Why I Ditched T5 Hybrid For Budget LEDs (Evergrow/ReefBreeder)

[@Cruzeoc101]

I'm learning so much from this channel, but I can't ever unsee them pink shorts........ Ever

[@ReefDork]

😁

[@joshpowell8153]

great video Alex! looking incredible as usual, your acros are starting to really take off now!

[@bencobb3433]

Great video as always and after watching this it has made my mind up to go for the evergrow for my new system.

[@TimChump]

I baked my Zoas on the sand bed with these lights, had to turn it down, but good to know the capabilities of these lights 💪

[@alexspycho]

Alex you are my hero mate! Nice video! The tank looks epic!

[@Jornfromtjorn]

I have bought one 5060 and two 5012 for my tank 165x70x60 and ditched my pacific sun and i am so pleased with this light.

[@Davids_United-Fam]

What light is a 5060 is it one.of the reef breeders

[@tsurro8086]

I don’t have them but seen others that do, they are nice and cheaper than most, two like you have them should be perfect, I’ve met the guys whom invented/ sell them at magna, great customer service also, and that’s means allot these days!

[@Davids_United-Fam]

You talkin about reef breeders I've talked to the owner Logan he's cool as shit.

[@kawwwwwesome]

That royal blue shot was stunning. Looked like a completely different tank. I would run that all the time.

[@aestheticnobody]

Awesome vid thanks for posting your light settings have programmed them in will see how it goes.

[@gethrob20]

I absolutely love mine! I have one over my 5ft and its doing a fantastic job. I also had the same issue with my zoas reaching, but now I've adjusted intensity they're not as palm tree like 😂 My sps are growing like weeds now too. Great lights in comparison to alot out there, and price being a major factor 👍

[@deoren279]

Photon 50 would suit a 120 gallon that's 5ft long? please let me know

[@shaundavies7674]

Have you got your schedule to hand please? I have one on a 5 ft

[@lunes-1]

Looks very nice minimalistic now👍

[@alanhopkinson]

Great video... ive just taken my first dive into a marine setup. I have followed your channel for inspiration and advise. Keep the videos coming 👍

[@CubeShimmy]

Hello Alex! I discovered your awesome channel recently as I'm trying to get back to the hobby. I love this series particularly bit I watch literally ever of your video on your channel. Need some time to see them all tho. 😊 This series is very inspirational and extremely informative and I would like to create something similar at some point in the future! I think I live quite close where you live tbh. It would be lovely to talk to you one day! All the best!

[@perrycichlidman5818]

Hey Alex what did you find the best Setting on these Thank you so much for all your weekly goodness 😊

[@ReefDork]

Scroll through the community tab of my channel and you'll find my settings - I posted a spreadsheet photo a year or so ago

[@perrycichlidman5818]

@@ReefDork thank you me Ole m8

[@kingfishers79]

Love the look if the tank Alex,I personally think its about time more lights had a similar design rather than closely spaced pucks and would be awesome to see a light like the evergrow but with an led type t5 strip down each side that intelligently matched the hue of the main light when adjusted...also makes you realise how expensive this hobby is when 1000 quid is the best cheaper option for an sps dominant tank of your size,makes me wonder exactly how much marine lights actually cost to produce?,as always tank is looking spot on,nice work Alex 👍

[@ReefDork]

I'm 100% with you - Radions went that way a little bit with the gen 5, but panels are the way forward for me. I've seen pictures of a tank with 2x AP700s with an Orphek bar either side that looked similar to what you're talking about. Not sure how well the colours match, but on paper that sounds awesome to me. I think the Evergrows are probably cheap to produce - they've gone up in price since they've become more popular with no obvious improvements to justify the price hike. Radions etc... probably much more expensive to make but would be interesting to know...

