JBJ K-2 Viper HQI

Frontosas · 09/12/2006, 09:20 AM

Hi,

Has anyone use this MH clamp fixture before? What's your opinion on it?

I would be using it on an acrylic nano. Does anyone see a problem with this fixture in terms of heat and possibly melting the acrylic?

Thanks!!!

Newreeflady · 09/12/2006, 02:59 PM

It does get hot, like any halide fixture. I would certainly be concerned at having it TOO close to acrylic.

The bulb it comes stock with is very blue, I would try to change bulbs if you do not like the very blue look.

The clamp and fixture work fine and I see no problem using this for a small application. I have gotten poor growth with sps, and I think this may due to water quality and a very blue lamp. My anemone does fine, tho.

-A

plandy · 09/12/2006, 04:29 PM

Avoid this product, poor workmanship and quality.

Around two weeks ago & right out of the packing box one of the clamps was missing threads. So I was left with just one clamp, instead of two, to attach with. Then a little over a week the mh bulb burnt out and it might also be due to a bad power supply. I am stuck with a useless door anchor!

Charlie Davidson · 09/12/2006, 04:48 PM

I have been watching thse with some interest too! plandy, Who did you order/Buy from? (return?)

Newreeflady · 09/12/2006, 05:45 PM

I would find it hard to say the product is bad for one or two faulty ones. It sounds more like poor QA, not bad product. Those are two different things.

As for mine, works just fine for months now. Also, I bought from bluezooaquatics when these first came out. They had changed one of the parts the following week. Bluezoo shipped it right out to me no questions.

Angela

plandy · 09/12/2006, 06:53 PM

Charlie, I got this from nanotuners.com. Tomorrow I'll find out how good they are at returns then I'll post the update here. In the mean time I ordered aqualight's clamp on light which is obviously built better with built in fan and much better support clamps.

Angela, no doubt some of you are making out well with JBJ's Viper. However at this point it appears to be sort of a spin the bottle to see what you going to get. Earlier Viper's had problems holding their clamp settings. So that's been fixed but still very spotty quality control in their production. I want to enjoy my tank, not spend agravating hours and wasted money fighting faulty non working products with repackaging, returns and more debugging & tests.

But the choice is yours & take your chances. Speaking about JBJ they've also been having a lot of problems with their cracked nano tanks. No more JBJ products for me!

plandy · 09/13/2006, 06:58 AM

Nanotuners.com/Customnanos.com left me a message last night stating they'd be more than happy to accomodate me with return merchandise - no problem at all. They have offered excellent customer from start to end. Just want to make sure credit is given where it's due.

attack11 · 09/13/2006, 12:09 PM

i bought one for my planted freshwater tank (moved my mh off that and onto my reef); unpacked it and packed it back up about 20mins later and went to the post office to ship back after getting an rma number from the store i bought it from.

very poor build quality; i have toys that are made out of stronger plastic.

the bulb was doa. the ballast was huge and heavy, probably magnetic coil but i never plugged it in to actually find out.

what annoyed me the most was the clamp didn't work on my tank rim which is compatible with perfecto glass lids. i tried the supplied shim, but due to the weak plastic it simply fell forward and would've gone into the water if i hadn't been ready to catch it.

Raibaru · 09/13/2006, 12:39 PM

Reading about these is scary at times. I find it hard to believe a product could be this problematic and still be on the market.

Currently I'm using a Orbit 30" 2x 65w fixture which should do fine for my FOWLR and my eventual introduction to basic corals. But down the road I know I will need to get a MH to suppliment the current one to keep the more demanding corals and anemones.

I've never seen this one or the coralife one in person, but the vyper seemed like it would be easier to snake it around my current fixture because it was much more slender.

How much control is there in the arm for these? Could it go up and over my orbit and still provide good light in my tank?

attack11 · 09/13/2006, 12:52 PM

you can position it about 16-20" forward from back of the tank, over the orbit; but i own an orbit and sunpod. i wouldn't even bother with the k2-viper. i'd say upgrade to a sunpod.

Raibaru · 09/13/2006, 01:08 PM

You have both the orbit and sunpod on the same tank? Got a pic?

attack11 · 09/13/2006, 01:20 PM

not on the same tank, i started with the orbit and upgraded to the sunpod, then moved the sunpod to hang over my reef and got the k2-viper to replace it.

i eventually broke down the tank because i didn't have light on it for 3+ weeks because the viper was shipped back.

although, the tank could fit two fixtures. it's 20" x 18" x 28". the sunpod is a much much better fixture than the viper.

