Best retrofit option for LED replacement?

[marcusbacus]

I am planning to add LEDs to my RSM250, but I am not very fond of throwing away the hood so I would like to know which would be the best commercial model (no DIY or kits!) that could be placed inside the hood (preferably with the less effort as well...)?
I already added 2 Aquaray 600 bars to the hood and was about to add some more (I've considered even that other model that is like a tile, 1500 is the name I think) but the cost of getting a bigger fixture is better.
If I am going to remove the hood entirely, I'm planning to add a Maxspect Razor. AI's can be placed inside the hood I think, but they are more expensive, need a controller, etc.
One option I am considering (not sure if it works) would be to remove just the bigger part of the hood (the place where actually the lights are up to the front and the "feeding" tray) leaving that smaller part (with timer and some controls etc.) just for aesthetic reasons, so it doesn't look too stripped.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

I recently added this & love them !

http://shop.stevesleds.com/Red-Sea-Max-250-C250-SPS-Grade-LED-Upgrade-8794102433.htm

the hood you see in this link ^ is actually mine

This will be a drop in replacement, no cutting, no drilling, no modifications and 100% stock look of your hood. Just remove your old T5's lighting out of your hood, and drop this LED upgrade fixture in it's place.



This complete drop-in LED system is designed for use in the saltwater aquarium Red Sea Max 250 and the Red Sea Max 250C version.

• It is capable of supporting every fish, coral or invert (including Softies, LPS, SPS, and clams) from every ocean.

• Grows corals faster than the natural ocean.

• This is the brightest, most advanced, and simple to install LED system for the Red Sea Max 250 available anywhere.

• Includes the easy to program digital Typhon controller.

• Proven Luxeon ES premium LEDs in the 14,000K Super Full Spectrum configuration.

• 50,000 hour lifespan and limited 6 month manfacturer's warranty!

• Designed, manufacturered and assembled in Louisiana, USA!

Current lead time for this LED upgrade is only 2 days!



This promotional pricing is only available for the first 50 customers!



Excellent instructions will be provided, including short movie clips demonstrating every step of the installation.



Steps:
1) Take the hood apart (We demonstrate how to remove the screw plugs without scratching your hood!)
2) Remove the existing wiring
3) Drop in the new fixture and mount it using 5 of the existing screw holes
4) Close up the hood
5) Plug it in
6) Brag to your friends

Want to see how easy step 3 is? Check it out - http://stevesleds.info/drop_in_fixture.gif

Installation guide - http://www.StevesLEDs.info/Red Sea Max 250 Drop-In LED Upgrade 8172015.pdf

This is no experimental LED setup. We have spent 10's of 1,000's of dollars researching the optimal configuration for this product. This is a proven design that has been used in RSM250's in 27 different countries over the past 5 years. This recent V5.0 Upgrade allows you to drop this system into any RSM250 hood with NO assembly, NO modifications, and NO headeaches.

 

[marcusbacus]

I know this one but I'd like to try with something from a known brand, plus the price isn't very good mostly for me - I'm not in USA. With import taxes, it will be as expensive as a Razor. There is some drilling and cutting to be done... a lot, actually, if you follow the gifs with instructions, but this is the same as with any other replacement, all the old stuff has to go.

 

[mike1970]

you should look at these Euroquatics E5 Retrofit T5 LED Lamps Daylight - 36 Inch

http://www.marinedepot.com/Euroquat...quariums-Euroquatics-5U05935-FILTBUT5-vi.html

 

[marcusbacus]

Doesn't seem very powerful to me...

 

[mike1970]

they should be the same as a 39watt T5

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

I understand the import fees can be costly... as for "known brands" if interested...

read this thread... and @StevesLEDs post in it... when I realized his leds were better then cree, convinced me

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/...eal-with-these-leds.69696/page-6#post-1306132

and anyway it a great read, lots of great info ... whatever way you go ...

sure others can advise some options too & checkout this thread too - hope something here helps - cheers !
Red Sea Max LED Conversions

 

[Pat24601]

I definitely love my Steve's and couldn't find anything else I really even liked when I was looking. But, I'm in the US.

 

[marcusbacus]

they should be the same as a 39watt T5

it would be nice to have a clearer picture of what's inside, seems that it's almost like a "VHO T5" or something than a good LED. There are some similars to the Aquaray bars (by Sera and other european manufacturers) that can use your existing T5/T8 connectors and they are also a bit similar to these, but they are a bit expensive as well, some are over $100 each. The Aquarays can fit into T5 connectors too, but the bar is too short (all models have a fixed size) and doesn't fit in the RSM, it's just useful if it's a new hood and you want to mount it with the T5 connectors instead of the other options.

