averageguysaquatics
Community Member
Hello Guys and Gals,
With all the talk of every type of LEDs out there we have been testing some. We wanted to do it the average guys way , no high tech stuff it was real simple , buy several fixtures , but them on identical type tanks , put several frags of the same corals in the tanks and see how it went. Water parameters were kept as close to possible. Tanks used were 2 92 Gallon Corner tanks, why these tanks your ask because they are some of the hardest ones to light properly. Tanks had identical canopies, all lights were placed aprox 11 inches above the water line.
Salanity: 1.025
PH: 8.3
Calc 470-480
Alk- 9.6-9.8
MG- 1240-1250
Temp 76-77
Ones we tested.
AI SoLs -2 fixtures
Tao Tronics 55 x 2 led fixtures (2 of them)
LEDTRiC Infuse 8 - single fixture
Prices in order from cheapest to highest
1. TaoTronics
2. AI Sols
3. LEDTRiC Infuse 8
Coverage Best to worst
1. LEDTRIC Infuse 8 - This fixture suprised us due to the fact it was one fixture where the other ones had 2. This fixture has 96 3 Watt Epistar LEDs. 12 LEDs per puck. With 120 degreese optics
2. AI Sols- AI is well AI absolutely wonderful lights. However we did notice some coverage areas where it was more shaded. We moved the lights a bit to fix some of the spots however when we did others formed espically in the corners
3. TaoTronics - Very disapointed in these fixtures. It appeared as though we had 2 spot lights. We even removed the canopy and had them 20+ inches above the water line and still could not get full coverage
Color output from best to worst (remember keeping it simple)
1. LEDTRiC Infuse 8 - This light is a full spectrum fixture. Colors include red, cyan, violet, cool white, bright white, deep blue. All of the corals popped under these lights. We even saw some colors on some corals we didnt know existed
2. AI Sols- Color was wonderful however did not give the pop that full spectrum does
3. TaoTronics- Though we liked the dimming feature it was disapointing that there really was no color spectrum that was pleasant to our eyes. It was either to blue or to white. The corals looked very bland
Features from best to worst
1. AI Sols- who does not love a thunderstorm. Its a awesome feature and though it really doesnt do much for the tank its beautiful for the eyes. The new Digital Controller was very easy to use over the old one with the knob.
2. TaoTronics - Nice having a dimming feature however we noticed when the knob was turned it seemed to take awhile before you could see any change
3. LEDTRiC Infuse 8- This fixture is simply plug and play. No dimming features , however if you want to simulate a dusk to dawn or vise versa 4 pucks run off one power cord and the other 4 off another
Overall Thoughts from best to worse
1. LEDTRiC Infuse 8 - By far this provided the best coverage in our case and the corals popped. The fixture ran very cool and we ran them 12 hours a day and it never got warm. The full spectrum is great to have and the one part we loved the most was it had a 3 year warranty. Only down fall to this is they must be hung.
2. AI Sols- We love these fixtures however the coverage is very sketchy. We felt if they were moved higher then the coverage would increase however the "par" value would drop. The new controller is a wonderful feature and operation is great, do the initial setup and then you are good to go. Fixtures ran cool and were very quiet. We felt we would need 3 of these to get proper coverage. We love the availability to either hang the fixtures or mount directly into the canopy.
3. TaoTronics- Its a good "budget fixture" and might be good on a smaller tank or small frag system. However if you are looking to light your larger display system we would stray away from them. These units must be hung.
We hope this helps when you look into leds. We will be uploading pictures soon to show the difference.
With all the talk of every type of LEDs out there we have been testing some. We wanted to do it the average guys way , no high tech stuff it was real simple , buy several fixtures , but them on identical type tanks , put several frags of the same corals in the tanks and see how it went. Water parameters were kept as close to possible. Tanks used were 2 92 Gallon Corner tanks, why these tanks your ask because they are some of the hardest ones to light properly. Tanks had identical canopies, all lights were placed aprox 11 inches above the water line.
Salanity: 1.025
PH: 8.3
Calc 470-480
Alk- 9.6-9.8
MG- 1240-1250
Temp 76-77
Ones we tested.
AI SoLs -2 fixtures
Tao Tronics 55 x 2 led fixtures (2 of them)
LEDTRiC Infuse 8 - single fixture
Prices in order from cheapest to highest
1. TaoTronics
2. AI Sols
3. LEDTRiC Infuse 8
Coverage Best to worst
1. LEDTRIC Infuse 8 - This fixture suprised us due to the fact it was one fixture where the other ones had 2. This fixture has 96 3 Watt Epistar LEDs. 12 LEDs per puck. With 120 degreese optics
2. AI Sols- AI is well AI absolutely wonderful lights. However we did notice some coverage areas where it was more shaded. We moved the lights a bit to fix some of the spots however when we did others formed espically in the corners
3. TaoTronics - Very disapointed in these fixtures. It appeared as though we had 2 spot lights. We even removed the canopy and had them 20+ inches above the water line and still could not get full coverage
Color output from best to worst (remember keeping it simple)
1. LEDTRiC Infuse 8 - This light is a full spectrum fixture. Colors include red, cyan, violet, cool white, bright white, deep blue. All of the corals popped under these lights. We even saw some colors on some corals we didnt know existed
2. AI Sols- Color was wonderful however did not give the pop that full spectrum does
3. TaoTronics- Though we liked the dimming feature it was disapointing that there really was no color spectrum that was pleasant to our eyes. It was either to blue or to white. The corals looked very bland
Features from best to worst
1. AI Sols- who does not love a thunderstorm. Its a awesome feature and though it really doesnt do much for the tank its beautiful for the eyes. The new Digital Controller was very easy to use over the old one with the knob.
2. TaoTronics - Nice having a dimming feature however we noticed when the knob was turned it seemed to take awhile before you could see any change
3. LEDTRiC Infuse 8- This fixture is simply plug and play. No dimming features , however if you want to simulate a dusk to dawn or vise versa 4 pucks run off one power cord and the other 4 off another
Overall Thoughts from best to worse
1. LEDTRiC Infuse 8 - By far this provided the best coverage in our case and the corals popped. The fixture ran very cool and we ran them 12 hours a day and it never got warm. The full spectrum is great to have and the one part we loved the most was it had a 3 year warranty. Only down fall to this is they must be hung.
2. AI Sols- We love these fixtures however the coverage is very sketchy. We felt if they were moved higher then the coverage would increase however the "par" value would drop. The new controller is a wonderful feature and operation is great, do the initial setup and then you are good to go. Fixtures ran cool and were very quiet. We felt we would need 3 of these to get proper coverage. We love the availability to either hang the fixtures or mount directly into the canopy.
3. TaoTronics- Its a good "budget fixture" and might be good on a smaller tank or small frag system. However if you are looking to light your larger display system we would stray away from them. These units must be hung.
We hope this helps when you look into leds. We will be uploading pictures soon to show the difference.