Raibaru · 09/13/2006, 01:22 PM

Ahh. Yea the problem with the sunpod is I think it didn't come in a 30" long and I really can't hang lights from my ceiling and was worried about letting them rest right ontop of the glass top.

Don't remember exactly why I decided against it. From what I've been told I think my current lights will do fine for my corals and a Bubble Tipped Anemone and once I upgrade to a larger system I'll really shell out the cash.

attack11 · 09/13/2006, 01:25 PM

it comes in all sizes, including 30"

http://www.current-usa.com/sunpod.html

going from an orbit to sunpod, there's a huge difference in light and par. i'd like to use a pheonix bulb once the current burns out. the reflector is good for up to 36" when hung above the water.

if you need more light than the sunpod provides i'd build a hood and put in a good 250w bulb/reflector.

my tank is doing very well under the sunpod.

DragonFish · 09/13/2006, 02:25 PM

I bought mine one week before Newreeflady from the same site. Initially I hated the JBJ bulb so I upgraded it to a 14K hamilton. The color of the hamilton is exactly the same (very yellow for a 14k IMO) but the intensity was better. I ran it that way for about three or four months until the other night. Right now, my tank looks dimmer than a 96w PC and the ballast has a slight buzz. I contacted JBJs warranty department two days ago and they told me to contact support. I email support yesterday morning and as of right now I still haven't gotten a response. Honestly, I have stuck with this light just about as long as I can. JBJ's response to the current problem will decide if I just ditch the thing and get a 250W SE retro and build a hood.

09/12/2006, 09:20 AM	#1
Frontosas Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 78	JBJ K-2 Viper HQI Hi, Has anyone use this MH clamp fixture before? What's your opinion on it? I would be using it on an acrylic nano. Does anyone see a problem with this fixture in terms of heat and possibly melting the acrylic? Thanks!!!

09/12/2006, 02:59 PM	#2
Newreeflady Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ithaca, NY Posts: 4,840	It does get hot, like any halide fixture. I would certainly be concerned at having it TOO close to acrylic. The bulb it comes stock with is very blue, I would try to change bulbs if you do not like the very blue look. The clamp and fixture work fine and I see no problem using this for a small application. I have gotten poor growth with sps, and I think this may due to water quality and a very blue lamp. My anemone does fine, tho. -A __________________ A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor’s cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. “It’s overfull! No more will go in!” the professor blurted. “You are like this cup,” the master replied, “How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup.” Current Tank Info: 56g, 20g.

09/12/2006, 04:29 PM	#3
plandy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Schenectady, NY Posts: 411	AVOID: Do Not Buy! Avoid this product, poor workmanship and quality. Around two weeks ago & right out of the packing box one of the clamps was missing threads. So I was left with just one clamp, instead of two, to attach with. Then a little over a week the mh bulb burnt out and it might also be due to a bad power supply. I am stuck with a useless door anchor! __________________ Peter Landy Schenectady, NY Recent Returnee to the Marines! 12gl Aquapod New "custom euro" 90 gallon under construction!

09/12/2006, 04:48 PM	#4
Charlie Davidson Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Deltaville , Va Posts: 10,977	I have been watching thse with some interest too! plandy, Who did you order/Buy from? (return?) __________________ Richmond Reef Club Current Tank Info: Doing without for a while :)

09/12/2006, 05:45 PM	#5
Newreeflady Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ithaca, NY Posts: 4,840	I would find it hard to say the product is bad for one or two faulty ones. It sounds more like poor QA, not bad product. Those are two different things. As for mine, works just fine for months now. Also, I bought from bluezooaquatics when these first came out. They had changed one of the parts the following week. Bluezoo shipped it right out to me no questions. Angela __________________ A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor’s cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. “It’s overfull! No more will go in!” the professor blurted. “You are like this cup,” the master replied, “How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup.” Current Tank Info: 56g, 20g.

09/12/2006, 06:53 PM	#6
plandy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Schenectady, NY Posts: 411	Charlie, I got this from nanotuners.com. Tomorrow I'll find out how good they are at returns then I'll post the update here. In the mean time I ordered aqualight's clamp on light which is obviously built better with built in fan and much better support clamps. Angela, no doubt some of you are making out well with JBJ's Viper. However at this point it appears to be sort of a spin the bottle to see what you going to get. Earlier Viper's had problems holding their clamp settings. So that's been fixed but still very spotty quality control in their production. I want to enjoy my tank, not spend agravating hours and wasted money fighting faulty non working products with repackaging, returns and more debugging & tests. But the choice is yours & take your chances. Speaking about JBJ they've also been having a lot of problems with their cracked nano tanks. No more JBJ products for me! __________________ Peter Landy Schenectady, NY Recent Returnee to the Marines! 12gl Aquapod New "custom euro" 90 gallon under construction!

