Are high dollar lights worth it?

[Borat]

Also the more expensive your corals are - the more expensive light spectrum they require. For example, if you bought a coral for $1000, you wouldn't want it to receive a $100 light spectrum (VERY VERY OBVIOUS LOGIC), you would want to have at least a $1000 light spectrum. Therefore you need to buy expensive lights - to produce expensive light spectrum.

 

[nickng]

Possible that some bought expensive name branded lights simply because the corals they acquired are all grown under those exact lights and spectrum&schedule templates that are promoted by the said coral vendors.
If it’s straight forward to tune any lower priced black box lights to the same spectrum and blending then it should not matter

 

[Hooz]

So it's pretty well established that you can "grow" coral with nothing but 450nm blue LEDs... but... there are more factors than just growth to consider. I mean, I like to look at my coral too.

 

[Scoob]

Also the more expensive your corals are - the more expensive light spectrum they require. For example, if you bought a coral for $1000, you wouldn't want it to receive a $100 light spectrum (VERY VERY OBVIOUS LOGIC), you would want to have at least a $1000 light spectrum. Therefore you need to buy expensive lights - to produce expensive light spectrum.

 

[Hooz]

So it's pretty well established that you can "grow" coral with nothing but 450nm blue LEDs... but... there are more factors than just growth to consider. I mean, I like to look at my coral too.

And, no. I don't run Radions. I found a better (much cheaper too) option.

 

[nickng]

So it's pretty well established that you can "grow" coral with nothing but 450nm blue LEDs... but... there are more factors than just growth to consider. I mean, I like to look at my coral too.

Possible, though some SPS, especially true yellow and true blue only show their colors under lights with wider spectrum. Under blue light, the true blue coral just look shiny black!

 

[Faurek]

Possible, though some SPS, especially true yellow and true blue only show their colors under lights with wider spectrum. Under blue light, the true blue coral just look shiny black!

Also clearly colors don't develop as they should.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If it’s straight forward to tune any lower priced black box lights to the same spectrum and blending then it should not matter

Which is the issue for me.I just do not see fanless, inexpensive led lights with good white light spectrum control.

 

[klc]

Reefi UNO 2.0 Pro lights are $490 and outperform an XR30 by a huge margin, has 9 color channels with infinite blending and control, has a 3 year warranty, a fairly straightforward non-cloud based user interface that works with any PC, Mac or smartphone with settings that are stored internally and will function without an internet connection, the lights are their own WiFi server. Daniel Lu, the developer and guy who has them manufactured, is near Seattle and very easy to get a hold of and talk to. I had some issues with 2 of mine early on and he repaired them and sent them back with 7 days no questions asked.

ReeFi Uno 2.x Pro – ReeFi Lab

www.reefi-lab.com

 

[Faurek]

Reefi UNO 2.0 Pro lights are $490 and outperform an XR30 by a huge margin, has 9 color channels with infinite blending and control, has a 3 year warranty, a fairly straightforward non-cloud based user interface that works with any PC, Mac or smartphone with settings that are stored internally and will function without an internet connection, the lights are their own WiFi server. Daniel Lu, the developer and guy who has them manufactured, is near Seattle and very easy to get a hold of and talk to. I had some issues with 2 of mine early on and he repaired them and sent them back with 7 days no questions asked.

ReeFi Uno 2.x Pro – ReeFi Lab

www.reefi-lab.com

Never had one but I wonder why it outperforms with such intense Violet spectrum and warm whites. But when I say it no one believes.

 

[MnFish1]

Are high dollar cars worth it? Both get you to the same grocery store.

But the higher priced car may get you back home as well.

 

[MnFish1]

It's really personal preference. I would tend to buy a light that has reliable customer service, that is easy to send for repairs, with a good warranty - as well as the ability to get replacement parts quickly. Additionally, with the features you like/want (like tuning spectra, etc). IMHO the old saying 'you get what you pay for' kind of applies here - kind of, because I'm not sure, for example, that every 'new generation' of a particular 'expensive' light warrants purchase of that light.

 

[yanetterer]

For me, one of the main draws of going name brand was the user friendliness of controls more complex than a simple dial/potentiometer (not necessarily enough to justify the price difference). I recall many of the generic brands that I had would have button sequences that would be difficult to remember without instructions.

Maybe some of the newer economy brands have more intuitive UIs, but I haven't had the chance to look at any of them.

 

[Hooz]

If it’s straight forward to tune any lower priced black box lights to the same spectrum and blending then it should not matter

The problem is that you can only tune the spectrum according to what "color" LEDs they give you in the light. More colors (broader or wider blue spectrum) usually costs more money.

The black boxes will grow coral, but if you look at their spectrum graphs, they're usually REALLY 450nm blue heavy. Some have been catching on lately, though. They're getting better (thinking Nicrew in particular), but also more expensive.

 

[nickng]

Reefi UNO 2.0 Pro lights are $490 and outperform an XR30 by a huge margin, has 9 color channels with infinite blending and control, has a 3 year warranty, a fairly straightforward non-cloud based user interface that works with any PC, Mac or smartphone with settings that are stored internally and will function without an internet connection, the lights are their own WiFi server. Daniel Lu, the developer and guy who has them manufactured, is near Seattle and very easy to get a hold of and talk to. I had some issues with 2 of mine early on and he repaired them and sent them back with 7 days no questions asked.

ReeFi Uno 2.x Pro – ReeFi Lab

www.reefi-lab.com

Reefi UNO 2.0 Pro lights are $490 and outperform an XR30 by a huge margin, has 9 color channels with infinite blending and control, has a 3 year warranty, a fairly straightforward non-cloud based user interface that works with any PC, Mac or smartphone with settings that are stored internally and will function without an internet connection, the lights are their own WiFi server. Daniel Lu, the developer and guy who has them manufactured, is near Seattle and very easy to get a hold of and talk to. I had some issues with 2 of mine early on and he repaired them and sent them back with 7 days no questions asked.

ReeFi Uno 2.x Pro – ReeFi Lab

www.reefi-lab.com

This is one light that I am very interested in. On paper and (measurements) it outperforms the well known rations xr30. On top of that it has proper WiFi Connectivity and self contained ie no relying on cloud services. The radio a on the other hand rely on short range Bluetooth. What happens if ecotech bankrupts and there’s no more cloud services.

 

[Rusty_L_Shackleford]

I use and like my Noopsyche K7's. If money was no object, I would maybe buy all ecotech products, because they have a pretty nice integrated ecosystem.

I'm a PC guy, not a Mac guy, because I can build a better computer with exactly what I want in the PC ecosystem, but if I just wanted a good computer that was well designed, and I wanted to make sure that everything I plugged into it "just worked" I might be a Mac guy.

Excellent answer. My tanks are very much cobbled together on the cheap. Lots of DIY and tinkering. I've been reefing for many years and the tinkering is part of what I enjoy. But if I had unlimited money and just wanted everything to reliably work out of the box...I would buy into an ecosystem and go all out.