We got a sneak peek of something HUGE for Radion lighting!!

[nc208082]

The problem with LED lighting is its advancing faster than a company can keep up with. Every few months new diodes are being unveiled and efficiency being increased, its hard to design a fixture and leave it at that. Light diffuses have been used for years in florescence lighting so it was just a matter of time before several companies tried this approach and sure enough saw a more even par distribution.

In terms of the Coral Care's industrial design, they are using that approach from the horticulture led lighting world. More users are gravitating towards passively cooled fixtures that require no fans making them dead silent. The trade off is a bulkier looking light. You could go custom make a box to hide it inside to make it look nicer or use a canopy.

Ecotech is not using people as beta testers that is silly. We just have an instant gratification mentality so would rather this stuff come out sooner for us to try rather than waiting several years and do R and D to see the results.

 

[Flippers4pups]

The problem with LED lighting is its advancing faster than a company can keep up with. Every few months new diodes are being unveiled and efficiency being increased, its hard to design a fixture and leave it at that. Light diffuses have been used for years in florescence lighting so it was just a matter of time before several companies tried this approach and sure enough saw a more even par distribution.

In terms of the Coral Care's industrial design, they are using that approach from the horticulture led lighting world. More users are gravitating towards passively cooled fixtures that require no fans making them dead silent. The trade off is a bulkier looking light. You could go custom make a box to hide it inside to make it look nicer or use a canopy.

Ecotech is not using people as beta testers that is silly. We just have an instant gratification mentality so would rather this stuff come out sooner for us to try rather than waiting several years and do R and D to see the results.

Conversely speaking though, as stated diffusion being the issue, radion owners would have seemed to have seeked out DIY solutions, if this was a issue for them, long ago.

Long before this so called "leap" in technology was just now unveiled.

Seems to me a moot point now.

 

[nc208082]

I agree, it shouldn't have been explained as a game changer or anything like that. It's simply an alternative lense really.

 

[reeferfoxx]

Someone on here disassembled and Orphek and said it was just like a Chinese black box inside.

Our perception of what is good and what isn't has to be taken with a grain of salt in some aspects. Though, I'm a huge fan of the design of the orphek I do not think it's worth the cost. In fact I've given that company some grief for making their light controllable from anywhere in the world. Seriously, whos going to make light adjustments from 2,000 mile away? Besides, I thought they did an external driver which wouldn't emulate the chinese BB?

 

[reeferfoxx]

I'm not a industrial design fan, but notice that with that design, Philips Coral Care don't need fans, so it's less noise, less energy and less potential for issues...

Comparably to the ATI T5 units, the energy to cost ratio is almost equal.

 

[Ryanbrs]

I agree, it shouldn't have been explained as a game changer or anything like that. It's simply an alternative lense really.

I agree, "Game changer" is a perspective. I certainly didn't mean to portray a sheet of diffusion plastic as a major advancement in lighting technology. However, once you look at the results side by side it absolutely a game changer. Meaning there are going to be a lot of people who would have never considered Radions because of the color separated disco that will now be very happy with it and those that already like it will almost certainly like it a lot more. In person, it is a really solid visual improvement.

I do think it represents a significant change to see one of the major leaders in the industry adopt a form of technology into their design. We have now seen a form of diffusion with the AP700, radions , coral care and now maxspect. This is almost certainly the beginning of some cool things to come for the industry.

 

[Potatohead]

Comparably to the ATI T5 units, the energy to cost ratio is almost equal.

I was just going to say

LED is cool but until there's significant energy savings, which was part of the initial appeal, I just don't see a reason to switch from my Sunpower. Heat transfer to the water is a genuine concern, but not for me and where I live, in fact the opposite being true actually saves me money in heating for nine months of the year.

 

[reeferfoxx]

LED is cool but until there's significant energy savings, which was part of the initial appeal, I just don't see a reason to switch from my Sunpower.

The only thing that draws me towards led is less maintenance. Not having to worry about how old my bulbs are and making that purchase every 6-18 months(I've heard 18 months). Plus I have several bags of different spectrum diodes to switch out if I need to. I get 10 diodes for $3-$4.

 

[Potatohead]

The only thing that draws me towards led is less maintenance. Not having to worry about how old my bulbs are and making that purchase every 6-18 months(I've heard 18 months). Plus I have several bags of different spectrum diodes to switch out if I need to. I get 10 diodes for $3-$4.

It's a fair point. I don't mind switching bulbs and saving on heating probably pays for them. I kind of look forward to trying a new bulb combo out sometimes too. Obviously being able to change color temp on an app is a superior option, but let's also not forget that LED life cycle is finite, and initial cost is typically higher.

I have not even touched on the disco ball which I absolutely hate, the diffuser 100% helps but of course then you need to crank them up a more, using more power again.

I like the concept of LED for sure but I feel it needs a bit more time to sort out. In the BRS CoralCare video even without a fan the light actually used more power than the Sunpower to get to the same par level.

