Reef Breeders Photon V1 32"

MLSReefer · Jun 20, 2018

Hi R2R!

I have been collecting items for my new saltwater tank and I came across a local who gave me a sweet deal on a 65G tank and 29G sump (he even gave me a wave maker, sand, 30LBS of live rock, and the plumbing) I believe he was giving me a good deal on this because I'm new to the hobby and he wanted me to start off right. The tank is 36” long x 24.5” deep and 18.5” wide.

He also gave me a Reef Breeders Photon V1 32" for $75. I'm still very new to this but the Photon looks dang good and when we plugged it in all the lights worked fine. It's even programmable!

Again, I'm veery new to this but I have a few questions regarding the Photon V1;

How does this LED compare to other brands for a 65g tank?

How much is this thing worth?

Is there a bracket that works with this or do I need to build a bracket? (seen the DIY bracket on R2R)

Any other info is greatly appreciated. Thank you all!

legionofdoon · Jun 20, 2018

I had one from when they first came out. They are very powerful so do not go over 30% when you add corals. The programming is nice but it is not a smooth transition between times. I hung mine from a wall bracket. Mine lasted two years before both drivers went out back then it was like $30 for new drivers. After the hurricanes I had to reset my tank and went back to halides. I just don't like how did LEDs look to my eyes. That being said I had mine over a 40b which has the same foot print as the 65 and the light gave full coverage.

legionofdoon · Jun 20, 2018

Also contact reefbreeders the owner was very helpful. They also had their own forum on the other site.

legionofdoon · Jun 20, 2018

Dim not did.

legionofdoon · Jun 20, 2018

It's also basically a evergrow with us support. Do I'd say 75 was fair.

legionofdoon · Jun 20, 2018

So I'd say lol fat fingers

ca1ore · Jun 20, 2018

Thec v1 is a solid light. Drivers are a bit twitchy and the lenses get blackened over time so you might want to check. Dining is OK. There are hanger posts on the unit for a wire kit.

legionofdoon · Jun 20, 2018

My lenses never blacked out, did they change the UV diodes?

ca1ore · Jun 20, 2018

legionofdoon said:
My lenses never blacked out, did they change the UV diodes?

They were constantly tweaking the diodes. I had three v1 and they were all different. It was actually the blues that blackened - I assume it was the lenses, but I never actually took them apart to check. Could actually have been the diodes.

legionofdoon · Jun 20, 2018

From what I understand it's the UV diodes that blacken acrylic. I bought the very first iteration of the v1 so never had any blackening.

MLSReefer · Jun 21, 2018

Thats for the helpful info guys. The one I received does have the wires for hanging it but I wanted to do a 90* bracket. This one seems to look flawless compared to other ones I looked at. I'll play around with the program later today!

MLSReefer · Jun 21, 2018

legionofdoon said:
Also contact reefbreeders the owner was very helpful. They also had their own forum on the other site.

What site was this? I'll take a look and see if I can find it

legionofdoon · Jun 22, 2018

Reef central

MLSReefer · Jun 22, 2018

legionofdoon said:
Reef central

Thanks! I'll check them out. I haven't subscribed to them yet.

Reef Breeders · Jun 26, 2018

PHXRISING said:
What site was this? I'll take a look and see if I can find it

We are a sponsor on R2R and have a sponsor forum here as well!

MLSReefer · Jun 26, 2018

Reef Breeders said:
We are a sponsor on R2R and have a sponsor forum here as well!

Oh hi!! Glad you stopped in to let me know.
Do you guys have a bracket for this LED or is it a DIY project?

Reef Breeders · Jun 26, 2018

PHXRISING said:
Oh hi!! Glad you stopped in to let me know.
Do you guys have a bracket for this LED or is it a DIY project?

The older versions did not include mounting legs, we added them later on in the evolution of the Gen 1, and doing so required a modification of the case, plus moving some of the internal electronics around. Unfortunately the legs can not be added to the older lights.

These lights are fairly modular, so adding legs is not impossible if you are open to DIYing.

Macdaddynick1 · Jun 26, 2018

PHXRISING said:
Hi R2R!

I have been collecting items for my new saltwater tank and I came across a local who gave me a sweet deal on a 65G tank and 29G sump (he even gave me a wave maker, sand, 30LBS of live rock, and the plumbing) I believe he was giving me a good deal on this because I'm new to the hobby and he wanted me to start off right. The tank is 36” long x 24.5” deep and 18.5” wide.

He also gave me a Reef Breeders Photon V1 32" for $75. I'm still very new to this but the Photon looks dang good and when we plugged it in all the lights worked fine. It's even programmable!

Again, I'm veery new to this but I have a few questions regarding the Photon V1;

How does this LED compare to other brands for a 65g tank?

How much is this thing worth?

Is there a bracket that works with this or do I need to build a bracket? (seen the DIY bracket on R2R)

Any other info is greatly appreciated. Thank you all!