AquaRay Aquarium LED; Reef Central

Posted on December 29, by fishservice

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:

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

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

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!!

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
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

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 .

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.

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

Aqua Ultraviolet versus TMC UV Sterilizers, Reef Central

Posted on November 5, by fishservice

I was forwarded a recent thread from Reef Central where by moderators & forum members went on another of their misinformation binges.

From:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2449440

In this binge, a Reef Central member made one of the more laughable misinformation statements I have ever read online.

QUOTE: “While AquaUV is not the cheapest UV on the market, like the link you provided say, they are quality units with great dwell time. What they fail to mention is their great support. Same can be said about Emperor Aquatics. Something that is non existent with Tropical Marine Centre who is over seas and depends exclusively on retailers for support.”

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.

Do not believe me, here’s a link to their warrant returns page:
http://www.aquaultraviolet.com/sites/default/files/instructions/Instructions%20Classic%20and%20Twist%20Series%20UV%2005-19-09.pdf

Let me address a few more comments from this terrible thread of misinformation.

This same character, makes more misinformation statements.
“That said, the units mentioned in your links are cheap units meant to appeal the masses. Not necessarily quality units and they don’t have the same kind of dwell time as the higher end units from AquaUV or Emperor.”

While admittedly the Aqua Ultraviolet and Emperor are excellent (I have used these too), the TMC is NOT a cheap unit meant to appeal to the masses, a quick peak on eBay or Amazon will find plenty of these cheap units often for under $50 such as the AquaTop, Killing Machine, and many others. These are cheap.
The facts are the dwell time is the highest of any UV with the TMC Vecton, in fact higher than some of Emperors Smart UVs which use very short lamps and short exposure times.

Has this guy even done a dwell time test?
Has he even done his homework, such as reading the article he so conveniently bashes out of hand with ad hominem attacks on the author by him and others?

Here is an excellent video showing how the AAP/TMC large aquarium or pond UV is superior over the still excellent Aqua Ultraviolet UV of the same category [due to longer dwell time, price, and parts availability]:

Aqua Pond UV vs TMC AAP Pond UV Clarifier Sterilizer

Here is another of this guys statements:
“Here is the Tropical Marine Centre UV unit that I used to run on my tank. At the time, it was one of the only higher wattage units out there that used a crystal sleeve. These units are now relegated to Tropical Marine Centre’s commercial product line and not readily available in the states. The AquaUV’s equivalent (Classic Series) is better made, easier to service and backed by much better support. The comparable AquaUV is also much cheaper.”

Incorrect again!!
Does this guy do ANY HOMEWORK AT ALL? If so he gets an F.

The TMC 110 UV is readily available in the USA for under $400 in some locations or websites.
Since my commitment to readers of my website blog post is to not commercialize my results by posting links to resellers, I will simply state these are not difficult to find online.

As for support, I have already addressed this falsehood, but will add that I have NEVER had an issue with parts or returns for ANY TMC product from lights, FSB filters, or their UV Sterilizers. This includes one rare instance of a hairline crack in the body for which I was given a brand new UV sterilizer, NO SHIPPING BACK FOR REPAIRS!!
This one is from a Reef Central Moderator:
But does sell them, and is trying awfully hard to the make them out to the be best thing since sliced bread. While they can indeed be useful in some circumstances, they are not the wonder equipment with all the attributes he gives them.”

This comment is not so bad IMO, since he is simply stating an opinion as an opinion.
However I have read this article quoted and do not get the same thing at all out of the article or other articles published by the author.
He clearly recommends “True” UV Sterilizers as he calls them as a useful tool, which includes other tools such as quarantine.
As well we have another case of someone who appears to not research outside of Reef Central or even read an article in question or its cited references, otherwise he would never make such statements of “opinion”.

“Even so, the UV will have some impact on pods as well despite the high flow rates.”
What are the “pods” doing in the water column?
Has he heard of pre-filtration which is an essential ingredient for correct UV Sterilizer application?

Sorry one again; WRONG!!

“Keep in mind, that article is written by a guy selling UV units.”
A typical liberal ad hominem argument whereby you attack the person rather than the facts or cited resources.

