tripntx Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Six days ago the T5 lights above my 140 gal Oceanic were replaced with two Apollo Reef LED SolarBlast UV 5000 fixtures, Apollo Dimming controller, Apollo 40 gal breeder Adjustable Tank Mounts, and two sets of pre-production SolarBlast adapter plates. These products from Apollo Reef LED are built sturdy, have a nice appearance, and priced very competitively. Installation was straight forward and easy. The 40 gal breeder adjustable tank mounts rest on top of aquarium, adapter plates screw into UV 5000 fixture and are simply placed on top of the tank mounts. What’s nice about this setup is being able to raise canopy top without attached lights. I didn’t use the six long power cables that came with the kit, because I only wanted to use three outlets from my ACJR to control the lights. Power cables I purchased from Amazon and used are: Moon lights from both fixtures are powered by = Tripp Lite Model P006-006-2, Power Splitter Cord – (x2) C13 to 5-15P, 6 feet long. One cable will power two light receptacles, and is plugged into only one controller receptacle. These will also work well to power white and blue receptacles if you need them this long. White and Blue at each fixture are powered by = Conntek p/n 05215 Y-cable 6 inch / 8 inch 1 to 2 outlet Y Power Equalizer 5-15P to 2 C13. The cable will not reach between fixtures, it can only be used to connect two light receptacles on one fixture. Total length is only 14”, so I used a short 1 foot extension to reach ACJR receptacle. One needed be light fixture. Extension cable used per each set of white and blue was = 1-Foot Extension Power Cable, 5-Pack. One picture below will have an unused Tripp-Lite splitter, an empty Conntek package, and three 1-foot extension cables. My only complaint about anything was the thumb screws which keep adjustable bars in place while handling mount. One set of threads on each mount stripped. I’m sure the first one that stripped was from over tightening, but the second one wasn’t stripped from over tightening because I was being careful after having stripped the first one. Not a big deal, and doesn’t cause any harm because they are laying on top of aquarium and weighted down from solarblast fixtures. I had to remove part of two original braces inside Oceanic Canopy before it would close with these fixtures sitting on top of aquarium. I’m very pleased with Apollo Reef LED SolarBlast products, and hope this company will be successful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripntx Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Here's some LED pics: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripntx Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 50% white, 70% blue These tank pictures do not give justice to true appearance. Hopefully I'll figure out how to take better pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Welcome to the Apollo Club! How high off the water do the tank mount / adapter plates put the bottom of the fixture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripntx Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 On my tank it's 3" above water. The adapter plate places the bottom of light fixture 2" above aquarium top rim, and on my tank water level is 1" below rim. These are made to allow fixtures to be used inside existing low canopy, my like Oceanic. Maybe Joe will make some that place the light higher for those with taller canopies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteorflower Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Are these lights manually dimmable, or do they need to be used with a controller? Sorry, I'm kinda new to LEDs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Are these lights manually dimmable, or do they need to be used with a controller? Sorry, I'm kinda new to LEDs... there's a version that is manually dimmable and another that is dimmable via controller. the former is currently $90 less than the latter @ only $289 ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteorflower Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Interesting... I saw these lights in action recently and really liked them, but I don't run any kind of controller, so the pricing is prohibitive for me at the moment (lgith + controller). Nice to know they can come dimmable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Apollo is a sponsor, so there's another 5% off. If you want a controller on the cheap, search for the Arduino or bug Capt. Obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.