Evergrow (Chinese Lights)

[FastUno]

It is great to hear everyone's feedback, thanks!

I had this on a 29g tank (30x12x18) & this particular fixture has 90 degree optics.

For now I have the 150W DE MH on & I don't have to worry. When I feel courageous again, I will put them back & do another test run. I will take pictures of the tank & coral and post on here & then I will retake pictures when LED's are back on.

I also found out that the new pair of clown fish I added are attempting to host both carpets & have been biting & pecking at them. As a result the 2nd carpet had deflated & detached as a result of this. So the carpets reaction might not be totally from the lights, although the reactions of all the other corals most definitely was the result of low LED lighting (as was mentioned by others in this post).

On my next LED test I will hang the fixtures 12" from the tank, as opposed to having them directly on the tank & start them at 35%.

I just met another reefer with a LED/T5 Chinese combo fixture. He does not believe in LED lighting & will not do strictly LED's. His corals did not respond well to just LED lighting & he has LPS, zoas, mushrooms, blastos, chalice, welso, acans...many different corals.He has the LED's set to 10-15% & uses the 4 bulb T5's as his main lighting. He also has a Reefbrite for moonlighting.

 

[lnevo]

Your plan sounds good.

Great to see some open minds on this forum sometimes....

Your friend with t5/led if his led are just supplemental than 10-15% is fine to get that shimmer...but could also be a similar reason to your experience.

I have a crappy (not enough coverage or penetration) blue/white chinese led that i started with...my sps is quite colorful and does great with this light.

My feeling is light is important but not as important as the rest of your husbandry.

 

[d5332]

i plan on going with crappy led lights as well and add t5 in the front and back.

So a sandwich, T5/LED/T5, I have 3 feet of space to cover.

Like Albano has on his tank, I just can't take 4 figures out of the 529 or other important stuff to light up a fish tank.

I anticipate the led and T5 fixtures costing me $500 to $800 tops.

 

[FastUno]

Thanks. He is actually a reefer on here that I just recently met. Everyone I meet I ask tons of questions to & get their opinions on all aspects of reefing. I pay special attention when I come across individuals with LED lighting.

He wanted to use the LED's as his main lights, but he can't due to coral response. So he was forced into using the T5's as primary.

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I also saw another reefer with the older Chinese lights (blue/white only) & I was floored at the coraline and ability to care for corals. He was breaking down his tank, so I dd not get to see all of his corals and experience the full effect.

I have also seen a tank with Ecotech Radion & it supported a variation of corals & even had growth as the owner reported & it looked like his coral had grown from smaller frags. The tank was newly upgraded, so it was difficult to completely judge them.

The most breathtaking tank I saw with LED's are the Kessils. I could not tell whether he had MH's or LED's & I was sure it was MH's, but to my surprise it was the same lighting I was introduced to at a NJ reef store. The reef store had them over cube frag tanks & support ALL KINDS of corals. Hundreds of frags of various types...you name it. So I knew they can support corals, but can they grow them was the question.? This was quickly dispelled by the obvious growth of this MR SPS dominated tank & many zoas. If you can grow SPS, you should be able to grow anything with adjustments.

I have to admit I was stunned & pleasantly surprised. Worst case I can always replace my 75g MH/T5 lights with those & can RELIABLY put them on. The next question really would be, is how long can they REALLY last for? 4-5 years, maybe 50K hours as reported? Would they fade away & would the intensity dwindle after only 3 years? Would the owners be honest & let us all know?

The best alternative to MH lighting that I have seen is a combo of LED/T5.

http://reefbuilders.com/2013/02/09/reef-builders-month-jason-crockett/

 

[FastUno]

Just when you thought it was safe to throw those LED lights back on your tank.....a little late, but as promised I am back.

I finally found the courage to throw back the Chinese lights on the tank to continue my experiment. Today I removed the 150W DE MH lights on my 29G tank & mounted the Chinese LED fixtures 12" from the water line. Five hours with LED lights on so far & corals have not closed up.

As recommended (Wingo in particular), I am starting off at 35-40% white & blue for the time being. I will attempt to raise to 70% over a 3-4 week period. If anyone has any helpful recommendations, please LMK.

