# Juwel Multilux vs Chihiros Rgb A1201 Plus.



## Gandalf (12 Apr 2021)

I have a Juwel rio 240 with the multilux that comes with it, and I realy not liking the light it puts out.
I compare it to a Lido 120 with T5 (and also some T8 growlux) and The T5 alone or with the T8 growlux makes everything looks so much better, then the Multilux.

So Looking in to change. Offcouse it is the Helialux Spectrum, That I find way overpriced, compares to Chihiros WRb.
And both is more than I want to spend.

I Looking at the Chihiros Rgb A1201 Plus new model that use same Leds as the beautiful VividRgb does. 

But If I look at the spec for Multilux the rating for the 2 leds is about 6600 lumens, but the a1201 has only 4800.
Juwel 58w and A1201 90W.
 Looking at the  Vivid 60-90 cm 5500 lumens and 130 w, Wrgb 120 130 w and 7700 lumens.
 I have a really hard time Believing that the Multilux using only 58w (for the 2 leds together)  puts out +1100 lumens more then the 130w vivid and pnly 1100 less the 130 w Wrgb.

Someone that had multilux and has compared to any of the chihiros Rgb A Plus new model, VividRgb or Wrgb? Is realy multilux as bright as they say?
When looking also at Helialux spectrum, juwel not even display lumens or ip rating, as my experience when I manufacture hide numbers like that it is for a reason.


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## oreo57 (13 Apr 2021)

First..
110 Lumens/ watt is pretty much the current "average best" for quality single emitters.

Second lumens are the measurement of the eye brightness spectrum not the plant brightness spectrum.
What this means is it under measures blue and red.
Measuring and Calculating Lux Values, Part 2 - Technical Articles

So RGB arrays will 1) Look dimmer to you but not so much to plants 2)Measure lower against green/yellow phosphor-ed  white LEDs.
(juwel is  ww/cw whites..)

May not answer all the differences you see but explains a portion of them.  Next,  Chihiros maty use way less efficient diodes.
Green leds are notriously low in efficiency and red/blue are under-sampled by a lumen measurement.
53.3 lumens/watt isn't "PAR" /watt

Photon counts as weighed by Lumens/Lux


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## Simmo (13 Apr 2021)

What is it you don’t like about Multilux? If its like my Lido 200 with Multilux you can try different tubes from the Juwel range. Mine has a ‘day’ and a ‘nature’ I think and as the ‘day’ is a bit white and bright I am considering changing it to a ‘nature’. Helialux is very expensive so I ruled that out! Another issue I find is you cannot move the lightsource forward or back and retain the cover as well, I prefer the lighting further back


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## Gandalf (14 Apr 2021)

Sorry I did miss I had reply in this thread, as got no email about it. Now change the setting so I get mails.
Many Thanks oreo57 for your answer. Stupid of me not thinking about that the white leds are more effective when it is measured then rgb, I just read it when I investigate led strips and the 180 l/m white is also rated to 28w and even if not the same, a multilux 1 m of led (for 120 cm tank) is also about 160-180 leds.
But a lot of good knowledge you shared, that I did not know before. 👍

Simmo, thanks for you answer to.
The problem with Multilux can not be fixed by changed the led and they are not cheap to change and can not do sunset sunrise, then need too add additional light.
I had it on my 180 l rio I upgraded from, a rgb ip69 led unit with a sunset/sunrise timer, but this combo for the 240 would cost an additional near 50 euros.
What I want is Rgb and multilux use white (cold and warm)  leds.
As i can show you in person I will show you why.
This is the Day led 6500k.



This is the Nature



And another one that use only Whites the Chihiros AII (but have a better spectrum as it not lacking in red as muchas the other two)





Led light that use all white show similar spectrum typ (using all warm would offcourse show more yellow, red in it)

Here we have First version of Chihros Wrb 1
This has white leds and also some red, blue and green leds



Heliolux spectrum use Mostly cold and warm white and some few red, blue, green  Similar to Wrgb 1




But most important  to plants to grow fast and with a good look is Red, Blue and also Green, as they all contribiut to difrent things in the grow, if we have only red for exemple the plant will grow higher but not as compact, more stringy look.
If we look at The new version of ChihirosRgb A plus serie, and its replacement Wrgb II slim, the New WRGB II and and also Rgb Vivid.
They all use only RGB leds and no white
We get something like this.



This is much better for plants to grow and to grow so they look as good as possible and get their color as good as possible (red plant espesily will benefit now of getting the red so much more then before.
The Additional benefits of this is for or eyes, the things in the aquarium that is Green going to pop, same with reds, and blue, they all going to look more vibrant.
With a higher visual color saturation and contrast.
This is why I want a Rgb and move away from Multilux that never will look as good.
And why I do no like the Helialux Spectrum,
A Wrgb II compared to a Helios spectrum. The Plan will have more beneficial light and everything will looks so much better.

The strange thing about the Multilux combo is they should give a more cold white light then they do, more blues, but I think they look more yellow,brown I think, If comparing it to T5/T8 with same color temp they look not at all the same.
Best look was when I added blue (using my extra rgb led unit), but they already have a lot of blue, so can not understand why it looked better, adding red it did looked worse, more brownish, but should have looked better if looking a diagram as red was lacking.

The adtional benfit with Chihiros Rgb light is that we can control invidual color, then we can further tweak the lighting and as the natural light of day change in spectrum and intensity, from more blue in the morning and more red /yellow in the evening we can replicate the natural light spectrum/intensity cycle.
And have sunset and sunrise as we want also.

Look at this video it show the difrence, but this is with the old version of many of the chihiros light, but look how vibrant the RgbVivid look. Note that the crushing on white at the green carpent on the vivid video is from the video camera not in real life.


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## Gandalf (14 Apr 2021)

But Have to add Using only RGB is not perfect, in any sens, but very good. In future  will probably see more lights that mix in other colors led also, maybe some white also to make a even better spectrum that highlight even more colors and creating more shades and even better grow. 
Some white mixed in that pushed the yellow shades, I think could have been a good Ide for the next Version of these light.
But as now for the money they cost, it is hard to beat Something like the Chihiros, WRGB II or WRGB II slim.


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## oreo57 (16 Apr 2021)

Simplest " no white" led w/ more tones is rgba.
A for amber.
A test light using "no white" principal  but deep red, royal blue, pcAmber, Lime (for green), and cyan for CRI..
Works well.


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## Simmo (16 Apr 2021)

Gandalf said:


> Sorry I did miss I had reply in this thread, as got no email about it. Now change the setting so I get mails.
> Many Thanks oreo57 for your answer. Stupid of me not thinking about that the white leds are more effective when it is measured then rgb, I just read it when I investigate led strips and the 180 l/m white is also rated to 28w and even if not the same, a multilux 1 m of led (for 120 cm tank) is also about 160-180 leds.
> But a lot of good knowledge you shared, that I did not know before. 👍
> 
> ...



Thank you for the enlightening explanation! I can understand, in simple terms where you are coming from. Good Luck, I hope you find tge lights meet your expectations 👍😀


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## Gandalf (16 Apr 2021)

Oreo57
Cool light.
For sure, that is the next step in aquarium lighting.

Simmo
I pretty sure it will be the new WRGB slim. The new mounting on that would work very good with juwel aquarium and sturdy enough, so it is cat safe.


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