ULM Tank Trials Ep-11: Reef Lighting for Ultra Low Maintenance | BRStv

It’s BRStv Investigates: Tank Trials and today Ryan is back and talking about ULM lighting for our three Ultra Low Maintenance reef tanks. We’ll cover our thoughts on what makes lighting high maintenance, explore some ULM options, as well as show you what we went with on the BRS ULM tanks.
We can't wait to hear your thoughts on today’s ULM episode! So, join us over on Reef2Reef.
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The purpose and content of this video is to provide general information regarding the products and their applications as presented in the video. Aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents disclaim all express or implied warranties, in any way, related to the products and their application as presented in this video, make no representation or warranty regarding the products and the application as presented in this video and shall not be liable for any direct or indirect losses or damages of any type, including but not limited to punitive damages, or from personal injury or death resulting from or in any manner related to the video, and the products in and contents of the video. The viewer expressly agrees that aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents shall not be liable for any damages or losses related to the products in and content of the video and hereby agrees to hold the foregoing harmless from any such losses or damages.

[@russmaleartist]

Your extensive and endless research on behalf of your customers is a sure guarantee for loyal and grateful customers over time. I think such efforts and integrity should be always rewarded with success!

[@narutohorsegirl]

Just wanted to say how much I really appreciate all of the lighting vids you do on specific lights. I'm sure each vid is a big pain that takes a bunch of time, but to those of us without PAR meters, it's literally a lifesaver

[@jonathanrichard2267]

I've had my first reef tank running for about 8.5 months now and this video really hit home. I am still very inexperienced in how lighting works despite hours upon hours of research. I've struggled with my LED's providing nutrition to the corals, but it's been a fun process to learn and grow as an owner. You said it SO well that most manufacturers don't provide any data on PAR, placement distance, etc. and that most folks don't own anything to measure it. I may be looking into a T5 fixture in the future because I've heard almost all I know that use them "IT JUST WORKS!!" Love it. Keep up the great work, BRS.

[@HentzGG]

What LED lights are you running?

[@jonathanrichard2267]

Zetlight QMaven 6800. Their customer service folks are not particular good at answering any emails haha!

[@trudeaumustgo1920]

Thanks for finally cleaning up the light cords on the brs160. Was driving me nuts. Great video once again. Super in depth just like all your videos.

[@timechaser4313]

When I first seen your videos, a few years ago, I thought great. Here is another company trying to push their products out the door using videos that are biased, and stretch the truth. That is the complete opposite of what you have done! I truly think you have pushed this hobby ahead at least five years! I understand that in this age communication is better than ever. But you never know if the info is from a reliable source. You guys seem to do your homework, and know your products. And always have the inhabitants health at the front of your decisions! You are helping to eliminate the big debates, that so many newcomers struggle to understand in the beginning. And even after weeks of pouring over hundreds of web site posts, are no closer to the answer than when they started. So thank you for all that you have done! And I look forward to where you will take this hobby!

[@timechaser4313]

I know that you are a business, and that is what makes what you are doing special! I hope more companies will follow your lead! I cannot say that you are the only place I shop for reef gear, but definitely the first place I check. Thanks again for your continued efforts, they are not only appreciated, but truly needed!

[@SickMeds]

Kessils are really the best, have one on breeder tank from over 3 years, last week by accident it was actually dropped into salt water tank, no power was connected, believe or not, after rinse with fresh water and good clean plus 2 day drying, it have not failed, appears all components inside are well protected from humidity, plus seal between heat sink and leds and lens is waterproof Changing 50g to 210g now, adding 4 more kessils to it, including h380II halo for refugium. Really good lights !

[@LightSearch]

Here's a interesting experiment for you guys: how effective is a mid sized tridacna as a nutrient control method (nitrates/phosphates) and how much alkalinity and calcium it consumes on a daily basis.

