Chihiros WRGB2 Pro has a separate 'white' LED channel but...

[Wookii]

Thank you, that was very helpful. What about the AI Prime Freshwater? Where does it stand? Judging by this thread it has a much fuller spectrum..

Sorry, pressed Submit before mentioning the Prime. I love the Primes, great little lights, nice interface, huge amount of output and great form factor. They do use bog standard white LED's though. I have to turn all the warm white LED's off though for acceptable colour rendition. You won't get anywhere near the saturation of the RGB chip lights, but its as good as white LED lights get in my experience and testing (probably thanks to the separate R, G and B LED's.

I think you mentioned not liking shimmer above though - the Prime will give you loads of shimmer as its very much a point source light - where as the WRGB II is a panel light and wont produce any shimmer.

 

[oreo57]

The RGB combination chips used in the Chirhiros units (also used in similar lights from ADA, UNS, Week Aqua etc) give superb colour rendition, and real 'pop' to aquariums. They do require a little tailoring, otherwise that 'pop' can look a little too over saturated and artificial.

My only criticism is that whilst, the colour rendition is very good, and a lot wider than the incredibly peaky colour spectrum graph suggests, it is apparent that there is an under-emphasis of certain colours between those peaks such as amber and certain greens.

However it's one of those things, once you'd had a light with those sorts of saturation characteristics, you can't go back to white LED's very easily as everything looks washed out. The anology I use is it's like water your first high definition blu-ray (or 4K these days) and then trying to go back to VHS.

That said I still want to find a light that accurately replicates natural sunlight, which is why these finds of @oreo57 always interest me, and why I stumped up cash to test out the Sunlike LED strips.

Going into personal preferences I'll "up the ante" so to speak. I'll raise your RGB to Deep red/pc amber/cyan/royal blue/lime as to punchy w/ no dullness.
Sorry camera doubled the die count.
NOW the personal part.. Having both high cri whites (Luxeon Freh Fish COBS) High cri (sunplus luxeon 6500k) white with ancillary diodes in deep red royal blue (should be plain blue btw) and cyan
I STILL haven't decided what I like best.
You can get high CRI (and high R(f)/Neutral R(g) running those 5 "colors' with no white. A very natural look.
You can also pop whatever color you want.
Which was my intent when I built it.

 

[Wookii]

Going into personal preferences I'll "up the ante" so to speak. I'll raise your RGB to Deep red/pc amber/cyan/royal blue/lime as to punchy w/ no dullness.
Sorry camera doubled the die count.
NOW the personal part.. Having both high cri whites (Luxeon Freh Fish COBS) High cri (sunplus luxeon 6500k) white with ancillary diodes in deep red royal blue (should be plain blue btw) and cyan
I STILL haven't decided what I like best.
You can get high CRI (and high R(f)/Neutral R(g) running those 5 "colors' with no white. A very natural look.
You can also pop whatever color you want.
Which was my intent when I built it.
View attachment 194987

That looks like the ideal. I've always thought the RGB chips used by Chihiros et al, combined some amber, a couple of green of different peak wavelengths, a couple of red's of different peak, and a royla blue or two would fill the gaps. Well beyond my DIY skill level though!

Have you measured the output spectrum of your light?

 

[oreo57]

That looks like the ideal. I've always thought the RGB chips used by Chihiros et al, combined some amber, a couple of green of different peak wavelengths, a couple of red's of different peak, and a royla blue or two would fill the gaps. Well beyond my DIY skill level though!

Have you measured the output spectrum of your light?

Yea 2 ways.. One using luxtools and the Z diodes in it 2) With a budget Thunder Optics spectrometer I picked up.
It's got this "thing" w/ the green band that I haven't got around to understanding. According to the builders it's a calibration thing but I have a calibration file.
Example . early and crude capture of an led flashlight spectrum.

So till I find the file this is right from the creators of the leds..
NOTE this is with the deep red channel 100%. Normal percent is like 50 giving a much more "neutral" look.
I knew the design had excess red. I built one w/ 3 cyans in their place. Talk about punchy greens.
Anyways taming the red can get me a real neutral white as pure white on a wall..white.

3 CYAN version.

As much as I consider cyan the "secret sauce" 3 was just too much though ADA affectionados may love it.

One red puck..

This shows the "white" possibilities of the 3 red puck.

yea doubt if Chihiros went that far .. One rgb for all makes a lot of COMMERCIAL sense..

 

[FISHnLAB]

Where do you guys think this light would stand compared to the Chihiros WRGB 2 Pro and Prime Freshwater?

