ORBIT MARINE IC PRO DUAL LED or VIPARSPECTRA Timer Control Dimmable 165W

[Nas]

Hi Guys,

I am just got a 180 gallon 72X24X24 tank and I am in the market for new LED lights. I have always kept freshwater tanks and this is going to be my first reef tank. I really don't want to spend more than $600 on lights. I looked into T5s and are not that practical for me since buying bulbs will be a hustle and my LFS doesn't carry them. I am planning to have some beginner corals and maybe some LPS. I know both Current and Viparspectra are not the most popular but it looks like both of those fit my budget at the moment. I might upgrade to name brands in the future, but for now, I really need help in choosing between the two.

Thank you for y our advice in advance.

 

[Wildcats1023]

I have viparspectras on my 220 and I love them. They are actually fairly popular and can grow anything. Built in timer and only one plug. I've never used orbit so I cant compare but the viparspectra work for me and my sps dominant reef

 

[New&no clue]

I have two tanks and Currents on both. For Currents to be the most effective they need to be directly on the lid on the tank. If you want to mount them you will lose a lot of PAR. on my 75 I have them up and supplement with T5s I grow softies, LPS, and some easy SPS. On my 30 I have them on the lid and grow both softies and LPS. The control with these is really nice as for as a built in timer and changing your levels of Blue,White,Red, and Green.

 

[El_Negrito]

I was in a similar situation as you, regarding the lighting. Ended up ordering the Viparspectra. I remember reading somewhere or watching some YouTube video that mentioned that the ORBIT MARINE wasn't powerful enough for some corals.

 

[Nas]

I was in a similar situation as you, regarding the lighting. Ended up ordering the Viparspectra. I remember reading somewhere or watching some YouTube video that mentioned that the ORBIT MARINE wasn't powerful enough for some corals.

How do you like your Viparspectra? I heard that the fans are getting loud. For my tank, I will need at least 3 of those, so how will be the power consumption?
I thought having two of the Orbit Marines as in here might compensate.

 

[Nas]

I have two tanks and Currents on both. For Currents to be the most effective they need to be directly on the lid on the tank. If you want to mount them you will lose a lot of PAR. on my 75 I have them up and supplement with T5s I grow softies, LPS, and some easy SPS. On my 30 I have them on the lid and grow both softies and LPS. The control with these is really nice as for as a built in timer and changing your levels of Blue,White,Red, and Green.

Thank you for your quick response. How tall is your tank? I guess for the 24-inch tall tank, it must be placed on the lid.

 

[New&no clue]

Here are par reading from my two tanks.


Home Tank
75 Gallon Length: 47” Width: 21” Height: 20” lights are Current Orbit Marine IC PRO LED and hanging 7.5 inches above the water line. I also have 4 T5 lights on this tank so this growth is with those as well.

Office Tank
30 Gallon Length 35” Width: 15” Height: 13” Lights are CURRENT USA Orbit Marine IC LED and sit right on the tank

Here is a current picture of the Office tank with corals in it.

 

[Nas]

Here are par reading from my two tanks.


Home Tank
75 Gallon Length: 47” Width: 21” Height: 20” lights are Current Orbit Marine IC PRO LED and hanging 7.5 inches above the water line. I also have 4 T5 lights on this tank so this growth is with those as well.

Office Tank
30 Gallon Length 35” Width: 15” Height: 13” Lights are CURRENT USA Orbit Marine IC LED and sit right on the tank

Here is a current picture of the Office tank with corals in it.

You have beautiful tanks! In your home tank, what T5 bulb are you using?

 

[New&no clue]

You have beautiful tanks! In your home tank, what T5 bulb are you using?

I have the 2 Coral+ and 2 Blue+

 

[El_Negrito]

How do you like your Viparspectra? I heard that the fans are getting loud. For my tank, I will need at least 3 of those, so how will be the power consumption?
I thought having two of the Orbit Marines as in here might compensate.

Ordered them well over a month ago. And I still haven't received them. Thanks to COVID-19, Amazon Prime shipping is not what it used to be.

 

[Wildcats1023]

Ordered them well over a month ago. And I still haven't received them. Thanks to COVID-19, Amazon Prime shipping is not what it used to be.

I ordered mine on ebay from Viparspectra and they were delivered in 4 or 5 days by FedEx.

 

[Nas]

Ordered them well over a month ago. And I still haven't received them. Thanks to COVID-19, Amazon Prime shipping is not what it used to be.

Sorry to hear about the delay. It sucks to wait that long.

 

[El_Negrito]

I ordered mine on ebay from Viparspectra and they were delivered in 4 or 5 days by FedEx.

For some reason they wouldn't ship to my address. Puerto Rico. So I had to overpay on Amazon. Would of preferred the Current USA, mind you. The controllability would of been nice.

 

[El_Negrito]

Sorry to hear about the delay. It sucks to wait that long.

Yeah, Amazon Prime used to take no more than a week. Which is great considering my location. But... it is what it is.

 

[Wildcats1023]

That sucks. I saw them on Amazon but ordered from ebay as I bid on the individual lights in their weekly auctions. I got them for about $10-15 less each light over the buy it now and Amazon price. Hopefully you get them soon.