Aquasky

Glaucus · Dec 29, 2013

I browsed the forums for first hand experiences with ADA Aquasky. To save others some time I compiled a few posts that others might find useful.

=> Review and excellent aquascape by viktorlantos from ukaps.org

=> Clearly waterproof as pointed out in review by MAXIMUM Iannella, from rareaquaticplants.com

=> Words of caution by Green_Flash, from plantedtank.net

=> Words of caution by ADA

The AQUASKY Series uses a stand made of acrylic plastic. Acrylic plastic has general characteristics that may cause cracks on its surface when solvents are applied.
Because of this, we state in our user's instruction manual, "Do NOT apply hot water of 40℃ or above, alcohol, paint thinner or benzene. It can cause deterioration or deformation of the product."

=> Words to consider by Blue_Bolt, from scapeclub.org

1. It is made in China, all the Solar series are made in Japan
2. The power cord and ballast are SUPER cheap and flimsy junk I would expect on a knockoff LED from ebay but not from ADA
3. The power cords are ridiculously short, and the positioning of the ballast in line is very awkward and hard to position it correctly. Nothing like the very high quality durable Solar I power cords that are nice and long
4. The acrylic stand after 1 month was exhibiting signs of cracking/ fracturing all over the legs and side supports, they were not huge but sill noticeable, the light was placed on the tank and never touched or roughly handled or exposed to direct sunlight or anything, I treated it like a baby from day 1. I talked to someone who builds acrylic tanks and their opinion was that it is inevitable because the of shape. i.e it warps overtime
5. In Japan this light would cost less than $170, in USA it is $300, I was very angry for paying this outrageous markup because it is baseless, all the ADA products are at cost in Japan and USA, the same.
7. It is VERY easy to knock this fixture from its stand and have it fall into the tank. few close calls. remove it any time you work on the tank, which results in not being able to see the scape/tank properly during maintenance.
8. It uses SMD LED, a similar LED for Marine tanks uses the same and is capable of supporting soft corals, hence this thing is way too powerful for plants and you need alot of CO2 and ferts and one mistake or miscalculation will result in a algae farm
9. The color spectrum wasn't great, my plants looked very washed out compared to MH and fluorescent lighting I have seen and used.
10. I don't get the decision not to include a simple in line dimmer, that is supposed to be one of the attracting features and advancements of LED lighting technology isn't it? I feel ADA dropped the ball, big time on this featured it would have been very easy to include a dimmer and would allow you to adjust the lighting intensity to suit your needs.
11. LED lighting is still highly debated go on Reef central and see the debate on the big pricy fixtures like radions and AI, issues with spectrum, issues with spread, issues with tanks looking like a flashlight spotlight, LED is the future, but not yet I give it 5-10 years.
12. I also like being able to change bulbs and keep the fixture going when the bulb dies, when the LEDs start to dim over the years, it will be useless.

Overall, I was majorly disappointed with my experience and purchase with the AQUASKY light and ended up selling it this month. I am disappointed in ADA recently, they moved the tank manufacturing from Germany to china, downgrade, glassware is made in china, downgrade, light is made in china, downgrade, but you still pay the premium high price.

If you have anymore questions I will be happy to answer them.
I would recommend everyone to PASS on this fixture. Not worth the price.

=> Comparison of one aquascape portrayed with Aquasky and Solar. Albeit a poor quality film it clearly shows the increase in brightness.

Yo-han · Dec 30, 2013

Nice write up! Our lfs started with ADA stuff a few months ago and we'll be setting up a ADA display tank soon. We already unwrapped the aquasky and placed it over the empty tank. It looks nice and clean, but we'll see how it turns out!

Glaucus · Dec 30, 2013

To few lfs offer / display these products. I would really like to see one in person myself. Can you tell me how bright it actually is compared to T5 in the evening. Is it still pleasant to look at in the evening without being snow-blinded??

Yo-han · Jan 1, 2014

I've only seen it over an empty tank yet, but for the human eye it appears quite bright. Can't tell you about whether it is enough light to grow anything because I didn't used a PAR meter yet. I made the mistake of thinking that looking bright would give a descent PAR before, so I always check now. My guess is that it is lower than you might think, because of the fact that they also have a 602 and ADA HQI bulbs are also known to look bright but have relatively low PAR. An ideal combination in my eyes but that is not relevant to this discussion.

JustLikeAPill · Dec 30, 2013

I am more than happy with the light it's self (It's very bright and more than enough to grow whatever you want), but the acrylic stand is cheap and sucks. The power cord and switch is also cheap and sucks. If someone is debating going with a Solar hanging light or an Aquasky, choose the Solar any day.

I am currently waiting for ADA to honor it's warranty. I put seran wrap on my stand to protect it during moves between my dorm and home. Cracks at the seams appeared and only after 8 months or so did ADA issue a warning about seran wrap and add this disclaimer to their directions.

I have spent thousands on ADA products and hope they don't lose a customer over their lack of proper instruction.

Aquasky

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