A few days ago I unboxed one of Innovative Marine’s new Skyye 8 watt 10k LED lights, and in short order, I feel I can draw some conclusions about its performance. This little light may be from a newly formed company, but you can tell they had enough experience to think of a good idea and make it happen. Nano reefers, follow along after the break.

Skyye LED tablets have been hitting the market fast in and in great numbers, and the little 8 watt version is just a single offering coming out of this fast moving new company. These little light can best be described as sleek, functional and most importantly, very affordable. For just about $100 you get 8 watts of well balanced LED power packed into an easy to mount and very easy on the eyes nano light.

The 8 watt version of Innovative Marine’s lights packs 6 one watt 10k diodes and 4 half watt actinic diodes in to a small clamp on pendant that should fit well over most nanos. They even though ahead enough to include seperate power sources for whites and blues to get that sunset sunrise look. Innovative Marine also makes a black version which packs 14k whites for a more blue look, and there will be more details on that one coming soon.

Let’s get in to the important part and see how this little light performs. Starting from the beginning you of course have the mounting process. These lights are designed to clamp on to rimless tanks, so the clamp doesn’t work on thicker pieces such as the back of a Nanocube. For testing I was using a 14 gallon cube, and I found an easy way around this was to simply mount it on the rear filter wall. The clamp system is very simple and sinches down nice and tight.

After getting the Skyye tablet mounted all that was left to do is plug it in and fire it up. After first turning it on, I could only stand there in shock and wonder if I had read the box right. At only 8 watts of power, it seems to come very close in output to my AI Nano which runs at 30 watts. Light spread is very nice with the clamp being the perfect height to spread over the whole tank. The 10k version tested may be a little bit on the yellow side for some reef keepers, but I have to say, I’m starting to get addicted to yellow when it comes to LED. Innovative Marine recommends the 10k version for FO or fresh water applications, but I see huge potential for it to grow some nice corals and look good doing it. The half watt blue diodes really seem to punch through and give corals some glow even though the overall scene is daylight biased.

The test tank is mainly a soft coral reef, and they all seemed to really enjoy the light, but what amazed me is that the anemone, which moves constantly, didn’t seem to budge under it. For the first time since putting in the tank, it found a place that it liked and stuck with it.

Innovative Marine may be new to the industry, but when you’re shopping for lights, I wouldn’t count them out. There range of LED lighting goes up and down from the 8 watt version and should be able to cover almost any tank’s needs.

Stay tuned for some up close time with the bluer 14k version soon.