alibaba led bars vs high end led bars

[fishmonkey]

Using a bank of bars is interesting but what about all those cords? 6-8 bars brings you 6-8 cords to deal with.

i guess zip tie them together into one massive cord lol

 

[Acros]

yea after researching for a while i think im gonna get the quantas. 5 is the best amount for acropora tank right?

Five bars spread 4” between them would be a good place to start.

 

[Duncan62]

Using a bank of bars is interesting but what about all those cords? 6-8 bars brings you 6-8 cords to deal with.

I have 5 on one. 3 on the sps end and 2 on lps/mixed end. Cords go right over the back. Can't see them.

 

[Duncan62]

i guess zip tie them together into one massive cord lol

here's 5 bars. No bird nest of cords. Apologies for the messy tank. It's pretty new.

 

[Tamberav]

My thing is having 5 power plugs to plug them into lol I am using so many plugs as it is.

 

[minus9]

yea after researching for a while i think im gonna get the quantas. 5 is the best amount for acropora tank right?

Send Luca an email, he’ll get your details and help you out.

 

[Smite]

They sell sleeves for entertainment centers for cord management that work great for keeping it clean looking. I use so many plugs what's a couple more? Id be treating mine more like a t5 with 2 channels, full and then blue. So it would end up being 2 power strips and take up 2 outlets just like my current t5 does on my apex.

The nice thing is quanta comes with a much longer cord to the driver. When I bought some ebay orpheks a while back I had to mount the drivers to the back side of my spectra fixture.

 

[Midrats]

Bars seem to be the way led lighting is going. Someone needs to figure out a way to daisy chain them.

 

[Big E]

Bars seem to be the way led lighting is going. Someone needs to figure out a way to daisy chain them.

Yes, marine led light bar functionality is lame. The horticulture industry has bars like this and have all the hardware to mount them together,for daisy chains, and also have the power source mounted up top to avoid all those cords and it all comes with the whole fixture.
The power sources even have at least a dial to control and dim.

If your going to sell bars to replace T5 than at least have all the wiring taken care of in a junction box with a cord or two going to the power source.

I know Reefbrite has some mounts for their bars but they charge out the wazoo instead of it being hardware that comes in the box.

 

[minus9]

Bars seem to be the way led lighting is going. Someone needs to figure out a way to daisy chain them.

Luca’s regular quanta bars daisy chain together, but not the pro versions. But, I have a feeling that this will change, especially with how popular they’re becoming. As someone who loves and uses old tech, these bars are a legit replacement for T5’s, the same can’t be said about halides, but someday someone will make that happen. Please, don’t let this comment distract from the topic at hand, there are plenty of ongoing threads on this subject to inject your opinions. But it would be nice to have a selectable driver that allows you to hook up 2-4 lights on one driver. Wink, wink @Lousybreed

 

[Hooz]

Luca’s regular quanta bars daisy chain together, but not the pro versions. But, I have a feeling that this will change, especially with how popular they’re becoming. As someone who loves and uses old tech, these bars are a legit replacement for T5’s, the same can’t be said about halides, but someday someone will make that happen. Please, don’t let this comment distract from the topic at hand, there are plenty of ongoing threads on this subject to inject your opinions. But it would be nice to have a selectable driver that allows you to hook up 2-4 lights on one driver. Wink, wink @Lousybreed

If you want an LED that replicates MH, keep your eye on Luxdium. He's developing a replacement puck for the Prime HD and Hydra 26HD/52HD that mimics a MH closer than anyone has attempted to get yet. It's impressive.

As for the Quanta Pro bars, I'm completely sold on them. Yes, they are built by the same Chinese manufacturer that builds all the others, but Luca has really dialed in the spectrum and spread/blending better than anyone else has in an LED bar (and the manufacturer will only build them like that for him, nobody else). My ONLY, and I mean ONLY nitpick is that there is no ability to control or dim them. I'm an LPS and softie guy, so I don't need a ton of PAR, but I do need spectrum and spread. If I could put multiple bars on a tank and them turn them down to what I need, I would jump in with both feet yesterday.

 

[LeftyReefer]

My thing is having 5 power plugs to plug them into lol I am using so many plugs as it is.

These guys are pretty handy

or just plug them into a powerstrip and then plug the powerstrip into a single plug.