[@kingfishers79]

@@ReefDork I'm loving the hobby after only 6 months into it,always plenty to learn with new ideas and equipment that constantly evolves,cant wait to see which way the major LED manufacturers go in terms of producing better lighting,an LED strip light/panel hybrid in a sleek all in one design would be amazing,especially with a clever bracket design to allow better access....Happy Reefing 🍺

[@alfst5546]

Wow, what a difference in colour 👍👍

[@marcuswebb21]

Much more aesthetically pleasing in my opinion 👍

[@coolcandyfish1359]

Great video 👍👍👍

[@zakdoughty121]

Im looking at these lights for my new setup you just about sold me them lol

[@johnfoy4878]

I might have a go with your light set up they look good

[@BlazedReefer]

what time on your setup do you get that beautiful fluorescent effect ... guessing 8pm by the chart?... Also what do you mean by an available WiFi controller...this is probably something i want for my evergrow LED

[@ReefDork]

Don't have these any more but 8 sounds about right

[@BlazedReefer]

@@ReefDork what light are you using these days?.... Never mind just watched your tank update and seen the reef factory led... Do you prefer then over the previous evergrow?

[@ReefDork]

@@BlazedReefer the RF lights are great and I use the timer mode all the time, but I loved the Evergrows and I think them mixed with Kessils is my personal favourite combination

[@cross7707]

What are the differences between the Evergrow and the Reef breeders light?? They look identical

[@ReefDork]

I think Reefbreeders changed a few of the LEDs, but that's about it as far as I'm aware - the extra cost is probably just profit for RB.

[@timothydoyle3380]

I think they look very good. I did notice some flickering on the tank in the video. I wonder if that is something that can only be seen on video and not with the naked eye in real time. I also have not noticed the same with your previous lights.

[@ReefDork]

Yeah, you can't see it with the eye. If I turn the shutter speed down on the camera it goes away. BRS talked about that recently - it's something to do with the driver the LED uses. I didn't get it with other lights, so I'd guess it's an inferior driver.

[@ronderfulaquariums2978]

Looks awesome great buy

[@DreamOfReef]

Hey can you please show me how did you screw aluminium bar with Evergrow?

[@ReefDork]

I don't have this any more I'm afraid but I Google "8020 aluminium extrusion" - that's what I used with t nuts.

[@DreamOfReef]

@@ReefDork Thank you for your response

[@arranmarquick9353]

Hi Alex. I have a dd reef pro 900. I have a 26hd at the moment so need more light. Either get a 32hd to try and match the 26hd or just buy a evergrow and sale the 26hd. Iam thinking of a it5060 you think this will be enough for a mixed reef???my tank is quite shallow too. 👍👍👍

[@ReefDork]

The spread isn't very good on the Evergrow so for a tank as wide as yours, I'd go for another 26HD. Or maybe an Evergrow with an Orphek bar either side later down the line when your tank fills out 👌

[@arranmarquick9353]

@@ReefDork ok dude. Thanks for the tip.can’t seem to find a second hand 26hd. Iam just going to bite the bullet and buy a evergrow and do what you said. Add a few bars later on down the line. The reef factory flare bar looks good to with the controllable app. 👍👍

[@uniquouniquo]

I can’t seem to find them anywhere outside the uk. Do you know if they are sold in Europe as wel? Maybe under another name or brand?

[@ReefDork]

Not sure - they're called Evergrow or Semigrow in the UK and Reefbreeders in the USA...

[@skeptics_reef5575]

Very tempted by some of these for mine, with the profile brackets, do they slide about or have you managed to lock them in so to speak?

[@ReefDork]

They don't move an inch. If anything, it's actually too difficult to adjust them because the bolts fit so tight 😅

[@skeptics_reef5575]

@@ReefDork ah that's interesting, I thought the bolt would be able to slide back and forth in the channels on the light as it looks like you can't tighten the bolt to the light as such

[@ReefDork]

@@skeptics_reef5575 it can but it's really stiff. My fault though and wouldn't be a problem with a slightly slimmer bolt

[@skeptics_reef5575]

Sorry one more question, the M6 bolts you used to in the Evergrow channels to connect to the aluminium profile, do you happen to remember what length they were, I tried to click on the links but I think they may have changed slightly. Thanks

[@steviereef]

hello I use 2 evergrow 5080 ramps at 18 cm from the surface of the water I measure with the seneye 200 by on the ground 540 in the middle of the tank and 650 at the surface. my settings are ch 1 2 4 10% ch 3 5 6 60%. these values ​​seem very high to me the seneye is reliable?