This has no bearing on the credibility of the article assuming the facts and references are sound.

Using his own terminology: Keep in mind, that there is always a money trail anywhere, some are just less obvious or down right sneaky.
Does this guy work for free, does he not expect the author to sell what he found to be a superior product?

Back to following the money, Reef Central is supported by sponsorships; have you ever noticed that a member will get the “ban hammer” for speaking negatively against EcoTech, one of Reef Central’s major supporters?

I would say in the end, use common sense logic, actually do your homework, not give lip service like these members of Reef Central do.
Also do not depend upon Google for good search results when doing your research, since they too are beholden to deliver readers to their pals such as Amazon or others. Consider DuckDuckGo who does not spy on you and use your information to track your habits!

Further Reading/References:

#UV STERILIZATION; UVC Irradiation for Pond, Aquarium

Aquarium Forums for Information such as Lighting, UV, Filters

Posted on March 25, by fishservice

This is a subject that is way overdue to be discussed, as aquarium forums often are like our mainstream news media which simply repeat information, whether accurate or not that fits their template.
Often with intentional miss-information based on broken links by moderators after members provide said links such as to this website or even taking down of legitimate questions by members such as I witnessed as the Chicago Reefs forum (based on a forwarded email for a aquarium maintenance & research professional).

The video below from the Conan Show makes this point, and aquarium forums are no different, if not far worse:

I have seen this unfortunate statement in many forums when I have been told to read in emails from friends or clients:

“I havent really been able to find any info on the TMC lights, and i assume that if they’re as good as they say they are then a lot more people would be using them.”

Similar comments have been made about Fluidized Sand Bed Filter versus wet dry filters even though the FSB filter is clearly the better technology for planted freshwater aquariums when simple science is applied. It is also noteworthy that FSB filters AND TMC AquaRay lights ARE quite well known and used if you search beyond an aquarium forum.

Why is this?
First threads such as the one on Chicago Reefs get deleted, but more importantly if all you do is use forums to get your information, even if you only “lurk” there, you are going to find the same repetitive points about the same products they all push, often due to sponsorship by certain brands or simple lack of research “outside the box”
Looking at it another way, if it does not meet the forum’s agenda, often threads will get deleted

Another common problem is since search engines often give “authority” to websites or forums posts based on age, often what comes up in forums or Yahoo is simply out of date information. Some of these outdated posts may have been correct at the time, while others have been proven incorrect as science has progressed.
Thankfully the Internet is not 100 years old or God knows what in terms of bs would be argued as fact based on someone reading an outdated forum article!

Back to sponsorships/marketing and how different marketing methods have a direct bearing on what will be seen/read on a forum or not, as some companies use a different approach to marketing that does not involve forum sponsorships.
TMC for instance placed an emphasis on getting their product in the hands of aquarium installation professionals rather than forum sponsorships with the exception of a popular UK forum.

What readers should understand, and frankly this is not difficult for those with an open mind and have not drank the Kool-Aid so many forums serve, and that is these “outside the box” products are NOT going to be featured in ANY forum, even though they ARE popular among many who are not active in forums or other social media.

My clients are very private and refuse me to publicize any of their aquariums in pictures, even for a resume, so my referrals are all by word of mouth (I currently am not taking new clients anyway).

This is not all that unusual and in fact as an example from a story my mentor in the business told me about how once he was setting up an acrylic aquarium with tubes between two tanks and he brought his then wife to this executive office waiting room. She really could not help much at the time so she quietly sat on the couch . However soon one of the executives that worked there told her she had to leave, my mentor tried to explain, but he quickly told my mentor how important the privacy of their office was and that he needed permission to bring anyone other than himself.

My point is this is typical of how many view their aquariums maintained by these professionals, so you are not going to see many of these aquariums running AquaRay LED lights, FSB filters since these have never been really pushed or made it past the Kool-Aid gate keepers at many aquarium forums.

