ATI Straton or ReefLED 160s - New Lighting Contenders?

[ReefCheef]

Both of these lights intrigue me, but I'm having a difficult time finding anecdotal information on them.

The Straton looks like the LED equivalent of a T5 fixture, while the ReefLED 160s design reminds me of a metal halide fixture. The Straton's 30" cover spread is exciting to me, and makes total sense given the size of the fixture, wattage and LED layout. What caught me off guard is that the 160s states a coverage of 32". Is that realistic given its size?

I have high hopes for the Straton. It appears as though ATI has taken advantage of Philips' fumble on the CoralCare2 by providing a very similar fixture with enough power to drive SPS tanks. Not to mention packaging it in a much sleeker/sexier body.

Does anyone have any firsthand experience with either of these two?

 

[Mjl714]

As far as the Straton, checkout this thread

ATI Straton LED Light - Comments, Review, PAR, Coverage, Discuss...

I almost bought the Coral Care as well but as soon as I heard that the whites had to be turned down (to the detriment of par output) to achieve the blue look, I passed on it and bought the Straton. You will be happy with the Straton. However, I do not think it is a correct assessment or...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[ReefCheef]

Good info on there, thank you.

If anyone has any experience growing SPS with this - either good or bad - please share.

 

[User1]

I have high hopes for the Straton. It appears as though ATI has taken advantage of Philips' fumble on the CoralCare2 by providing a very similar fixture with enough power to drive SPS tanks.

What makes you believe Philip's fumbled with the Coral Care Gen 2? And what makes you think they do not have enough power to drive SPS tanks? If you are stating this based on the BRS review of the lights then they based their assessment on the spectrum or color they prefer. In order to their their favored blue look and feel they had to dial down a lot of LED's in the whiter spectrum thereby reducing overall power. Then they said "mixed reef" recommended.

Philip's light spectrum and distribution is a more natural reef appearance. Natural light. I think if one looks at the user base over in EMEA you will find many a successful SPS tank using Gen 1 and now Gen 2's. You can also look at Terence's tank or build thread here on R2R for a successful SPS tank using Gen 1's.

I think the question you should ask before buying any light is what sort of spectrum or look and feel do you, the hobbyist, prefer. That may help guide you.

Does anyone have any firsthand experience with either of these two?

Here is a good thread with ATI's light if it helps.

Edit: Doh! @Mjl714 beat me to it It is a great thread if you haven't come across it yet.

 

[Reef-Engineer]

I made one of the threads on the Straton. Ask what you will!

I can verify the spread/power/silence of the straton.

The Reefled 160 is a point source light. as such it will suffer from shadowing, like all point source LEDs. This is why lights like Radion are trying to put diffusers on and spread the light out (and why lots of folks now go for 2x XR15s as opposed to 1x XR30 to spread the sources out and reduce shadowing).

 

[spsick]

Good info on there, thank you.

If anyone has any experience growing SPS with this - either good or bad - please share.

the Germans have had these for a while, so you would have best luck checking on maybe German reef forums that translate to English? I’ve seen a couple featured on YouTube if that helps.

 

[ReefCheef]

I made one of the threads on the Straton. Ask what you will!

I can verify the spread/power/silence of the straton.

The Reefled 160 is a point source light. as such it will suffer from shadowing, like all point source LEDs. This is why lights like Radion are trying to put diffusers on and spread the light out (and why lots of folks now go for 2x XR15s as opposed to 1x XR30 to spread the sources out and reduce shadowing).

You thread was great man, thank you. Do you think these give better coverage than the gen 5 radions? I want to blanket a big tank in uniform light like one would typically go for with T5s. The radions were rated really high in terms of spread on BRS, but the sheer size of the Stratons seems like they have to be even better.

 

[ReefCheef]

the Germans have had these for a while, so you would have best luck checking on maybe German reef forums that translate to English? I’ve seen a couple featured on YouTube if that helps.

I've actually watched most of those German videos! Thank you for looking into it. Really hoping some more people over here grab them. They're my top contender on an upcoming tank.

 

[YankeeTankee]

Was between Straton and Reefi lights for me, ended up going with reefi.

 

[ReefCheef]

What makes you believe Philip's fumbled with the Coral Care Gen 2? And what makes you think they do not have enough power to drive SPS tanks? If you are stating this based on the BRS review of the lights then they based their assessment on the spectrum or color they prefer. In order to their their favored blue look and feel they had to dial down a lot of LED's in the whiter spectrum thereby reducing overall power. Then they said "mixed reef" recommended.

Philip's light spectrum and distribution is a more natural reef appearance. Natural light. I think if one looks at the user base over in EMEA you will find many a successful SPS tank using Gen 1 and now Gen 2's. You can also look at Terence's tank or build thread here on R2R for a successful SPS tank using Gen 1's.

I think the question you should ask before buying any light is what sort of spectrum or look and feel do you, the hobbyist, prefer. That may help guide you.



