alexyay Posted May 16, 2014 Report Share Posted May 16, 2014 I'm looking to light a puffer tank (70L, 58cm long, deciding between green spot, fig8 and arrowhead - arrowhead preferable if I can find one!) which will only have low-light plants depending on what will withstand salinity (eg java fern, java moss) and am looking at the Satellite units, but the + is a lot more expensive and was wondering what the differences are other than the RGB? Are the LEDs in the + any better? I'd rather not have the blues but I can turn those off on the regular unit, so what's the reason for getting the + other than the RGB? Any other cheaper units available? I love my Green Element unit but it appears to get quite pricey and hard to find in full white. Thanks c: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted May 16, 2014 Report Share Posted May 16, 2014 What is RGB? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted May 16, 2014 Report Share Posted May 16, 2014 Red, green, blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 The RGB and full-spectrum adjustability is the difference, and it is a fairly big one IMO. Not sure if there is any difference int eh quality of the LEDs, I'd think not though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexyay Posted May 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 The RGB and full-spectrum adjustability is the difference, and it is a fairly big one IMO. Not sure if there is any difference int eh quality of the LEDs, I'd think not though. Cool, thanks I have no use for RGB (quite happy with just the white light, don't care for "mood" lighting), so I'll be looking into the regular Satellite in the future :thup: thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 It's not really 'mood lighting', although there are a lot of gimmicky features like the rolling clouds and lightening settings, but being able to set the colour temperature of the lighting over your tank is a big advantage over a fixed colour unit. Often the white and blue combos will be too blue for many FW set ups. The regular Satellite has 6500k whites and the blues are dimmable separately, and I think with the set up you're planning you would probably end up running the blues pretty dim to avoid making the tank look too blue. I have mine set to more of a violet colour (blending the red and blue in the RGB LEDs) and it looks about right for a semi-blackwater environment. With just straight white and blue it looks too harsh for my liking. They are about double the price of the straight blue/white ones so I see where you're coming from, but IMO the full colour and intensity adjustability of the Satellite+ is well worth it if you really want to get the look of the lighting 'right' for your tank. In the past I've usually skimped on lighting and gone with cheap T8's from bunnings, I certainly won't be going back tot hat after owning these!! If you're just after 6500K white there are certainly cheaper options than the regular satellites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 You might be unhappy with the non-RGB version. However you can pay the extra and be nearly guaranteed to get the color combination you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexyay Posted May 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Thank you for all the help! I might go for the + but am probably going for the regular - what else do you suggest price-wise for LEDs at 6500K? I think the regular + shipping ended up costing around $90 USD which is similar to a T8 Aqua Zonic unit (and I'd rather go LED as I'm not the one paying the power bill!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 You can get regular household LEDs in 6500K, could experiment with them in desk-lamp type holders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexyay Posted May 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 You can get regular household LEDs in 6500K, could experiment with them in desk-lamp type holders. I have done that before - was looking for something clean and pre-made - I found housing bulbs quite awkward and was really just looking for the unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 Did you end up getting either? I have the regular version coming from Amazon. Will provide my comments when I receive it. I have a 2x T8 light hood and find it too dim in my 2" tank. I'm hopeful just the LED is enough, but might be running both! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 Well I got the Satellite today, coincidentally. The regular version. It was the 24-36" version to fit over my 2' tank. It's very disappointing, certainly not strong enough to run on its own, I'll have to run it as well as the T8. All the information I could find about the unit raved about how bright it was (some say even too bright), but this is certainly not my experience. Wouldn't recommend the regular version in the 24-36" size at all. Retrospectively I should have saved the $85 and spent around $50 to upgrade my T8 hood into a DIY LED hood. Oh well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelt Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 Bugger, I've just been looking at those on amazon, though was thinking the + model a size up. Whilst lightening effect sounds tacky, I've got one of them Philips living color lamps and it's quite funky for room ambient light so I thought the fush (Nz accent) may like it to :fshi: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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