Thanks!

Thanks, got it at Comic Con.

Thanks.

Thanks!

Yup! ;)

Hahaha

Oh yeah? I haven't seen those.

Well, but this one you can change the color of the label. LOL!

@@melevsreef you over played the whole I don't know anything about LED lights. Look up telegram on Instagram he has a spectrometer and tests lights he actually buys. The data is in his recent post.

Agreed, this feels a lot like a sponsored video. If he's stuck to metal halides for so many years because that's what he knows and trusts, why risk changing now to a brand new, unproven light? Would make a lot more sense to go with the industry gold standard, Radions which have had years of revisions to be perfected. This is virtually an infomercial for Neptune and that's all fine, but he should be upfront about it.

I’ve used all sorts of tools for this. But this seems like a nice option, and it’s a newer product.

They are like 900 dollars a piece...

@@bdieffen1029 LOL! I can buy a car with that money. LOL!

My car was WAY more expensive than that. But I pay monthly so it'll be 'free' at some point. ;)

@@melevsreef The other commentator said you've got them fro free. if that was the case you already got a free car, right? ;) But that also changes the whole concept of this video and becomes a pure promotion from a sponsorship. Did you get the lights for free?Not judging you, just bringing the facts to the table so you don't get accused by anyone of promoting those lights.

I would say, with how well he cares for his tank and the passion he has for it, he wouldn't just put new lights up simply because they didn't cost him anything. If he already wanted to use these... it's good advertising to offer them to him for free because of Marc's audience. And with how expensive quality lights are, it's smart budgeting for Marc to accept something like that. I think at that point, it's not sponsorship, just smart business. Tit for Tat.

This was so awkward.

No, there were several changes made from the original Phillips light. These are discussed in the Neptune group, if you'd like to know more.

Yea it is rebranded

@@lumbeejerk No, it isn't. It's quite different.

I discussed this in the video. There is no disco effect at all, and the shimmer is subtle. The entire tank is lit with LEDs now, and had been for the past 23 days.

No rush. And if it helps, I sell the Apex on my website using Affirm, which lets you make payments instead of paying all at once. www.melevsreef.com/reefshop/equipment/controllers/full-apex-aquarium-controller-wifi

Three seems just right.

Good idea. :)

And they work without the Apex as well, so it will be good for either consumer.

Yup, that's a good brand.

I have received so many compliments by visitors that have seen the reef under these lights over the past two years. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

That would be best seen in person. It's very dim, just enough to give you that glow but I doubt it's something I could accurately share in a video or stream. The iPhone's camera has been updated for dim lighting - it would make the reef really bright, when I'm trying to show what it actually looks like.

Very different from black boxes.

It’s the Tracy Morgan Gorgonian.

It would be ideal to know the current PAR of your tank, and then match that with your new Sky for the first few weeks.

Yeah, I like 'em!

Enjoy them man you'll be surprised with the cost reduction alone!

I understand. I love shimmer as well.

The best one they ever made 😉

I know this makes me cringe lol you cant just put out a light because you want to. I seriously doubt this will ever be better than radion. Ecotech is the best for lighting and will always be the best. Phillips is trying hard. And red sea now neptune lmao smh they should just stick to water monitoring .

Are you running the Apex?

Each light has its own meanwell power supply.

No, but I do plan to make some beefier brackets. Or maybe use something else entirely...

Yes. I’ve had them for two years and they have been great. Coral growth is great, watch any of my recent livestreams to see the reef. Are you liking yours? Have you tried my schedule?

@@melevsreef OK, awesome, that's great to hear. I'm going to stick with the Sky then. I do like them after 4 months of using. I'd like to try your schedule, do you have a link?

My tank is 30" deep. It's 84" x 36" x 30" and 400g.

For the past year, I've had to replace quite a few MH bulbs and ballasts, so I wasn't really saving money. Not having to think about those will be a nice change of pace.

Yes, LEDs works "just fine". Halides and T5s will work profusely.

Seems to be about 3amp of power per day, for the lighting duration. Instead of 10 amps.

