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Tropical Marine Centre (TMC) may not be a familiar name to many viewers reading this review, but TMC, located in the United Kingdom, is Europe's leading supplier of marine fish and invertebrates to the trade offering an unparalleled range of marine fish and invertebrates from the largest aquarium-based holding facilities in Europe. In addition to the above products, TMC also manufactures and distributes a range of market leading aquatic equipment including UV sterilizers, UV pond clarifiers, protein skimmers, ozonizers, monitors, filtration equipment and pumps, all-in-one nano systems, as well as a range of accessories and spares. TMC is not just another company jumping on the LED bandwagon, they have been manufacturing quality LED lighting and controllers since May, 2008.
AQUARAY Multi Control The AquaRay Multi Control featured here is TMCs
top model with two other models being available. It incorporates eight
outputs which can drive four AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra Tiles or eight
AquaBeam 500 or 600 Ultra strip lights, or any combination thereof.
Features
· 24 hour
clock
· Two
programmable channels
· Ramp
up/down feature
· Low and
high power level settings
· Eight
output channels
· Storm
mode
· Compact
size 9L x 3 ¼W x 1 ¼D
· Includes
power supply capable of driving up to four AquaBeam
Tiles
· Two year
warranty Performance The timer is based on a 24 hour clock. This means
that 1800 represents 6pm, while 0100 represents 1am. The time is
programmed with the minus and plus buttons. There are two individual
channels that can be programmed. Channel one controls outputs one
through six, and channel two controls outputs seven and eight.
Each channel can be programmed for different start/stop times as well
as all other functions. Once a program is entered into the
controller, pressing the plus button will advance the program to the
next step if desired. There is a ramp up/down feature which allows you
to start the lights at a low power level and gradually ramp up to the
desired high power level as well as ramp down to the desired low power
level. The ramp time can be programmed for a minimum of one
minute up to 240 minutes or not used at all. The high level in both
channels can be set from 1 to 100 and represents a percentage of power
applied to the LEDs. For those with shallow tanks, this can be a
useful feature as the AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra Tiles are very
intense. The low level is set the same as the above but the high
level must be higher than the low level for the controller to operate.
In this regard, channel two is useful for using moonlights or if you
are using the 1000 HD Ultra Tiles, two 14K and three 50K blue LEDs can
remain on at the low power level, or shut off completely until the
start time activates the following day. At a low power level
setting of 1%, this proved to be a nice night time effect. The
controller also features a storm mode. When activated, the controller
will dim the lights to a 5% power level for five minutes to simulate an
approaching storm. The lights will then simulate lightning by flashing
at random intervals across a thirty minute span of time. The
controller will then stop flashing the lights and ramp up to the
programmed power level across a five minute span of time. This
feature may be useful for spawning some freshwater fishes which are
stimulated into spawning by rain storms. Close To close this section of the review, I can attest
that the controller is very user friendly, compact, and incorporates a
battery back-up. In the event of a power failure, you will not have to
reprogram the controller when power is restored. Mounting hardware is
also included if one wishes to mount the controller inside a cabinet or
other flat surface. AQUABEAM 1000 HD Ultra LED
Tile With 45,000 AquaRay LED fixtures being sold
worldwide, and three time winner of Practical Fishkeeping Magazines
Marine Product of the Year, it should be no surprise that this LED
fixture is highly rated. TMC began production of their AquaBeam 500
strip lights in May, 2008 which were then upgraded to the AquaBeam 600
Ultra in August 2010. The AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra LED Tiles were
launched in September, 2009. The 1000 HD Ultra Tiles
are available in two different versions suitable for reef systems, and
are all manufactured at TMCs headquarters in Chorleywood, located just
a short distance from London.
· Marine
White Ten 3 watt 14000K LEDs
· Reef
White Seven 3 watt 14000K LEDs, and three, 3 watt 50000K Marine Blue
LEDs The 50,000K blue LEDs equate to a 465-485nm
nanometer wavelength which is in the beneficial spectrum range for
coral growth, whereas the 420-440nm range would be of little use to
many of the shallow water corals we keep. This review will focus
on the Reef White Tile which is the better choice for reef systems
although Marine White can be used if desired, but with less color pop
unless supplemented with the AquaBeam 600 Ultra Reef Blue Strip Light
which will be discussed later. Features
· Cree
XR-E Power High Performance LED Emitters proprietary to
TMC.
·
Compares to a 250 watt metal halide (10000-14000K) in useful light
energy (PUR)
· Water
resistant construction
·
Multiple mounting options
· LEDs
are not overdriven
·
50,000> hours LED life with no loss of color and
intensity
· No
cooling fan required
· Light
weight, under five pounds
·
Compact, measuring 7 5/8 x 7 5/8 x 1 ¾
·
Mounting hardware included for standard canopy mount
· Power
supply included
· Five
year warranty, one year on power supply Construction The heat sink is constructed of marine grade
anodized aluminum and is where ten Cree high performance diodes are
mounted, seven 14K white, and three Reef Blue (50K), and also serves as
the heat sink. The Cree XR-E LEDs are currently the brightest in
the XR series. The top of the heat sink cleverly serves as a mount for
installing on optional mounting systems by simply sliding the tiles
onto the aluminum mounting rails.