What is also unfortunate that even with this shroud around aquariums set up by professionals using these products, there is still ample information and pictures in websites such as this, Youtube, Facebook and other locations. Part of the issue or so it appears, since I am actually relatively new to being “active” on the Internet is the point that Google is not all that good in bringing up many science based websites , rather is heavy in many social media such as forums or big box websites such as Dr. Foster or Amazon. I personally use Bing though for my searches, while I have a friend who swears by DuckDuckGo.com for internet searches.

Although the purpose of this post/article is to explain to those who only read forums or cannot get past page one of Google that there IS PLENTY of information for those willing to do even the most basic of research, I will make some brief explanation of products that often get the cold shoulder in these Kool Aid serving forums.

Aquarium LED Lighting
Some of the most basic of science is ignored in these forums, here is just some of it:
- Wasted Heat energy; this is science 101 that any energy that is being dissipated with fans is energy that is NOT going to light energy, thus requiring more wattage for the same results.
  If you see a fan or two blowing, you know that this is extracting heat.
  As well PWM, while more complicated also plays a role in this wasted energy as well as potentially changing the spectrum and thus wasting even light energy outside of the best known PUR.
- Utilizing green emitters and other emitters (including warm white) that are known to emit light energy outside of what is optimum for corals and other photosynthetic life forms.
  While photosynthetic life can generally use most all light within the PAR range, it is fact that certain light spectrums are much less efficient and provide different aspects of photosynthetic response.
  
  Reference & recommended reading:
  PUR, PAS, PAR in Aquarium Reef/Planted Lighting
- Heavy dependency on PAR meters, even though it is a fact that even a PAR meter is more accurate in the middle ranges, thus giving a green light a higher PAR value than an actinic blue, even though the blue is going to have a higher useful PAR and thus is higher in PUR.
  As well, statements by some that absurdly high PAR numbers such as 500 µMol•m²•sec are required by Acropora, when in fact a study at a Coral Farm in Bali showed no more than 200 PAR from noontime tropical sunlight at the depth the Acropora were being grown.
  These numbers may be true for some poor PUR lights that are heavy in green, yellow, etc. light energy, but not those with better PUR spectrums.
  
  Reference:
  PAR vs PUR in Aquarium LED Lighting
- Warranties; while this is not a scientific argument, it is one of simple logic and that is why would a the so-called superior LED light only have a warranty of 1 year while the so-called junk LED have a warranty of 5 years?
  This is a real head scratcher, yet forums such as Reef Central or PNWMAS will actually bash the 5 year warranty lights over the 1 year warranty lights!!
  Part of the problem with these shorter warranty LED lights is fan malfunction. The fans on some LEDs will malfunction in a couple of years (or less), resulting in over heating of circuitry and total failure of the LED fixture.
  
  While a warranty does not necessarily make for a better LED light, as I personally really like the Aqua Illumination HD Twenty Six [with only a 1 year warranty], but it speaks volumes for fixture longevity
Below is a reef aquarium I was given permission to share utilizing ONLY AquaRay NP 1500 & 2000 tiles.

A couple of recommended related reads:
~Zoanthid Reef Aquarium Care & Lighting
~Acropora Coral Information and Care; Lighting, Amino Acids, more

Aquarium Fluidized Sand Bed Filters
These really are not all that new, with many large commercial operations running these filters.
What might be more new is the design, with better models such as the V2 Bio by TMC now available than what was the industry leader 10 years ago, the LifeGuard.

What sets these filters apart, especially for marine or planted aquariums? With Wet/Dry filters, in particular, these will strip CO2, often resulting in the need for expensive pressurized CO2 units, that are often not required with FSB Filters.

The planted aquarium below is running with a FSB filter with only Flourish Excel the only carbon supplement (it is also using AquaRay GroBeam LED lights):

With marine aquariums, the V2 FSB Filter can be run with optional Oolitic sand which then works similar to a calcium reactor in maintaining calcium, pH, and alkalinity with less additional supplementation.
As well these can be set up to control and remove nitrate with a tall enough filter such as the V2 #1500 and use of products such as American Aquarium NPX Bioplastics.