Here is a good thread with ATI's light if it helps.

Edit: Doh! @Mjl714 beat me to it It is a great thread if you haven't come across it yet.

I just feel like they underpowered the coral care. I've seen some incredible tanks with them, don't get me wrong. If you cover a tank corner to corner with them, they will grow SPS. That said, I was expecting the Gen 2 to look like the Stratons do. It doesn't. Also, the way you have to buy the separate box to hook them up. Ugly wires going everywhere. When you're spending money on a tank big enough to warrant the Gen 2s, you don't want some hideous thing with wires everywhere hanging over your system. I know a lot of people run hoods so it doesn't matter to them, but it's really more the principle to me that they didnt care enough about it to try with the design. They look like something that belongs in a barn. I know the aquarium industry isn't really much of a thought for a company like Philips, but if they took it seriously I think they could create something really special. The Gen 2 isn't it. I'm rooting for them long term.

The stratons on the other hand..

Just my opinion..

 

[ReefCheef]

Was between Straton and Reefi lights for me, ended up going with reefi.

I've looked at Reefi as well. It's hard for me to spend so much money on a small company because the sample size of their product is so small. Would you mind explaining your thought process behind why you chose them? They look really well built, but I'm not an expert on lighting technicalities. I'd like to understand it better, but it seems to evolve every day. Guess that's the beauty of the hobby.

 

[User1]

I just feel like they underpowered the coral care. I've seen some incredible tanks with them, don't get me wrong. If you cover a tank corner to corner with them, they will grow SPS. That said, I was expecting the Gen 2 to look like the Stratons do. It doesn't. Also, the way you have to buy the separate box to hook them up. Ugly wires going everywhere. When you're spending money on a tank big enough to warrant the Gen 2s, you don't want some hideous thing with wires everywhere hanging over your system. I know a lot of people run hoods so it doesn't matter to them, but it's really more the principle to me that they didnt care enough about it to try with the design. They look like something that belongs in a barn. I know the aquarium industry isn't really much of a thought for a company like Philips, but if they took it seriously I think they could create something really special. The Gen 2 isn't it. I'm rooting for them long term.

The stratons on the other hand..

Just my opinion..

I think both ATI and Philips went in the right direction but took a slightly different path to get there. Ignoring the spectrum for a minute and only focusing on the design. Both have plenty of reasons to be optimistic such as passive cooling, fewer cables, power supply bricks, etc. All good things and one only has to look at the G5's launch as to why passive cooling is key moving forward. Hobbyist have enough extra wires and power supplies that anything a manufacture can do to remove them is a win win in the reducing clutter and potential fire hazards

I thought I read somewhere, and I can't find it at the moment so could very well be wrong, is that the one reason why ATI's Straton is so thin is because they pack in more LED's but use lower power to drive them. Lower power better thermal dynamics, etc. Philips, on the other hand, went with internal power supply so needed better thermal protection and thus the ticker industry standard heat sink(still smaller than gen 1 ). Not sure if one is better than the other but one is definitely lighter than the other

So back to spectrum and looks - I guess each hobbyist is different which is perfectly fine but one thing for sure these lights set the bar. And high. If I was to replace my Kessil's and DIY array I would be looking at both of these kits for sure. I continue to read threads here and elsewhere with the early adopters and testers to see how things are progressing.

 

[Poochaku]

You thread was great man, thank you. Do you think these give better coverage than the gen 5 radions? I want to blanket a big tank in uniform light like one would typically go for with T5s. The radions were rated really high in terms of spread on BRS, but the sheer size of the Stratons seems like they have to be even better.

Keep in mind, there is a difference between spread and shadowing performance. The G5 is EXCELLENT at spread. Shadowing performance? I have my doubts.

 

[YankeeTankee]

I've looked at Reefi as well. It's hard for me to spend so much money on a small company because the sample size of their product is so small. Would you mind explaining your thought process behind why you chose them? They look really well built, but I'm not an expert on lighting technicalities. I'd like to understand it better, but it seems to evolve every day. Guess that's the beauty of the hobby.

I believe the Reefi is the best light available, duo extreme is awesome and Uno is even slightly better though you will need more outlets which is the only drawback. I will refer to the Uno here. First, cooling – lots of copper, fan, gas exchange vapor chambers. With all this cooling they can add more LEDs. Compare max wattage of this at 180 and Radion XR 15 G5 at 100. They also use what they call reeflectors to create an even, blended light rather than optical lenses which create the disco ball effect seen with many other LEDs, also no side glare which is huge if you don’t have a canopy but nice even if you do. Control is easy, nice spectrum, this light has it all.

 

[User1]

I believe the Reefi is the best light available, duo extreme is awesome and Uno is even slightly better though you will need more outlets which is the only drawback. I will refer to the Uno here. First, cooling – lots of copper, fan, gas exchange vapor chambers. With all this cooling they can add more LEDs. Compare max wattage of this at 180 and Radion XR 15 G5 at 100. They also use what they call reeflectors to create an even, blended light rather than optical lenses which create the disco ball effect seen with many other LEDs, also no side glare which is huge if you don’t have a canopy but nice even if you do. Control is easy, nice spectrum, this light has it all.

