Mars Aqua Chinese LED review (Ebay)

So if I have three of the 165w lights will I just need one of the 4 position terminal blocks? And one of the reef keeper alc controllers?
 
I know I've read it somewhere on here before but......
i have 2 165w on a 150 48x28hx24d leaving the optics on. how much light should i expect to reach the sand bed? enough for LPS?

and may mount angled about 10-15 degrees towards the back to help with shadowing
 
firebirdude said:
Got all my LEDs and my fans. Got violets, cyans, blues and royal blues. I got the B and RB because I can't tell a difference in what came with my fixture and I suspect they're all one color. So I'll slap a couple of each of what I bought in there and see what I see.

I'll be doing all the work this Tuesday.
Click to expand...
Are you going blue? I'll keep an eye to see how it works for you, since I only have the lights for 8 months I did not experience any shadows or weird effects si I let the channels as they are, very pleasing to the eye and I can adjust the color temperature as I wish. At first I thought I would love more blue then I just cranked up the blue channel and since I don't need more than 80% blue and 30%white I didn't touch the diodes... Also I saw those red and green diodes in the Radion... and some recent studies suggest they area very important for corals, they not only regulate the metabolism according to the depth but also use some of those wavelengths for growth. I've seen many reefs dying with blue light close to 20k and I've seen the most beautiful TOM running lots of full spectrum light with tons of white leds... So I'm not sure where the truth is but I'll keep an eye on your experience in time... I know for sure I get double growth rate just cranking up the whites from 15%to 35%... Just something to watch for...
 
kenko said:
I know I've read it somewhere on here before but......
i have 2 165w on a 150 48x28hx24d leaving the optics on. how much light should i expect to reach the sand bed? enough for LPS?

and may mount angled about 10-15 degrees towards the back to help with shadowing
Click to expand...
LPS on the sand with optics? No problem. I'd be more worried about coverage though. It would certainly be fine without optics, but maybe someone else with a 48" tank using two 165W can speak to this?

paullondon said:
Are you going blue? I'll keep an eye to see how it works for you, since I only have the lights for 8 months I did not experience any shadows or weird effects si I let the channels as they are, very pleasing to the eye and I can adjust the color temperature as I wish. At first I thought I would love more blue then I just cranked up the blue channel and since I don't need more than 80% blue and 30%white I didn't touch the diodes... Also I saw those red and green diodes in the Radion... and some recent studies suggest they area very important for corals, they not only regulate the metabolism according to the depth but also use some of those wavelengths for growth. I've seen many reefs dying with blue light close to 20k and I've seen the most beautiful TOM running lots of full spectrum light with tons of white leds... So I'm not sure where the truth is but I'll keep an eye on your experience in time... I know for sure I get double growth rate just cranking up the whites from 15%to 35%... Just something to watch for...
Click to expand...
So I've finished swapping the LEDs and fans. First, the fans are dead silent. They don't move a ton of air, but you can feel it if you put your hand over one of them. But putting your hand over one is about the only way you can even tell they're on, they're that quiet. Again, I bought the Silenx yellow ones off Newegg. Now, the LEDs. The plan was to swap out all the red and two of the greens. 6 LEDs total. Four would switch to violet and two to Cyan. I had to move a couple whites around in order to space everything properly. If you look at the layout of the colors, you'll see what I mean.

1) The LEDs come with no indication of polarity. You'll need a multimeter that can measure continuity.

2) The LEDs were harder to remove than I thought they would be. The solder they used refused to melt for me. I have a reasonably high-end soldering station with variable temp control. I had that thing cranked to nearly 800 degrees and it still didn't want to melt. Additionally, the emitters are held in place by a dap of hot glue. They also have a thermal compound/paste on the backside of them. I was able to slowly get them off though. Soldering on the new ones was a snap, using my own quality solder.

3) Use some more thermal paste to help bridge the gap between the emitter and the board. With some slight remanence of the old solder there, the new emitter doesn't want to sit flat on the board right away. Once you try it for yourself, you'll see what I mean. Anybody who has built a computer before likely has some thermal paste laying around. I have several tubes. If not, Best Buy sells it for like 7 bucks.

4) Watch where your soldering iron is in reference to the other emitters when you're soldering. I melted the plastic cap of one by just having my inferno of an iron close it, not even touching. Luckily, it was a blue and I bought extra.

5) Plan out your placement before you start. I didn't and ended up having to remove ones I soldered on in order to space the colors out evenly. I suggest looking at pictures of the color layout online, then drawing something quick on a piece of paper.