@@melevsreef thanks for reply, amps are a measure of "throughput" at a point in time, convert those amps by time used to get joules, then you can say X joules/day. You can't say amps/day. you can say it ran constant at 3 amps all day or for X hours :-) I'm learning tons from ur vids! thanks :-)

@@melevsreef And do you think that does make any difference for the corals? Yes, of course it does! The amount of energy used to produce light needs to be there. It's not magical! Energy can't be produced out of nothing.It's physics! Sanjay is spending more wattage using LEDs just to try to get close to the results he had using metal halides and he can't. Now he has published that he thinks the best would be to keep his halides. It's so evident. Please see my other comment above for the links. :)

@@min2oly Got it. Yes, that is what I meant: the lights run at 3amps per hour for my lighting period, daily. I think most people would understand that I didn't only use 3amps, just like when I said I use 1200w of light they new that was every minute the lights were running.

@@melevsreef I apologize, it through my little brain into a split second knot... This hobby really brings out the brainiacs and my initial comment was meant to laugh with you at the gaff. I mean it's one tiny little thing in an hour of talking right? But that's the beauty of ur vids, you put out so much content, ur bound to give everyone a little laugh hear and there... 1amp/second x 1volt/second = 1watt/second = 1joule

No worries. It was at the time the first video to publicly discuss the new lights so I wanted to be thorough. That being said, I’ve really been blown away at how nice my reef looks and am glad I swapped out my 10 year old MH setup.

It was plain-looking because a glowing blue tank looks bad on the logitech webcam. When I share videos of the reef that I've filmed, people see how pretty it really is, which is all the time. But I get what you are saying. I'm looking at getting a different camera for the livestreams that will hopefully do the tank more justice.

I did state dimensions in the video

Factoids here: www.neptunesystems.com/products/expansion-modules/sky-led-reef-aquarium-light/

Considering the whole Apex ecosystem is geared towards reefing, agreed doubtful

What would a freshwater system need? I think the spectrum might not be ideal for those tanks, but I've never run a freshwater tank.

@@melevsreef Spectrum between 6000-9000K.

I don't think 3 Skys will do the best he could achieve for that tank either.

I probably would have run five or six over the 400g.

@@Alex_Correa Three Skys definitely are enough. I see no reason why I'd ever need a fourth.

@@melevsreef Wow. Take a look at the video, Marc. I can see from the video the shadows they are producing. Can't you see? You need to study about lights to know what's going on there. Don't believe anything published by manufacturers and stores, my friend.

Let me know when you have time.

Very. The reef looks great, and I can adjust colors on demand when I film, stream, take pictures, or just want to show it off to guests.

Parsley, thyme, and oregano, right? ;)

@@melevsreef Kush, purple Kush and Maui wowie. I'm from Maui. We are not allowed to have reef tanks.

I have to put in fake corals. I have dead coral to use. We can have zoas,soft corals and anemones.

But one good thing about the aquarium hobby, living here in Maui. We are allowed to catch fish and keep them for our personal aquariums. And you can keep 5 specimens a day.

I actually did a video about power consumption 9 months ago. Each of my lights uses a total of 1026 watts daily. 3840w (three lights), or 3.84kWH x $0.05 (my current rate) = $0.19 per day. Less than $6 per month. kzfaq.infoTxVQlp1-JRY?si=_Dyh_QytQKyg74j0

Oh man, you really don't understand anything about reef lighting to say something like that! I'm sorry.

Alex, I know you love metal halides, based on your comments during the livestream. But there have been 1000s of pretty reefs living under LEDs for the past decade too. Let's let everyone decide for themselves what they want to use. I'm very happy with my choice to use LEDs. If that changes, I'll be sure to update the audience.

@@Alex_Correa I understand that the PAR and coverage seem pretty impressive as a blanket statement. Not sure which way you’re siding LED vs Halide. But I’ve ran LEDs for nearly 10 years no issues. Same can be said to many of the premier aquaculture facilities around the world… Not understanding anything about reef lighting, now that’s funny. Imagine being so upset that other hobbyists have different paths to success, legitimately thank you for the laugh.

@@AJ-bi6ns The paths the hobbyists have been following are the LEDs' self promoting propaganda spread online for the past years. The "premier aquaculture facilities"you call also followed such path of promotion, sponsorship and profit also. But some people are already going back in time and actually understanding/remembering more what corals need for survival and the optimal way to supply those needs in terms of light. Certainly not any LED as a primary source of light!

