What's your favorite black box led?

[haanstang]

Like the title says.
Which Chinese black box led is your favorite?
What made you choose the one you did over the others?
Are you supplementing with T5's?
Have you modified your box at all?
If so what did you do?

 

[shoelaceike]

Following

 

[sbash]

Mine are brandless, I chose them because the price was right and, at the time, the LED configurations were very similar to others on the market (at 4 times the price). I am not supplementing with T5s. Here is the LED count:

Blue: 460 x 8
Royal Blue: 450 x 15
Blue: 430 x 4
Cool White: 13000 x 10
White: 6500 x 6
Warm White: 3500 x 6
Red: 660 x 4
Green: 520 x 2

These were off the shelf from AliExpress, and were dirt cheap. I do have a fifth one that came with the entirely wrong configuration. Which I have modified closer to the above configuration, but with UV (395-410 nm diodes). I put it on my frag tank with excellent results. Eventually I will make the time to drop the 6500 K whites and replace them with 20 000k and UV diodes. From my research, this will help with growth and aesthetic.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Mars aquas here modded. Out of the box there are very good.

But I replaced the 7500k's and 6500k's with 14000k's and 20000k's. More crisp white light blending with the blues. I did pull all my lenses to reduce the shadowing at the edges of my sand bed.

Running 50% blues and 30% whites at 13" above water line. Corals have excellent growth, color and polyp extensions. Very happy!

 

[haanstang]

Mine are brandless, I chose them because the price was right and, at the time, the LED configurations were very similar to others on the market (at 4 times the price). I am not supplementing with T5s. Here is the LED count:

Blue: 460 x 8
Royal Blue: 450 x 15
Blue: 430 x 4
Cool White: 13000 x 10
White: 6500 x 6
Warm White: 3500 x 6
Red: 660 x 4
Green: 520 x 2

These were off the shelf from AliExpress, and were dirt cheap. I do have a fifth one that came with the entirely wrong configuration. Which I have modified closer to the above configuration, but with UV (395-410 nm diodes). I put it on my frag tank with excellent results. Eventually I will make the time to drop the 6500 K whites and replace them with 20 000k and UV diodes. From my research, this will help with growth and aesthetic.

Thanks for sharing. I've never messed with diode's. Is it very involved?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Thanks for sharing. I've never messed with diode's. Is it very involved?

No it's easy if you know how to solder. There's a bunch of videos on YouTube on how to do it.

 

[Flippers4pups]

No it's easy if you know how to solder. There's a bunch of videos on YouTube on how to do it.

Replacement diodes run around $5-$10 for around 20 diodes. Cheap!

 

[haanstang]

I have read how some have modified there marsaqua to be controlled by their Apex... does anyone know how this is done? Is it just getting a VDM module or is there more to it?

 

[haanstang]

Replacement diodes run around $5-$10 for around 20 diodes. Cheap!

Looks like I'll have to knock the dust off the old soldering iron

 

[Kaysneezye]

Mine are SB Reef lights I got the sbox extreme. I bought the for the price and the easy of programming them to the settings that I like. No t5 supplement and no modification needed.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Mine are SB Reef lights I got the sbox extreme. I bought the for the price and the easy of programming them to the settings that I like. No t5 supplement and no modification needed.

Excellent choice. They have more options and have that diode layout that I modded to emulate. Timing and ramping features, etc....More money, but a warranty and excellent customer service.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I have read how some have modified there marsaqua to be controlled by their Apex... does anyone know how this is done? Is it just getting a VDM module or is there more to it?

Yes that too, plenty of threads on how to do that on the Internet forums. I don't have a controller, so I'm not interested in it.

 

[Kaysneezye]

Yes that's what sold me on them.

 

[sbash]

I have read how some have modified there marsaqua to be controlled by their Apex... does anyone know how this is done? Is it just getting a VDM module or is there more to it?

@FishOfHex Did this with his SB Reeflites I think? I imagine the process is the same or similar to the other black box leds...

 

[USMC4Life]

SB reeflights love them.

 

[haanstang]

@FishOfHex Did this with his SB Reeflites I think? I imagine the process is the same or similar to the other black box leds...

Yes I found it after I asked
He has another where he upgrades the marsaqua to th sb reef light pcb board
Now if I can find a diy adapter for jeabo DCT/DCS return pumps to Apex I'll be good.

 

[jpreefer]

Mars aqua cos they are cheap and work perfectly out of the box

 

[Jguido1987]

I have a SB Reef light. I got the one w the time option. Very happy w the light. I have set it to "ramp" using the three channels. Growing sps up top and almost all of my lps lower down.

 

[FishOfHex]

Well i was going to link the video

 

[haanstang]

Well i was going to link the video

I can take them back off so you can do it. [emoji51]