Reef Central is a popular forum with many marine fish keepers.
As readers of my “Aquarium Opinions” posts will notice that I also call this forum out for a lot of incorrect information, such as in my last post for making ludicrous statements that certain UV Sterilizers did not even exist that do IN FACT exist as well as ludicrous statements about UV Sterilizer customer service.

Since TMC and their AquaRay lighting seems to be one of their favorite kicking boys, likely due to the fact they do not pay the big bucks in sponsorships as other LED manufacturers who spend much more on marketing and hype, I will be standing in for their defense.
In this post, I will look at several points made by Reef Central members and comment on them.
I will note that some very well thought out comments were also made in Reef Central threads

I shall also note that as per my Home Page mission statement, I am simply a professional aquarium service and design person, and as well, do not link to any sellers of said equipment.
I simply do not like to see bullsh## information being put forth as fact and yes my observations has shown the TMC AquaRay (as well as UV Sterilizers to be among the best, if not THE BEST)

First here is my outline as to while I support the LEDs I do in my aquarium service business:
Why Aquaray LED Light Fixtures, Review?

SO HERE WE GO:

1. COMMENT:
   By Reef Central member; “If there is not a Cree data sheet that shows these magic emitters nor a publicly available patent then these claims are not true. 10 LED fixture with no controls for $290? No thanks.”
   Ref:
   http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2181083

   MY RESPONSE:
   An unfortunately typical argument attacking facts using hyperbole.
   No dude, there are no magic emitters. Only emitters that AquaRay has paid to Cree and others for specific licensing, nothing magic about this and quite a regular practice in the manufacturing industry too.

   As well, the facts/science of PUR are applied in selection of emitters used, not what just looks good such as green emitters.
   In fact, a CBS news report about indoor farms backed up the facts that PUR is what is important and that there is nothing magical about using specific PUR emitters rather that hitting the whole PAR spectrum as most Aquarium LEDs market their lights to [such as Ocean Revive, EcoTech, etc.] with the help of either misinformed, clueless, or maybe even deceptive graphs that only measure PAR and thus give higher ratings to lights that put out high PAR, but with much of it in spectrums that might look good to us, but is useless for plant or symbiotic zooxanthellae required by corals.
   This farm used ONLY the spectrums required for growth, in other words PUR which means “photosynthetically useful radiation”. this in the end wastes much less electricity and requires a lower measurable PAR do do the job over lights employing green, yellow, & cool white emitters.

   These are both observable facts that such garbage posts like this one at Reef Central ignore.

   

   References:
   #Cree Licensing Programs
   #LED Aquarium Lights, Lighting; How they work
   #PUR vs PAR in Aquarium Lighting (LED)
   #CBS News; Vertical Farms

2. COMMENT:
   By Reef Central member; “I still cringe any time anyone uses the term PUR in marketing lights. The bottom line ia we have seen beautiful tanks running LED fixtures such as AI, Ecotech, Kessil, Maxspect, ect… They have proven that they can continue to produce great results over the years. The EcoRay products have been out for years yet there are very few if any tanks out there using them much less showing off their success.”

   Another well thought out comment answered this:
   By Reef Central member; “They’re a household name in Europe. As far as I know, there’s only 1 distributor here in the states.

   PUR is a completely appropriate topic though when it comes to lights. It’s still another measurement that means something. It’s not just a fancy word like AI, Radion, Kessil, Maxspect would like you to believe.
   You might think PUR is unnecessary or the brand isn’t well known, I see the opposite of this.

   Why does nobody use the balling lite system, or even the Triton method? I don’t see a lot on the Triton method, that doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant. That’s why I enjoy my time on the European forums more than the US forums. Any way you slice it, the Europeans and other countries have been keeping fish much longer than the United States folks. I surely won’t dismiss anyones methods etc, but I think the bottom line is they have more participation in the fishkeeping hobby. (by several hundreds years at least)

   Over in the European forums you see these crazy tanks running for years with no water changes yet doing just fine supplementing additives.
   In the USA, people say additives are the devil and I see the majority of people asking how to keep some of the basic chemistry in check.

   I won’t make any assumptions on who’s right, but I see a lot of bickering on the US forums as compared to legitimate progress between multiple people in the Euro forums. It’s definitely something to think about.”
   From:
   http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2391677

   RESPONSE:
   As this member at Reef Central stated, PUR IS IMPORTANT, and despite awesome marketing by AI & Ecotech along with their minions, PUR is necessary

   Again I reference this article:
   #PUR vs PAR in Aquarium Lighting (LED)

   I will also point out just how much time and effort goes into marketing EcoTech here at Reef Central alone.
   Look at proof of just how active the “EcoTech” sponsor is in “Reef Central”
   Reference:
   http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2428081

   4798 as of this blog post.
   This is an incredible number as I know a friend who sponsors a forum and has been very active since 2006 in this forum visiting it every day and answering question after question and he is at about 6800 post, so for these people to hit these kinds of number so quickly shows a lot of where their marketing is and why they are so well known to member of Reef Central.