 

[Tristren]

I agree, "Game changer" is a perspective. I certainly didn't mean to portray a sheet of diffusion plastic as a major advancement in lighting technology. However, once you look at the results side by side it absolutely a game changer. Meaning there are going to be a lot of people who would have never considered Radions because of the color separated disco that will now be very happy with it and those that already like it will almost certainly like it a lot more. In person, it is a really solid visual improvement.

I do think it represents a significant change to see one of the major leaders in the industry adopt a form of technology into their design. We have now seen a form of diffusion with the AP700, radions , coral care and now maxspect. This is almost certainly the beginning of some cool things to come for the industry.

I'm very happy with this new trend, as I'm a fan of the smoother, more natural look (less so of the day-glo/black light thing) and am aiming for a system that of mainly soft and LPS anyway.

Your video was great for me because I think I can get away with fewer XR15s then I had hoped, and tune them individually (for the one or two SPS that I do want to get), and also add the diffuser for a more natural look.

Frankly I would like to get a cheaper light, but I also enjoy the controllability in terms of seasonality, and getting more natural sunrise / sunset spectrums.

I'm hoping that the next trend is to incorporate more macro algae and sea grass!


Tony

 

[Tristren]

This is completely aesthetics for the end user. Not needed.

Well that depends on what the point of the tanks are. If you have it as a box to have corals with the best growth and colour then yeah. If you have a reef tank as something you like to look at, either purely aesthetic or as as a slice of the reef in your house, then being able to tweak the spectrum is a necessary and important feature.

Maybe like the difference between growing plants for competition and "having a nice garden"?


Tony

 

[Flippers4pups]

Well that depends on what the point of the tanks are. If you have it as a box to have corals with the best growth and colour then yeah. If you have a reef tank as something you like to look at, either purely aesthetic or as as a slice of the reef in your house, then being able to tweak the spectrum is a necessary and important feature.

Maybe like the difference between growing plants for competition and "having a nice garden"?


Tony

White channel and blue channel is all I need and adjusted to my personal preference, all based on par needed for my corals and their placement. Diodes with the proper nm and k is essential, that's what I have and my corals are responding exceptionally well.

Adjusting every color channel under the sun isn't needed and is overkill. Too many options leds to the end users tweaking and tweaking needlessly.

 

[Tristren]

White channel and blue channel is all I need and adjusted to my personal preference, all based on par needed for my corals and their placement. Diodes with the proper nm and k is essential, that's what I have and my corals are responding exceptionally well.

Adjusting every color channel under the sun isn't needed and is overkill. Too many options leds to the end users tweaking and tweaking needlessly.

Yes, there is a happy medium to be sure. The Kessil, and CoralCare I think, setup seems smart. The spectrum your coral needs is baked in, then you have a slider to change the way it looks, but it corrects as it goes to make sure that spectrum stays right for the corals.

 

[Niterunner77]

So since we are on the subject of Radions, how do you think the Aquatic Life T5/LED fixture will go with the Radions. It's definitely a pretty cool idea to make it work for several different brands and since I already have Radions, I can make adding T5s easier and look good above my rimless tank.

https://blog.marinedepot.com/2017/0...quatic-life-t5holed-hybrid-light-fixture.html

 

[Alfrareef]

Comparably to the ATI T5 units, the energy to cost ratio is almost equal.

Never mesure that.
Only if you exclude lamp replacement, the running cost are similar.

 

[Newb73]

Our perception of what is good and what isn't has to be taken with a grain of salt in some aspects. Though, I'm a huge fan of the design of the orphek I do not think it's worth the cost. In fact I've given that company some grief for making their light controllable from anywhere in the world. Seriously, whos going to make light adjustments from 2,000 mile away? Besides, I thought they did an external driver which wouldn't emulate the chinese BB?

Just yesterday I tweaked my lighting program a bit after youtubing a seminar about photo periods......from 250 miles away, from a soccer game, at half time....

 

[reeferfoxx]

Just yesterday I tweaked my lighting program a bit after youtubing a seminar about photo periods......from 250 miles away, from a soccer game, at half time....

Oh wow! Totally worth the $1,000 then!

 

[reeferfoxx]

but let's also not forget that LED life cycle is finite, and initial cost is typically higher.

True. I bought two black box units 3 years ago for about $210. Still haven't needed to swap diodes. Except, for those pesky and slightly overrated 390nm diodes that burn out fast. Ended up tossing those for 420's. I suppose in 3 years I've spent $250 on two boxes, various lenses, and led chips. I should be good for awhile.

 

[Flippers4pups]

True. I bought two black box units 3 years ago for about $210. Still haven't needed to swap diodes. Except, for those pesky and slightly overrated 390nm diodes that burn out fast. Ended up tossing those for 420's. I suppose in 3 years I've spent $250 on two boxes, various lenses, and led chips. I should be good for awhile.

That's great news!

 

[Potatohead]

Never mesure that.
Only if you exclude lamp replacement, the running cost are similar.

Initial cost for LED is far higher, especially for SPS tank, unless you are buying Chinese boxes and even then it may still be higher.