And like I said I would, I swapped two random blue colored ones. One with the blue I bought and one with the royal blue I bought. Now, these are Chinese eBay sellers. Who knows how true the posted wavelengths really are. But I did buy the cyan, blue and royal blue all from the same seller. So they're probably the same brand and probably at least all "different" wavelengths. With that said.... I can't tell a dang bit of difference between any of the blues. The blue and royal blue I soldered in both look identical to each other and all the other blues the Mars Aqua fixture comes with. And the violet? Yep. They look blue too. Keep in mind I have all the optics off mine. So maybe if the emitter where lighting up the whole face of an optic I'd be able to tell a difference? The Cyans though. They're a potent color, so watch yourself. They're certainly closer to green than blue, but yet, still not pure green like the ones that came with the fixture. Glad to have the wavelength in the mix. Also, I realize I didn't change very many emitters in reference to the entire fixture. I wasn't really looking for a truly different color in the tank, as I was looking just to complete the full spectrum offered. With the new LEDs in place, you certainly can't tell a change in tank color in the least. And you can vary everything with the knobs, so you'll be happy. I would post pictures, but you can't tell a dang thing from them. Example attached. All the blues look the same. And let me tell you, there's a violet and a cyan shown in that pic. lol

EDIT: Oh and Paul, I quoted you because I just wanted to say I'm keeping all the whites in place. Cool, neutral and warm. They don't bother me at all. I'm hoping the warm will give me enough red.... but you're right about the Radion. I might throw one red back in there (like one would really make a big difference LOL). Just afraid of fueling the ever tough algae problem.
 

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firebirdude said:
LPS on the sand with optics? No problem. I'd be more worried about coverage though. It would certainly be fine without optics, but maybe someone else with a 48" tank using two 165W can speak to this?

So I've finished swapping the LEDs and fans. First, the fans are dead silent. They don't move a ton of air, but you can feel it if you put your hand over one of them. But putting your hand over one is about the only way you can even tell they're on, they're that quiet. Again, I bought the Silenx yellow ones off Newegg. Now, the LEDs. The plan was to swap out all the red and two of the greens. 6 LEDs total. Four would switch to violet and two to Cyan. I had to move a couple whites around in order to space everything properly. If you look at the layout of the colors, you'll see what I mean.

1) The LEDs come with no indication of polarity. You'll need a multimeter that can measure continuity.

2) The LEDs were harder to remove than I thought they would be. The solder they used refused to melt for me. I have a reasonably high-end soldering station with variable temp control. I had that thing cranked to nearly 800 degrees and it still didn't want to melt. Additionally, the emitters are held in place by a dap of hot glue. They also have a thermal compound/paste on the backside of them. I was able to slowly get them off though. Soldering on the new ones was a snap, using my own quality solder.

3) Use some more thermal paste to help bridge the gap between the emitter and the board. With some slight remanence of the old solder there, the new emitter doesn't want to sit flat on the board right away. Once you try it for yourself, you'll see what I mean. Anybody who has built a computer before likely has some thermal paste laying around. I have several tubes. If not, Best Buy sells it for like 7 bucks.

4) Watch where your soldering iron is in reference to the other emitters when you're soldering. I melted the plastic cap of one by just having my inferno of an iron close it, not even touching. Luckily, it was a blue and I bought extra.

5) Plan out your placement before you start. I didn't and ended up having to remove ones I soldered on in order to space the colors out evenly. I suggest looking at pictures of the color layout online, then drawing something quick on a piece of paper.

And like I said I would, I swapped two random blue colored ones. One with the blue I bought and one with the royal blue I bought. Now, these are Chinese eBay sellers. Who knows how true the posted wavelengths really are. But I did buy the cyan, blue and royal blue all from the same seller. So they're probably the same brand and probably at least all "different" wavelengths. With that said.... I can't tell a dang bit of difference between any of the blues. The blue and royal blue I soldered in both look identical to each other and all the other blues the Mars Aqua fixture comes with. And the violet? Yep. They look blue too. Keep in mind I have all the optics off mine. So maybe if the emitter where lighting up the whole face of an optic I'd be able to tell a difference? The Cyans though. They're a potent color, so watch yourself. They're certainly closer to green than blue, but yet, still not pure green like the ones that came with the fixture. Glad to have the wavelength in the mix. Also, I realize I didn't change very many emitters in reference to the entire fixture. I wasn't really looking for a truly different color in the tank, as I was looking just to complete the full spectrum offered. With the new LEDs in place, you certainly can't tell a change in tank color in the least. And you can vary everything with the knobs, so you'll be happy. I would post pictures, but you can't tell a dang thing from them. Example attached. All the blues look the same. And let me tell you, there's a violet and a cyan shown in that pic. lol

EDIT: Oh and Paul, I quoted you because I just wanted to say I'm keeping all the whites in place. Cool, neutral and warm. They don't bother me at all. I'm hoping the warm will give me enough red.... but you're right about the Radion. I might throw one red back in there (like one would really make a big difference LOL). Just afraid of fueling the ever tough algae problem.
Click to expand...
Oh, I never had algae in a year until I had the brilliant idea of spot feeding the zoas... two times a day. I fixed the problem quickly...
Your lights are looking really good and thanks for detailed info on diodes swapping...
 