Bottom and side view of
AquaBeam
Tiles mounted to the optional
Ultra
1000
Tile
over the tank
bracket
The heat sink is sandwiched between a top cover
made of ABS polymer and the lens itself which is constructed from
optically clear acrylic. The cable that connects the tile to the power
supply or optional controller is three meters in length. This length
ensures that a safe distance is kept between the power supply and
water. There are two pigtails at the connection end of the
cord. Each pig tail carries power for five LEDs. One
pigtail is wired to operate two 14000K, and three Reef Blue LEDs
(465-485nm), and the remaining pigtail operates five 14000K LEDs. The
tile is rated IP67 which is part of the European safety standard for
aquarium luminaires. Under test conditions, the tile has been
submersed in water for up to thirty minutes with no ill effects.
Submersion in water will void the warranty, but its nice to
know that should an accident happen, your unit will still operate.
There are very few LED fixture manufacturers who can claim
this. Performance All the LEDs used on the AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra
run at a forward voltage (the voltage after the LED resistance
calculation) of 3.5VDC and are focused through 80 degree optical lenses
with the exception of the three middle white LEDs which use 60 degree
lenses to provide more punch to greater depths. The diodes are
not operated at the full voltage they are capable of but rather the
voltage/current that produces the most lumens per watt thereby
extending the operating life of the LEDs. The power supply is current
regulated to run the diodes at a constant 700ma of
current.
At a seven inch distance in open air, the AquaBeam
1000 HD Ultra produced a lumen reading of 27,900 lumens. I
performed the same test on a six lamp, 39 watt, T5 HO (three 10000K,
and three 420nm actinic) fixture and recorded a lumen reading of 19,138
lumens. This was very impressive considering the apparent brightness of
the T5 fixture, but here it must be understood that although
fluorescent tubes and metal halide lamps do produce a lot of light, it
is emitted in all directions, and even with the most efficient
reflectors there are large amounts of light lost. With LEDs, the
light is focused directly down into the aquarium. Although the above spectrograph represents the
wavelength of the Marine White, TMC informs me that the Reef White is
nearly identical but with an added spike in the 465nm
area. A word about lux before I list the lux readings I
had taken of the AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra Tiles. Lux is a measure
of how many lumens are present in a given area (1 lux = 1 lumen per
square meter. This is equivalent to: 1 lux = 0.0929 lumens per square
foot). Its essentially a measure of photon density or light
concentration. A denser cloud of photons (high lux) means there
are more lumens hitting a given area which produces more brightness.
The following lux readings were taken with the LED
lens seven inches above the waters surface. 3 inches in depth = 51,000 lux 6 inches in depth = 44,500 lux 18 inches in depth = 35,600 lux By comparison, lux in tropical reefs has been
measured to be between 110,000 and 120,000 at the surface of the reef,
and 20,000 to 25,000 one meter below the surface. PAR readings were equally impressive considering
the excellent PUR wavelengths the AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra
produces. The PAR charts at various depths can be viewed at the
following link. http://tmc.purestone.co.uk/AquaRay%20Files/PAR%20readings.pdf The AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra Reef White is the right
hand chart and the left hand chart is the Marine White, the grid lines
are five inches apart. For your convenience I have converted the depth
in mm to inches. 600mm = 23.4 inches 500mm = 19.5 inches 400mm = 15.6 inches 300mm = 11.7 inches 200mm = 7.8 inches A complaint I often hear from aquarists switching
from T5s or metal halides to LEDs is that they arent as bright as my
T5s or metal halides were. Bright in this case refers to the
luminosity of the light or how it looks to our eyes. This is
controlled by our color receptors and quality LED fixtures emit, or
should emit a great deal of PUR, and most of the PUR corals and other
light loving invertebrates thrive on are not in the spectral range that
our eyes view as being bright, even though the LEDs are likely emitting
more PUR than did the T5s and metal halides. Power Usage
and Energy Costs The following measurements were taken with a P4400
KW Meter and are for three AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra tiles. With the
exception of the voltage and power factor measurements, dividing the
below results by three will give you the readings for one
tile. Voltage 123.8 Current - .73 Watts 82.7 PF (power factor) 91 KW/hour - .082 Based on my energy providers total rate of 13.5
cents per kilowatt hour, three AquaBeam tiles running 10 hours per day
for 30 days, resulted in an energy cost of $3.35 per month. I had
to run that calculation twice as I found this hard to believe
considering the intensity of light this system provides. The energy
efficient, six lamp, 39 watt, T5 HO fixture the three AquaBeam Tiles
replaced, had a monthly energy use of $9.47, and that does not include
the energy cost of four fans that run when the system is on. And you
can add to that the yearly T5 lamp replacement cost of approximately
$130.00. Close The AquaBeam Reef White 1000 HD Ultra Tile
produces a very pleasing and intense ice blue color, a beautiful ripple
effect, very little heat, and has an array of mounting options which
will be discussed later. The Tridacna crocea clam and corals I
have chosen to place in the review system have been doing exceptionally
well and exhibit nice color under this lighting system. For those
wishing to accent the color, an AquaBeam 600 Marine Blue strip light
can be added. The photos below were taken with an AquaBeam 600
Reef Blue complementing three Reef White 1000 HD Ultra Tiles. The
review aquarium measures 38L x 21.5W x 22H. Total tank volume
including rear sump/filtration area is 66 gallons. At present,
the AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra Tiles are priced at $299.99 each. The
cost to light the review system is $900.00 excluding the AquaRay Multi
Control 8 which is a very nice option but is not required. Considering
the power output, longevity (50,000+ hours), build quality,
compactness, and the included power supply, I found this system to be
an exceptional value.
