Illumagic LEDs?

Chas J · Apr 1, 2019

Anyone out there using Illumagic yet? I know they're pretty new in the US, but there must be someone. Plus, isn't this forum global? From what I've read they've been pretty popular in Australia for a while.

Ron Reefman · Apr 2, 2019

Any chance you have a link to these?

Chas J · Apr 2, 2019

Here you go.
https://uniquecorals.com/collections/illumagic/illumagic

hotdrop · Apr 2, 2019

They are kind of expensive for what they are. 2 25w clusters for 250 and an ugly fixture.

Chas J · Apr 2, 2019

hotdrop said:
They are kind of expensive for what they are. 2 25w clusters for 250 and an ugly fixture.

Scroll down, I'm looking at the six footer. 450 watts.

lieberca · Apr 3, 2019

I swapped out my AP700 for a 2' Xblaze and am very happy with the switch. It's got a great amount of actinic pop from the near-UV LEDs that really lets you dial in the right blue-to-purple shade that strikes your fancy. I'm running at around 75% and getting mid-300 PAR across the top. Fixture isn't quite as sleek as the AP700, but it's still a clean look.

Long time lurker, nice to finally post!

Dlealrious · Apr 10, 2019

I run it on my frag tank. Gives corals really nice colour

TheLost · Apr 11, 2019

I'm on the fence with this light. I installed the APP on my phone and wasn't impressed. However, the youtube video tour of Luis Rosa's tank from Reef Builders with the 3" Blaze-X looks amazing.

For those that have this light...

Is the app as bad as it seems?
How low do the lights go? capable of moonlight?
How do the colors 'pop' compared to the Radions? (my kids like the neon look with my XR15's at night)

I've got a 4' tank cycling and need to decide soon

Chas J · Apr 11, 2019

TheLost said:
I'm on the fence with this light. I installed the APP on my phone and wasn't impressed. However, the youtube video tour of Luis Rosa's tank from Reef Builders with the 3" Blaze-X looks amazing.

For those that have this light...

Is the app as bad as it seems?
How low do the lights go? capable of moonlight?
How do the colors 'pop' compared to the Radions? (my kids like the neon look with my XR15's at night)

I've got a 4' tank cycling and need to decide soon

I just bit the bullet and ordered a 6' a couple of days ago. Unfortunately they're back ordered so I won't have it for a couple of weeks. Once I get it up and running I'll let everyone know what I think.

TheLost · Apr 11, 2019

Chas J said:
I just bit the bullet and ordered a 6' a couple of days ago. Unfortunately they're back ordered so I won't have it for a couple of weeks. Once I get it up and running I'll let everyone know what I think.

I just got an email saying they are 10% off this week. You may want to call and see if they will give you that discount

Chas J · Apr 11, 2019

TheLost said:
I just got an email saying they are 10% off this week. You may want to call and see if they will give you that discount

I used that discount. It's what made me pull the trigger. Saved me $200!

Dlealrious · Apr 11, 2019

I don't find a issue with the app apart from you need to turn light on and off for a sec to restart bluetooth. Unsure about moonlight I just use it for on and off mainly but I guess just set uv or blue to 1%

TheLost · Apr 11, 2019

Dlealrious said:
I don't find a issue with the app apart from you need to turn light on and off for a sec to restart bluetooth. Unsure about moonlight I just use it for on and off mainly but I guess just set uv or blue to 1%

That was one of my questions I haven't been able to get answered... How bright are the lights at 1%? The old Kessil A360's couldn't dim past 10%. Do the illumination dim to a true 1%?

Dlealrious · Apr 11, 2019

TheLost said:
That was one of my questions I haven't been able to get answered... How bright are the lights at 1%? The old Kessil A360's couldn't dim past 10%. Do the illumination dim to a true 1%?

I'll check and let u know

TheLost · Apr 12, 2019

TheLost said:
That was one of my questions I haven't been able to get answered... How bright are the lights at 1%? The old Kessil A360's couldn't dim past 10%. Do the illumination dim to a true 1%?

I ended up emailing UC and asking my questions..

Q: Do the lights have a moonlight mode?
A: Yes, you can set moonlight mode to be on throughout the night at any brightness or spectrum you choose.

Q: How low can they dim? (for example, the old Kessil A360's can only dim to 10%)
A: Huge control with 1% increments available.

Q: Your product page shows 7 LED spectrums to control, but the APP only has 3. I assume its 7 spectrums, but split into 3 channels?
A: Yes correct, 7 spectrums 3 distinct channels, A= Daylight B= Blues C= Ultraviolet

IMHO they should change that info on the UC product page. It currently says "Fully programmable, 7 LED spectrums to control". That's slightly misleading.

Q: Do you have any PAR values at depth?
A: PAR was tested on the 60cm version so numbers increase dramatically for the 120cm version and the visual for that test is now attached in this email. We also quickly tested the Blaze 180cm at Unique Corals facility and at 36 inches at the front glass we were still achieving 110, middle of the tank was a solid 300-400 range also. Very even distribution

The only thing that is holding me back is the resale value. If i buy three Kessil A360X's or XR15W's i can sell them separately to a wider audience. If i buy the 4 foot Blax X-120... 1) Nobody will know what it is.. and 2) only somebody setting up a 4 foot tank will consider it.

Corndiggly · Apr 26, 2019

This is my blaze on 1% blues which I use as moonlight, 3ft blaze on 4 ft tank.

TheLost · Apr 26, 2019

Corndiggly said:
This is my blaze on 1% blues which I use as moonlight, 3ft blaze on 4 ft tank.

I was thinking of doing the X-120 (4 ft) on my 4ft tank (Reefer 350)... are you happy with the 3ft blaze on your tank?

Corndiggly · Apr 26, 2019

TheLost said:
I was thinking of doing the X-120 (4 ft) on my 4ft tank (Reefer 350)... are you happy with the 3ft blaze on your tank?

Yeah I really like this light, the only other lights I’ve tried on my tank are kessils (3x a160) and the blaze is much better in my opinion in just about every way.
Both options work out to a similar price (in Australia anyway, $1400-$1500 if including mounts, controller and link cables for the kessils, only need mount for the blaze)
The coloration of the corals is amazing, with the kessil it seems you either have a white natural looking but dull reef or you have a blue look and the colours pop, whereas the blaze you can get both at the same time.

The par does drop a bit at the edges of the tank with a 3ft light so if you are doing wall to wall sps go the 120 but if you are happy with putting some lower light corals at the edge, or you have your scape finish a few inches from the glass then the 90 works just as well.
I know aesthetics of the setup isn’t massive for most people but I prefer the look of the 3 ft light on a 4 ft tank rather than one that goes edge to edge.

lieberca · May 1, 2019

@TheLost I put a 24" Blaze on my 40" tank, and there's definitely a dropoff in the intensity on the sides. I took the lenses off the end clusters to spread it a bit, and it works well with less light-craving corals on the perimeter (monti digi and cap, lepto, softies).

And I'm in 100% agreement with @Corndiggly on this and the comparison versus the Kessil.

As for the Illumagic app--it does seem a bit dated but it's actually pretty intuitive. And unlike my AP700, it doesn't randomly change state.

TheLost · May 2, 2019

I started my new tank cycling last night... I've decided the Illumagic X-120 is what I'll be using (I've got a few months before it gets turned on).

Thanks for the input guys!