Another lighting opinion thread

SuthernReefer

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I am looking for opinions on reef lights. I have just about burnt myself out at looking at all the different options and can hardly retain anymore information on these suckers lol

I was first considering the black boxes, but I am now considering the big 3 (radion, kessil, and ai). I still can't believe the price point on these. It's beyond ridiculous and I feel like a lunatic even considering these lights at these prices. I could go on and on about value for dollar, but I'm sure the majority of you feel the same.

I know it' mostly comes down to preference between these lights, but after reading so many threads, it seems each have their own problems. AI fans are loud and constant, Radion xr blues cracking and making noise, radion mobius issues, and Kessil requires a dongle, etc.


Have the bugs been worked out with the radions? Does kessil have an app so you don't have to have a dongle, are the ai fans really that bad?

Do any of these offer more features/benefits than the other?

I like the look of the blue and uv lights best. Id like to be able to control each light color, timers, etc without having to buy a controller or dongle.

The shimmer from the Kessil is nice, but maybe too much. Do these others have shimmer or is it disco ball?

This will be on a 4' 75 gallon tank. I have nothing in the tank right now, but it will likely be lps dominant, softys, and maybe a few sps down the road and ofcourse fish.


Considering 2 Radion xr15 blues/pro, 2 hydra 32 hd, 2 kessil a360x

Thanks in advance
 

ColoredRock

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I have a temp "blackbox" smatfarm over my cube (30x 24) right now that I will use as a backup when I figure out which way I am going to go.... along with what you are are looking at I am thinking about 2 reefi uno's they have a built in controller it looks really well built, 3 year war....
 

Biglew11

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I'm running two kessil a360x and an aquaticlife hybrid fixture over my 75. Right now you still need either the controller x or the wifi dongle for the kessils. The apex interface is in beta testing right now but I think you will still need the wifi dongle to use it. Right now you can use the controller x without app, Or use the wifi dongle with app.
I love the kessils and t5 over my 75. The kessils add nice shimmer and the t5s give a nice even spread. As for the other leds I can't give any input.
 

flagg37

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You really can’t go wrong with any of those; they will all grow coral. I’m partial to kessil since I love shimmer but I know plenty of people who think the shimmer is too much.
 

RC51

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I am looking for opinions on reef lights. I have just about burnt myself out at looking at all the different options and can hardly retain anymore information on these suckers lol

I was first considering the black boxes, but I am now considering the big 3 (radion, kessil, and ai). I still can't believe the price point on these. It's beyond ridiculous and I feel like a lunatic even considering these lights at these prices. I could go on and on about value for dollar, but I'm sure the majority of you feel the same.

I know it' mostly comes down to preference between these lights, but after reading so many threads, it seems each have their own problems. AI fans are loud and constant, Radion xr blues cracking and making noise, radion mobius issues, and Kessil requires a dongle, etc.


Have the bugs been worked out with the radions? Does kessil have an app so you don't have to have a dongle, are the ai fans really that bad?

Do any of these offer more features/benefits than the other?

I like the look of the blue and uv lights best. Id like to be able to control each light color, timers, etc without having to buy a controller or dongle.

The shimmer from the Kessil is nice, but maybe too much. Do these others have shimmer or is it disco ball?

This will be on a 4' 75 gallon tank. I have nothing in the tank right now, but it will likely be lps dominant, softys, and maybe a few sps down the road and ofcourse fish.


Considering 2 Radion xr15 blues/pro, 2 hydra 32 hd, 2 kessil a360x

Thanks in advance
T5/LED hybrid? That's what I do on my tanks and it simply works.
 

blaxsun

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If you’re not going heavy into SRS the pair of Radion XR15 G5s will probably give you enough coverage. I have a pair of XR30s and a single XR15 on my 72” tank.
 

Dolphins18

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If you consider the black box route, I would do this instead.
. Black boxes are a nightmare, and these lights are actually pretty good. Out of the big 3, I like the new AI's (have a few 32s and a 64). The fans are pretty quiet.
I don't even notice the 26 fans being that loud, but they are definitely a bit louder than the 32.
 

A Young Reefer

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I am looking for opinions on reef lights. I have just about burnt myself out at looking at all the different options and can hardly retain anymore information on these suckers lol

I was first considering the black boxes, but I am now considering the big 3 (radion, kessil, and ai). I still can't believe the price point on these. It's beyond ridiculous and I feel like a lunatic even considering these lights at these prices. I could go on and on about value for dollar, but I'm sure the majority of you feel the same.

