Anyone had any experience with Viparspectra?

[Harrison.]

Hey guys,
So I was considering getting a few of these in the 300W model for a 110G tank I have.
Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with them and how controllable they are?

 

[oreo54]

Just note they are not "300W" lights..

 

[DesertReefT4r]

I have been researching these lights for a while in the 165w model. Only finding positive feedback and reviews on them. My cousin just picked one up on my recommendations so i got to play with it a little. Very impressed overall. As for control you have 2 channels 1 is blues and 2 is whites which you can adjust intensity and set on amd off times for each channel. No adjustments of each color led, no ramping up or down and no moon or storm effects.

 

[jda]

There is a thread with 16 pages right next to this one right now...

As Oreo said, the W is just a model number, not a wattage.

 

[jda]

Viparspectra 165watt, Anyone using these?

Hi, I'm new to this site and can't find if it has been asked before. So my question is, is anyone else using these viparspectra led lights? I have had one since Xmas, 8" over a 24x18x18 mixed reef, I have worked upto a setting of 65% blue an 20% white, which have worked upto and I have only had...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Harrison.]

Yea I know but it’s a heaps old thread and I wanted to ask some people who are currently using them to pick their brains a bit.
All I really want to know is do I need to buy a specific model to have the colours adjustable? It looks like most of them are just straight grow lights with just an on/off button and no room for programming.

 

[Rybren]

The thread is actually current; folks are still posting on it regularly.

But in answer to your question, the light has 2 channels only; it has a built in timer system to turn the channels on and off independently, and you can set the intensity of each channel. However, it doesn't have a ramping system - they're either on or off at whatever intensity they are set at. If you want to change the intensity, you have to do it manually.

 

[Harrison.]

Thanks mate, appreciate the help

 

[Txplicit]

Research chinese black box. They are all the same. Mars aqua, victraspect, etc.... 300w Chinese black boxes

 

[horsefarm5]

my blue channel went after a year on one unit....the other no problem

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Research chinese black box. They are all the same. Mars aqua, victraspect, etc.... 300w Chinese black boxes

Not entirely accurate. Many so-called black boxes, including Vipars, Mars Aqua, SBreef, etc., have different led layouts/spectrum, drivers, cooling, and overall build quality...some better than others.

The 3 listed are the better quality lights. There is also a slew of other Chinese lights being sold on eBay, some of which are fully wifi controllable, but I have no experience with them.

The biggest draw to these lights comes from price (especially for new reefers with sticker shock), ease of use, repairability/modding (leds are easy to replace change out to a different spectrum), and they grow coral... Arguably as good as a name brand led fixture though I don't think anyone has actually done any long-term testing, I'm going purely off of anecdotal evidence (pictures of people's tanks running black boxes here on R2R).

Now, it's not all rainbows either. You give up some controlability and the leds aren't exactly top bin Cree/Luxeon etc. and will likely fail prematurely (2-3 years most, UV will fail earlier) and the drivers are no-name.... Not exactly Meanwells.