UNIQ FS 900

Aufgrund von gestiegenen Rohstoffpreisen und Transportkosten, müssen wir den Preis der UNIQ FS Reihe leider um ca 5% anheben. Es tut uns sehr leid…

aqua-grow.de

 

[FISHnLAB]

Here is the writeup on it. There site doesn't work the greatest on mobile. It uses 9 different Emitters...

 

[oreo57]

It's unique and has its own niche..
The stats and spectrum speaks for itself.
"MY" personal opinion.. the short cyan would be a deal breaker for me and it makes me sad

 

[FISHnLAB]

It's unique and has its own niche..
The stats and spectrum speaks for itself.
"MY" personal opinion.. the short cyan would be a deal breaker for me and it makes me sad

Yes but, which of the three would you buy if you could only have one? Which do you think would make my dream tank look best? Which would offer the best user experience? What things should I think about that I may not have yet when considering the three?

Sorry to ask so many questions and be a pest, you just clearly know a ton more about this topic and have much more experience with grow specific lights then I do so anything you can offer is helpful to me. I really don't want to buy two lights for this build and want to get it right the first time. This is my dream spare no expense(within reason of course) ultimate planted community tank build. This will be my centerpiece and only large tank for years most likely so this decision, all of them really, are very important to me.

Thanks again for all of your help, all of you👍.

 

[oreo57]

Yes but, which of the three would you buy if you could only have one? Which do you think would make my dream tank look best? Which would offer the best user experience? What things should I think about that I may not have yet when considering the three?

Sorry to ask so many questions and be a pest, you just clearly know a ton more about this topic and have much more experience with grow specific lights then I do so anything you can offer is helpful to me. I really don't want to buy two lights for this build and want to get it right the first time. This is my dream spare no expense(within reason of course) ultimate planted community tank build. This will be my centerpiece and only large tank for years most likely so this decision, all of them really, are very important to me.

Thanks again for all of your help, all of you👍.

I want to like the aquagrow.. just can't.
Chihiros is too RGB for me . New RGBW has promise. Fair amount of reports of issues though in GENERAL not model specific.
Go back to the very first post and you will see why "I" like the AI Prime
It is in no way "perfect" though.
I am not you though. I've given you enough to see why I pick what I like..Does it fit your philosophy?

Anyways crunched the aquagrow in RAYCAL and compared generated spectrum to posted.
Somebodys numbers are wrong..Ignore chart set to saltwater and ignore IR/UV blobs.. Technically they have some validity since they are listed diodes..BUT
not in THEIR chart.
Data doesn't include them. Even included doesn't change things much.
Oh 850IR is worthless AFAICT. Emerson enhancement is not reported, or not very strong in that range..Orphek used them for awhile, don't think they do anymore .
740-ish is arguably better.
The old lot of sizzle little steak motto seems to apply.
I'd need to see one in person but I trust my specs. Of course all channels can be shut off individually so there is that.
most people should find an enjoyable spectrum.

 

[oreo57]

I miseed/lost/or you never reported tank size.

 

[FISHnLAB]

I miseed/lost/or you never reported tank size.

Waterbox Clear 3620
900x500x450mm(LxWxH)
49.1US Gallon/186L

Filter : Fluval 307 or 407
UV Filter : Fluval UVC Inline
Heater : Ista 300watt Inline Heater
Temperature Controller : Inkbird ITC-306T WIFI
Powerhead/Wavemaker : AI Nero 3
CO2 : Inkbird Regulator with 5 pound aluminum tank and inline diffuser

 

[FISHnLAB]

I want to like the aquagrow.. just can't.
Chihiros is too RGB for me . New RGBW has promise. Fair amount of reports of issues though in GENERAL not model specific.
Go back to the very first post and you will see why "I" like the AI Prime
It is in no way "perfect" though.
I am not you though. I've given you enough to see why I pick what I like..Does it fit your philosophy?

Anyways crunched the aquagrow in RAYCAL and compared generated spectrum to posted.
Somebodys numbers are wrong..Ignore chart set to saltwater and ignore IR/UV blobs.. Technically they have some validity since they are listed diodes..BUT
not in THEIR chart.
Data doesn't include them. Even included doesn't change things much.
Oh 850IR is worthless AFAICT. Emerson enhancement is not reported, or not very strong in that range..Orphek used them for awhile, don't think they do anymore .
740-ish is arguably better.
The old lot of sizzle little steak motto seems to apply.
I'd need to see one in person but I trust my specs. Of course all channels can be shut off individually so there is that.
most people should find an enjoyable spectrum.