References, including earlier posts from this website:
Fluidized Sand Bed Filter or Canister Filter
Aquarium Fluidized Bed Filter Review; TMC V2, Merlin, Lifeguard

Aquarium UV Sterilizer Use
This is too long a topic to address completely other than to state that there is good evidence that a UV Sterilizer does not just control disease by virtue of level 1 or 2 UVC sterilization, but by improving the Redox Balance than thus allowing fish to fight off diseases with their own improved immune system better.

What many miss based on conversations with clients and others is they go and purchase some piece of junk UV clarifier that CANNOT ever perform level one UV Sterilization. Unfortunately many of these so called UV Sterilizers abound from the Green Killing machine to the many AquaTop UVs. Then they see poor or no results and make blanket statements in forums that UV sterilizers are only good for clarification.

Another common issue is purchasing low UVC output UV replacement lamps on eBay, Amazon, etc that only produce 7-14% germicidal UVC light energy instead of a true level one low pressure UV Bulb that has 5 times the output and in the end make claims their UV sterilizer is junk.

Reef Central:
Misinformation also abounds when it comes to the discussion of high end UV Sterilizers and which are best and what they can and cannot do for your aquarium.
This is where the anecdotal but unfortunately popular forum “Reef Central” is often at its worse.

I have read many posts my customers or other service guys have sent me where this forum personally attacks those with actual experience and science based expertise rather than deal with the science. Similar to their Reef Police moderation when it comes to LED aquarium lighting.

I have read where high level members/moderators will bash TMC UVs while promoting Aqua & Emperor UVs.
As someone who also has used all three, I can state that they all are excellent premium UVs, but to trash the TMC, which seems to be the brand they love to trash, shows the lack of character and honesty that goes on at Reef Central.

As an example, one argument they have used is that only Aqua & Emperor provide a good supply of parts and good customer service. However TMC does as well and my experience with obtaining parts and service since retailer based versus manufacturer based is much better with TMC.

I could go on, but that is not the scope of this article, all I can say is to read anything at Reef Central with a grain of salt.

Betta Fin Biting
QUOTE From:
The Myth of Stress Induced Betta Tail Biting.
“This seems to have sprung from popular Betta keeping forums, just as the made up (myth) of s fish disease: “Red Pest”. Unfortunately just as in “Red Pest”, this myth has grown wings in re-post after re-post to the point many now believe this actually happens when in reality there are better explanations for the damaged tail or behavior Betta keepers think they are observing.

For starters, biting of ones self when it has some sort of irritation (itch, stress, etc.) is a warm blooded animal phenomenon.
You will not see a lizard, fish, etc. biting itself. Rather you will see these animals scratching against a rock or similar due to irritations. This is more commonly known as “flashing”.
However, it is quite common for a bird or dog to literally decimate themselves over irritations or stress. Stress decimation has never been proven in cold blooded animals.

Here is one such video example. This video claims tail biting, but does not show tail biting, rather just common Betta aggression whereby damage is mostly likely from impacting objects in the aquarium/bowl:
YouTube; Betta fish tail biting
OR this again showing aggression biting, not stress
YouTube; Male Betta Biting His Tail
Every other YouTube video is someone assuming their poor Betta is biting their tail, many showing Aeromonas and not treating for the real problem. This is how bad this myth has spread!!

Another point is that this myth was dismissed by most in the professional aquarium keeping industry (including in fish illness seminars I attended), it was not until the Internet that it exploded that is suddenly became truth to many via non science based blogs re-posting the same information as an attempt to explain to many what they were seeing was tail biting like one might see with a stressed bird.
Most of these blogs are regurgitating the same information (copy & paste) even the same diagram. One blog was by a friend (NippyFish) that I know was hijacked by a Russian (where I have been attempting to help her with DMCA acts that so far have gone nowhere, thanks Google), so this is far from trustworthy.
Yet, even with these facts presented to them, a few aquarium keeping groups such as the otherwise intelligent “Fish Tank Enablers” continue to push this myth.

Fish disease treatment is where many Facebook groups struggle with real research and unfortunately seem to loath mentoring which is how cut & paste information like this gets around.

