Mars Aqua Chinese LED review (Ebay)

Very Nice!!! I dont know if you posted, but what are the dimensions of your tank?



rgulrich said:
Okay, I promised a few pics today if I got near a keyboard...now if I could only remember how to type I'd be in good shape. Apologies up front for my acute lack of photography skills with my phone's camera.


Dec2015. Reef a couple months after I installed the MarsAqua 300w fixtures.
*A note about this installation. This aquarium is a walk-around, and the reef is built diagonally from the left rear of this photo to the right front, and I needed to provide strong light all the way around the perimeter. I use four 300w MarsAqua and two 185w GalaxyHydro to provide the main lighting with the 185w on each end (corner overflows didn't need the light). I also have two Kessil A360WE and four Kessil A350W; two on each end and two in the middle, all on the perimeter, for supplemental blue and shimmer.


How it looked in Jan2017. Please note I've trimmed about half of the Acropora aspera (bright green, lower left front corner) off for a frag fest in December, and others throughout the past year as well.


Beginning of Dec2015. What started as a little brown stick under my 250w halides has turned purple under these LEDs (and in this environment). If you look closely at the top edges of this coral, you will see a bright turquoise coloration. This is the photo-inhibition pigmentation for this coral as I've turned the LEDs up too quickly and it's trying to block the light.


Dec2016. Here's the same coral a year later (okay, a year and five days...) and after a number of "resets" on the lighting: starting at a low level and slowly bringing them up over a the course of about a month. Something I try to do with nearly every new coral...which isn't too often anymore, I admit.


Dec2016. One of my favorite views, from the "right" end looking down the length of the reef.

Take your time with these lights, use a PAR meter to set them up (I've toasted too many corals, so please, take that seriously), and read this thread for lots of good ideas and information, ranging from changing out the 80mm fans for quieter versions (still on my to do list) to videos of how the desolder and solder in new LEDs and what brand (Epistar) to look for.

Hope this helps in everyone's adventures!:thumbsup:

Cheers,
Ray
Click to expand...
 
Thank you! It's where I go to relax...

The 300 is a "Deep Dimension" which measures 72"(L) X 36" (W) X 27"(H). The 300w MarsAqua at 32" provides perfect coverage when mounted perpendicular to the back. Two of them with about 4" in between provide great coverage for the openings in the top brace, although if you look carefully at the full tank shots you can see the sharp dropoff at the edges of the fixtures. Just plan coral placement accordingly. Some even grow a bit faster in lower PAR areas.

This one has a lower PAR strip running right down the middle of it, but grows quite nicely throughout.

Ah well, off to bed. Early commute in the morning.
Cheers,
Ray
 
Suggestions on a bracket I can use on the back glass of a rimless tank that the hanging cables can attach to for this light? Rear glass is either 8 or 10mm thick.
 
I'm glad I found this. The majority of the time i see all T5's, a set of same company LED's, or LED' with T5's. Nice to see rgulrich have success with a mix of LED's.
 
newbie2014 said:
I used to hang my 300W unit from two wall brackets. But, we just moved, and I don't feel like putting holes in the wall of my new house.

This looks like a viable option. I wonder if anybody has used it. And how legit is the website?

Thanks for the link.
Click to expand...

Depending on the unit used, I would be worried about the stress put on the glass from the weights of the light. I have 2 of the 300W units and they weigh roughly 40 pounds together. I would never put that much weight clipped onto the glass.
 
homer1475 said:
Depending on the unit used, I would be worried about the stress put on the glass from the weights of the light. I have 2 of the 300W units and they weigh roughly 40 pounds together. I would never put that much weight clipped onto the glass.
Click to expand...

Agreed. The link I posted would probably only be good for a single 165W. They have a double that attaches to each end of the tank that I would use if I had a 300W. If I was using 2 or more 300W, I would just get the same materials from 8020.net and DIY one and attach it to the stand.
 
homer1475 said:
Depending on the unit used, I would be worried about the stress put on the glass from the weights of the light. I have 2 of the 300W units and they weigh roughly 40 pounds together. I would never put that much weight clipped onto the glass.
Click to expand...

I was thinking about that too. I tried to find specs that would say something about the acceptable weight of the light for that mount, but couldn't find any. Until I can decide on a better solution (which includes getting a fancier, lighter, smaller, and much more pricier light), it is resting on two metal shelves laid directly on top of the tank.

Thanks for the input.
 
PyroSteve said:
Agreed. The link I posted would probably only be good for a single 165W. They have a double that attaches to each end of the tank that I would use if I had a 300W. If I was using 2 or more 300W, I would just get the same materials from 8020.net and DIY one and attach it to the stand.
Click to expand...

I'll check on that. But, unless I can find out the weight it can support, I still have my doubts.

Thanks again.
 
Randyp79 said:
You can buy a whole new light every two years for what it costs a t5 user to change bulbs every six months.



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

You change t5s after 12 to 18 months.

Atomic081 said:
Also was thinking about putting 8 of the 300w over a 1200 gallon system thats 30" deep. I see no problem with 30" but other people said "You need Metal Halide".
Click to expand...

30" depth isn't that big of a deal. Iirc The recomendation was based on the cost and quantity of leds needed to cover a 1200gal system.
 
newbie2014 said:
I'll check on that. But, unless I can find out the weight it can support, I still have my doubts.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

If you still have your old wall brackets, I would just go to home depot and buy two Rubbermaid 12" x 72" black shelves, cut them to size needed, stand them up vertical, screw your mounts to that and the shelves to the back of the stand (if you can still get back there). Just my 2¢.
 
@garygonzales - I've been looking at a number of the lenses available on our favorite major auction site. Picked up one of the links from the site I've been buying Epistar LEDs from. Fifty 120' lens and holders are $13.80 list...one of the cheapest I've found so far, but there are a number of sellers out there. Their lens kits listed are 5' - 120'.
After dropping the output for ch01 on these to lower the PAR, I may go with the 120' lens to see if I can increase the footprint size a little after swapping out a few more of the white LEDs.
Cheers,
Ray
 
rgulrich said:
@garygonzales - I've been looking at a number of the lenses available on our favorite major auction site. Picked up one of the links from the site I've been buying Epistar LEDs from. Fifty 120' lens and holders are $13.80 list...one of the cheapest I've found so far, but there are a number of sellers out there. Their lens kits listed are 5' - 120'.
After dropping the output for ch01 on these to lower the PAR, I may go with the 120' lens to see if I can increase the footprint size a little after swapping out a few more of the white LEDs.
Cheers,
Ray
Click to expand...
I thought LEDs naturally give out light in a 120 deg pattern , what are the lenses for in that case? Can you not just run without? I am and it seems to be working.

Thanks

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
 
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