[@the.humble.reefer7230]

I have to admit that I was hoping to see you consider the Atlantic V4 on the sps tank. With the reviews that you made on the v4 I would have thought maybe it would be an option. I guess Im just wanting to see the longevity on growth an other aspects of the light that seemed to have no imperfections.

[@saltyfresh9712]

Two thumbs up for Kessil!

[@reeferreborn3245]

I have an AI Prime that I got frustrated with. I couldn’t leave the thing alone so I took it down. My wife hates the shimmer and disco ball effect as much as Ryan! Definitely will be looking into a hybrid combo or at least kessils. Great episode

[@bif24701]

Kessil, Kessil, and Kessil Plus T5. For anyone looking for the best lighting, Kessils + T5s just too good too ignore. Shimmer, quality spectrum, easy to set up, looks good, plenty of PAR, and energy efficient. Did Kessil create the perfect LED with the A360? Maybe not, but it’s very hard to beat it.

[@Stephanbitterwolf]

Your videos are terrific! I'm going to be culturing corals for science and am getting a lot of good information from your works.

[@NationalReefing]

Exciting to see the Kessil lighting put to the test...IMO some of the vocalized negatives is the quantity of Kessil pucks needed for proper spread and lack of app/controllability but "that shimmer though" along with T5 combo might be a win/win? Be nice to see 1 of 3 tanks use the Kessil spectral controller?

[@KALAYALOL]

Can you do a video on the fluval reef 3.0 light an the best adjust it should be on.

[@matthewhalford2650]

Hey! Your cables for the lights look much better!

[@AMILLER415]

Never used a reef controller. I use two digital timers for my BRS 2-Part, a Tunze ATO, Mp-10's with the reef link and AI 26HD's with their built in software. Temp is controlled with two Neo-Therms set at 78 and 76 degrees and I monitor it on a cheep probe thermometer. I believe this to be low maintenance. The controller thing kinda scares me about spending more money and complicating my DIY low maintenance solutions with trouble shooting and tech nightmares. I see some benefits to them for sure, but to the average reefer they are probably an intimidating hurdle like it is for me and I just don't think they are necessary if you choose good options on your tank setup and just try and keep a steady tank without changing too much and letting the basic chemistry and biology do it's thing. Also, one more thing to ULM is a strong knowledge and experience with reefing. During my first year I was always chasing my tail, trying to overcorrect and now I am starting to realize that not all of our corals are going to be be happy and avoid trying and change the overall husbandry practices just to save 1 or 2 corals. It's just not worth it! Better off to favor stability and simplicity and unless I do a major upgrade, ULM for me is controller free on my 100G DT.

[@BillyPipes]

I just noticed the wires on the wall are nice and neat. Who’s responsible for this awesomeness?

[@lawiez]

Abandoned this after 5 mins of watching, went shopping for a guiseman t5 retrofit kit lol! Damn you brs!

[@Vdeez]

Really would've liked to see the new powermodule. The one downside to the a360 is that the bluest setting doesn't get as royal blue as other LED options. The a360 looks a lot more like royal blue and blue both on 100% on something like a radion. Just my opinion/taste.

[@cubanreefer1582]

Great info Ryan as always, see you in Orlando in April for sure

[@reefgeek_pr5785]

Super informative as always ,my prefer you tube channel for sure ,are you gonna try to put the theory of using the Ati bulbs beyond 1 year mark to the test?

[@jnava121]

What bulbs did you use with the hybrid solution interested to see if it doesn't matter or some sort of blue plus combo

[@matyas4878]

Yes! I love getting the notifications for BRS!👍 I have a AI prime hd over a 29 gallon sps cube

[@salted_mangoes]

Matyas Castro wow please tell me your time settings

[@matyas4878]

Violet 80, Blues as high as possible(around 116), red 2, green 2, cool white 100. 1 hour sunrise at 9:00,1 hour sunset at 8:00 and two more hours of blues at 5%, then off. Hope I could help.

[@pokeyh1979]

Best Chanel on you tube...