 

[marcusbacus]

I understand the import fees can be costly... as for "known brands" if interested...

These are so problematic that it's actually better to buy stuff from the local resellers of the known brands that in opposition to other "importers" of other aquarium goods have their prices quite similar to the whole stuff with taxes, plus you can have some warranty, won't have to bother to ship them to be fixed overseas or something. This seems to be valid for the fixtures only, but for food or other goods it's worth trying to import them most of the time, reminds me when I bought some Sera food in a bigger container of 500g I think for the price of what the 50g were sold here at the time, even with the shipping cost in Euros (but no taxes this time!).

read this thread... and @StevesLEDs post in it... when I realized his leds were better then cree, convinced me

Right in the very first paragraphs they say something important: not every tank will benefit from LEDs just because they are there. There are many factors involved, from the quality of the brands used (that can be only assured with actual tests of PAR, for example - stats posted on a manufacturer's website can be just lies), the right LEDs for the right situation, final appearance of the lights (some hate tanks with too much blue or even the lovely shimmering effect) and many other aspects. For me, this kit isn't exactly something to be discarded per se, for its quality alone. There is the price/tax issue and also the assemblage difficulties though (despite the kit coming all mounted, with some kits you even have to do all the soldering yourself)...

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

I understand Saude !

sidebar - don't know if you saw this vid, if it's any help to anyone else following this thread... it's the install in the RSM 250 hood

 

[marcusbacus]

It doesn't show the actual hard part, the disassembling of all the old electrical stuff...

 

[Pat24601]

It doesn't show the actual hard part, the disassembling of all the old electrical stuff...

I'm really not trying to pile on or convince you to do anything you don't want to. It doesn't make a difference to me which way you go, after all.

But, personally I found getting rid of all the old electric stuff super easy and I'm not a DIY guy. Once you know you are removing everything, the pressure is really off because there is nothing to break. You are taking everything out anyway.

In fact, that was one of the big epiphany's I had when I was doing the older, much harder install. Once I realized all the old electrics came out and nothing stayed, it was mentally a big relief knowing I couldn't screw anything up.

 

[marcusbacus]

But, personally I found getting rid of all the old electric stuff super easy and I'm not a DIY guy. Once you know you are removing everything, the pressure is really off because there is nothing to break. You are taking everything out anyway.

It all depends on which is the installation process with each kit and I am absolutely not saying that this kit is inadequate or made with poor quality or anything like that. I just said that the hardest part of the installation for this kit specifically (despite the fact that it can be "incredibly simple" [sic]) isn't pictured in that short movie. I think even in this kit specifically there is some part in one of the individual GIFs files describing the process that says "if you are keeping the cooler (or some other part I don't recall exactly now, might be the timer or the moonlights) do not cut this and this wire" or something like that. It's not just a "cut and throw everything away" process all the time. There are even some of the old parts (screws, perhaps) that help with the new assemblage that can be kept

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

+1 Pats post ^ the new kits says...15-45 mins. for the complete install, I would guess removal of the old is a small part of this & as Pat said... you can't really go wrong... the new kit does not use the old moonlights

just for anyone interested in Stevesleds newest version of the RSM 250 kit

 

[marcusbacus]

it seems that my original question is being very deviated from its main theme (and the central theme is now this specific kit), the retrofit options of known brands (if any exist), not the DIYs.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

sorry marcus -

I am planning to add LEDs to my RSM250, but I am not very fond of throwing away the hood so I would like to know which would be the best commercial model (no DIY or kits!) that could be placed inside the hood (preferably with the less effort as well...)?

 

[marcusbacus]

I found this brand Dolphin, looks interesting. The model Dolphin 2 with 216W might work as well, but I have never heard about this brand before. Its price here is the same as one Razor 180, with the extra 36W... there's no front touch controller though, just via wifi which is not a problem I guess. It has some features that the Razor doesn't have I think, like the storm.

 

[Pat24601]

it seems that my original question is being very deviated from its main theme (and the central theme is now this specific kit), the retrofit options of known brands (if any exist), not the DIYs.

I guess my answer to this question is I don't know of any and I looked really hard. I found Steves instructions very intimidating (until I did it) and I spent about a year trying to find something else better because I feared Steves. I couldn't find anything.

So, I'd go so far as to say none exist, except I can hardly claim to be an expert.

If you find any, let us know and we will have that information the next time we get this question.

 

[marcusbacus]

I gave up and bought a Razor 180, and not even because it's Black Fraud day. I think it might fit in the RSM hood after all... it's very thin, and despite its controller being at the side and becoming a bit unacessible (or hard to acess, or maybe not, will only be sure after I see it), probably the preset 1 as I've seen in the demo videos might work just fine and it will be just a case of set and forget.