[@ReefDork]

Sounds high to me too. I measured using a Seneye too, but I'd be surprised if that's right for you (unless the tank is particularly shallow)

[@steviereef]

@@ReefDork no my aquarium is not a shallow it is 60cm high. you also have the seneye reef? would it be defective?

[@ReefDork]

@@steviereef I do, yes. Could be I suppose yeah

[@KARLOB84]

Do you think one of these would do me for a mixed reef, my tank is 4'L×3'H×2'W, I'm just swapping over from freshwater to marine now and been looking at red sea 160s lights uptill now

[@ReefDork]

Yep, absolutely

[@KARLOB84]

Thanks Alex, been watching a lot of your vids mate, they're very helpful to us salty newbies 👍🏻

[@sochiihcos]

Those corals are just majestic. I dont know what I'll do with my 1st reef tank, T5 LED mix or just LED. What do you think. BTW incredible content!

[@ReefDork]

I'd go LEDs personally - they give you the fluorescence under blues that you just don't get with T5s. And for a first tank, anything will grow corals so don't worry about chasing perfection

[@sochiihcos]

Thanks Alex. You are truly a great fishkeeper. :)

[@OlegMarshalenko]

Hello, did you see the video of mr Salty Reef about his WiFi controllers for the lights?

[@ReefDork]

Yes, I bought one from you a while ago 👍

[@dtredinnick5897]

How did you get the lights to sync up I can’t seem to get them to work together. One will be on a different complete setting seems like

[@ReefDork]

I didn't do anything - they just both ran straight away off the same controller. There's an Evergrow Facebook group though - someone on there will know

[@remcovanderboor1493]

Hi Alex, curently i'm testing this light (evergrow it5080) above my aquarium. I was wondering how high you keep them above the aquarium. I've mounted mine at 15.5 inch.

[@ReefDork]

11 inches off the water surface

[@MrJwoodruff3]

How is a Reed breeder a budget led. I paid over $750 for mine.....

[@TheDaveyd29]

great vid thanks, got this myself now , i have a mainly softies and lps, can you suggest a light schedule for these please mate ?

[@ReefDork]

Half of my settings. Edit - if my settings aren't in this video, they are in my Evergrow review video

[@TheDaveyd29]

@@ReefDork awesome thanks

[@TheDaveyd29]

they are here thanks :)

[@coralcruze3561]

Thanks so much @Reef Dork... really appreciate you incliding your schedule into the video... gives me a good Idea what you are running. Got a question... seems you are using the seneye par meter? do you have a review video on it? I am considering getting one for this light to dial it in.

[@ReefDork]

No worries. I don't have a review - it's a good bit of kit and has some useful functions but it's got some major draw backs for me. But as a 2nd hand buy with the Web server it's decent

[@coralcruze3561]

@@ReefDork is the PAR good?

[@ReefDork]

@@coralcruze3561 it's a pita to use as you can only plug it into a windows computer and I don't have a laptop. But yes, it's really handy for when you set up lights

[@zachlay4438]

I seem to be having issues where the lights seem to be interfering with each other, how have you managed to set up so the pair run together? I xan get one working on its own but when I try to set up another using the other remote it seems to interfere with the other lights programme.

[@ReefDork]

I just set one of the remotes and it set both lights 🤷

[@vaneternal5610]

Hi Alex, Just got my second fixture of the evergrows , did you program the second one same as your first one? I assume the par stays the same, but spreads through out the tank so for e.g a coral in the corner that received 120 par will now receive lets say 200, so do you think its a good idea to ramp up the second fixture over time to match the first one ? How did you go about doing it.

[@ReefDork]

When you set your programme with the controller, it sets both the same 👍

[@millsy_images7619]

Hi Alex, tank looks great, but I have a question..... what are you using to hold your Seneye as you take the readings?

[@ReefDork]

A grabber type thing. For picking up corals and stuff

[@discol76]

Whats your opinion of the colour blending of these lights. Looked good from your video . Is that a true representation in person? Great video

[@ReefDork]

It's surprisingly good - zero disco balling 👍

[@91yjeeper]

Have you changed your lighting schedule since posting this? I have the reefbreeder and considering putting more blue in the evenings. Also, you start your lights at Noon?