paullondon said:
Oh, I never had algae in a year until I had the brilliant idea of spot feeding the zoas... two times a day. I fixed the problem quickly...
Your lights are looking really good and thanks for detailed info on diodes swapping...
Click to expand...
How did you fix the problem? Just stop feeding the zoas? I don't spot feed anything and I feed the fish pellet food semi-daily. Barely a single pellet goes uneaten. I've got two WP25s in a 40B and I use a protein skimmer and cheato. Still got hair algae. I want to blame a window that's close by. No direct sunlight though.
 
firebirdude said:
How did you fix the problem? Just stop feeding the zoas? I don't spot feed anything and I feed the fish pellet food semi-daily. Barely a single pellet goes uneaten. I've got two WP25s in a 40B and I use a protein skimmer and cheato. Still got hair algae. I want to blame a window that's close by. No direct sunlight though.
Click to expand...
For me stopping the spot feeding of zoas accompanied by a gentle blast on the rocks with the turkey baster did the trick. I swear the turkey baster is a key factor in preventing the rocks to accumulate and then release phosphates... at least in my tank which is only 40 gallons... I guess stuff gets nasty quicker in small environments... I do have a reef octopus skimmer and two koralia pumps... no cheato tho... my phosphates and nitrates were always not detectable, it all started when I spot fed like crazy and got lazy on husbandry...
No more spot feeding for me... I will do the reef roids for lps tho...
I think you will be fine with the window, just go over your feeding and see what can you change there, get more snails and gently blast the rocks before PWC...
 
wow firebirdude nice write up....that sucks that you cant tell a differece in the blues...and the violets i would think you should see some purple....what wave length did you get....
 
firebirdude said:
LPS on the sand with optics? No problem. I'd be more worried about coverage though. It would certainly be fine without optics, but maybe someone else with a 48" tank using two 165W can speak to this?

So I've finished swapping the LEDs and fans. First, the fans are dead silent. They don't move a ton of air, but you can feel it if you put your hand over one of them. But putting your hand over one is about the only way you can even tell they're on, they're that quiet. Again, I bought the Silenx yellow ones off Newegg. Now, the LEDs. The plan was to swap out all the red and two of the greens. 6 LEDs total. Four would switch to violet and two to Cyan. I had to move a couple whites around in order to space everything properly. If you look at the layout of the colors, you'll see what I mean.

1) The LEDs come with no indication of polarity. You'll need a multimeter that can measure continuity.

2) The LEDs were harder to remove than I thought they would be. The solder they used refused to melt for me. I have a reasonably high-end soldering station with variable temp control. I had that thing cranked to nearly 800 degrees and it still didn't want to melt. Additionally, the emitters are held in place by a dap of hot glue. They also have a thermal compound/paste on the backside of them. I was able to slowly get them off though. Soldering on the new ones was a snap, using my own quality solder.

3) Use some more thermal paste to help bridge the gap between the emitter and the board. With some slight remanence of the old solder there, the new emitter doesn't want to sit flat on the board right away. Once you try it for yourself, you'll see what I mean. Anybody who has built a computer before likely has some thermal paste laying around. I have several tubes. If not, Best Buy sells it for like 7 bucks.

4) Watch where your soldering iron is in reference to the other emitters when you're soldering. I melted the plastic cap of one by just having my inferno of an iron close it, not even touching. Luckily, it was a blue and I bought extra.

5) Plan out your placement before you start. I didn't and ended up having to remove ones I soldered on in order to space the colors out evenly. I suggest looking at pictures of the color layout online, then drawing something quick on a piece of paper.

And like I said I would, I swapped two random blue colored ones. One with the blue I bought and one with the royal blue I bought. Now, these are Chinese eBay sellers. Who knows how true the posted wavelengths really are. But I did buy the cyan, blue and royal blue all from the same seller. So they're probably the same brand and probably at least all "different" wavelengths. With that said.... I can't tell a dang bit of difference between any of the blues. The blue and royal blue I soldered in both look identical to each other and all the other blues the Mars Aqua fixture comes with. And the violet? Yep. They look blue too. Keep in mind I have all the optics off mine. So maybe if the emitter where lighting up the whole face of an optic I'd be able to tell a difference? The Cyans though. They're a potent color, so watch yourself. They're certainly closer to green than blue, but yet, still not pure green like the ones that came with the fixture. Glad to have the wavelength in the mix. Also, I realize I didn't change very many emitters in reference to the entire fixture. I wasn't really looking for a truly different color in the tank, as I was looking just to complete the full spectrum offered. With the new LEDs in place, you certainly can't tell a change in tank color in the least. And you can vary everything with the knobs, so you'll be happy. I would post pictures, but you can't tell a dang thing from them. Example attached. All the blues look the same. And let me tell you, there's a violet and a cyan shown in that pic. lol

