Vertex Illumina Club

[chefzif]

What is the cost in Canada! for 5' 260 system?

[olemiss reb]

Originally Posted by chefzif

What is the cost in Canada! for 5' 260 system?

$3999.95 CDN

http://www.jlaquatics.com/info/410/V...+Fixtures.html

[Padrino]

too much! I ended up buying a 4ft 260 for my 5 ft tank. I figure with eurobracing, you will lose 4.5 " on both sides so 9" that will affect the light. Is it really worth the difference in price for the gain?

Just my two cents. However I am PRO vertex!
HTH

[rodneyri]

So ive had my lights now for just over 4 months and measured PAR today on the new tank, im hitting 280 at a depth of 500, pretty happy with that

[Kolognekoral]

Rodney,

at what percentages are you running the LEDs during the test?

I've found Acroporas placed lower in the tank seem to respond even better than frags of the same placed higher. Apparently, this is due to the light refraction in the glass directing more light into the deeper regions. It seem to be a Vertex LED thing, as I never noted this with HQI or LEDs with optics. The wider angle of the lamps has some interesting benefits.

[rodneyri]

there running at 85;65;65 (w;b;rb)

that is the normal setting i run

[Jeremy B.]

Those are good par numbers you're getting.

[cllrmar]

Some questions for the Vertex pro's in here.

1. How many Red Modules would you recommend for Illumina 260 24" over 30"x22"x24" tank?

2. Is the Vertex software compatible with Mac OSx Lion?

3. I switching from AI sol blue's, do you feel the Radion has any advantage over the Illumina?

4. Is the software for Vertex truly easy to use? It seems all the threads I've read are mixed.

[x19]

To my knowledge the software does not work with Lion. Actually, I couldn't really get it to work under Snow Leopard either so I've been running it on Win 7 under Parallels.

I do find the software easy to use.

[bluebastion]

I'm a Windows user, so I have no experience with the mac version of the software... however here is a link to the Vertex site you can download it from. You should be able to run the Light Studio software if it is compatible with the OS version you have.

http://vertexaquaristik.com/Products...na/SR1600.aspx

As for the ease of use of the software... Once you get past the learning curve, I'd say it's a simple program to use. The expert mode is a bit tedious to program but that's because it's expert mode. The more options available to you to configure, obviously the more complex it becomes.

On the Red auxiliary pad question, I read somewhere that Vertex recommends only adding the equivalent of about 10-20% of your existing light pads.... So for my 6 pad 36" inch light fixture I should really only add about 2 max. However I am waiting for the combination pads to come out.

Lastly, to your inquiry regarding the Radion... I do not feel that the Radion has anything to offer more than the Vertex. The only big feature that I see that the Radion can do that does not exist with the Vertex is that it can communicate with the Vortech pumps. Something that can virtually be added when the Vertex Cerebra controller comes out within the next year. I'm extremely excited about that.

[rodneyri]

are we really getting combination pads or a myth? ive not heard anything official from vertex. id like a violet/red pad

[bluebastion]

Originally Posted by rodneyri

are we really getting combination pads or a myth? ive not heard anything official from vertex. id like a violet/red pad

I hope it's not recycled hype, but I think Vertex is trying to figure out which combination most customers want. This would also mean product stock would not just sit on shelves. Ideally, I hope they also come out with a green and UV pad.

I wish someone from Vertex would chime in....

It would be nice to know what the priority level is on future auxiliary pad offerings.

[cllrmar]

Originally Posted by bluebastion

I'm a Windows user, so I have no experience with the mac version of the software... however here is a link to the Vertex site you can download it from. You should be able to run the Light Studio software if it is compatible with the OS version you have.

http://vertexaquaristik.com/Products...na/SR1600.aspx

As for the ease of use of the software... Once you get past the learning curve, I'd say it's a simple program to use. The expert mode is a bit tedious to program but that's because it's expert mode. The more options available to you to configure, obviously the more complex it becomes.

On the Red auxiliary pad question, I read somewhere that Vertex recommends only adding the equivalent of about 10-20% of your existing light pads.... So for my 6 pad 36" inch light fixture I should really only add about 2 max. However I am waiting for the combination pads to come out.

Lastly, to your inquiry regarding the Radion... I do not feel that the Radion has anything to offer more than the Vertex. The only big feature that I see that the Radion can do that does not exist with the Vertex is that it can communicate with the Vortech pumps. Something that can virtually be added when the Vertex Cerebra controller comes out within the next year. I'm extremely excited about that.

Thank you everyone for the input. One thing I noticed with my AI sol blu's was washed out SPS. Do any of you with Vertex have an all SPS reef? If so how's the colors on your SPS?

[rodneyri]

i hope so too, im considering selling the vertex to try the radion as it has the added color LEDs standard

[cllrmar]

Originally Posted by rodneyri

i hope so too, im considering selling the vertex to try the radion as it has the added color LEDs standard

How do your SPS look?

[rodneyri]

they look ok considering i have moved the tank twice as i have been renovating and changing to a new tank also over the past 2 months. but the birdsnest is definately missing the pink hue it had under T5 and MH

the light is great, but i do want to try the added colors, and if vertex arent on top of it i might give the radion a go.

[loweryster]

Finally got my light hung, 12" 260 over a 30 x 30 x 24"H, about 3 weeks cycling.