I am very disappointed as well. :(

Someone giving you a few grand in lights is going to want something back 🤷🏻‍♂️ I guess if you want to know how much Marc likes them will come down to how long he keeps them. over the years I have seen many youtubers etc raving on about products only to see them off the system in the next video or even up for sale 👍

Exactly 💯

Dont do it. Wait 3-4 years see how they perform under field testing by people who own them. Radion is proven technology. Dont just jump on a new gravy train because everyone else is. Even tho 100% of the ppl who support these lights dont own them. If mark can barely get his hands on them you definitely wont be able too lol we are talking about probably the most influential person in reef keeping. Hands down. Also did you notice how the neptune guy just danced around questions and never gave a direct answer. If you cant be honest than your product isnt honest.

It would be nice to see them side by side.

@@melevsreef yeah a comparison of the two, would be really neat. Maybe BRSTV could do a test with SKY and Hydra's to see whats up and who fairs better.

Thanks. I tend to save previous gear for years, but rarely have to revert. I still have my old Euroreef skimmer in the backroom, despite running the Nyos 300 for about 4 years now. lol

Many are actually going back to halides and/or T5s. People are realizing the lack of real qualities LEDs represent in the real world!

@@melevsreef I used to keep stuff and then by the time I realized I didn't want it, it was worth nothing and pointless to sell lol

@@raisethereef Yes, quality is what we should look for. Cheers!

We shall see how it goes.

Purely physics. Thanks for posting the truth here!

Every picture I've seen of Sanjay's reef over the past couple of years has been pretty outstanding. Is he 100% satisfied? Are any of us ever 100% satisfied with anything we own? EVER? Probably not.

@@melevsreef Hey Marc! Yes, I know. Problem is when you have a thriving reef under halides and your corals are vivid growing profusely and very colorful all those years and now you've got dull colors and weird colony formation. Example is that bright yellow Porites sp. Sanjay has that way yellow under halides and now it's grey and under the LEDs. The whole tank looks dull in the last video. IMO his corals are perishing. I'm sorry. He can do much better than that. Sanjay even said that for his tank, because of the size, the best option is metal halides. He knows! In truth, as a fact, any tank does better under halides and T5s. We have different wattage for any different size tank (150W, 175W, 250W, 400W 1000W), so no excuse for that matter. Not to mention the very noticeable dead spots under the colonies. That is a fact we have to deal with, specially when moving from halides and/or T5s to LEDs. The need of the large number of diodes to cover any system is only the beginning of the story for coverage and the constant and rich spectrum from halides just can't be substituted by LEDs at all. Tullio has published also that any LED system degrades and should be replaced every 4 or 5 years to keep it's performance. The investment for the right coverage using LEDs isn't worth it as an investment IMO. Halide fixtures will be there forever and you will only need to change the bulbs. By the way, Hamilton has been selling so much lately that they had to restock everything. They are actually producing halide gear, so many people are going back to halides, they said. With the ReefBrites we need to change bulbs every 2 years because of the dual arcs. The safe amount of UV and IR produced and delived by the proper halide system for the tank and the right intensity offering a safe coverage is also important. The qualities of light that we knew back in the 90's are very often forgotten by many of us in the name of the " new technology", while the so called "old technology" is very well alive among us and it's efficiency is very well diminish by many using numbers. By the way, ReefBrite has some nice features for halides that can be called real new technology. How much do you really want a "change" is what will dictate how long you will be dealing with the faults LEDs have in those aspects. The facts of lighting a reef didn't change just like the facts of sunlight didn't change. I just think to evolve is actually to have better results than we already had, not worse. The quality of results comes from quality of light and not out of any other views many are preaching for so many years comparing the 2 types of artificial lights, like saving electricity and less heat production. The price of optimal results come from investment in the right amount of energy. Sanjay's tank isn't looking as near as good as it was under those nice 400W halides he had. Just talk to him and see the videos. His excuses to change to LEDs aren't convincing me either. I told him he could simply program his Apex to turn off the lights in case the water temperature would get to a certain point. I say this because many see the truth but they don't say anything. I love Sanjay and I love you too. I just think we should talk about this. If the old timers don't talk about this no one will. It's not my business to come here and tell you what you should do, of curse, but it's always great to leave a true comment of what really matters. Tullio Dell Aquilla has been publishing some great info about the facts of light in many channels. Perhaps would be great for you to check those out. Another way to understand is by just comparing images and videos to see the level of success you can achieve with metal halides and how bad and how often we see poor systems featuring their so called "best LED systems" in this hobby. Sure it comes down to a matter of choice and perhaps "taste" (?). I just do not agree when LED companies compare their product with metal halides and T5s. Even though application has to be considered, the 3 types of light have a total distinct way to be applied and the results will naturally be distinctive as well. Time shows. Please talk to Sanjay! Say hi for me. Love you guys! :) Under halides: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ptmfg5uLqrPOf2Q.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hLmXfJudt9nYlqc.html Under LEDs: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/j797gJyFzKywkYE.html What per what: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/j797gJyFzKywkYE.html The best: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/j797gJyFzKywkYE.html