[@ReefDork]

I reduced white, green and red by 3% yesterday but that's it. Lights come on at 10ish 🙂

[@91yjeeper]

@@ReefDork Nice! Any bleaching or Algae for the reason? Is it that lights come on at 10ish because Royal Blue 6% at 11am mean that it ramps up to 6% over about an hour prior to 11? Then starts ramp to the noon value of 50 and so on.

[@ReefDork]

@@91yjeeper no bleaching or algae. I've never quite worked out exactly how the ramping works in terms of times but that sounds about right

[@cjkhepri9391]

Where do we buy that upgraded controller that lets you set time points by the minute?

[@ReefDork]

There's a guy on Instagram called anapa reef. Personally I don't rate it though - I found it infuriating to set up as it kept disconnecting and wouldn't let me enter/save a program. So I gave up after a few weeks of trying.

[@lawrenceskegz781]

Hi mate I've just brought a 5ft x 2ft tank and was looking at getting the evergrow it5012? Do you think this would work? Mixed reef

[@ReefDork]

Maybe - the spread really is poor though so you might find you don't get enough light away from directly under the light...

[@lawrenceskegz781]

@@ReefDork would you say have 2 then?

[@ReefDork]

@@lawrenceskegz781 I'd see how you get on with one first

[@lawrenceskegz781]

@@ReefDork have you got a program for your light settings? Where did you get your mounting bars as I'd like to copy if that's OK mate 😉

[@ReefDork]

@@lawrenceskegz781 Yep, there's a screenshot of my settings in the community tab of my channel. Link to the mount in description - got it off eBay

[@dangrooves]

Hi Alex, nice informative video on the lights. Looking to do something similar. What size bolts did you use in the t slots? M4? M5? M6? Thanks

[@ReefDork]

Hi Dan. I've had a look and I think I used M4 bolts and an M4 t nut to slot into the aluminium profile. The head of the bolt slots into the rails of the Evergrow but I had to file down the sides of the heads to make them fit! It's easy enough to do but it'll probably need a bit of trial and error. I've put links for the profile and t nuts I used in the description of this video if that helps - kzbin.info/www/bejne/e36vnKmIeNaabK8

[@dangrooves]

@@ReefDork brilliant thanks Alex. Keep up the great vids.

[@chrismccombe6961]

Alex was wondering if you could give me bit of help I've just set up a new 6ft tank and I'm running 3 hydra 32ds on it but I'm having difficulty finding setting for the lights would you no were can get programe for them

[@ReefDork]

BRS have done videos on them - check them out 👍

[@Manitu71]

Lovely tank nice work. The only think is the wallpaper Isnt my thing

[@El03YAS]

Was thinking of putting 2 it5060 on my evolution aqua pro 900 would this be overkill

[@ReefDork]

Those tanks are 3 feet long right? The 60 is under kill! I'd go for the 80 - the spread away from the unit isn't very good on the Evergrows

[@El03YAS]

@@ReefDork I have 1 5060 on the tank already with mixed corals doing ok but I'm able to pick up a second unit cheap

[@stevendewin746]

A honest question...I would like to start a reef but....every year in august I move 2 weeks to the South of France....wath about my reef???? Reefers also go on holiday not??????

[@ReefDork]

2 weeks should be fine, as long as you have a big enough freshwater reservoir. You can get monitoring systems that help too. But I don't like to be away for more than a week to be honest!

[@stevendewin746]

@@ReefDork can you come over and tell my wife our holiday to France will increase with one week in the future...

[@Jornfromtjorn]

Is't V2 version? How many watt? i have seen them i online shops one says 240w and another 352w

[@ReefDork]

I believe this is the v2, yes. But I don't know how many watts - it's really hard to tell! The power supply doesn't say but I'd guess 240w.

[@elchappo1320]

Arent T5s the best lights for sps tanks?

[@ReefDork]

All lights have pros and cons - T5s are very good but I prefer LEDs now.

[@clowngames6164]

Hi Alex, would you recommend 4 of these over a 8x2x2 tank? Mixed reef

[@ReefDork]

Absolutely - look for Ian Rodber on KZbin. He's done something similar to you

[@clowngames6164]

@@ReefDork thanks mate, I'll have a look

[@91yjeeper]

I was pretty certain Reefbreeder and Evergrow do not use the same LEDs despite using the same chassis. Is this true?