This is why I would suggest seeking out the few decent groups like THE ORIGINAL EVERYTHING AQUATIC or “FRESHWATER FISHUES·Sick Fish Place” for real sick fish advice and use groups like the before mentioned Fish Tank Enablers more for “fish chat” [and if real moderation and respect for the true leaders in the industry/hobby is important to you, I would avoid the FB Group “United Tanks of America” after learning of a very vile attack upon a friend and long time mentor of mine in this forum].
For those looking to take a break from Facebook and their pushing of bad information & allowing of personal attacks, & I am not speaking of politics, consider the MeWe version of EVERYTHING AQUATIC (MeWe Version)

An interesting point that many of these non professional based blogs have in common is they state that certain bite shapes in tail damage are proof of biting when in fact this is simply more an indicator of the pathogen. The so called “Betta biting chunk” is typical of a Columnaris infection where by chunks of tissue simply fall off.
More common though of Betta Fin Rot is a more ragged deterioration which these blogs claim (correctly) is more from fin rot. Problem is Fin Rot is not a disease per say, rather symptom (just like Septicemia or so called Red Pest). This more ragged fin damage is more common of an Aeromonas or Pseudomonas infection.

Here is one of the copy & paste pictures that these blogs have shared that I have corrected to the correct diagnosis as per known science:

References, including earlier posts from this website:

Aqua Ultraviolet versus TMC UV Sterilizers, Reef Central; THIS ONE IS A MUST READ!!
UV STERILIZATION; UVC Irradiation for Pond, Aquarium
Are UV Sterilizers Good for an Aquarium?
Actual UV-C Emission from a UV Bulb; Aquarium or Pond

Reefbuilders LED Showdown; Reef Central LED Police

Posted on January 20, by fishservice

Revised 12-5-15

I do not know whether to laugh or cry when I read blogs such as this one:

http://reefbuilders.com/2013/01/18/led-showdown-round/

While this blog “showdown of LED lights” is intended only for those that came out in 2012, it has the implication that these are the best, which simply is not true when looked at scientifically and as per warranties.

Just because an LED such as the EcoTech Radion is released in 2011 does not mean it is inferior to those in 2012

As well many LED Fixtures that officially are older yet by a year or two are updated constantly with new emitters or other upgrades
An example here would be the TMC 1000 Ultra which is a few years old, but has the newest patented Cree XR-E emitters AS OF 2012.

Using the implied logic in this Reefbuilders blog, a Ford F150 that has been around for years, but has a new engine is somehow inferior to a new model truck from company XYZ.
Gee, I thought a 2013 Ford F-150 was different from a 1970 F-150 model, but if I used the implied logic from the “LED Showdown”, I guess I am wrong??!!

Also missing were the 2012 AquaRay Mini 400 & 500s.
While these are not the top of the line LED, rather more than a niche LED, these are still vastly superior to the Finnex with its Chinese made Epistar emitter. Sadly the Finnex made this list while the AquaRay did not.
See: LED Light Information; Finnex
As well the excellent TMC AquaRay Fiji Blue 600 also released in 2012 was also snubbed, hmmmm.

Interesting too as per the TMC AquaRay snub, AquaRay has released the new & incredible Ocean Blue ND Ultima; Review and 600 Ultima; Review in December of 2012, so this competition is skewed here as well. One might argue that these lights will not be available to most until January or February for most of the buying public, but this is splitting hairs.

Revision, August 2013;
Reef Builders is showing their ‘true colors’ with this inaccurate review of the AquaBeam NP 1500 Ultima. In this review they get some very basic facts wrong.
See:
AquaBeam Ultima 1500 NP; Review Correction Reef Builders

Revision December 2013

I suggest looking at these two posts from this website, the first factually looks at warranties and the second looks at the facts of PWM versus Current Reduction Drivers, with the vast majority of over rated LEDs utilizing “current reduction”, including most featured in this ridiculous Reef Builders Poll.

