Current USA is marketing a commercial LED light that could provide some great value supplemental light for the home aquarium. Following on from its bigger brothers the 160W Cannon Pro, the Cannon 80 LED is designed primarily for public aquariums and living walls where it can provide a penetrating 85-degree beam of light from a distance. Unlike the commercial Cannon Pro, however, the 80-watt model has a much smaller form factor at just 5.2”x5.2”x2.1”, built-in active cooling, and even a built-in driver along with an angle adjustable wall bracket and a snoot to prevent external light spill. It comes in four flavors, three of which will appeal to the reefkeeper as they are 10000K white, 450-460nm Blue and a Red/Blue grow light that should suit macroalgae-filled refugia. The fourth model is a warm 5000K, probably better suited to living walls than living reefs.
The heart of the light is an 80W Samsung multichip LED with a glass optic which should provide a sharp, focussed single beam of light and with it, plenty of shimmer. For that 80 watts, a penetration of 12’ deep and 16’ across is claimed, making its $199 price tag exceptional value. The 60-degree swivel mounting bracket could also allow for remote wall or ceiling mounting and although Current USA hasn’t mentioned corals and has placed the fixture firmly within its commercial offering, we would like to investigate its suitability at lighting hard-to-reach places in reef tanks when used closer up, with a respectable PAR reading of 200 micromoles claimed at 24″ water depth. This sort of value only becomes possible from each light being just one color, however. They can be dimmed via smart dimmer, but dimmed only, with one color channel versus the eight channels we have come accustomed to from other lights. If you just need more white or more blue, a fuge light, or penetration at depth, these mini commercial lights may make an interesting proposition.