   This certainly does not prove the EcoTech is inferior [or better], but certainly shows that marketing is their main strategy of selling this product

3. COMMENT:
   By Reef Central member; “I’m looking into getting some Aquaray Aquabeam 2000 & 1500. Underdogs with less marketing are more compelling to me.”
   From:
   http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2391677

   RESPONSE:
   I agree as to less hype and marketing tells me where their emphasis is.

   In truth, as another honest Reef Central member noted, the AquaRay brand is well known in Europe where they are often more advanced and are not driven so much by marketing.
   If one has been into automobiles for some time as I have, all I have to think about is the Pontiac Aztec that was heavily marketed. Does this make it a better vehicle than a Mercedes Benz that I do not see as much advertising for?

   While my analogy is certainly flawed, my point is marketing costs money that could be going into product build.
   Why for instance do EcoTech Radions need fans?
   The response is so simple and is easily answered by Middle School science in that this excess heat that requires fans equals energy that is not going into light energy!!

4. COMMENT:
   By Reef Central member; “I’ve got the 2000’s on a 75 gallon.
   I have them 1″ above the water, in the water just under surface is 1100-1200 par, about 12″ under the surface they give off 500-600 par, at the sand (around 17″ under) they give about 100-150 par.

   On a side note, my firestorm monti grows like a weed under these compared to miniscule growth under a 150w MH. (ya, it surprised me)

   They’re well worth it for cost savings, PWM makes the difference. But their controller is as generic as an outlet timer. (you can only do ramp on/off and levels and thunderstorm mode)

   I will not go into details as to scientific evidence, that is often very basic, that is often ignored in so many forum articles about Aquarium LED lighting, rather I will cite further reading references.”

   From:
   http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2391677

   MY RESPONSE:
   This should come as no surprise to anyone who has pulled their head out of their a## and looked past Reef Central, checked out the more science based information online, and cracked open a Middle School level science book

5. COMMENT:
   By Reef Central member; “Any company that creates a comparison chart for marketing purposes and use “poor warranty” under cons for Kessil and Ecotech Radion is selling snake oil. Sorry but that is just ridiculous and couldn’t be further from the truth. At least for US based customers. Both Ecotech and Kessil have some of the best support in the industry and back their warranties like no other. Further that, TMC doesn’t even offer contact info on their US website so even with their 5 year warranty, who is one supposed to contact? TMC/Tropical Marine Centre makes decent products but they are based in the UK. I used their commercial UV filters for many years before switching to AquaUV.

   That said, unless you are in Europe, forget about support. Quality Marine is said to be a wholesaler and doesn’t provide end user support so god forbid you have an issue, you are going to be having a good time getting decent support let alone warranty service.

   As for their light output. The truth is in the PAR numbers and from what I can see, these are better suited as Nano lights. “

   From:
   http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2391677

   MY RESPONSE:
   I have already dealt with this persons rather rude comments that make no sense in a post about UV Sterilizers.
   This guy made up information in the UV thread and now has the gall to make up more facts as he sees them:

   My response from:

   Aqua Ultraviolet versus TMC UV Sterilizers, Reef Central

   Sorry dude, TMC support is superior just because it is retailer based.
   Let me ask readers what would rather have as a return policy using a laptop computer as an example:
   You have a choice between two laptops of similar value, with one it can be brought back to the store for an exchange or parts replacement, or the other you have to send away to the manufacturer and wait several weeks to get your laptop back?
   I think most would take the first quicker option; sorry dude!

   I would add to this previous analogy that if you bought your automobile in Los Angeles, would you rather send it to where it was put together or the local dealership you purchased at?
   Again this guys logic is extremely flawed.
   ion.
   It is an outright lie that you will not get warranty service from TMC, as I already noted it is done through the dealers including the largest North American seller, who I will not mention since the policy of this blog is to not plug retailers or their website. Turn around is within one business day and includes a new fixture. I know that just in 2014 I had a fixture have one emitter out and I got a newer updated fixture to replace it immediately, no sending in for repairs.

   How is a warranty that is much shorter snake oil, whose Kool Aid has he been drinking? This is the kind of Kool Aid logic I would expect from Putins or Obamas, NOT what should be a fact driven responsible aquarium forum!!

   This high post count Reef Central character loves to make up information or downright lies as he goes along whether it be UV Sterilizers or Reef Lighting, and he is just one good reason Reef Central has little credibility for good information.

   He still clearly does not get that a light using a higher percentage of green emitters is WASTING energy input as light energy that is USELESS to photosynthetic life, while still making great PAR numbers.
   
   He needs to check out the CBS news story where only the essential PUR lighting spikes have been proven to be all that is needed for photosynthetic life.
   He also clearly does not understand the simple fact that energy wasted as heat is energy NOT going to lighting.

   Lastly, what this person seems to not grasp is no one I know that is reputable is saying the EcoTech or Kessil does not keep reef life, ONLY that it takes less input wattage for an AquaRay to do the same job.
   