*Aquarium LED Warranties; Reef or Planted
*Aquarium LED Lights, Controllers; What is Best

Revision December 2014

I actually have to praise Reef Central for one thread that while some comments were the usual Reef Central anecdotal BS, in the thread below many of the comments were more scientifically spot on:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2391677

One in particular caught my attention in that he [Bryopsis] called out the lack of knowledge of PUR and the so-called lack of popularity of the TMC line of LEDs in the USA, when in much more seasoned European aquarium keeping circles they are well known. The facts are, as also pointed out, that TMC does no spend $$ marketing like EcoTech and others do in the USA, more on simply developing a better product with a warranty 2-3 times longer than all others.

Here is a quote:
“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 experience 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.”

I should point out that there are some good LEDs in their “showdown”, but limiting this “competition” to just 2012 LED releases based on hobbyist preferences and snubbing one of the top notch LED brands used by many professionals makes for a VERY skewed competition.

In another ReefBuilders thread, a person commenting hit the nail on the head about how this website along with Reef Central are NOT places for those desiring scientific reasoning should visit.

Here is his comment (from; http://reefbuilders.com/2012/01/10/2011-led-showdow/):
You mean the purchased badge? Just like Ecotec purchased out reef central? Anyone dare say anything against ecotec and they get the ban hammer faster then the black plague.. Its too bad everyone else in this showdown didn’t get a chance to mass span everyone begging for a vote.

This person has exactly summed up my experience along with others.
Even EcoTech’s own emails ask those inquiring questions to go to this forum.
WHY; because they have bought and paid for this forum.

How otherwise intelligent persons can recommend a LED fixture that utilizes “cool white” emitters and uses “current reduction” instead of the vastly superior “pulse width modulation” to control their LEDs screams out that this forum is bought and paid for!!!!

If you disagree, you WILL get attacked at the very least with straw man arguments that attack the person, NOT the facts.

NOTE:
What is interesting is the comment I quoted from Reef Builders about the Reef Central “Ban Hammer” was scrubbed clean as well as all other comments!
You think they made too good a point and hit a raw nerve with the Reef Central LED Police????

Further Revision;
The Reef Central Link Police have struck again (as a ping back to this webpage found):

From this thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2386209

With again personal attacks at Reef Central on author credibility rather and address the facts, including comments such as this:
“No way TMC makes the best LED on the market. GHL and Ecotech”
AND “IF that were the case don’t you think there would be countless threads and posts referencing this relatively small player in the LED game “
REALLY?!

Gee, what about PUR? The SIMPLE FACTS of lost energy as heat instead of light? The use of PROVEN useless green emitters? Lack of PWM by EcoTech?????
TMC simply has not bought their way into forums such as Reef Central here in the USA. Even some simple investigation will show that EcoTech is a late comer to the high end LED market, not TMC (which is very popular in Europe, certainly not a small player).
As well science is NOT a popularity contest, sure if you want to be lemmings and follow these buffoons at Reef Central over the cliff go right ahead.

Reef Central continues to show itself as a dishonest, heavy handed forum, where SIMPLE scientific facts are thrown out the window in lieu of personal Ad hominem attacks.
They cannot even get simple facts straight of which LEDs were available on the market first.

In fact I remember when the EcoTech did come out, and I was discussing this light with others at an LA marine livesotck dealer, the others thought the EcoTech would not get very far because it lacked essential lighting elements and was much more gimmicky than the already well established premier TMC Aquaray lights. Admittedly we were wrong here, as we did not anticipate how well Reef Central would be able to pour the Kool Aid down the throats of so many gullible persons who read their awful forum, then cut and paste into other gullible forums such as PNWMAS!

Highly Suggested Further Reading:

–Why Aquaray LED Light Fixtures, Review? This is one of my posts outlining the facts that separate the Aquray lights I have come to support and all others.

–http://aap.atrixnet.com/?p=338
The above link has an excellent graph that plots the PUR of actual emitter used by the EcoTech.
If this does not convince any reader why the EcoTech is far from the best LED, I have some beach front property to sell you in Barrow Alaska!

–St. Marys Marine Biology LED Experiments
Professor Walter of St. Mary’s College of Maryland University LED Study.

Suggested Reading that I found for those looking for a more factual comparison:
–Aquarium LED Comparison
Make sure to look over the chart near the end of the article!

The bottom line, while this “showdown” might be entertaining to read; realize this is simply a good read while enjoying some good cannabis and nothing more.