I have taken video of my corals with the MH lights on, right before I replaced them with the LED's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zYb7xOetEM


Here is a pic of my main 90g tank, so you can see that I know what I am doing overall. Not the best, but at least I can get by.
http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/Jack_Dupre/media/20131125_214014_zps4835913b.jpg.html?sort=3&o=6

 

[FastUno]

Here is 6+ weeks of the Chinese LED's on the tank (youtube video):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmZXUod2j3I

 

[Rob&Gab]

i have the ever grows as well but the evergrow it2040s. how much did you pay for yours?

 

[FastUno]

Mine are only manual controls & I am ok with that. The way I see it is that for years reefers ran beautiful & successful reefs without dimming. Dimming sells to the reefer & I don't think the corals mind as much a full on, at least from my limited LED experience thus far.

I paid $160 shipped, but they are on a super sale now & you can get them for under $140. I would put in a make offer of $120 & see what happens. If you do, let us know.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/330900426092?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649


My 75g main tank MH bulbs are long overdue & I have to make a decision. Either buy new MH bulbs at $80/pop or replace them with these Chinese LED's.


Also, if anyone else is running these LED's or similar please update us with pics & let us know how things are doing.

 

[JRLBRENNAN]

I have a similar fixture from ocean revive been on my tank since Christmas and my tank in blooming better than ever all corals been doing great and transition went very smooth bye bye t5's.

 

[FastUno]

From what I have seen from other reefers LED's & T5's are the best combo. I always thought if I needed more light from this, that I would simply throw on 2x T5's. Who knows I just may not need any?

Rob, this is the link I was referring to:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/190977370504?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

[TimberTDI]

Anyone using these lights on a tank depth of 24"? Wondering if they would work on a 60 cube.

 

[cmantis]

I have a 60 cube, although not setup yet, they recommended the Nova A4 to me.

 

[reefer4eva]

Anyone using these lights on a tank depth of 24"? Wondering if they would work on a 60 cube.

I have a 60 cube with the ever grow it2040 setup 12 inches above the waterline without any problems

 

[Rob&Gab]

Anyone using these lights on a tank depth of 24"? Wondering if they would work on a 60 cube.

witch lights are you talking about? the ones he just posted before your post on the first page?

if so those lights are trash told him that when he asked me. in china they sell them on aliexpress for about 60$ the specs on them are garbage.

for your 60 Cube go with the Evergrow It2040 from oceanrevivellc.com for them there pretty well priced and for the price you cant complain there amazing lights and works with your budget. and these lights are kick butt good.

 

[FastUno]

Yep, Rob said the single led multichips units suck, but I think he is talking about the D-120's Rob.

Will work, wont work is all on an individual basis from my latest experiments. Read on youtube description for further details. Mix that in with the type of corals you are interested in caring for & you've got yourself a mixed soup. No wonder Chinese LED reports are all over the place.

LED spread test on my 75g tank. Lights both channels 60%.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O7Qq982YRY


Test with T5's & LED's on 75g tank:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFg0f8FPP4g


Corals close up on 75g tank with LED's only:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBSidEOkpI4

 

[cmantis]

Most companies (inc evergrow) are going COB multi-chip.

Look up "dream chips"

 

[FastUno]

Yes, I mention the dream chip earlier in this thread. I have seen the 50W chip in person & was blown away. It reminds me most of MH's. I can't imagine how well a 100W would look.

I am looking to do some HW & hopefully build a dream chip + 2x T5 for my 75g.

Others have linked me to some good threads on MR:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2368652&highlight=dreamchip+led

 

[cmantis]

Let me know I have already designed a few and can get them made if you are interested.

 

[FastUno]

Has anyone heard of DSunY LED's?

http://www.dsuny.com.cn/En/Product_...D=727023&CorpProductClass1_ID=46914&id=922309


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4qeCMTkYSE



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GMDV6DY/?tag=reefs04-20

 

[Rob&Gab]

Yes i have there on ALIexpress.com.

ill get you the link to them on aliexpress.