The Kessil A500X is a brand new LED spotlight that packs an astounding amount of power into the company’s trademark Dense Matrix Array LED. This 185 watt aquarium light is a powerhouse of illumination and because of its point source…
Orphek releases new Amazonas line aimed at public aquariums
The new line of Orphek Amazonas LED lights are aimed at replacing metal halides in public and large-scale aquariums. Using the same multi-LED chipset as the Orphek Kaspian, the new Orphek Amazonas eliminated the white LEDs using a wide range…
New Orphek Amazonas 500 impresses with new test data
The new Orphek Amazonas 500 we covered at MACNA is gunning for those 1,000 watt metal halide lights most often seen in commercial settings or public aquariums. According to Orphek, the Amazonas 500 can deliver significant light penetration and adequate…
ZooMed Powersun H.I.D. Metal Halide UVB Lamp and Pendant
The ZooMed Powersun H.I.D. Metal Halide UVB Lamp is a new high intensity discharge lighting system that was originally designed for reptiles and terrariums. This full spectrum metal halide system consists of a pendant with a built-in 70 watt metal halide…
The Deep Dive on Reef Aquarium Lighting, Part 2: Lighting Technologies
I get asked fairly often what light is the best light. Unfortunately, there is no right answer. First off, there is the difference in aesthetics. That is a purely subjective decision that only hobbyists can make for themselves. Most of…
Kessil A360W LEDs Don’t Disappoint!
Regular Saltwater Smarts visitors may recall that back in the spring of 2015, I closed down my 75-gallon reef tank and converted my 125-gallon (then) FOWLR tank to a reef system with the addition of some invertebrate livestock from the…
Can the QuarionZ make metal halides cool again?
The QuarionZ is a new metal halide pendant from Damsel Lighting which hopes to make people consider metal halide lighting for their reef tanks. With a super sleek paint job, futuristic look, and a radical design departure, the QuarionZ definitely…
Coral color is NOT necessarily an indicator of success or health
Lately, there have been various assaults on lighting in many popular reefkeeping forums: The white light zealots attacking the Windex blue fanboys, and the T5/Metal Halide fans using coral color as evidence that LEDs are bad or wrong; fanaticism doesn’t…
An Introduction to Reef Aquarium Lighting
Saltwater aquarists who choose to take the plunge into reef keeping quickly come to an interesting realization: The lighting used in such systems is of paramount importance. Whereas lighting in fish-only systems is primarily an aesthetic concern (for the most…
Bridging the old & new: revisiting halides after some time with LEDs
Over the last few years, I migrated every reef tank I have to LED, even a little freshwater nano is running LED. I think there is a huge future in LEDs and switching to LED changed my view on lighting…