I don’t get why people are so vested in protesting comparisons between any product against halides and T5s. No one is compelling anyone to do anything. But change is a living process and if you want to capture market share for a specific consumer, then you must have a frame of reference. This product is competing against halides, T5s, and LEDs. Will they perform equal to better (not considering power consumption, form factor. availability, programmability, etc) than other halides, or T5s in the long run? That remains to be seen. But you can’t argue that they won’t, yet. Right? Let the market determine that through use. Perhaps they will, perhaps they won’t. Even T5s and halides evolved before they claimed their exalted status. Data. We need real world use data. Selecting reputable influencers with established tanks with amazing configurations makes complete and total sense. These folk wouldn’t just sacrifice their investments at a whim. Consumers aren’t just taking the “[vendor’s] word.” Would you?

@@ateshhastam I think you would.

I love mine, been running them 18 months

@@melevsreef If you like them that much, they've gotta be good XD

:)

Like 900

@@bdieffen1029 $870.

@@melevsreef plus 30 for their light hanging kit or like 100 and something for ecotechs rms system

@@melevsreef damn hah :(

I don't know why either. I guess we like freedom of choice and buy what we prefer. :)

@@melevsreef I guess the market will tell whether this will be put up with. I hope it’s not as a consumer who wants the best for my animals. And just to clarify, this is in no way coming at you. I admire and respect what you do for the hobby.

@@JMehalick I had the same pendants for about 14 years, and cycled through at least four or five bulbs per year, plus replaced ballasts to each fixture about 3-4 times. The best bang for my buck was the Lumenbright pendant reflector, at $135 each plus shipping. They lasted forever.

@JCasper I would love to have some studies to back that up. Please post the links here.

@@melevsreef Buy? Did you buy them? The other comment said you got them for free.

What a wonderfully cynical point of view. I've always called myself a MACNA whore....

@@melevsreef Did you really get them for free?

@@Alex_Correaalso the neptune guy said there not even for sale yet so how would he buy them if there not for sale.. why else do you think neptune was so involved. They made marketing content for the new lights. Thats was the payment.

@@jakesreef1730 If so, that is indeed just one more marketing strategy. I know business is business, but to diminish halides like that and promote LEDs is not good. The video they made for this fixture (and I already left my comments there!) uses halides and T5s as a step to promote their product. That's so sad to say the least!

@@Alex_Correa well MH and T5s are being fazed out because of the chemical/materials in them that are not good for the environment. There is already laws going into effect in the UK for T5s. I know this because I have a reefing friend over there. And MH are not energy efficient so that also hurts the environment and you have to change bulbs so frequently thats not good for the environment. All the green plant stuff is whats causing this. And I do think that MH an T5s are outdated. Because a led fixture will last atleast 5 years compared to a bank of T5s which only last 6-9 months after that there not as strong any more. But that my opinion.

Nice job.

She tolerates me. :)

Or have a pretty reef you want to light well. ;)

If you had a coral farm that light would be the worse to grow corals for the application anyway.

11" is just right. ;)

The price is too high and the fixtures are also too high. It's to try to cover more space and proof efficiency. Worse LED coverage I've seen for the application and worse replacement for actual quality of light.

That's definitely another option. I've seen all sorts of fixtures over the past 10+ years.

hehe

I believe my last computation for MH electricity was roughly $25 per month. So now it should be $8 per month in lighting alone.

@@melevsreef Oh man... is that the most important aspect of reef lighting?

@@Alex_Correa people often assume MH cost $100 or $200 a month in electricity. I was merely answering the question.

@@melevsreef Ok, thanks. People often assume LEDs are "greater" than MH because of the so called "savings" on electric bill too. In reality, to get optimal results, they should at least use the same wattage they would need with halides when they change to LEDs. So the electricity savings becomes automatically a myth. Please see my other comment with Dr. Sanjay's observations on this.

@@melevsreef I thought those were three 250 watt units. Running 9 hours a day

This was 2.5 years ago and I’m still running them. My reef looks great.

Once you see them in person, you may like the look they provide.

Thanks for watching. 😆