I know it' mostly comes down to preference between these lights, but after reading so many threads, it seems each have their own problems. AI fans are loud and constant, Radion xr blues cracking and making noise, radion mobius issues, and Kessil requires a dongle, etc.


Have the bugs been worked out with the radions? Does kessil have an app so you don't have to have a dongle, are the ai fans really that bad?

Do any of these offer more features/benefits than the other?

I like the look of the blue and uv lights best. Id like to be able to control each light color, timers, etc without having to buy a controller or dongle.

The shimmer from the Kessil is nice, but maybe too much. Do these others have shimmer or is it disco ball?

This will be on a 4' 75 gallon tank. I have nothing in the tank right now, but it will likely be lps dominant, softys, and maybe a few sps down the road and ofcourse fish.


Considering 2 Radion xr15 blues/pro, 2 hydra 32 hd, 2 kessil a360x

Thanks in advance
I would recommend the Reefbreeders lights , but if this is isn't an option I would recommend the radions .
 

Bpb

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Among the choices listed I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s a clear winner

A 4 pack of AI Prime 16’s would be the most affordable option. Spectrum and spread would be decent enough for most things you want to keep. Highest value option

Pair of xr15 would be a little more expensive with a little less even coverage, but the most concise, but feature packed choice.

A pair of kessils alone would be too shadowey and the shimmer would be seizure inducing. Pairing them with 2 reefbrite xho though would be my preference among the 3 choices. It would be the most visually pleasing. Spectrum would be outstanding, but it’s the most expensive option by a mile and the most complicated to implement.

Performance wise, especially at a beginner to intermediate level, you will see no difference. They’ll all grow cyano, dinoflagellates, and hair algae equally well lol.

Honorable mention would be a reef breeders photon v2+ 50. That’ll fit the tank end to end. Leg mounts included, and a single power cord.
 

Fakegolfnews

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If you consider the black box route, I would do this instead.
. Black boxes are a nightmare, and these lights are actually pretty good. Out of the big 3, I like the new AI's (have a few 32s and a 64). The fans are pretty quiet.
I don't even notice the 26 fans being that loud, but they are definitely a bit louder than the 32.

Smatfarm G5 lights arent blackboxes. They are point source lights like kessils that cost $120, have 6 channels and have a better spread than radion g4 and way better than an ai prime.

The smatfarm has a spread of 84% in a 2x2 foot open air grid with no glass to help. With glass its probably close to 90%.

Im going to start with 2 over my 40 breeder, cost $240 total. Comes with mounting brackets
 
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HeyLookItsCaps

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I have never heard my fans on my hydras, I have on my ai prime but it’s no louder than a ceiling fan or maybe an air vent from the AC. I love my AI lights and have been with them through 4 generations of their systems now over the years. That’s my vote but I am a fan
 

Fakegolfnews

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Among the choices listed I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s a clear winner

A 4 pack of AI Prime 16’s would be the most affordable option. Spectrum and spread would be decent enough for most things you want to keep. Highest value option

Pair of xr15 would be a little more expensive with a little less even coverage, but the most concise, but feature packed choice.

A pair of kessils alone would be too shadowey and the shimmer would be seizure inducing. Pairing them with 2 reefbrite xho though would be my preference among the 3 choices. It would be the most visually pleasing. Spectrum would be outstanding, but it’s the most expensive option by a mile and the most complicated to implement.

Performance wise, especially at a beginner to intermediate level, you will see no difference. They’ll all grow cyano, dinoflagellates, and hair algae equally well lol.

Honorable mention would be a reef breeders photon v2+ 50. That’ll fit the tank end to end. Leg mounts included, and a single power cord.
Smatfarm are almost half the price of an ai prime at 120 and have better spread, so they arent the most affordable.
 

Falreef

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Is the smatfarm to big for a 10 gallon innovative marine cube?
 

Bpb

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Smatfarm are almost half the price of an ai prime at 120 and have better spread, so they arent the most affordable.

I was leaving black boxes out of the equation. There are of course cheaper options out there. Cheaper than black boxes even. I was doing a price and feature comparison between the 3 bigger brand names the OP mentioned.
 

Sleeping Giant

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Look into Noopsyche K7 V3. They have great lights on a great budget. Plus, they're give a discount right now here on R2R
 

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