This is an area where there has been intense development in the last 5 years or so, think car and home lighting.
Today I received a new 3' Nicrew LED unit. Its the classic G2 so nothing special. The last time I bought a light that was not included with a tank was over 10 years ago. On that occasion it was an Arcadia stretch 3' (subsequently rebranded to Classica) to replace a failed T5 system. Both units are 32W on the primary channel (FWIW) and today the Arcadia retails at about 3x the price of the Nicrew. I have been using the Arcadia on my new tank and wanted something that was dimmable without paying the silly price Arcadia want for their controller with proprietary connectors. I have also been seeing some BGA in the tank, but no sign of algae whatsoever. I had a suspicion the light was too red. The tank is only 12" high so I don't need a bright light - but 3' units are generally designed for deeper tanks than that - which is why I want to dim it.
Today I plugged in the new light. It looks well made and solid. I don't have any testing equipment but visually the light seem to be much whiter and really makes the colours in the fish and plants pop by comparison (even at 40% output). Its also far brighter. I am currently running it at 40% output which seem to be closest in intensity to the original unit. At 100% its pretty blinding by comparison. Looking at it now with just the new light on it seems much brighter than before. But I do know how easily human eyes can be deceived, which is why I made my visual comparisons side by side
. There are also a lot more LEDs and it reaches all the edges of the tank and the lighting looks pretty even. Since I am trying to tread the line between reducing BGA and getting good plant growth I have left it at 40% and left the duration untouched. I will keep assessing but for now I am blown away by the difference between new and old.
Disclaimer: I am not knocking the Arcadia. Bear in mind mine is over 10 years old and was probably used for 3-4 years before it retired to the garage to be resurrected for the new tank. I have no way to tell if its characteristics have changed since I bought it.
Today I received a new 3' Nicrew LED unit. Its the classic G2 so nothing special. The last time I bought a light that was not included with a tank was over 10 years ago. On that occasion it was an Arcadia stretch 3' (subsequently rebranded to Classica) to replace a failed T5 system. Both units are 32W on the primary channel (FWIW) and today the Arcadia retails at about 3x the price of the Nicrew. I have been using the Arcadia on my new tank and wanted something that was dimmable without paying the silly price Arcadia want for their controller with proprietary connectors. I have also been seeing some BGA in the tank, but no sign of algae whatsoever. I had a suspicion the light was too red. The tank is only 12" high so I don't need a bright light - but 3' units are generally designed for deeper tanks than that - which is why I want to dim it.
Today I plugged in the new light. It looks well made and solid. I don't have any testing equipment but visually the light seem to be much whiter and really makes the colours in the fish and plants pop by comparison (even at 40% output). Its also far brighter. I am currently running it at 40% output which seem to be closest in intensity to the original unit. At 100% its pretty blinding by comparison. Looking at it now with just the new light on it seems much brighter than before. But I do know how easily human eyes can be deceived, which is why I made my visual comparisons side by side
. There are also a lot more LEDs and it reaches all the edges of the tank and the lighting looks pretty even. Since I am trying to tread the line between reducing BGA and getting good plant growth I have left it at 40% and left the duration untouched. I will keep assessing but for now I am blown away by the difference between new and old.Disclaimer: I am not knocking the Arcadia. Bear in mind mine is over 10 years old and was probably used for 3-4 years before it retired to the garage to be resurrected for the new tank. I have no way to tell if its characteristics have changed since I bought it.