Many thanks to Jeremy at PA. He is 100% correct the 12" has more than enough coverage. I was back and forth whether or not to get the 24" but after see my tank tonight it would be a total overkill for me. I was running 100
RB, 90% B and 60 % W through a glass top and notice some algae growth starting to form. So I'm going to cut it back to 50/50/50 for a while.

"Kolognekoral
Quote:
Originally Posted by dadyoj21
yes it is a marineland 93 cube but I am not sure I would be satiafied with the light coverage of the 12" fixture especially after the corals grow out some, I am afraid there would be too much shading.

but if I can save that much money that would be great
Jorge,

an interesting observation on my Illumina. I find that colonies in the lower area of the tank, but near the glass, seem to be getting a great deal of light reflected-refracted from the glass itself. The part of the colony closest to the glass is paler. It seems the glass is an excellent carrier of the LED wavelengths. Tests have shown that, when hung about 6" over the water, the Illumina sends 90% of its light into the water column (via refraction, reflection and direct input). Much of this is due to the refractive indexes of water and glass. This may not be the same with plexi tanks, however, due to different indexes.

Once again, comparisons with previous lighting is not really possible. LEDs have some interesting intrinsic qualities."



The refraction and reflection quality's are there. You can see where the rock work is getting light from the refection off of the glass it's pretty amazing.

[pmrossetti]

beautiful tank, light and aquascape.
thank you

[notclear]

Loyeryster,

I suggest you to move down the white to 30% at the start, otherwise you will see a lot of algae very soon.

[Kolognekoral]

Originally Posted by cllrmar

Some questions for the Vertex pro's in here.

1. How many Red Modules would you recommend for Illumina 260 24" over 30"x22"x24" tank?

2. Is the Vertex software compatible with Mac OSx Lion?

3. I switching from AI sol blue's, do you feel the Radion has any advantage over the Illumina?

4. Is the software for Vertex truly easy to use? It seems all the threads I've read are mixed.

I've been testing a red module and would do a max of one, unless you really want to push the red. I run mine at about 50% over an area about the same as your tank, actually a bit larger, and find the effect perfect. I could run it higher.

The latest Macs have a new programming which is not always compatable to the Desk Top. Most Mac users have gone to running a Bootcamp/Parallel Windows version, as the PC version will always be the first up-date and it works well.

Once you get the hang of the Desk Top software, it's a cinch. There is a demo video on YouTube that really helps from the beginning. The newest Desk Top version was just released.

Jamie

[loweryster]

Originally Posted by notclear

Loyeryster,

I suggest you to move down the white to 30% at the start, otherwise you will see a lot of algae very soon.

Will do, thanks

[notclear]

I think Jamie is referring to my video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOACyN4AOS0

Also can Vertex use some LED sockets soldered to the Aux modules and let people to choose different colors of LED to insert on the sockets?

My fixture has 11 slots for the aux modules, can the fixture's power supplies handle all the loads if they are all filled up?

[Jeremy B.]

I have 3 red modules in my 48" fixture. I don't really think the middle is doing much though as it's blocked by my center brace. Other than that, I do like them, although it doesn't make a world of difference to me as I only ramp them up to 50% max on my configuration.

The combination pads are a myth as of right now. That somehow started on this thread by a few people saying how cool it would be to have them, nothing more. Having said that, who knows what Vertex will do in the future.

As far as mentioning the Radeon and it using RGB's. To my knowledge, and I could be very wrong on this (I'll find out today as the shipment is arriving here in about an hour) all of the LED's are on the same channel. So while you can mimic every color of the rainbow, you can't have one set of LED's running around 450nm spike, while the other channel is running around a 520nm spike or so. So while the RGB idea is very cool, it doesn't make a lot of sense if they're all on one channel. Again, I might be completely wrong here, but this is the way I understand it to work. Once the Radion gets here today I'm going to hook one up and play around with it some.

[Kolognekoral]

Originally Posted by notclear

I think Jamie is referring to my video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOACyN4AOS0

Also can Vertex use some LED sockets soldered to the Aux modules and let people to choose different colors of LED to insert on the sockets?

My fixture has 11 slots for the aux modules, can the fixture's power supplies handle all the loads if they are all filled up?

Yeah, that's the one.

The Illumina was designed to handle a full load of auxilliary modules. The power is there.

As to sockets, I don't know enough to estimate if that would even be feasible. I can see it leading to a lot of problems, frankly.

Jamie

[Kolognekoral]

Originally Posted by Jeremy B.

As far as mentioning the Radeon and it using RGB's. To my knowledge, and I could be very wrong on this (I'll find out today as the shipment is arriving here in about an hour) all of the LED's are on the same channel. So while you can mimic every color of the rainbow, you can't have one set of LED's running around 450nm spike, while the other channel is running around a 520nm spike or so. So while the RGB idea is very cool, it doesn't make a lot of sense if they're all on one channel. Again, I might be completely wrong here, but this is the way I understand it to work. Once the Radion gets here today I'm going to hook one up and play around with it some.

As to RGB, this is really a mostly aesthetic adjustment, as, if the LED does not prodcue the desired wavelength, it is simply not there! The colours we see are an optical blend, as in printing, of the RGB, not specific nanometers of light. Wish it were so. But it ain't. In the end, your RB,B,CW combi is the core of the photosynthetic wavelengths. The RGB brings only their specific peaks with them, which may well be benficial....or not.

Jamie