[@benjy468]

I think a controller is an absolute necessity for any ulm tank. The ability to monitor key parameters 24 hours a day gives the ability to catch problems early. When you can catch problems early, they take less work to solve.

[@yuyiboy]

I think controllers can warn you of something not going well early, and thus save you from a lot of maintenance to fix something down the line.

[@Mike__B]

You mentioned one thing that I didn't even think about with that aquatic life mounting system/fixture, and that was about the reflectors on the T5s. Are they not optimized reflectors like on other big name lights? That's literally 90% of what makes T5s good.

[@HentzGG]

I thought the exact same thing. Was ecstatic at the release of their T5 unit allowing YOUR choice of LED's to be placed in the center. What a genius idea and it was about time a company released a product of that nature. Makes me curious about long-term use experience with these. As you said, literally 90% of what makes T5's good is the reflectors and cooling system with them, which is what these lack.

[@bif24701]

HentzReef it’s true that reflectors are an important part of T5 fixtures, maybe the most important. However 90% of the light produced doesn’t come from the reflector. Overall performance between an ATI reflector and a good reflector may only be a difference of 10% or less.

[@Mike__B]

It's not that reflectors provide 90% of the light, although there have been quite a few tests that using reflectors versus nothing increases the light by upwards of 300%, but this is not comparing ATi reflectors and "good" reflectors, I'm wondering what the quality of these reflectors are in the first place. I've seen a number of cheap fixtures that has reflectors that were nothing more than a parabolic bump shape but they're barely wider than the bulb, which doesn't give anywhere close to the amount of light that's given by a wider reflector, which can actually reflect the light downward into the tank versus into the bulb. Not sure if BRS did a video on the output of these fixtures, might be worth looking up if they did to see how they actually work.

[@WhatIsMisophonia]

You people and your lights... You know what I do? I buy a bunch of the cheap screw-in 60w equivalent led household lights, disassemble them, and wire the guts up in parallel to a cord that plugs into a timer. No I'm not an electrician, it's not hard to do. I may make a video on it, but no promises.

[@COOPERSCICHILDS]

Cool I'm learning allot

[@pandabear7894]

Can aquamesh be used in place of biomedia filters like marine pur?

[@jpaske01]

Are there any hopes of a tank-mounted solution for the Aquatic Life hybrid fixture? I'd love to use one, but don't want to put holes in my ceiling to do it.

[@bracka69]

See that you cut the overflow weir to mount the kessil. Couldn’t you have don’t the same thing to mount the XR15?

[@bracka69]

Oh ok. I have the same issue so I can’t mount a 3rd XR30W in the middle either then I guess.

[@Helveteshit]

@BulkReefSupply, do you reckon that something like a 'SANSI LED Full Cycle Grow Light, 15w Full Spectrum' that is generally advised more for growing Tomatoes and such plants in doors, could work well for Sumps and similar when one wants to avoid Purple or similar Growlight settings? Saw a video by a Krakty guy(Growing basil, that is) that used them fairly successfully in comparison to the Purple/blue light that is otherwise commonly seen on the grow out spectrum. Just wanted to see your take on such potential alternatives for chasing a white light for plants or Algae. Main reason I am asking you guys, is due your large introduction of different light sources and hands on research. So I reckon you might have better experience in picking out different small bits of information and connecting the dots to theorize a better reason if it is good or not. After all, growing a plant in Air and growing them in Water is different, as evident from your previous videos.

[@PuzzleME.]

HI Ryan Are you guys attending reef appaloosa in Orlando?

[@SuperDanTheShoeMan]

Whoaa... at 10:30 one of the guys has a diffuser on a shelf right next to the tank. I guess no issues from it????

[@SuperDanTheShoeMan]

BulkReefSupplyCom that doesn't help diffused vapor

[@wiekiatong4018]

I wonder will brs do a series about AI lighting.

[@Braapstar219]

What was the light setting on the nuvo20 ai prime at 8:50?