   Am I or others saying that a 30 watt AquaRay Reef White NP 2000 [with a PAR 380 uEinsteins/sec/m2 @15 inches] has a higher useful light output than a 90 watt Kessil?
   NO, but 30 watts of this premium AquaRay LED is likely equal to the output of 50-60 watts of a Kessil or EcoTech

6. COMMENT:
   By Reef Central member; “Another measurement? How can you say that. Every brand you just mentioned produces more PUR than the Aquaray. And the reason I can say that is because my measurement is as accurate as anyone else’s regarding PUR. All the fixtures you mentioned produce more than enough PAR for photosynthesis of our animals. The only difference is that there are several examples out there with long term results using those other fixtures. Show us the results of those using the Aquaray. I want to see before and after shots with the Aquaray. Maybe a year or so of progress. Not just pics of some tank that pulled off the MH or T5, put up the Aquaray and took photos.”

   From:
   http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2391677

   MY RESPONSE:
   REALLY? When they use green, amber, or cool white emitters?
   Does he really understand PUR???
   As for PAR, watt per watt, the useful PUR is higher with an AquaRay!

   What this guy misses is the AquaRay has been around longer than these others, they have simply not marketed to gullible aquarium forums!
   There are many places using the AquaRay for more than just Nano Applications, such as the “Oceanography Centre in London” and my NON nano reef tank clients.

   Below is a reef aquarium I was given permission to share utilizing ONLY AquaRay NP 1500 & 2000 tiles that has been running over a year with AquaRay from the beginning .

   

7. COMMENT:
   By Reef Central member (the same character that makes up bs all over the place about uv sterilizers and LED lights); “FWIW, that Fish-as-pets site link you posted happens to be owned by the distributor American Aquarium Products. That is marketing fluff being promoted by the distributor. Certainly not an objective comparison. “

   I see in this thread that they went after the author of the Fish as Pets article comparing the EcoTech to an AquaRay cited by another member who dared to mess with the RC Reef Police, YET, there was nothing mysterious about who this author is.
   WHAT!?
   The author clearly says who he is at the end and CLEARLY explains his reasons in scientific terms why he went with the AquaRay, why should he not sell this brand. Further investigation of the author of this article by reading “Business Bio”, it is clear he has been at this for 4 decades with a lot of time, research, 1000s of hours of hands on experience, and effort put forth.
   Furthermore, this is ludicrous reasoning!! Should someone whose research leads him to believe that an Apple lap top is better than a Windows not then recommend the Apple? Does this discredit him or her? Of course not!!!

   Moreover, considering the authors time in the hobby and business which I easily found with remedial “detective” work, this dude’s comments are rather disrespectful, but hell, that is the generation we live in where insulting others is the norm.

8. COMMENT:
   By Reef Central member; “Shilling is still shilling, no matter how you wish to spin it. Shilling gets you removed from this forum, and you brought that on yourself so when you continue to badmouth RC on your blogs, remember you are the one who chose to ignore the rules. It is as simple as that. You will not be missed and this thread will remain for all to see in perpetuity. You will be your own worse enemy. “

   From:
   http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2391677

   In my 1/15/15 revision to this post, I find this personal attack rather interesting.
   First this dude does not even know the definition of a shill

   Here is is for those who do not:
   “A shill, also called a plant or a stooge, is a person who publicly helps a person or organization without disclosing that they have a close relationship with the person or organization.

   “Shill” typically refers to someone who purposely gives onlookers the impression that they are an enthusiastic independent customer of a seller (or marketer of ideas) for whom they are secretly working”

   Reference:
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shill

   I do not think this person person fits this definition unless they have had one too many liberal Kool Aids.
   Never once did this person attempt to sell a product or pose as a customer that I can see, only defend lies put forth as facts!

   More importantly, I could NOT find attacks on RC by this person that everyone seems to decided to dishonestly pile on, either here or any any blogs.

What it comes down to, is Reef Central loses any credibility with its inability to moderate, as the thread noted is not a debate as one RC member would have you believe, it is about spreading lies as facts, making those who disagree with the company line that AquaRays are junk to feel two inches tall, and basically talking out of one’s ass with personal attacks and name calling rather than the facts.

In the end, the best thing RC can do is leave this thread up as it shows the nastiness of many who reside on this forum.
I am sure some forum lurkers will agree with this dishonest member who makes up definitions on the fly, but frankly such persons with bully attitudes are not the type of person any honest person would want to deal with, unless your name is maybe Vladimir Putin.
I think honest/moral persons will see how rude persons are at RC and not believe a word they say.

My advice to person attacked here and the other honest RC member is the same I give to my service customers; avoid this forum like the plague.

Further Resources:
#PUR vs PAR in Aquarium Lighting (LED); Fresh & Saltwater (Reef)
#LED Aquarium Lights, Lighting; How they work, DIY
#St. Marys Marine Biology LED Experiments
#This shallow reef tank makes up in vibrant life what it lacks in height
#EcoTech Radion Versus TMC Aqua Ray HO LED Aquarium Lights

Gregg – 2015