[@ReefDork]

I've had a look at the spec sheet for both and they're almost identical. The only difference I can see is some of the LEDs are xte instead of xpe. But most of the LEDs are exactly the same 🙂

[@johnfoy4878]

Great lights I have them on my 160 gallon

[@Mike__B]

Very interesting video, always curious when people go "cheaper" with lights when they already have lights over a tank especially when they're paying for them out of their pocket and not gifted them by a company to showcase like some channels out there. You did mention cost, but you already paid for that cost with your other lights and this was more about a change in lighting than trying to find a budget option which was refreshing. While this is a "budget" item compared to the big name players in the hobby, definitely seems like an upgrade over the non-descript brand name "Chinese black boxes". I am curious if anyone has done a tear down of this light though, I see those fans in the top and wondering if they're blowing air directly on the LEDs components which would be a major turn off, does make me wonder when I see the "fins" on the heatsink over the fans which makes me wonder if those fins are even doing anything.

[@ReefDork]

I opened it up when I got the first one - it looks a lot more budget than 'proper' lights, but i've no idea what i'm looking for to be honest. That's probably where they're saving the money though. Well that and R&D! Check out Ian Rodber's tank on KZbin - he's been running these for years.

[@Mike__B]

@@ReefDork That would be a primary concern is having a premium "budget" LED, if those fans are bringing moist tank water with salt spray and blowing it directly into the area where the electronics are then I don't see that as lasting too long. Now maybe it will be different with your setup because it's open to the room, versus someone who crams those inside of a canopy where it gets REALLY humid but still would be a bit of a concern. But if they work for you then more power to you. One thing I do know though that the ReefBreeder guys get very upset if you say this is a light you can buy off Alibaba as they are the "official US distributor"

[@harveymeek3765]

just bought a waterbox marine x 60 what would be a good light to have ? evergrow or radion?

[@ReefDork]

It's really hard to say - there are pros and cons of every light and they all offer something different. Try to check out as many reviews as you can and see which ones you like most. If you're a beginner and want to keep lps and softies, kessil is the best for me. It's the easiest to set up and adjust and it gives awesome colour and shimmer.

[@harveymeek3765]

@@ReefDork thanks for the reply will look at kessil aswell but really like the blues at night like you was saying in a previous video

[@ReefDork]

Evergrow is the answer then 😎

[@Ipstb]

Hi, where did u order ur clear acrylic mesh top?

[@ReefDork]

Reef tops on Facebook

[@Ipstb]

@@ReefDork thanks for the info

[@deoren279]

Photon 50 would suit a 450 litres that's 150cm long? please let me know

[@ReefDork]

Yeah, I reckon so. The spread at the end isn't great but as long as you don't have corals to the far ends of the tank, you'll be good.

[@Jornfromtjorn]

Can you run 2 units simultaneously with one control?

[@ReefDork]

Yes you can 🙂

[@soldier2952]

What settings did u have on one lamp evergrow?

[@ReefDork]

Check out my first Evergrow video - I put a spreadsheet up

[@Jornfromtjorn]

how about the discoeffect? some says to me to aviod them

[@ReefDork]

The shimmer is a little static-y if you know what I mean, but there's zero colour separation. I don't know if different settings make a difference, but i'e never had any colour separation. The same can't be said for my old Radion XR15 which was awful for it!

[@Jornfromtjorn]

@@ReefDork Yes Radion is terrible

[@Jornfromtjorn]

@@ReefDork my tank is 150x70x60cm. You have 2 units so i think i also needs 2. It's a highly sps dominated reef

[@bigadventure3797]

The light is creating a flicker in your video. Didn't see that before

[@ReefDork]

BRS talked about that the other day - apparently it's something to do with the driver. You can't see it with the naked eye though.

[@bobbyknox9258]

Alex! I might have to unsubscribe. Your costing me too much money! They look so sweet! 👌

[@kevinclasher3160]

Alex, did tango sponsored you for this vid?

[@ReefDork]

🤣

[@irishlad7458]

Y did you need 2 are they not bright

[@ReefDork]

I wanted light coming at my corals from every angle so they're perfectly illuminated - although the spread isn't great with these so 1 isn't enough for an sps dominated tank imo

[@jameslazarus8714]

nice!