[@rocrulez]

Main tank 140 Ltrs Sump 65 Ltrs Sump to Tank Height 2.5 mtr How many LPS Return Pump should be perfect for my sump..?? Plz help

[@bif24701]

I am military and often leave town for weeks to months without advance notice. If not for my APEX controller and fusion I would never be able to keep a large (180g/300 total) SPS Reef system. Not only that but I feel it’s very difficult if not impossible to achieve the same exacting stability without one. Over 30 pieces of equipment, 6 switches, 5 probes, 9 pumps, 5 different lights, and many different various things doing hundreds to thousands of different functions controlled directly by the APEX. That doesn’t include all the programs, safety codes, monitoring, profiles, communication. Here is me waiting for Trident.

[@greggarrett8619]

bif24701 i'd love to here more about your setup, my jobs changed and I have to go away for weeks at a time. I'm hoping that the trident is everything its built up to be.

[@TheBlackice55]

Can you/Are you going to post a list of components should someone "me" want to mimic one of these tanks?

[@TheBlackice55]

Great!, I look forward to it. I got bit by the reef bug again and want to build a ULM. I love how this hobby is constantly changing and evolving.

[@andrewmabbott]

Ladies and gentleman... They cleaned up the cables going to the hood of the 160!!!! Me and my ocd will sleep well tonight

[@jaron4750]

Hey, do reckon one Orphek v4 could light a sps tank measuring 36lx30wx18h, or will 2 be needed for adequate coverage? Great video as always!

[@ovidiu88]

What fixure is used for the tank at 2:56 ? The corals look very fresh there.... Is that T5 or MH?

[@martyrich9134]

very nice.

[@AnthonyPaun]

great video update

[@nietrelevant3338]

What would you guys say are the best lighting options for the prettiest coral colorations? i'm thinking about having 2 lighting options, one for optimal par and one i can switch on when guests are over or when i want to simply enjoy the tank. What spectrums should i look for/LED T5?

[@HentzGG]

I've been using an ATI 6x54W with 3 Blue+, 2 Coral+, and 1 Aquablue Special. Its quite white during peak, but shows my corals true colors which I love. I've added a Lumilite Blue Actinic LED which has allowed for that extra "pop". My Acropora have been truly growing like weeds with this setup. Though while the Blue Actinic LED strip is great, I've heavily debating on replacing it with two Kessil 160's angling in for that shimmer and not so much of the "artificial" LED look.. But then I think why tinker... lol.

[@marchment]

Please, please, please..! Use a Hydra 26 or 52. These are very popular lighting options and you have only done videos on the Prime. Why is this? I use 26’s and they’re very popular options here in Australia but you only use Prime, Keslis, or Radions. You have done PAR tests on all Radions, but not AIs :/

[@myreeflife7072]

Solid choice 👍

[@tsurro8086]

Great vid, personally don’t think controllers are ulm

[@davidludlow7103]

Did you have to get new chaeto or did it grow back?

[@GustavoTokoroRiether]

Are there any summaries of each tank somewhere?

[@GustavoTokoroRiether]

BulkReefSupplyCom thanks I already watched all the ULM episodes, but it could be interesting if you create a brief summary for each tank. Regards

[@patrickegal7578]

I assume the T5's on the sps tank are at 100% intensity?

[@HentzGG]

Your assumptions are very likely correct. I don't believe their T5's are hooked up to a dimmer or even have that option for the unit they're using. Just on/off from what I recall from their 52 Weeks of Reefing series.

[@bryansenulis2975]

should paint the sides of tank black so u don't have light from other tank light other tank.. that only way to be scientific

[@cedricsilvinoz]

It's ep 11... Ryan mis pronounced as 10

[@KreefAquariumhobby]

💪💪

[@michaelrelaz4808]

I almost don’t want to watch this video because I have a feeling it’s going to be all about LEDs blah blah blah mh are great but you need this and that... You don’t NEED a chiller for mh-fans work just as good. And they’re not that much more to run than LEDs of you have a bigger tank. Oh and you don’t need to change the bulbs every 3-6 months like some people think.