The Modified Black Box Thread

[reeferfoxx]

So, over the past year I've been changing LEDs and lenses to find a good spectrum, light dispersment, limited shimmer and most importantly less "disco" effect, on my 165w wifi black box. I think I've found a combination. I decided to keep the 120° lenses and mixed 90° beaded and not beaded lenses. Though I dont have coral growth progression shots, this will show you more of what I've done.

Before shot. Ignore the dead looking LED. I experimented with UV LED on a white channel. (failed)


AFTER.


Since this change, I've seen some very possitive changes in polyp extension on both LPS and SPS Acros.

What have you changed?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

My 16in SBreeflight. 12in above a 20x20x18 cube @40,000 lux. 80% on all channels.

 

[reeferfoxx]

My 16in SBreeflight. 12in above a 20x20x18 cube @40,000 lux. 80% on all channels.

SALTY! Wassup!?

Did you change some LEDs on your SBreef light? Either that or your camera is changing colors on my end? Your LED layout looks different from SB's site?

 

[reeferfoxx]

BTW I'm getting 42,000 lux at 12" above water level @ 32% white/70% blue. The lens change added about 4,000 lux to my normal intensity settings.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

SALTY! Wassup!?

Did you change some LEDs on your SBreef light? Either that or your camera is changing colors on my end? Your LED layout looks different from SB's site?

Hey Foxx! Nope, still from the box. Dunno. Like work I use a loota lights, I just really didn't have the penchant to build em really.
I was working long hours when I got the light so I was half there. The SB hit 112,000 lux I think, my AI sols were 120,000. I really should have written it down. Looks like a took this pic a few week later, clearly still pretty beat up.
I really just went simple across the board and left the white blue and warm to penetrate a bit more on those. So really I lucked out on the layout. . Wound up keeping some green. Later I put tape on the green but took it off cuz I think it took the edge off the "magenta" or purple as some call it.
Im probably going to lower it a few more inches, I've got plenty of spread to spare over the tank.

30 days after I put it over the tank like this,the tank was running really stable, and my rescue acros that were pretty much goners all colored up and grew Like I hadn't seen before. An acro newbs dream.

Is yours a Mars?

Nice thread Idea.

 

[reeferfoxx]

I really just went simple across the board and left the white blue and warm to penetrate a bit more on those. So really I lucked out on the layout. . Wound up keeping some green. Later I put tape on the green but took it off cuz I think it took the edge off the "magenta" or purple as some call it.
Im probably going to lower it a few more inches, I've got plenty of spread to spare over the tank.

Correct me if I'm wrong. I read a bunch of Dana Riddles articles; The one where he discusses zooxanthellae reproduction per color spectrum. Talks about how limited or sometimes ineffective red, green, and warm white is. Even when blending red+white, green+white, red+green, etc. Basically, the reds, greens and warm whites are for our viewing pleasure. Meaning they only help with making every other color, other than blue, stand out.

Is yours a Mars?

Though I use a Mars Aqua on another tank, the one i'm discussing here is the Populargrow WIFI 165w. Below is the stock LED layout

Noticeably the stock unit comes with six 3,000k warm whites, four reds, and 3 x 410nm-420nm UV(more purple imo). This LED layout is different from the Mars Aqua.

I limited my 3,000k warm whites to just 2 diodes on clear 90° lenses. I was hoping to achieve a warm shimmer on the sandbed to mimic sunlight in a shallow area.
I kept two green LEDs on 120° lenses to help cancel out some red, purple, and blues.
The reds also on 120° lenses, help red and orange to pop out more in coral and fish.
I replaced 2 royal blue LEDs with 385nm-395nm UV diodes on 120° lenses.
The 6,000k Whites I alternated with 120° and 90° beaded lenses. I did this to gets as much white spread. I felt that was important to combat the disco effect and help with penetration without burning corals.
This is the 90° beaded lense incase anyone else didn't know...


