 4 hours a day. They ramp up for 5 hours and back down again for 5 hours. It's a mixed reef and the corals grow just as well as they did under MH & t5... and they look better. PAR levels have fallen a bit over that time, but not much. And they have paid for themselves in less than 2 years in electricity (fixture usage, less run time on chillers as well as house A/C) and bulbs.
Fan noise was a problem on early inexpensive fixtures, but all the suppliers I listed had the factory upgrade fans and they run VERY quiet. I'm assuming MarsAqua is selling them for slightly less because they still use cheaper fans and maybe some other less expensive parts. I haven't seen one of the MarsAqua fixtures and I wonder, do they have 'real' heat sinks or just a sheet of aluminum? That was another upgrade the suppliers I listed have made. My newer fixtures (18 months old) run so cool the air blowing out the top of the fixture is only 5 degrees above room temperature.
Also, water evaporation/high humidity is an issue inside these fixtures over time. Some/many of the screws are not stainless steel or are poor quality stainless and do rust. I had cheap units by another supplier back 3 years ago and they began to fail after 6 months over my tank and another 6 months relegated to working over my refugium because I switched to fixtures with controllers built in for over the tanks. Hanging them as high off the water as you can will help reduce rust issues. Also taking them down and blasting air through them with a vacuum or shop vac or canned air every 3 to 6 months will help. It will remove built up dust from inside the case which also collects and holds moisture contributing to the rust issue.
Hope that helps? Oh, BTW, I'd never go back to MH. LEDs are the way to go, they just aren't perfect.
