Upgrade my lighting. ViparSpectra?

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dbetts

New member
Hello all!

I am wanting to upgrade my lighting, and have been told by many people that AI Hydras are fantastic (I would like to stick with LEDs). So I have been debating the idea of buying two AI Hydra 26 HDs. The only thing I can't seem to get myself to do is spend the amount they cost. So I have been looking for other lights that still have good PAR levels and will allow me to grow my LPS and soft corals. Right now, I only have GSP, frogspawn, and a finger leather. I have a 55 gallon tank.

I am looking at getting two of these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UMXAR5S/?tag=aqualedlight-20

Please let me know what you think! I am hoping to order really soon. All of the reviews I have read on this light are amazing, so hopefully it would be a good choice, but I wanted to ask here before I ordered.

Thanks!!
 
Those seem to be your run of the mill Chinese black boxes. They will get the job done and they'll be plenty bright.

For a little more $$$ you could get the Reefbreeders SuperLux ($194 ea). These spread out you leds a little more for better coverage. Plus, you a backed by a known company. The superlux appear to be nearly identical to the Ocean Revives that I use.
 
I'm using a maxspect razor and it is more than enough to take care of your softies and LPS and still have more if you want to go onto SPE. One nice thing is the heatsink is built right into the body and the thing doesn't get warm enough for the fans to kick on, so it runs dead silent. It also creates a shimmer, which is nice.
Reasonable bang for your buck compared to the best lights.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/r420r-razor-led-180w-15000k-lighting-fixture-maxspect.html
 
Thanks for the responses everyone!

Sawdonkey, do you like the Ocean Revives? The only thing I see about the SuperLux or Ocean Revives posted before is that the PAR readings advertised are actually less than the ones of the ViparSpectra I am looking at and are more money. So is the only thing I'm getting a more well known company? I know that is of course a great thing to have, but was wondering if there were any other noticeable differences that I am not seeing?

Thanks again everyone!
 
dbetts said:
Thanks for the responses everyone!

Sawdonkey, do you like the Ocean Revives? The only thing I see about the SuperLux or Ocean Revives posted before is that the PAR readings advertised are actually less than the ones of the ViparSpectra I am looking at and are more money. So is the only thing I'm getting a more well known company? I know that is of course a great thing to have, but was wondering if there were any other noticeable differences that I am not seeing?

Thanks again everyone!
Click to expand...

Unless you have a 50 inch tall tank, the ORs or Superlux fixtures will be more par than you need. I'm not sure if you'll have these in a canopy or not, but another plus is that the OR / superlux are thin an modern looking, unlike the Chinese black boxes that look like they're from 1983. Plus, they are 10 inches wide rather than 8, so spread is better.
 
I thought I'd go ahead and update the thread on my decision. I ultimately decided that money was a concern, and since this isn't my dream setup anyway (that will come when My wife and I buy a home and I incorporate the tank into a wall and have an actual fish room), I'd go with the viparspectra. They were a great price, with great reviews. I built a small stand /canopy for them that I still need to finish, but here is a pic with them on my tank. So far I love them. The built in timers work great, and I have them set at 20% power right now since they are insanely brighter than my previous light. Haha. And my corals are opening better than ever with these lights. So all in all I'm happy. :)

f68106972247e76f0fb13278ed5847f1.jpg



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