The real Black Box light study

wangspeed · Jan 28, 2019

Jay Norris said:
I will admit they are expensive compared to the cheap BB lights and not so expensive compared to the Radions or Orpheks. I just like the Mitra's for the way they grow corals in my system, how easy they are to program , and the coverage area, and no disco ball effect due to their parabolic reflectors. Some of the components inside may be made in China, but I wouldn't bet on it, and I don't feel like taking one apart and looking inside, as it will probably void my warranty.

I’m with you Jay. I have 5 GHL Mitras over my DT. About to move to 7 since I got some on sale in the FS forum. I have had awesome success with them so far. Really like them, but the program interface is very dated.

Jay Norris · Jan 29, 2019

wangspeed said:
I’m with you Jay. I have 5 GHL Mitras over my DT. About to move to 7 since I got some on sale in the FS forum. I have had awesome success with them so far. Really like them, but the program interface is very dated.

Are they still on sale, as I will be getting a bigger tank in the near future?

dantimdad · Jan 29, 2019

I think they were here in the market place used

Manose · Jan 29, 2019

I am having a blizzard here in east Tennessee so I am not going to get to the shop today.

dantimdad · Jan 29, 2019

Safety third!

Manose · Jan 29, 2019

dantimdad said:
Safety third!

LOL

crusso1993 · Jan 29, 2019

For anyone following this study; @noopsyche is having another give away. Enter below and good luck!

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/light-up-your-reef-giveaway-by-noopsyche-and-r2r.547923/page-2

Manose · Jan 29, 2019

Tomorrow I am going to head down to the shop and redo the tank we are using to take measurements. When I say redo, I'm just going to empty and clean it.

dantimdad · Jan 29, 2019

Manose said:
Tomorrow I am going to head down to the shop and redo the tank we are using to take measurements. When I say redo, I'm just going to empty and clean it.

Is the weather going to be better?

Manose · Jan 29, 2019

dantimdad said:
Is the weather going to be better?

Should be good but very cold. New car should be okay tho for some heat

Rooneski · Jan 30, 2019

Are you going to do the galaxy hydro / doleadro 165 wifi ? I can’t find the photos of the mars aqua or viparspectra would you mind putting them up again please. Thanks and love the study.

D.train · Jan 30, 2019

Page 1 has the results

Rooneski · Jan 30, 2019

Photos of which lights were used

Kampo · Jan 30, 2019

Rooneski said:
Photos of which lights were used

Just read thru the thread. The charts are labeled with what light for each. Could Google them as well

dantimdad · Jan 30, 2019

So what will really make your head spin about the lights is none of them have been modded.

There are several of these you can mod and get better performance and more even coverage out of with minimal loss of power.

I have now seen a Radeon Gen3 pro with and without a DIY diffusor right next to a viparspectra that has had the lenses removed and a sheet of photo diffuser put on with magnets. Honestly, if it weren't for the viparspectra being brighter and having a wider coverage, I couldn't tell the difference.

I wish the pics I took turned out. I really, really stink at it. I keep saying I am going to get a good camera...

Anyway, the guy who had this setup has ordered a second viparspectra and is going to take the Radeon off. I asked would he sell it and he said no that he is going to use it on a nano. Tried to get him to join the group but he refuses any online groups or social media. His tank is really pretty.

cvrle1 · Jan 30, 2019

dantimdad said:
So what will really make your head spin about the lights is none of them have been modded.

There are several of these you can mod and get better performance and more even coverage out of with minimal loss of power.

I have now seen a Radeon Gen3 pro with and without a DIY diffusor right next to a viparspectra that has had the lenses removed and a sheet of photo diffuser put on with magnets. Honestly, if it weren't for the viparspectra being brighter and having a wider coverage, I couldn't tell the difference.

I wish the pics I took turned out. I really, really stink at it. I keep saying I am going to get a good camera...

Anyway, the guy who had this setup has ordered a second viparspectra and is going to take the Radeon off. I asked would he sell it and he said no that he is going to use it on a nano. Tried to get him to join the group but he refuses any online groups or social media. His tank is really pretty.

Interesting info, thanks for sharing. Do you know which difuser he used on ViparSpectra unit? Wondering what PAR reading are like with all the lenses off and diffuser, as from what I read, PAR went down quite a bit when lenses were taken off these units.

dantimdad · Jan 30, 2019

Hot spots go down. PAR evens out. I am sure overall averages go down a bit, but when you have hot spots of over 500 PAR you can afford it to go down.

I am not sure what diffuser he was using. I just went to get a frag when I was referred by a buddy of mine. The guy was pretty grumpy and I didn't want to wear out the very small welcome I was given.

I will ask my buddy to find out. Apparently the guy tolerates him more. LOL!

dantimdad · Jan 30, 2019

BTW, the diffusor material was the same on both fixtures, he did say that much. From best I could tell there was about a half inch gap on the VS light between the plexiglass and the diffuser material.

Kampo · Jan 30, 2019

dantimdad said:
BTW, the diffusor material was the same on both fixtures, he did say that much. From best I could tell there was about a half inch gap on the VS light between the plexiglass and the diffuser material.

What was the material?