I wouldn't say it is best. That is subjective for all brands. Not to mention there are a lot of gaps on the graph. Not sure what it is trying to show but I'm guessing cost / Watt. Not sure why it isn't cost per par although we all know there is more to success than par numbers. Years ago we focused a lot of number of Watts but that isn't really the case now.

Also take the Kessil a360x. Different technology. Not a panel design but uses a wide angle lens. You can mount it lower to the surface and get a nice spread. If you want to push down through 30+ inches of tank - easy add the 90 degree narrow lens and it is done. You may not be able to do that with some of these other lights. Just saying the chart may not factor this in for any of the brands.

It will be interesting if @Dana Riddle has time, and gets donated, a Straton and Reefi to test with. I hear you about cooling but ATI and Philips have equally effective thermal and passive cooling. No fans and one includes the power supply within the light. If it turns out that the Reefi does well then I would agree on the surface the cost point would look like the best option at first glance.

Higher price does not mean success for sure - that we agree on

 

[Bpb]

It will be interesting if @Dana Riddle has time, and gets donated, a Straton and Reefi to test with.

Agree would be cool to see a straton test. Reef fi is done though. He’s got a full write up on the duo extreme and uses them on his personal tank, and is actively compiling data on the uno.

I think any of them will give marginally comparable results if applied correctly. Unit per unit comparisons aren’t fair. One straton would need to be compared to two a360x units, or two reef fi uno units. Not only are smaller units lower in wattage, but they also don’t have the same physical coverage

 

[Reef-Engineer]

You thread was great man, thank you. Do you think these give better coverage than the gen 5 radions? I want to blanket a big tank in uniform light like one would typically go for with T5s. The radions were rated really high in terms of spread on BRS, but the sheer size of the Stratons seems like they have to be even better.

I do believe that these are far superior lights to Radion G5. Passive cooling, higher power LEDs run more gently, much better spread and blending out of the box.

There is a reason I have 4 of them over my tank now, and my PAR/Spread is excellent

 

[ReefCheef]

I do believe that these are far superior lights to Radion G5. Passive cooling, higher power LEDs run more gently, much better spread and blending out of the box.

There is a reason I have 4 of them over my tank now, and my PAR/Spread is excellent

Dude thank you! Your experience is invaluable to me. What size is the tank you're running 4 on?

My tank is going to be 84x48x28. Do you think 4 would work for me as well?

 

[ReefCheef]

I think both ATI and Philips went in the right direction but took a slightly different path to get there. Ignoring the spectrum for a minute and only focusing on the design. Both have plenty of reasons to be optimistic such as passive cooling, fewer cables, power supply bricks, etc. All good things and one only has to look at the G5's launch as to why passive cooling is key moving forward. Hobbyist have enough extra wires and power supplies that anything a manufacture can do to remove them is a win win in the reducing clutter and potential fire hazards

I thought I read somewhere, and I can't find it at the moment so could very well be wrong, is that the one reason why ATI's Straton is so thin is because they pack in more LED's but use lower power to drive them. Lower power better thermal dynamics, etc. Philips, on the other hand, went with internal power supply so needed better thermal protection and thus the ticker industry standard heat sink(still smaller than gen 1 ). Not sure if one is better than the other but one is definitely lighter than the other

So back to spectrum and looks - I guess each hobbyist is different which is perfectly fine but one thing for sure these lights set the bar. And high. If I was to replace my Kessil's and DIY array I would be looking at both of these kits for sure. I continue to read threads here and elsewhere with the early adopters and testers to see how things are progressing.

The point of this thread was not to bash CoralCare at all. It was just a passing observation. They are the lights I was waiting for the last couple of years to start a new tank, but they just didn't turn out how I would have liked. I actually prefer their color spectrum to the overly blue light most Americans are running these days. I just can't suspend them over my tank. Love the passing cooling - as does everyone else it seems. I think there's a lot of big potential for massive advances in the next 5 years if they start applying this new tech/approach right!

 

[ReefCheef]

Keep in mind, there is a difference between spread and shadowing performance. The G5 is EXCELLENT at spread. Shadowing performance? I have my doubts.

Yea I think alleviating shadowing on the underside of my sticks is the thing I'm shooting for most on this tank. T5s always seemed to fill the whole tank in light. I've always assumed the T5 light reflects off the glass better than LEDs for some reason. No clue if that's true, but it has been my personal experience. Really hoping some of these new age LEDs can reflect better off the glass. If not, I plan to just cover the tank in them and keep my rock-work far away from the glass.

I always feel bad when I have a beautiful coral, that's completely white on it's underside. Nothing worse than coming to far only to fall short. I think the best way to counteract that is overplanning at the start. So I'm doing my best to do that here.