EcoTech and Aqua Illuminations LED Review

Posted on April 18, by fishservice

Revised 5-6-14

I will start this review of these two popular LED Aquarium Lights in a different way from my other reviews.

The reason is while these are nice, feature rich LED fixtures that produce good results, these are NOT the best and the scientific evidence is easy to find if you simply dig deeper than an aquarium forum or Google search. This IS well known in the industry science based information to back this statement up.
Yet, I was made aware by a couple of clients of personal attacks in forums against the authors of blogs/websites that bring up these points/evidence rather than deal with known facts or simple professional experience. While admittedly my experience and that of my friends in the professional aquarium service business who use many different LED Fixtures is anecdotal, this still counts along with known FACTS about current LED Aquarium Lights.

So after a little digging on the Internet and even more digging around by asking friends in the industry, I found a revealing fact, and that is these two companies; EcoTech and Aqua Illuminations, often speak at and sponsor forum and club meetings.
As well you have persons such as Sanjay Joshi heavily promoting these LED fixtures using his credentials as proof, yet ignoring the science of PUR & PWM while going over board on PAR readings produced by emitters producing high amounts of USELESS PUR light energy, while copious amounts of input energy is lost as heat due to the technology used to drive the emitters. Unfortunately I know of professionals with vastly more experience than this man [in one case 1978 versus 1992)], yet this person gets so much credibility? One reason I also suspect is catchy, cool photos that prove nothing. If someone produces great photos proving man never landed on the moon, would you believe this too [unfortunately this has been done too].

What does this mean? well for one I think the moderators and members lose most of their objectivity due to sponsorships and gullibility of reading pseudo scientific information as noted earlier. So when they read about a review that promotes the “wrong” LED and shows the short comings of EcoTech, Aqua Illuminations, and other LEDs, these persons resort to personal attacks.

Admittedly I cannot prove my opinion as to the ‘why’ of these actions, but I ask anyone reading to otherwise explain why it is primarily forums/clubs that promote these two companies LEDs while trashing those who question them?

So what are the known facts besides the observations made by me and so many others in my profession that show both these LEDs to be good LED fixtures, but not the best?

* Drivers/Circuitry:
Both the EcoTech and AI Sol do not attempt to use dozens of low output one watt (or less) emitters daisy chained together which further lowers the actual PUR output of each emitter.
Rather both these fixtures go the route of quality CRee emitters tied together with excellent circuity. This is important as unlike other light types, the more emitters in a circuit the more complex the drivers must be to keep very exact voltage for optimum useful energy output.
This is a problem with the Sky LED.
See my post about these LEDs: TaoTronics, SkyLED, Skkye Marine, LED Light Reviews.

However this is where the EcoTech MAY have a couple negatives; as I understand that when you have controls to vary RGB output, this results in less than optimal PUR light output.
I have to admit that I do not know for a fact that this is a problem, although this makes sense as an LED is not a bulb, rather a light emitting diode, and even small changes of voltage can therefore affect spectrum.
But what I do know is that I would rather have a factory set LED fixture where by the emitter output is EXACTLY what my reef inhabitants need without wasted green emitters to make a ‘pretty green color’ should I choose. I would also note that it would be easy for me or a client to inadvertently change the RGB setting to a less than desirable nanometer output.
For me, I have to agree with other blog reviews that this is not a desirable feature of the EcoTech Radion, but I would also state from my use that this is not a “game ender” either.

The other negative for the EcoTech Radion XR30, Radion Pro, & Aqua Illuminations is the need for a cooling fan that the AquaRay, and other high end LEDs that utilize the vastly superior PWM* technology do not require.
From my discussions with others who know more about electronics than me, this indicates more heat producing voltage spikes are being allowed in the emitter drivers.
These same voltage spikes also degrade essential PUR/Useful Light energy output and wastes energy that would otherwise go into lighting your aquarium.
In fact wasted energy as heat is probably my biggest complaint with either fixture and in fact is one of the more provable facts against these two LED fixtures, as it does not take much more than a 5th grade education to realize that ANY energy that is going to heat is NOT going to light your reef aquarium!

