Taotronics 212w Chinese led review

[sanchoy]

I was a bit skeptical about this purchase but after seeing a fellow reefer compare his radions to this module in person I was blown away.

Fast forward. 2 weeks after my order the unit came in well packaged. The unit is very well built and sturdy. Instructions are in English and is very easy to follow.

U was in awe when I turned this beast on. Woah was it bright!! My eyes hurt looking at them

I currently have my 400w mg lights and 250w in the display. I will be running these LEDs next to both lights to see how the corals respond. So far I'm pleased by these LEDs.




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[Rikerbear]

I have my TaoTronics 120w non-dimmable unit on my fowlr tank. It is VERY bright indeed. The fans are quiet and the unit seems very wel built.
Were I using this on a reef tank I would be a bit put off by the non-dimmability but for fish only it's perfect
Anxious to see how it works out for you and your corals :smile:

 

[sanchoy]

Far left-is taotronics led 212w
Middle- 400w mh. 12k lighting
Far right- 250w mh 10k

I will let this run its course for a few weeks. It appears the Taos do not penetrate as deep as the mh in the picture, however in real life they do.

Best way to tell is how my corals respond. Again I am very impressed by by these Chinese LEDs. They are definitely worth every penny. I was due for a replacement in my mh bulbs anyways so I took the plunge and tried these out.


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[Rikerbear]

Looks great!

 

[sanchoy]

Update pictures. There's some growth on the Tao led side which indicates these lights are capable of growing sps for sure.

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[Mike J.]

Was going to buy this same unit and was told by the LED gurus that because it only had blue and white lights it wouldn't be good. So, I'm interested in what your test reveals.

 

[sanchoy]

yea. i will let you know how this shakes out in a few weeks. but so far so good. Many try-hards say that this brand of led will not be able to sustain sps corals. So far so good. i have noticed high polyp extension on both acros and millis and there is visible signs of coral growth.

 

[Rikerbear]

I have noticed a lot of members will spout opinion as fact, especially where LEDs are concerned.
Your corals look amazing!

 

[Henry C]

Was going to buy this same unit and was told by the LED gurus that because it only had blue and white lights it wouldn't be good. So, I'm interested in what your test reveals.

I have seen other post stating the same thing, that running only blue and white will turn your corals brown. LOL...bunch of crap!!!!
Good luck with the lights. Some of your corals may change color but once they get used to the lights they will switch back.

 

[Rikerbear]

I have seen other post stating the same thing, that running only blue and white will turn your corals brown. LOL...bunch of crap!!!!.

Agreed! I have asked for reasons some members say such things, and all I have ever gotten back was basically 'cause I said so' LOL

 

[jedimasterben]

yea. i will let you know how this shakes out in a few weeks. but so far so good. Many try-hards say that this brand of led will not be able to sustain sps corals. So far so good. i have noticed high polyp extension on both acros and millis and there is visible signs of coral growth.

If you throw enough light at them, any coral will grow. The Taotronics units use knockoff LEDs, but use enough of them with tight optics so that the intensity is there.

 

[jedimasterben]

I have noticed a lot of members will spout opinion as fact, especially where LEDs are concerned.
Your corals look amazing!

Mainly because most people don't actually understand how LEDs work or why some are used and not others.

 

[sanchoy]

Update pictures:

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[Rikerbear]

Outstanding! Love the growth and the color retention!!

 

[UB400]

Question about acclimatisation to the new LEDs

Hi Sanchoy, thank you for sharing your experience on these lights. I watched a review of these on Youtube, where the person reviewing had reverted to using 120W Taos (the new programmable ones) as he said these were too bright, judging from your photos that does not seem to be affecting your corals in any way, they look great. Would you happen to have PAR values for these lights and also what is the height of the lights from the Sandbed?