Introducing the Hydros XHO LED Light
- Thread starter JeffB418
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minus9
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AquaLogic
Well-Known Member
30w per 12" seems awfully low powered. An 80$ Noo-Psyche mini doubles that power output. I'm guessing these will cost 2 - 2.5x that price for twelve inches....
I like the Hydros integration, I like that a lot. However, other than that, how is this getter than a Noopsyche mini? (I'm not pushing Noopsyche, their app is garbage, but I'm not aware of a better value in lower end lightning that has app control)
I like Hydros products, I use their controller. It's great, and it would be great to have a light that integrates seamlessly. I just have concerns that at only 30w per 12 inches, it's going to be too expensive for what it delivers.
I like the Hydros integration, I like that a lot. However, other than that, how is this getter than a Noopsyche mini? (I'm not pushing Noopsyche, their app is garbage, but I'm not aware of a better value in lower end lightning that has app control)
I like Hydros products, I use their controller. It's great, and it would be great to have a light that integrates seamlessly. I just have concerns that at only 30w per 12 inches, it's going to be too expensive for what it delivers.
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A 12" Blade is only 20w, and it works much better than it should given the low wattage.
While I have my issues with the spectrum (too much of the light dedicated to white), the smallest Fluval 3.0 is only 22w. It can grow coral.
The strip type lights are different animals than puck style lights. The traditional way of looking at wattage doesn't apply as easily.
AquaLogic
Well-Known Member
Genuinely curious, what makes 30w in a strip more effective than 30w in a puck? Isn’t PAR, PAR?
I measured my k7 mini the other day just because I was taking other readings. It generates insane par for its price. I want to say it was reading near 2000 par an inch above the water line on whatever height it’s gooseneck takes it.
Do these 30w strip lights put out that kind of par?
Steven Garland
2500 Club Member
Coverage area with universal par dispersion without hot spots and disco effect. Is the most simple way to put it. Sometimes its not about par as it is coverage.
Exactly.
No, strips often don't reach the raw PAR levels that pucks do. A lot of times, though, it's as much about where the light is (spread) as it is about raw power.
And you can always add more strips if you need more PAR. You can add more pucks too, but you still don't get the even distribution that strips have.
Steven Garland
2500 Club Member
Application is key though,thats the thing. Led bars fill that gap I feel like,especially when it comes to longer tanks deep (supplemental) or shallow (main). Especially if you only plan to keep softies and lps,you'd probably on need one.
AquaLogic
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty impressed with how evenly my Kessil A500x lights my tank, though I'm sure not all pucks are created equal. If I had a larger area to cover and felt light distribution was poor, I could see adding strips to supplement, but couldn't give up the Kessil shimmer.
That said, I have a nano I'd like to try one of these 12inch Hydros lights over. However, it's been a long time since these lights were announced and I'm wondering when, or if we are going to see them.
I like my shimmer too! I was never a fan of T5s or their "flat" look for the same reason... but they did grow coral! :D
I feel like the best lighting option today involves a combination of "pucks" and "strips" to get the best of both worlds. Pucks for the shimmer and main color and strips for the coverage. I do appreciate the effort some of the light manufacturers are putting in to keeping the shimmer while still broadening the coverage, though. The Blade is good for that (while lacking in a LOT of other areas), and the new "Hydra Edge" looks to be running with that theme too.
AquaLogic
Well-Known Member
The Hydra Edge is an interesting light, but from the videos I've seen so far it looks to have a similar, flat, T5 look like Radions. I haven't seen one in person however. It's also hard to justify products like the edge, radion, and etc. when products like the Noopsyche K3 exist. I understand Kessil because it gives a shimmer that's close to Halide, but I don't get the spend on a product like an XR30. Other than the fact that the Noopsyche app is total garbage.
rtparty
7500 Club Member
It’s a horrible light and not flat at all. The shimmer is crazy intense with surface agitation. The thing that makes it horrible is you get white AND blue caustic lines aka shimmer. It’s a giant disco ball in the tank with very little blending.
I couldn’t bring myself to sell it so I returned it back to BRS instead.
Steven Garland
2500 Club Member
I had a feeling thats how it was going to be. If each little cluster was 2 diodes or even dual core diodes,they could have added whites to each one and had a knock it out of the park light. Even light distribution,even par,even spectrum and amazing blending
AquaLogic
Well-Known Member
Well, that has long come and gone. Whatever their original plan was, it's certainly likely that their dawdling to get the lights launched and shipped is going to cost them (and us) financially due to tariffs, depending on where they source their components. The good news is, both Coralvue and Reefbrite products seem to be manufactured in the USA, so perhaps it will be impacted less than other products, especially if they've already got the components in country. Fingers crossed, I still want one of these lights.
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JeffB418
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Yeah they are still working on them. They showed off an updated spectrum unit at RAP Orlando this year. I def want to get some myself to try out. They went alittle heavier on the blue with the latest revision but still looking decent.
