Chinese blackbox led settings
- Thread starter Sexytang
- Start date
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Dilan Patel
2500 Club Member
Nope how they came. Sbreef lights
Lightspeed
Active Member
Have a look at the latest BRS blackbox shootout, more than enough info there regarding brands of blackox, spectrum and mounting height.
If you have removed your lenses, your mounting height while it may be allowing better mix of light has lost its par to light spill and unfocused led beam structure. Find out which lenses(eg 90 deg, 120 deg) are fitted to yours, you may well just be wasting energy. FIND A HAPPY MEDIUM AND STICK TO IT.
I also suggest not to just go along with what some people suggest(dont be part of the sheeple crowd) in regarding removal of lenses. Experiment on what works for YOU and your display before following someone else, how really experienced are they in reality, or are they just following someone else as well.
Pic below is just after i mounted the lights, display size is 1850mm l x 750mm w x 650mm d.
As you can see i only need 2 x 165 w Vipars.
This is what worked for me, and believe me i have just about read every lighting thread on blacboxes on the net, at the end of the day i used brs analysis in latest vid, tried lenses off and put them straight back on, then played with output and mounting height with brs vid as a rough guide.
I run stock Viparspectra with lps and sps monti encrusting, my Vipars are 15" above waterline and approx 25" display water depth, i keep my sps on top of my lr shelf rock at approx 10" below waterline and lps depending on species is placed according to light and flow needs.
Vipars are 90 degree lenses, clear and not diffused like Mars.
With only 2 channels to use i run my blues ch1 at 45% and ch2 whites at 1%.
If you have removed your lenses, your mounting height while it may be allowing better mix of light has lost its par to light spill and unfocused led beam structure. Find out which lenses(eg 90 deg, 120 deg) are fitted to yours, you may well just be wasting energy. FIND A HAPPY MEDIUM AND STICK TO IT.
I also suggest not to just go along with what some people suggest(dont be part of the sheeple crowd) in regarding removal of lenses. Experiment on what works for YOU and your display before following someone else, how really experienced are they in reality, or are they just following someone else as well.
Pic below is just after i mounted the lights, display size is 1850mm l x 750mm w x 650mm d.
As you can see i only need 2 x 165 w Vipars.
This is what worked for me, and believe me i have just about read every lighting thread on blacboxes on the net, at the end of the day i used brs analysis in latest vid, tried lenses off and put them straight back on, then played with output and mounting height with brs vid as a rough guide.
I run stock Viparspectra with lps and sps monti encrusting, my Vipars are 15" above waterline and approx 25" display water depth, i keep my sps on top of my lr shelf rock at approx 10" below waterline and lps depending on species is placed according to light and flow needs.
Vipars are 90 degree lenses, clear and not diffused like Mars.
With only 2 channels to use i run my blues ch1 at 45% and ch2 whites at 1%.
LeftyReefer
2500 Club Member
I have a 300w (32") viparspectra over my 36" tank.
It is currently 14" above the water line. Tank is only 16" deep. (40b) So roughly 29"-30" from light to sand bed.
I currently have my Ch1 (blues) at 55% and Ch2 (white) at 1%.
I have a RBTA right in the middle of the tank, middle 1/3 of the tank, and he seems happy. Stays short and bubbled up, doesn't ever seem like its stretching for more light.
I agree with others, the ViparSpectra's have too strong of a white channel as is. Even at 1% its too white visually for my likes. I'd love to be able to swap out some of the white LED's, for more blues/violets/UV LED's, but don't really know enough about it to try doing that just yet. maybe one day.
It is currently 14" above the water line. Tank is only 16" deep. (40b) So roughly 29"-30" from light to sand bed.
I currently have my Ch1 (blues) at 55% and Ch2 (white) at 1%.
I have a RBTA right in the middle of the tank, middle 1/3 of the tank, and he seems happy. Stays short and bubbled up, doesn't ever seem like its stretching for more light.
I agree with others, the ViparSpectra's have too strong of a white channel as is. Even at 1% its too white visually for my likes. I'd love to be able to swap out some of the white LED's, for more blues/violets/UV LED's, but don't really know enough about it to try doing that just yet. maybe one day.
Lightspeed
Active Member
I think at that mounting height, you could but you are looking at running your lighting at a higher % on both channels which long term is decreasing your service life.
Search the threads and see if anyone bothered to measure par after removing lenses and note the mounting height.
