Jump to content
SaltCritters.com

Aquamana 165w COB


SgtBhaji

Recommended Posts

I've been running a Chinese 120w LED array over my ADA 60f for about 18 months and I've mostly been happy with it. I've been considering upgrading to the same unit but with full spectrum rather than just the white/blues that I'm running right now, but while looking around I came across the Aquamana 165w COB.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00KMHPAGA?vs=1

 

I was wondering if anyone here had used this particular light as I'm tempted to give it a whirl. I'm reefing on a budget so the price point is very enticing.

 

I have a few SPS but mostly LPS.

 

Thanks in advance for any experiences you can share.

Link to comment

I think it looks like a good light personally. I've read some reviews about it since I'm considering putting together a bigger (than my 29 biocube) tank sometime fairly soon. That said, the biggest issue I've read is that with the reflectors in place you get a ton of disco effect, removing the reflectors solves this according to what I've read.

Link to comment

This is basically the same light as the 156w unit. They'll work good enough.

 

Just keep in mind that there are two par hot spots directly under the cobs.

Link to comment

Well apparently this light has been discontinued. I may have to go with the 156w unit and remove the reflectors.

 

Kicking myself for not ordering it. Oh well. Thanks for the replies. :)

Link to comment

I spent $100 on my current chinese fixture, and I've gotten way more than my money's worth out of it and it's still trucking.

 

But you know... if I could afford a Mercedes, I'd probably have one over my Mazda, but I wouldn't belittle anyone driving anything less.

Link to comment

If I were trying to belittle you, you would know it.

 

 

I don't really like Mercedes cars, in addition the cheap chinese LED fixtures.

 

I would prefer a Mazda pickup over them.

 

Link to comment

I did offer you information.

 

I wrote that there are 5000+ fixtures just like the one you want on Ali Baba and eBay.

 

If you're not already convinced to using name brand LEDs and fixtures with real quality control and safety certifications, I certainly cant convince you.

Link to comment

Well I could buy a named brand bbq sauce, or I could make my own, or I could take a punt on the unknown which could either be fantastic or crappy

 

I'm looking for an opinion with some kind of substance to it. If you can tell me why I might not want this particular brand/type of light, that would be extremely useful.

Link to comment

Well I could buy a named brand bbq sauce, or I could make my own, or I could take a punt on the unknown which could either be fantastic or crappy

 

I'm looking for an opinion with some kind of substance to it. If you can tell me why I might not want this particular brand/type of light, that would be extremely useful.

Its a you get what you pay for thing. Sure these might work for a year, but when you pay $150 for a light versus laying out the big bucks for a good one, there are corners cut.

Link to comment

An analogy is a comparison between two or more things that are alike.

 

Wolf is to dog

As

Tiger is to cat

 

Hat is to head

As

Glove is to hand

 

Analogies are successfully used during a verbal debate to throw ones opponent off, because most likely the comparison used sounds plausible. But when critically analyzed, more often than not, the comparison is specious and inaccurate. Later when that is realized the parties are in different rooms or cities. In written discussions where people have time to digest the comparisons, they are almost always obviously so.

 

A quality named brand LED fixture is to Mercedes

As

Cheap Chinese, no quality control, dangerous power supplies, counterfeit LED fixture is to Mazda

 

See, that doesn't work, does it. Mazda makes excellent vehicles. Kinda makes you want to take it back, huh?

 

 

Here' s one a little more accurate.

 

Vertex Illumina is to Mercedes

As

A quality named brand fixture is to Mazda

Link to comment

I have no idea how bbq sauce is analogous to LED fixtures, I'm completely lost on that one.

 

I have no idea either of why you would want one in the first place, puts me at extreme disadvantage to try and convince you why you wouldn't.

Link to comment

To post something actually constructive for the OP, I have the full spectrum Aquamana fixture (non COB) over my 56 corner tank and it has two major flaw I've found. If you look at the chip layout, they used more Blue LEDs than Royal Blue and the result is that the color output ends up looking a bit like windex. The second and in my opinion worse issue is that the white channel WAY overpowers the blue channel so in order to end up around a visual 15K spectrum, I run my blue channel at 100 and the whites at 25. What makes that worse is that the violet chips are on the white channel so you basically lose all the benefit of having them. Eventually I plan to replace the cool whites with royal blues and I think that should get me closer to where I'd like to be. If I had to do it over? I'd wait for a used CC fixture to show up in the classifieds and buy that one because they got the colors right and I wouldn't have to tinker with it.

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

well i have an aquamana 156w cob. i've had it for just a year now i guess. at first i liked it, good price, really bright, and came with a decent hanging kit. my first issue is that the blues, reds, and green leds are all on the same channel so right off the bat not blue enough and with the whites on even a little it tends to wash out the blue so much in fact it leads in to my next issue. sometime in the last month my color channel went out i had no idea it happened until 2 days ago i wanted to make the colors on my coral pop a little more so i turned down my whites all the way and noticed all the other colors were out. which leads into my next issue. i took the fixture apart to see if there were any loose connections i was quite surprised to see how clean and neat the wiring was but no loose connections so i put it back together and now the fans don't work. that's my 2 cents. good luck with whatever you end up doing but i'm saving my coin for a radion or a.i..

Link to comment

Thanks for the info! I decided to give the light a shot, but it's on it's way back.

 

The color separation on it was terrible and I didn't want tear it apart to take out the reflectors. The lowest dim setting was like a search light, way too bright! And as you mentioned, having various colors on the same channel as the blues made it really hard to control how the tank looks.

 

On the plus side, Everything in the tank looked sharp, it cast some great shadows in the tank which my current array doesn't, as well some lovely light shimmers. If I'd been able to get the version without the reflectors and the separate blue lights, I'd have likely been happy with it.

 

Hopefully anybody else considering this unit will find the info useful.

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...