 

[minus9]

If you want an LED that replicates MH, keep your eye on Luxdium. He's developing a replacement puck for the Prime HD and Hydra 26HD/52HD that mimics a MH closer than anyone has attempted to get yet. It's impressive.

As for the Quanta Pro bars, I'm completely sold on them. Yes, they are built by the same Chinese manufacturer that builds all the others, but Luca has really dialed in the spectrum and spread/blending better than anyone else has in an LED bar (and the manufacturer will only build them like that for him, nobody else). My ONLY, and I mean ONLY nitpick is that there is no ability to control or dim them. I'm an LPS and softie guy, so I don't need a ton of PAR, but I do need spectrum and spread. If I could put multiple bars on a tank and them turn them down to what I need, I would jump in with both feet yesterday.

I think you can easily use a dimmer with these if you’re a DIYer. I think Jim @telegraham talked about using a driver/dimmer on one of his live streams?

 

[fishmonkey]

Luca’s regular quanta bars daisy chain together, but not the pro versions. But, I have a feeling that this will change, especially with how popular they’re becoming. As someone who loves and uses old tech, these bars are a legit replacement for T5’s, the same can’t be said about halides, but someday someone will make that happen. Please, don’t let this comment distract from the topic at hand, there are plenty of ongoing threads on this subject to inject your opinions. But it would be nice to have a selectable driver that allows you to hook up 2-4 lights on one driver. Wink, wink @Lousybreed

Feel free to hijack it. I’m learning something new everyday about lighting.

 

[telegraham]

I think you can easily use a dimmer with these if you’re a DIYer. I think Jim @telegraham talked about using a driver/dimmer on one of his live streams?

I'd use separate drivers on the same 0-10V dimmer. A larger driver powering two bars turns into a cluster if one of the bars dies. It'll get too much current (voltage in a parallel circuit remains constant, but current divides). Your new driver would be sized for the two-bar load. If one bar is disconnected, the single bar gets all the juice.

 

[fishmonkey]

I'd use separate drivers on the same 0-10V dimmer. A larger driver powering two bars turns into a cluster if one of the bars dies. It'll get too much current (voltage in a parallel circuit remains constant, but current divides). Your new driver would be sized for the two-bar load. If one bar is disconnected, the single bar gets all the juice.

Random question. Am considering lighting my whole tank with quanta bars but now the whole uv rabbit hole has grabbed my attention. I’m planning on getting a 120g 48x24x24 acropora tank.

Should I get 2 Mitras LX 7204’s for the uv spectrum and maybe with some quanta bars or just straight up quanta bars like I originally planned?

 

[minus9]

Random question. Am considering lighting my whole tank with quanta bars but now the whole uv rabbit hole has grabbed my attention. I’m planning on getting a 120g 48x24x24 acropora tank.

Should I get 2 Mitras LX 7204’s for the uv spectrum and maybe with some quanta bars or just straight up quanta bars like I originally planned?

Email Luca at Quanta, he'll let you know about uv in his bars. I know the meso blue is loaded with violet and has a nice punch to it. @Lousybreed thoughts?

 

[fishmonkey]

Email Luca at Quanta, he'll let you know about uv in his bars. I know the meso blue is loaded with violet and has a nice punch to it. @Lousybreed thoughts?

I might be mistaken but I don’t think any of those bars have true uv. Apparently the only ones that have it at any considerable level are the Mitras according to telegraham. Even then I think he said turbidity and what not might effect the results

 

[minus9]

I might be mistaken but I don’t think any of those bars have true uv. Apparently the only ones that have it at any considerable level are the Mitras according to telegraham. Even then I think he said turbidity and what not might effect the results

Yeah, uv diodes are expensive and usually don't last long.

 

[fishmonkey]

Yeah, uv diodes are expensive and usually don't last long.

I’m listening to the new reefbum video right now. They talk a bit about uv and the benefits aren’t really proven yet. Would like to know peoples opinion. I’m veering on the side of it doesn’t really matter much. Too many good tanks without it.
Apparently Chris at aci switched to leds and had a problem with his torch coral. He claims it had something to do with not enough uv to kill some black algae or whatever. Maybe it’s true or maybe it’s just from moving the coral to a new lighting system and it not liking it.
Either way I’m just interested in the best lighting options.