09/13/2006, 06:58 AM	#7
plandy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Schenectady, NY Posts: 411	Update: Nanotuners.com Nanotuners.com/Customnanos.com left me a message last night stating they'd be more than happy to accomodate me with return merchandise - no problem at all. They have offered excellent customer from start to end. Just want to make sure credit is given where it's due. __________________ Peter Landy Schenectady, NY Recent Returnee to the Marines! 12gl Aquapod New "custom euro" 90 gallon under construction!

09/13/2006, 12:09 PM	#8
attack11 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 66	i bought one for my planted freshwater tank (moved my mh off that and onto my reef); unpacked it and packed it back up about 20mins later and went to the post office to ship back after getting an rma number from the store i bought it from. very poor build quality; i have toys that are made out of stronger plastic. the bulb was doa. the ballast was huge and heavy, probably magnetic coil but i never plugged it in to actually find out. what annoyed me the most was the clamp didn't work on my tank rim which is compatible with perfecto glass lids. i tried the supplied shim, but due to the weak plastic it simply fell forward and would've gone into the water if i hadn't been ready to catch it.

09/13/2006, 12:39 PM	#9
Raibaru Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 979	Reading about these is scary at times. I find it hard to believe a product could be this problematic and still be on the market. Currently I'm using a Orbit 30" 2x 65w fixture which should do fine for my FOWLR and my eventual introduction to basic corals. But down the road I know I will need to get a MH to suppliment the current one to keep the more demanding corals and anemones. I've never seen this one or the coralife one in person, but the vyper seemed like it would be easier to snake it around my current fixture because it was much more slender. How much control is there in the arm for these? Could it go up and over my orbit and still provide good light in my tank?

09/13/2006, 12:52 PM	#10
attack11 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 66	you can position it about 16-20" forward from back of the tank, over the orbit; but i own an orbit and sunpod. i wouldn't even bother with the k2-viper. i'd say upgrade to a sunpod.

09/13/2006, 01:08 PM	#11
Raibaru Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 979	You have both the orbit and sunpod on the same tank? Got a pic?

09/13/2006, 01:20 PM	#12
attack11 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 66	not on the same tank, i started with the orbit and upgraded to the sunpod, then moved the sunpod to hang over my reef and got the k2-viper to replace it. i eventually broke down the tank because i didn't have light on it for 3+ weeks because the viper was shipped back. although, the tank could fit two fixtures. it's 20" x 18" x 28". the sunpod is a much much better fixture than the viper.

09/13/2006, 01:22 PM	#13
Raibaru Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 979	Ahh. Yea the problem with the sunpod is I think it didn't come in a 30" long and I really can't hang lights from my ceiling and was worried about letting them rest right ontop of the glass top. Don't remember exactly why I decided against it. From what I've been told I think my current lights will do fine for my corals and a Bubble Tipped Anemone and once I upgrade to a larger system I'll really shell out the cash.

09/13/2006, 01:25 PM	#14
attack11 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 66	it comes in all sizes, including 30" http://www.current-usa.com/sunpod.html going from an orbit to sunpod, there's a huge difference in light and par. i'd like to use a pheonix bulb once the current burns out. the reflector is good for up to 36" when hung above the water. if you need more light than the sunpod provides i'd build a hood and put in a good 250w bulb/reflector. my tank is doing very well under the sunpod.

09/13/2006, 02:25 PM	#15
DragonFish Unregistered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Pleasant Prairie, WI Posts: 1,988	I bought mine one week before Newreeflady from the same site. Initially I hated the JBJ bulb so I upgraded it to a 14K hamilton. The color of the hamilton is exactly the same (very yellow for a 14k IMO) but the intensity was better. I ran it that way for about three or four months until the other night. Right now, my tank looks dimmer than a 96w PC and the ballast has a slight buzz. I contacted JBJs warranty department two days ago and they told me to contact support. I email support yesterday morning and as of right now I still haven't gotten a response. Honestly, I have stuck with this light just about as long as I can. JBJ's response to the current problem will decide if I just ditch the thing and get a 250W SE retro and build a hood.