I also replaced 4 of the 6,000k white LEDs with 10,000k-15,000k cool whites on 120° lenses. And 2 other 6,000k whites were replaced with 20,000k-25,000k super cool whites.
2 of the 6 warm whites were replaced with 2 of the 20,000k-25,000k super cool whites on 90° clear lenses.
I kept most of the Blue LEDs the same but some use 90° and 120° clear lenses.

Nice thread Idea.

Thanks! RC forum had a large thread on something similar. The pages are surpassing 60, I think now. Most of the discussion is mounting and the many units do I need questions. I was looking for something that discussed more spectrum, led placement and any modifications. These units are basically prebuilt DIY setups. A modular design so to speak. For example, this site sells wifi modules specifically for LED lighting.

Anyway, I wanted to start this for anyone else that bought one of these and decided to make it better

 

[reeferfoxx]

The SB hit 112,000 lux I think, my AI sols were 120,000.

I got curious and decided to see. At 12 inches above water level, my modified populargrow at 100%/100% was @ 82,000 lux. Mars Aqua was @ 75,000 lux.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I got curious and decided to see. At 12 inches above water level, my modified populargrow at 100%/100% was @ 82,000 lux. Mars Aqua was @ 75,000 lux.

I have the mars aqua 165w units and just recently pulled the lenses to see if the spread was better and it is, but I'm still 12" above the water line right now. I was at 10% white channel and 20% blue channel, have upped them to 30-40. Still looks very bright to me. So with that said, what lux meter are you guys using? And how do you factor the conversion over to par? I need some base line numbers to set these at.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

. At 12 inches above water level, my modified populargrow at 100%/100% was @ 82,000 lux.

Hot rodder!

Mars Aqua was @ 75,000 lux.

Very nice thanks.
They both pack a wallop.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I have the mars aqua 165w units and just recently pulled the lenses to see if the spread was better and it is, but I'm still 12" above the water line right now. I was at 10% white channel and 20% blue channel, have upped them to 30-40. Still looks very bright to me. So with that said, what lux meter are you guys using? And how do you factor the conversion over to par? I need some base line numbers to set these at.

I use the $14 to $16 red one on the tank, milwaukee makes a submersible for $70 new. At a 1:1 ration I divide by 60. More white has more PAR so far in the data. So you can divide by 55 60 and 65 depending on the ratio.

 

[Flippers4pups]

So would you measure white channel and blue channel separately or combined?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

So would you measure white channel and blue channel separately or combined?

combined. both out of interest.

 

[reeferfoxx]

I just dropped my surface lux from 42,000 to 37,000. In the past couple days, one of my acros was beginning to lose color. I decided to put my lux meter in a plastic bag. (Poor mans submersible meter ) Anyway, you know, it's a round about number to begin with. But, this acro was getting about 27,000 lux or 455 PAR with a 60 conversion. A par of 350 is what I was wanting to begin with so, it's now at 21,000 lux for this coral.

I adjusted my modified box to 32% white and 63% blue. Crossing fingers this is the sweet spot.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I want to hear more mods!!!

 

[reeferfoxx]

I want to hear more mods!!!

People gives these boxes such a bad rep, most are too afraid lol

 

[reeferfoxx]

I will say, I saw a video of the Gen 3 radions and with that amount of disco effect, I would hands down buy a black box over the Gen 3. I didn't compare the Gen 4's yet though.

Honestly my LED doesn't give off any disco effect comparably.

 

[Jason mack]

Where can I purchase the lens for the black boxes ?? Is there a site .. can I get them in Europe ??

 

[reeferfoxx]

Where can I purchase the lens for the black boxes ?? Is there a site .. can I get them in Europe ??

You can purchase from Aliexpress, Alibaba, or Ebay UK site. Search for 1w 3w led lens.

 

[Jason mack]

You can purchase from Aliexpress, Alibaba, or Ebay UK site. Search for 1w 3w led lens.

Thanks reeferfoxx .!!!!

 

[Jason mack]

Do I need the 20 mm lenses??