Ecoxotic panorama/stunner

Why not do Rapid LED?

You can get a 24 Dimmable kit for 245.00


You can do that with a Daylight controller for 304.00


I just bought:
Plug-and-Play Biocube 29 Dimmable Retrofit Kit
DDC-01 PWM Controller
Stunner LED Strips - 6watt, 12in. - Stunner LED Strips - Aquarium LED Lights

From what I understand I should be able to grow a lot of corals with this kit.

 

OK the reason I ask is because its either these or DIY modular leds which I have a few friends who have used them with awesome results, I am just trying to find A. the best bang for my buck, and B. the best color/growth results for my $

 

I think both will get you great growth from your coral. Personally, I like the colors I have seen from panorama modules better than I like the color of the rapid led kits.

A DIY build would be more economical and you could program it to work on a controller. This is great for light acclimation of new corals, as well as simulating sunrise/sunset light cycles. I am not sure whether you can do this with the panorama modules.

 

Seano you are scaring me now.. I just placed my order yesterday for my Rapid LED kit.... I ordered 10 royal blue, 4 blue, 6 cw ,4 nw, hopefully ill have good color still.

 

Color is good [rapid led kits]. I just don't see that bright fluorescence of the reds/purples I see from Ecoxotic's stuff.

 

I got a panorama 12K/453 last week for my 12g nanodx the color looks really good, a little purple cast,not sure if I add a blue panorama it will look to blue. I just got a frogspawn, and a frag with a candy cane and some zoas with different colors will find out if I actually need another one.
Ecoxotic has release a dimer for their LED's which you can control , intensity and imitate sunrise and sunset as well moonlight

 

Well hopefully the added Magenta/Royal Blue stunner will do the trick, I wanted the color pop effect. Thats the main reason why I did LED.. People said the Panorama Pros don't have enough power to grow coral ect...

 

So are you saying the panorama lists I set up would be ok? or saying that the diy build or panorama modules would be ok? lol

 

You can get away with 75W sure....but look at the money your spending ..............you can buy a complete unit with 3W leds for what your spending.

 

What I am saying is that all lights are going to have their pros and cons.

Being on a tight budget, the prices of the Rapid LED kits had me interested. To think I could build it myself was kind of cool too. I waited until I saw others who had purchased the kits so I could see how they looked over their own tanks, before I would get mine. I am glad I waited, as I wasn't impressed with the fluorescence of coral [from rapid led kits] as much as I like other lights [ie. AI sol, Boostled par30s, ecoxotic panorama, Maxspect fixtures]...and I've asked others. Many don't don't seem to notice the difference in coloration I am talking about. Some do. Althought I must say, I am suggesting these fro my sister whom is considering starting her first sw tank. I recommend them because they are economical for someone new to the hobby, and they do allow for some control/customization (dimming/pick your own colors).

The Ecoxotic LEDs (stunner and panorama, the latter being the better one) are both modular. This is always the way to go, IMO with LED. Modularity allows you to just add an extra one (or few) if you get a bigger tank. they are plug-n-play. Set ti and forget it for the most part. This is great for those who aren't so good with diy. As I said above, I like the colros better.

I decided on Boost par30s because they are probably the most 'retrofit' of any led. You can fit them into a normal light socket, easily allowing aesthetics to tie into the room. I am going to put mine into some nice pendant lights with glass shads. BoostLED offered the most economical price point for me, within the many brands of par30 bulbs available. These are not dimmable in anyway, so I may later look into some actinic supplement or lunar simulator for my moonlights...hopefully something that isn't ugly.

The AI Sol, Ecotech Marine Radion, and the Maxspect Mazarra are all nice for those who have the money to spend. You can do some pretty cool stuff. I was most impressed with the Radion (RGB/program-ability/program sharing), though the AI Phenoix should be coming out soon and has some some nice features as well. It is much improved from the previous AI Sol fixture.