*PWM = “Pulse Width Modulation”
Reference: Aquarium LED lighting; PWM

* Emitters Used:

The AI Hydra Fifty Two uses (16)Cree XT-E Cool White, (4) OSRAM OSLON Deep Red, (4) XP-E Green, (12) Cree XT-E Royal Blue, (8) OSRAM OSLON Very Deep Blue, (4) SemiLED 415nm Violet, & (4) Edison Opto 400nm UV

While definitely an improvement on earlier AI LED models, the facts are that the standard binned Cree XT-E Cool White LED emitters used by AI are inferior when it comes to important PUR light production.
As well the use of UVA 400nm emitters is questionable, as at this time there is no science based evidence that this is a beneficial light wave length when it comes to PUR required by corals and in fact possibly burn corals.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The EcoTech Radion uses Cree XT-E Cool White LEDs run at 5W each, Cree XP-E Blue LEDs run at 3W each, Cree XT-E Royal Blue LEDs run at 3W each, Cree XP-E Green LEDs run at 3W each, Semi LED Indigo LEDs run at 2.5 watts, and Osram Oslon SSL Hyper Red LEDs

As noted in another LED Review Website, that was attacked by the Trolls of one of the forums I referred to, the mixture of blues is the biggest selling point of the EcoTech Radion. The emitters used compliment each other very well in this LED fixture.
Reference: Aquarium LED Reviews; EcoTech

Now the down side: While the EcoTech attempts to get around the use of Cool White emitters by boosting output, the fact remains that cool white is even worse than the use of 6500K emitters for a reef aquarium.
You couple this with the totally useless green emitters and you have a lopsided PUR heavily favoring some excellent blue PAR, but more useless green than is necessary, which also comes from the cool white emitters.
On one positive note, the red emitters do salvage the PUR spectrograph, so this results in at least a reasonably capable Reef LED with some wasted green light energy.

Another interesting point about the EcoTech Radion, is that its emitter color mix is similar the TMC AquaRay Color Max.
The Color Max uses Uses 4 Daylight Cree XP-G (9000K); and 2 green, 2 red, and 2 blue Cree XP-E Power LED emitters.
YET, I have seen the Color Max panned for being more of a decorative LED light when while this is partly correct, it has a color mix very similar to the EcoTech Radion including a better daylight emitter. I find this hypocrisy among Reef Keepers rather amusing

* Emitter Patents:

This is where I have noticed attacks getting personal in some forum posts I was forwarded.
My guess is since they either cannot grasp this FACT of business or do not want to deal with it, they attack the “messenger” of these facts.
It is not rocket science that most businesses have development costs and when these business have new patent on either an existing product update or an entirely new product, they are to sell these to the highest bidder or those companies that have contracts for newest patents.

Where am I going with this? Well it is quite well established in the industry that TMC has patent rights for the newest Osram Olson & Cree emitters. The result is the XT-E emitters used by EcoTech or AI Sol is NOT the same emitter used by TMC.
The result? This also is not rocket science and that is the XR, XT and XP emitters used by EcoTech and Aqua Illuminations are certainly good and capable emitters, they simply ARE NOT the best available as these are simply the over the counter emitters ANYONE can purchase.
No different than an earlier generation electronic devise may work quite well, but is not as capable as the newest generation. This difference usually results in a less efficient emitter, lower spectral quality, or both.

* Warranties:

Both the EcoTech and Aqua Illuminations are only warranted for a year, not a lot for an expensive electronic device, especially when others have up to 5 year warranties!
A new post from this website looks at LED warranties, See:
Aquarium LED Light Warranties

* References, Recommended Resources:

Aquarium LED Light Reviews

LED Aquarium Lights, Lighting

TMC Aquarium LED Light Review

Ecotech Radion XR30 LED Light Review

YouTube; Why the AquaRay that uses PWM Technology is the Best LED

And finally, yes I too have a Bias; I am biased toward products that work BEST and have known facts to back them up!

My Aquarium Opinions

My unique experience with an Aquarium Service firm

Tag Archives: Reef Central