View attachment 195002

Not sure yet but, I'm leaning towards the Prime FW for a number of reasons. The only thing that has me worried is the shimmer of a point source light. I generally don't mind shimmer and find it more realistic looking. I just worry it will get annoying when watching movies and such as the tank will be in our main living room which is equipped with a full home theater setup. Any insight on this?

Thanks for that it is helpful. It is weird the measurements are so off. It definitely is an interesting light and I'm sure I could tailor it to my liking but, it will likely be very expensive to get it shipped from Germany to Canada. I still am considering it though.

 

[oreo57]

Waterbox Clear 3620
900x500x450mm(LxWxH)
49.1US Gallon/186L

Filter : Fluval 307 or 407
UV Filter : Fluval UVC
Heater : Ista 300watt Inline Heater
Powerhead/Wavemaker : AI Nero 3
CO2 : Inkbird Regulator with 5 pound aluminum tank and inline diffuser

You are best off w/ 2 ai prime fw if going with them.

 

[FISHnLAB]

You are best off w/ 2 ai prime fw if going with them.

Yes sir, that is my plan as they only cover 24 x 24" and not very well from what I hear.

 

[oreo57]

AI1
More examples..

AI2
want to go crazy Radion Freshwaters plus diffusers.. but that will really break the bank.

Aftermarket diffuser for AI..

Prime Diffuser

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL DIFFUSERS! (USA Domestic Only) Upgrade the lighting on your AI Prime 16HD with our full diffuser. This diffuser helps to blend and diffuse the LED light into a more uniform spectrum, resulting in a more natural shimmer and eliminating the "disco ball" effect. The diffuser...

3dreefing.com

diffuser

 

[oreo57]

Why are the video link previews soooo large?
Changed them to links,,

 

[FISHnLAB]

AI1
More examples..

AI2
want to go crazy Radion Freshwaters plus diffusers.. but that will really break the bank.

Aftermarket diffuser for AI..

Prime Diffuser

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL DIFFUSERS! (USA Domestic Only) Upgrade the lighting on your AI Prime 16HD with our full diffuser. This diffuser helps to blend and diffuse the LED light into a more uniform spectrum, resulting in a more natural shimmer and eliminating the "disco ball" effect. The diffuser...

3dreefing.com

diffuser

Thanks again👍.

Man, it is frustrating that no one makes a light without issues. I wish Fluval would just make a pro version of their Plant 3.0 with industry leading output, a much more diverse emitter array with no low CRI emitters and a much higher/wider emitter count, and true full spectrum output with world class colour reproduction. All of that in their IPX68 waterproof body, with industry leading 3 year warranty, and their nice app with full spectral, scheduling, and output control. I would pay almost whatever they wanted for that personally... One can dream😔...

 

[Wookii]

Thanks again👍.

Man, it is frustrating that no one makes a light without issues. I wish Fluval would just make a pro version of their Plant 3.0 with industry leading output, a much more diverse emitter array with no low CRI emitters and a much higher/wider emitter count, and true full spectrum output with world class colour reproduction. All of that in their IPX68 waterproof body, with industry leading 3 year warranty, and their nice app with full spectral, scheduling, and output control. I would pay almost whatever they wanted for that personally... One can dream😔...

Just get a Chihiros WRGB II - you won’t be disappointed, and you won’t get shimmer. You won’t want shimmer in your living room, it makes a lovely dancing light show on your ceiling (and I love shimmer - I’ve gone to great lengths to source a point source RGB light from Week Aqua).

 

[erwin123]

I am using WRGB2 (at the back) and WRGB2 Pro (in front) in my current 90P tank. The Pro is better because of the additional W channel but the price differential is pretty large especially since the price of the original WRGB2 has been reduced (probably because of the competition).

After using the Pro for a few months, I'm also going to disagree with earlier reports that the W channel leads to colours being washed out.

Maybe in showrooms with the light still new and lack of knowledge of the best settings they were running 100/100/100/100 in which case I can understand why the colours look washed out. But if you do some tweaking, you can get pretty pleasing colours at a higher brightness than the original WRGB2

 

[FISHnLAB]

Just get a Chihiros WRGB II - you won’t be disappointed, and you won’t get shimmer. You won’t want shimmer in your living room, it makes a lovely dancing light show on your ceiling (and I love shimmer - I’ve gone to great lengths to source a point source RGB light from Week Aqua).

Thanks, good to know. I had a feeling it might be a problem but, I have never owned a point source light before.

So, now I am reluctantly leaning towards the WRGB 2 Pro 90(although I am still going to price the Aqua-Grow). None to be found in stock in Canada though unfortunately. I will either have to wait for an authorized dealer to get stock or order from AliExpress. The saga continues...