AquaBeam
600 Ultra Lighting Strip
The Aquabeam 600 Ultra LED strips are
attractively packaged, much similar to the AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra
Tiles. There a four versions available for marine use, and are
also available in twin packs with a single power supply which operates
both strips.
· Water
resistant construction
· LEDs
are not overdriven
·
50,000> hours LED life with no loss of color and
intensity
· No
cooling fan required
·
Compact, measuring 19 x 2 x 1
·
Multiple mounting options
·
Mounting hardware included for standard canopy mount
· AquaRay
Microfibre wet/dry cleaning cloth
· Power
supply included
· Five
year warranty, one year on power supply Construction The heat sink is constructed of marine grade
anodized aluminum and is where five Cree XR-E (Marine White version)
high performance diodes are mounted. Cree XR-E blue, 50000K
(465-485nm) LEDs are used in tandem with Cree XR-E 14000K LEDs in the
other versions listed above. As featured in the AquaBeam 1000 HD
Ultra, the top of the heat sink cleverly serves as a mount for
installing on optional mounting systems by simply sliding the strips
onto the aluminum mounting rails. Very similar to the AquaBeam Tiles,
the heat sink is sandwiched between a top cover made of ABS polymer and
the LED cover itself which is constructed from optically clear acrylic.
The LEDs are not equipped with optical lenses and so they have a wider
projection angle which is benefical when an array of these strips are
used for lighting smaller aquariums. The cable that connects the tile
to the power supply or optional controller is three meters in length.
A peek at whats included with the Ultra 600
Strip.
An Ultra
600 Marine Blue LED strip mounted
along side three Ultra 1000 HD Tiles. Performance Do not confuse the AquaBeam 600 Ultra LED strips
with the so called stunner strips. The AquaBeam 600 Ultra LED
Strip Lights use the same high power LEDs found on the AquaBeam Tiles
and are quite capable of providing intense and useful light in smaller
systems and/or when used in the blue versions to provide extra punch in
the 465-485nm range and produces additional color accent when used in
tandem with the AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra Reef White or Marine White
Tiles.
Marine Blue shown on an optional
mounting system Power Usage
and Energy Costs The following measurements were taken with a P4400
KW Meter. Voltage 123.8 Current 0.18 Watts 11.2 PF (power factor) 47 KW/hour - .011 Based on my energy providers total rate of 13.5
cents per kilowatt hour, one AquaBeam 600 Ultra LED Strip running 10
hours per day for 30 days, resulted in an energy cost of $0.42 cents
per month. Three hundred hours per month of beneficial lighting
for 42 cents sure has to be the bargain of the century in lighting
efficiency. Close
The AquaBeam 600 Ultra that I reviewed is the Reef
Blue version (50K/465-485nm). Using it with three AquaBeam 1000
HD Ultra Reef White Tiles provided a very pleasing color accent of the
corals and clam while also providing a punch in the useful nanometer
range of 465-485 and not creating an overly dramatic appearance.
Additional strips can be used if one wishes a deeper blue look. At the
current price of $144.99, I consider it a bargain in terms of
workmanship, quality of components used and power
output. AquaRay
Mounting Options TMC provides several mounting options for their LED
systems which can be used on tanks as small as a nano, or for large
home aquariums and holding systems for both retail store and wholesaler
use. At the time of this writing many of the mounting options
were just being released. Browsing their web site should show
currently available mounting options.
Early development stage of the review
tank showing the AquaBeam HD 1000 Tiles and AquaBeam 600 Ultra Marine Blue Strip Light
mounted on the optional above tank bracket assembly. The review
aquarium is a Red
Sea
Max 250 with the hood
removed.
TMC left no stone unturned when it comes to mounting options available
for both their tiles and strip lights. The entire product line
has been well thought out and engineered by TMC. These products are
certainly worth adding to your short list when shopping for LED
systems.
You Tube Video; Marine Aquarium with Aqua Ray 500/1000 http://www.tmc-ltd.co.uk/index.htm http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/LEDLights.html http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/AquaRay_LED/AquaRay_LED.html
US Distributor: Quality Marine Wholesale
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