[@P4P5]

How did you go about acclimating? I had T5s before and got 5060 now. I have gone too hard at the beginning. Corals were fine for 3 days but now they font open fully and some have bleached a bit. I have since turned down intensity by about 50%. Max percentage on blues and UV i have on 40. It hase been over a week now and corals still havent fully recovered. Any tips would be very helpful.

[@ReefDork]

You've done the right thing by turning them down - I did a par check to see what the difference was before and after and adjusted the percentages accordingly, then ramped the lights up 10% at a time over several weeks. You can do the same, just leave them low until your corals have recovered. A Seneye par meter is really handy for this sort of thing

[@BigGuyAl007]

Nice Alex. Look 100% better to be honest under new lights. I take it they both the same money as one Radion 😆 How about something about flow, what you turn over ever hour! Discord account as no instergram 😢

[@LeeGrill]

"Create the illusion that I didn't struggle" LOL! I've been there.

[@rudra7615]

Oh man, the price of one of these lights is over £480, dude has 2, so under £1,000 for lights alone. And here I thought it was budget and £100 or so, 😂 I know, I can dream though!

[@ReefDork]

Yeah, I wondered about use of the word 'budget'! 😅

[@rudra7615]

@Reef Dork you are actually right though, these are budget when you add up the costs of like 6 other lights. These looks great too

[@Reeftoolbox]

Damn , as I learn more in this hobby I understand why T5 kick ass .To get the same spread , spectrum and par as a 8 tube T5 fixture you need to invest a lot in led lights /mounts and you really need to know what you are doing. And still T5 produces better results.

[@glennrudolph]

Your wallpaper looks like my grandmothers house

[@ReefDork]

Maybe I'm in your grandmother's house... 😉

[@SekRanger]

1:10 your fan didn't approve your setup.

[@ReefDork]

🤣

[@ethanspruiell2722]

Al-ooh-men-ee-um 😂

[@ReefDork]

😁

[@scalor]

For someone making videos for youtube and spending a grand on their lights, choose something that doesn't flicker.

[@ReefDork]

Yeah, it is annoying. But priority number 1 for me is the tank 🙂

[@garrycole9187]

They look beautiful but 1.3 K U.S. is definitely not budget friendly to me but I know ecotech cost even more.

[@ReefDork]

I'm told they used to be much cheaper but they've gone up in price purely because they're more popular now! They're great, but I don't think they can justify being any more expensive than they are now

[@harvey4110]

@@ReefDork Compared to a set of a few radions , I would say £1k is a really good price considering these lights probably have a really good spread , and do you really need 2? that may be an option to consider potentially

[@ReefDork]

@@harvey4110 the spread is a bit crap to be honest which is why I have 2. When I had one, my zoas by the glass all started stretching up. Then went back to normal when I got the 2nd one. Check out the BRS TV video on the Reefbreeder - their par tests show how bad the spread is

[@harvey4110]

@@ReefDork Oh right , well thats good to know , I always think though I could get 4x AI hydra 32s second hand for around £1,000 , personal choice I guess . Also where on earth did you find that jason fox homewrecker frag? I thought they were only available in the US?

[@alexjames421]

@@harvey4110 it was sold to me as a Homewrecker but it could just be a generic multi coloured tenuis for all I know! Some people do import corals from the US though - they being them back from holidays so I'm sure there'll be loads of American corals over here somewhere

[@tomengland5082]

I cant help but think you could of bought 3 xr15 gen 5 pros with mounts and diffusers for a few hundred more than these, stunning tank as always though...

[@brohoop]

BUDGET?!?!?!? 550#s or $750?!?!?!?

[@PeterODoherty]

Great video but misleading to say that it is budget lighting

[@ReefDork]

Yeah, I did wonder about the title. I think they're still budget compared to mainstream lights, but you're right - they're not 'proper' budget lights

[@PeterODoherty]

Reef Dork that’s ok it’s fair In the context but would love to see a video on true budget lights

[@joenewman6494]

No budget here expensive light kit.

[@patrickmonteiro1999]

First comment

[@ReefDork]

🤔😅

[@laurens6267]

thats a downgrade