Black box help.

Joiningsession · Jun 8, 2018

Hi all, just set up an innovative marine 20 and have everything ready except a light. I know I can't expect the same control etc I have with my Prime HD on my 10 gallon, so I know to expect a little less controllabilty if any. But I'm interested in hearing which "Black box" LEDs are your favorite or best?

Right now I'm looking between 3 lights. The Reef breeders superlux. SB reef lights basic. And the Ocean Revive t247.

I honestly don't know which is "better" or what. The tank will be mixed but do want to attempt Acros and that's one reason I was looking at the t247, the layout looks to eliminate shadowing since it's spread out more.

Another thing I'm interested in is the color the light puts off, I know they can be dimmed but I like the look of blue/pink hue that lights put off.

But as you see my lights are all in a certain budget area due to my schooling finances lol they are all under 200$ and I'm looking to stay as cheap as possible. If anyone has input on these lights please let me know! Thanks

happyhourhero · Jun 8, 2018

Basically you will be able to grow whatever you want with any of those black boxes.

They have different spectrums and different groups of fans(users)

I personally run SB Reef lights and believe they do a great job and I love my tank. I went with the basics because there is less that can go wrong and I have not had any issues in the almost 3 years I have had them.

With any of the options you will have shading issues as the colonies grow out.

I don’t think there is a “right” answer to your question so I would just look at peoples tanks that suggest lights and decide if those lights are growing a reef that looks like something you would like.

chipmunkofdoom2 · Jun 8, 2018

I don't actually have any of these lights, so I don't have first-hand experience with them. But I will say that even though all three of these lights come in black, boxy cases, I wouldn't call them "black box LEDs." All three of these fixtures come from known manufacturers who have a pretty good reputation in the hobby. All three of these lights are likely a big step up from what you'll find on Ebay if you search for "black box reef light." These lights may not have the bells and whistles that some of the $600+ LED lights have, but they work just fine and will grow just about any coral you want provided you cover the tank well.

Hopefully someone with more experience with these lights can chime in, but personally, I think any one of these three lights would be a fine choice. All three of them likely offer a substantial increase in quality over the standard $100 black box on Ebay.

As an aside, while these are undoubtedly better quality lights than the cheap $100 black box off Ebay, even the cheap black box will grow just about anything you could possibly want. So any one of these three will grow corals just fine.

Joiningsession · Jun 8, 2018

Both post basically said exactly what I was thinking lol now I do have 1 more question, I have the chance to get a razor r420r for a good price. Wondering if it's that much better etc than these mainly the t247. I know it's a great light but I would be the third owner and I have no clue how long it's been in use, that alone is leaning me away from it. If it was like a year old I'd already snagged it.