EDIT: Oh and Paul, I quoted you because I just wanted to say I'm keeping all the whites in place. Cool, neutral and warm. They don't bother me at all. I'm hoping the warm will give me enough red.... but you're right about the Radion. I might throw one red back in there (like one would really make a big difference LOL). Just afraid of fueling the ever tough algae problem.
Click to expand...
No need to add the red back in, the warm and neutral whites produce more than enough red. As far as royal blue vs blue there is a noticeable difference. My royal blues look like blue mixed with a purple. The blues are just blue, and my violets are darker purple and then the lower nm starts turning pinkish
 
I just got a set in the mail and one of my dimmers does not work on the white channel. As soon as I turn the knob on the potentiometer it goes to 100% brightness. Guessing the dimmer control is bad. Gonna email the seller. How good is getting anything done warranty wise with these people? Can we even buy these dimmer controls in the future after the warranty is gone?

Tia
 
SBV said:
I just got a set in the mail and one of my dimmers does not work on the white channel. As soon as I turn the knob on the potentiometer it goes to 100% brightness. Guessing the dimmer control is bad. Gonna email the seller. How good is getting anything done warranty wise with these people? Can we even buy these dimmer controls in the future after the warranty is gone?

Tia
Click to expand...
They'll send you the needed parts
 
SBV said:
I just got a set in the mail and one of my dimmers does not work on the white channel. As soon as I turn the knob on the potentiometer it goes to 100% brightness. Guessing the dimmer control is bad. Gonna email the seller. How good is getting anything done warranty wise with these people? Can we even buy these dimmer controls in the future after the warranty is gone?

Tia
Click to expand...
For MarsAqua they sent them for free. You can get anything from them for a very low price of its outside the warranty. I think they were one of the best at honoring the warranty...
 
ok so I was originally planing on building my own LED lights but at the rate things are going I never get done with the project. However at the cost of some of the fancy lights I would get a heart attack... So I looking at this LED light for a 29 Gallon. Would it be better to go with just one 165W, 2 165W, or go to the one 300W like I'm thinking. It just seems like one 165W wouldn't be quite enough for a 29 gallon. Or Should I be looking at something different all together? lol Preferably I like to have have the lights as quiet as reasonable. So if a different brand is quieter I like to know, but I like that they at least show what the noise level is on these. Although I not sure if that gives me an idea how loud it is either.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/370857093101?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/390885496493?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649
 
geekengineer said:
ok so I was originally planing on building my own LED lights but at the rate things are going I never get done with the project. However at the cost of some of the fancy lights I would get a heart attack... So I looking at this LED light for a 29 Gallon. Would it be better to go with just one 165W, 2 165W, or go to the one 300W like I'm thinking. It just seems like one 165W wouldn't be quite enough for a 29 gallon. Or Should I be looking at something different all together? lol Preferably I like to have have the lights as quiet as reasonable. So if a different brand is quieter I like to know, but I like that they at least show what the noise level is on these. Although I not sure if that gives me an idea how loud it is either.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/370857093101?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649



http://www.ebay.com/itm/390885496493?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649
Click to expand...


Do a google search for common household decibel ratings and you will have a good idea of the sound. I can only hear my fans running if the room is COMPLETELY silent of other noise. As for number of lights I think 1 - 165w light will be more than enough on a 29g. What are your dimensions?
 
Standard 29 gallon about 30x12x18.. sounds like it be about the sound of a converstation it said course it depends on how far away they measured that reading too.
 
geekengineer said:
Standard 29 gallon about 30x12x18.. sounds like it be about the sound of a converstation it said course it depends on how far away they measured that reading too.
Click to expand...


Well the 300w is 32" long. So it would hang over 1" on each side. That would allow you to hang the unit pretty low and keep the lights turned down if you decided to go that route. As for sound, I sit about 10' away and cannot hear the fans when the room is silent until getting closer. If the fans do bother you people have replaced them with quieter ones. I do not see the need though and I have pretty good hearing.
 
oh I remember one thing I was reading is if you have one then it might limit you to what corals you can put in particular place underneath the lamp. Not that maybe its a big deal I guess the needy corals have to be in the center and less needy to the ends etc. Make sense?
 
I just got my first MarsAqua 165 W unit and the light output is quite impressive. I hope my anemones and corals will like it. I plan to test it first over my 42 gallon tank.
Now I just need to modify it for 0..10V control to hook it up to my apex. Where would I find the schematics or modifying instructions for MarsAqua models? (Sorry, no time right now to read through 500+ posts.)
 
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