We finally put the Italian GNC BluRay X through its paces in the DaniReef LAB—an LED fixture aimed at the most demanding marine aquariums. It’s a high-end unit with advanced controls and a carefully tuned spectrum designed for all coral types.
Let’s dive into this complete review with our PAR, spectrum and power measurements.
The GNC BluRay X comes with the classic, instantly recognizable design we’ve seen since the earliest GNC models—refined generation after generation. It’s arguably one of the most elegant fixtures on the market today. The LEDs sit beneath a thick acrylic plate—GNC’s hallmark—topped by a generous aluminum heatsink. There are no fans, so the unit runs completely silent. It’s compact and conceived for virtually any marine tank.
GNC BluRay X – Technical specifications
- Dimensions: 40 × 30 × 3.9 (h) cm;
- Recommended tank width: up to 90 cm for LPS;
- Rated power draw: 140 W;
- Retail price: €1,299.00.
Our GNC BluRay X video
In the video we cover the new fixture, our unboxing, a walkthrough of the programming, and of course a voice-over of all our test results. Don’t miss it, it’s also in English language.
Which LEDs does the GNC BluRay X use?
The GNC BluRay X combines five primary LED types (plus two moonlight types), with Royal Blues doing the heavy lifting, as we’ll see.
- Blue 460 nm LEDs: qty 308
- White 12,000 K LEDs: qty 168
- Red 660 nm LEDs: qty 12
- UV 405 nm LEDs: qty 22
- UV 420 nm LEDs: qty 22
- Moonlight Blue 460 nm LEDs: qty 2
- Moonlight White 6,500 K LEDs: qty 2
One of the BluRay X’s biggest strengths is the sheer LED count: a whopping 536 diodes. It’s hard to find anything comparable on the market. That’s been GNC’s trademark since the first unit we tested 12 years ago (GNC 466). Starting from coral biology—also thanks to international research projects—GNC put real emphasis on the spectrum extremes, including UV bands that few manufacturers dare to use.
Back to that very high LED count: GNC seems to have found a sweet spot for coral handling. GNC fixtures have a long-standing reputation for being “coral-safe”—whether that’s due to exact frequencies, per-diode power, or other factors, is hard to say, but it’s something we’ve consistently observed. We’ve now installed the unit on our display; we’ll share long-term feedback in our forum over the next months.
Fun fact we also mention in the video: this fixture is among the favorites of Julian Sprung (Two Little Fishies), who showcased it at his booth at Interzoo, Nuremberg.
On paper, the GNC BluRay X suits virtually any marine tank—from SPS-dominated systems to fish-only setups.
Controlling the GNC BluRay X
GNC uses a hybrid control approach: Wi-Fi + Bluetooth. Leveraging both protocols gives you the best of both worlds—simple pairing and the option to check your light remotely. The app isn’t the snappiest we’ve tried (it expects a constant network connection), but it’s well designed and lets you fine-tune every aspect of this beautiful fixture.
Above is the expanded main screen, where you can see your tank, the active lighting preset, the linked fixtures, Wi-Fi link status and the temperature control indicator. You also see which LED channels are active at that exact time. When we grabbed this screenshot it was still early morning, hence only the moonlights were on.
As usual, here are the menu views channel by channel—showing consumption, menu label, and a photo of the LEDs lit.
Channel 1: 405 nm UV
Channel 2: 420 nm
Channel 3: Blue
Channel 4: White
Channel 5: Red
Moonlight channels: white and blue
…leading to the combined effect you see below:
Lighting control is based on editable scenarios tailored to the coral types you keep or plan to keep. The built-in presets are:
- LPS Power
- Max Fluo
- Reef Crest 1
- Reef Crest 2
- Soft Natural
- SPS AB+
For now I’m using Reef Crest 2, with moonlight and lunar phases enabled (off by default), and a slightly shorter photoperiod. The view below shows how the LED channels change throughout the day.
Mounting: hanging kit or tank-mount bridge?
The GNC BluRay X ships with a ceiling hanging kit. As an option, you can purchase a tank-mount bridge support.
Which corals is this light for?
Our measurements show the GNC BluRay X is an extremely powerful and versatile fixture designed for high-end marine systems.
With a peak of 1289 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ at 17 cm and 493 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ at 37 cm, a single unit easily covers most reef SPS – LPS – soft layouts with comfortable headroom.
Uniform distribution and a well-balanced violet-blue spectrum deliver both high photosynthetic efficiency and a natural color rendition with vivid highlights and deep tones.
- Low–Medium Light (soft corals, zoanthids, ricordea, xenia): more than enough even in taller tanks; the light remains even and diffused—ideal for soft corals and shaded side zones.
- Medium–High Light (LPS such as Euphyllia, Caulastrea, Favites): thrive with the fixture at 37 cm, striking a great balance of intensity and coverage.
- High Light / demanding SPS (Acropora, Montipora, Stylophora): exceptional peaks at 17 cm support even the most light-hungry species up high on the rockwork, keeping colors intense and growth compact.
In short, the BluRay X can drive any reef—from soft corals to delicate SPS—with the flexibility to tailor output and photoperiod to tanks of any depth. Its homogenous coverage and fanless design also make it perfect for living-room displays, where silence and visual quality matter as much as raw performance.
You’ll find the full measurement tables on page 2.
- Real output: peak 1289 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ @ 17 cm and 493 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ @ 37 cm; wide, even spread—ideal for SPS and mixed reefs.
- Recommended use: 1 fixture for tanks up to 80×60 cm; for high-demand SPS or reefs deeper than 60 cm, consider 2 units or a 17–20 cm mounting height above the water.
- Pros: spectrum finely balanced for coral photosynthesis, solid fanless build (silent), smooth and natural light field, high cPUR efficiency, straightforward programming.
- Cons: premium price.
👉 Want the full data and a deep dive into our DaniReef LAB method? Head over to page two.
